Merry Little One-Shots

Pairings in order:

Ace x Marco
Gray x Natsu
Ace x Gray
Marco x Natsu

One-shot one: Christmas Carols
Pairing: Ace x Marco
Warnings: AU, some swearing.

Ace felt giddy, and he gave a chuckle as he and Marco walked through the snowy streets of Raftel. The gentle snow falling glowed beautifully in the night as the light of the street lamps lit up every unique flake. Marco couldn't help the soft smile that graced his features when he saw just how excited Ace was to go caroling. He couldn't particularly blame the freckled male, though. Ace had grown up on the streets by himself with only the occasional help from a group of bandits that roamed throughout the area, and never had any familial moments…until three years ago when he picked up and took in another teen living on the streets. Luffy had been the young teen's name, and he became Ace's little brother nearly instantly; one was never found without the other by his side.

Then, a few months ago, Ace met Marco.

Things just got better and better for Ace from there.

He reached over and grabbed Marco's mittened hand, squeezing it tightly as the excitement continued to bubble inside him. Ace remembered a time when he'd throw snowballs at the carolers on Christmas Eve and found immense joy in the act, telling himself he'd never lower himself to do something so stupid as caroling. But here he was, ten years later, standing below somebody's window with the love of his life right next to him, getting ready to sing carols. He wished Luffy could be there with him but he knew his little brother was having a blast with the new friends he made several weeks ago.

He felt warm lips kiss his cheek and he glanced up at Marco with storm-gray eyes. "You ready?"

Ace's smile grew and he nodded. "Yeah, I am. I love you, Marco."

"I love you, too. Alright, here we go." They began to sing as strong and loud as they could, but kept on key. Their voices mixed into the night harmoniously, and several people who were passing by stopped to listen to their singing. With each passing verse, Ace's smile seemed to grow more and more, and he rested his head against Marco's arm. And to him, at that moment, his world was absolutely perfect for once. 'Nothing could ruin this,' he thought.

Above, from the window they were singing to, Thatch's exhausted face slammed against the window's pane and he glared sloppily at the two carolers below. Flying his window open, he gave a growl. "What the fuck, Marco?! I'm trying to– I'm trying–!" Every time Thatch tried to speak, Marco's voice would rise above his as he continued on with his carol; a smirk playing on his features as he looked his little brother right in the eyes. This was payback for all the pranks Thatch had pulled on him during the past year. "I'M TRYING TO GET SOME GODDAMN SLEEP! KEEP IT DOWN, YOU SNARKY BASTARD!" Thatch reached to the side and picked up the closest thing he could – his hair comb – and flung it at the blond below. Marco easily sidestepped and the item landed in the soft snow by his feet. Seeing his first attempt fail only pissed off the tired Thatch even more, and without thinking he grabbed the next nearest thing and flung it without a moment's hesitation.

Ace's eyes widened when a giant jar was thrown at him and he jumped to catch the item before it could break on the ground. Looking at the item closer, he saw the jaw was filled with quarters and dimes. His jaw dropped – there had to be at least three hundred dollars in there! He looked up at the smirking Marco before looking back up at the window. "Thanks for the tip, Thatch!"

"Fuck you! Get out of here so I can get some damn sleep!"

"Whatever you say, sleeping beauty," Marco replied, taking Ace's hand as he led the freckled male down the street. Before Thatch shut his window, he stopped and mulled over Ace's words.

"What tip? Wait, where's my… Oi! You bastards better give me back my change jar!"

"Merry Christmas, Thatch!"

"Don't you 'Merry Christmas' me, you damn pineapple! Bring my money back here!" Marco and Ace merely laughed in response, and the two walked down the street in the falling snow as they softly hummed to themselves; their mittened hands warmly holding each other as the cold air of Christmas brushed softly against their faces. But neither seemed to notice the cold weather, for both their hearts were burning with an inextinguishable fire that was commonly known as love.

One-shot two: Blood on Snow
Pairing: Gray x Natsu
Warnings: Blood, mild swearing.

Natsu was used to seeing blood, it was only natural to see it when you were in the middle of a fight. But the amount he saw before his eyes was more than he was used to seeing. But it wasn't just the amount of blood that sent shivers down his spine, it was the stark contrast the red had against the perfectly pure white snow. Crimson on white. 'How can blood look so beautiful yet terrifying…?' He tore his eyes away from it, no longer able to stand its dark beauty, and focused his attention on the mage who sat in the middle of the entire mess.

Gray wasn't in the best shape. A deep, scarring gash ran across his left forearm and another ran along his shoulder blade. Several puncture wounds littered his torso, as did many bruises and scratches. He rested against the trunk of an old, dead tree as he fought to stay awake and to ease his breathing. His breaths were coming in rasps, and he figured there was something wrong with one of his lungs. It hurt to take in deep breaths, so he tried to keep them to small, normal ones. Looking up, his eyes landed on the familiar head of pink of hair. "Natsu…" Judging by the pinkette's worried expression, he was guessing he looked shittier than he originally thought.

"Don't try to talk," Natsu said, finally moving from the spot he'd been frozen at. He walked over and crouched beside the raven, placing a hand on his uninjured shoulder as he took in all the damage the ice mage had accumulated. "Jeez, it looks like you tried to fight a porcupine," he said quietly, hoping to lighten the mood a little. It worked, Gray let out a small chuckle before having a coughing fit; a pained expression overcoming his features as he fought to suppress the coughs. A thin line of blood trickled down his chin, worrying Natsu even more. 'He's coughing up blood. That's not good.' He gave a quiet curse under his breath. "I'm going to find Wendy so she can start healing you." He went to stand but Gray's hand grabbed his arm.

"I-I'm…" Gray stopped for a moment, swallowing hard as he pushed down the urge to cough even more. "I'm cold," he said finally. The words shocked Natsu. How could an ice mage get cold? But then he looked around at the amount of blood that'd been spilt and knew the answer. Blood loss. The pinkette gave a nod and sat down next to Gray, warming his body up to keep the ice mage warm. Gray tried to get closer to the warmth and let out a content sigh when the cold began to leave and was replaced with the warmth of the Dragon Slayer. "Thanks," he said, his eyes slipping shut as he rested his head against the pinkette's shoulder.

"Don't mention it," Natsu replied. "But if Wendy isn't here in the next few minutes, I'm going to have to find her." He felt a small nod come from the ice mage. Glancing over, he gave a small frown. "Don't close your eyes."

"I'm tired," Gray answered, but opened his eyes anyway. A moment of silence fell between the two mages, and soon flakes began to fall from the sky around them. All the ones that touched Natsu's skin melted on contact if they didn't melt before, and the ones that landed on Gray's began to pile on top of each other. It was at this time when Natsu's attention was brought back to the crimson painting the surrounding snow. Blood on snow; beautiful yet terrifying. He may have made fun of Gray's power nearly everyday for the past nine or so years, but in truth he really did find the mage's power beautiful. Ice had a creepy but magnificent power to it, and above all it was beautiful. It represented so many things, could take the shape of countless things…

A hand grabbed his own and he looked down to see Gray fighting to stay awake. "Gray?"

Looking up, Gray's cobalt blue eyes met Natsu's dark emerald green eyes. Being surrounded by the bright white snow brought out the color of their eyes, and they couldn't break eye contact as they lost themselves in each other's eyes. Gray was the first to move, leaning in to catch Natsu's soft lips in a simple kiss. The pinkette let out a sound of surprise but didn't move, his eyes wide as he watched Gray's eyes slide shut. The metallic taste of blood stung his tongue, but he found the taste so alluring in a way. Then the lips left his, and Gray was falling to the ground. Natsu snapped from his thoughts and reached out, catching him before he hit the snow. "Gray? Gray!"

"Heh, you're blushing," was the whisper-like response he received.

"Damn bastard," Natsu growled, holding Gray close to keep him warm. "You better not die on me."

"Only if you promise me a date when we get back."

"…Alright."

A small smile twitched at Gray's lips before he fell unconscious. Natsu's grip on Gray tightened as his green eyes focused back on the sight before him.

Blood on snow.

Beautiful yet terrifying.

One-shot three: The Score's Even
Pairing: Ace x Gray
Warnings: AU, light sexual themes.

Gray wasn't quite sure what the make of the current situation, but he did know that he wanted to laugh his ass off. Ace had fallen asleep mid-sentence whilst eating some pasts, resulting in him face planting in the food. Those who saw the action looked on with worried expression, and he could even hear a few 'did he just die' questions. A waiter came over, glancing warily at the asleep male, and asked, "I-Is everything alright, sir?"

"Everything's fine," Gray answered with a smile. "He's got narcolepsy is all." A relieved look overcame the waiter's face and he gave a nod, excusing himself to wait on another table. The raven reached over quietly to grab a piece of Ace's food, but the freckled male's arms twitched with instinct; bringing down the fork in his hand to stab the intruding hand. Gray quickly pulled away as the fork imbedded itself into the table and held back an amused chuckle. "Ace, time to wake up." …No response. "Oh, look. Luffy's here."

"Luffy?" Ace's head immediately popped up, and his tired eyes scanned the room for the familiar straw hat his brother always wore. "I don't see Luffy anywhere…" A noodle fell from his face and he blinked, glancing over at the smiling Gray. "Oh. I fell asleep again. My bad." He wiped away all the food on his face using the napkin by his plate.

"I'm guessing you forgot to take your medicine today?"

"Yeah, I was in such a rush to meet you here I forgot to take it." He gave a small yawn. "Anyway, what's the plan you had for toady?"

Gray's lips gave a twitch. "Well, I figured since we both like the cold and it's been snowing a lot lately, that we'd–"

"Have a snowball fight?" Ace finished, a mischievous smirk coming to his features. Gray mirrored the look and gave a nod. "Oh, you are so going to get slaughtered."

"Yeah, right," Gray replied. "I have a little surprise for you. So…shall we begin?"

"You're on!" Ace left enough money to cover the bill and a tip as they exited the restaurant and headed for the grassy field that was now covered with snow. Once there, both turned to face each other, twenty paces apart, and grinned. "Good luck, you'll need it."

"That's my line," Gray answered. A moment of silence passed, and then it started. Ace knelt down, scooping up a handful of snow, and quickly rolled it into a ball; launching it with not only unbelievable speed but accuracy as well. It was only thanks to Gray's quick reflexes did he manage to dodge the flying object. He stumbled to the side, giving a small curse but still kept his smirk up. "Not bad," he quietly mused. "But it's my turn now." This was gonna be fun. He pressed a fist hand into the palm of his other hand, and a light glow emitted from it. "Ice Make: Snowball Gun." Ace's eyes widened when Gray scooped a large amount of snow into the gun and a moment later, a barrage of snowballs were flying across the field.

Ace acrobatically dodged ball after ball, and Gray had to admit he was rather impressed by the act. However, as Ace went to dodge one, he slipped on an iced-over part of the grass, and a snowball got him square in the face; sending him crashing to the snowy ground ungracefully. Gray burst into laughter at the sight, doubling over as he held stomach from laughing so hard. Tears leaked from his eyes as Ace slipped once more as he tried to get to his feet and Gray honestly thought he was going to pass out from laughter. Across the field, Ace's brow ticked and he gave a light glare as a smirk reached his lips. "So that's how it's gonna be then, eh?"

Gray glanced up just in time to get a powerful snowball to the face that had him crashing to the ground. He didn't fail to miss the (evil/victorious) chuckle Ace emitted. Bullseye. One to one, the score was even. Gray was still seeing stars when he tried to pull himself into a sitting position, but was suddenly shoved down back into the snow. Ace straddled Gray's waist and held the ice mage's arms above his head, looking down at the raven with a hungry look. Before Gray could say anything, Ace leaned down and captured his lips in fiery kiss. The raven instantly melted into the kiss, letting a moan out when he felt an all too talented hot tongue slip into his mouth.

Ace pulled away with a smirk and Gray knew why. The score was now one to two. The ice mage bucked his hips sharply, causing Ace to loose his grip on him, and rolled over; switching their positions expertly. Suddenly, the clothes they were wearing became too hot. From below, Ace rolled his hips; his erection brushing against Gray's inner thigh. The younger male gave a soft gasp and he looked down at the male below. Ace's smirk never left, but his eyes screamed that they needed to head home. Now. "Your place or mine," Gray asked, his voice husky.

"Yours," Ace quickly answered. As they got up, Ace pulled Gray into one more kiss; this one more gentle and passionate than the one before. When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead against Gray's and let a smile grace his features as his storm-gray eyes stared into cobalt blue eyes. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Now hurry up, I wait to be ravished by you," Gray whispered in the freckled male's ear. The words went straight to Ace's groin, and he gave a possessive growl.

"You. Home. Now." Gray gave a grin.

The score was even once more.

One-shot four: Phoenixes and Dragons
Pairing: Marco x Natsu
Warning: AU.

Natsu knew there wasn't something off about the male before him, he just couldn't place what it was. The man – Marco, he said his name was – had approached Natsu as he was coming back into town from a mission. To say Marco's eyes were alluring would have been an understatement. His eyes were the clearest blue Natsu had ever seen. An azure unlike anything he'd ever seen. There was an aura to the man, one that told Natsu he wasn't an ordinary person. He was powerful and he was dangerous. "What do you want?"

The blond smiled, and Natsu couldn't understand why his cheeks felt so hot at the sight. "I'd like to join your guild, Fairy Tail."

Natsu couldn't help but glance in Marco's direction once more. It'd been two months since the mysterious blond had joined the guild and the pinkette had been attracted to man like a moth was attracted to light. He snuck glances whenever he could, talked with the man when he had the chance, and spent time with him when the opportunities popped up. But for the first time, Marco asked Natsu to accompany him on a mission. Of course, Natsu agreed. Now they were walking back from the completed mission. It wasn't a hard mission, in fact Marco could have taken care of it by himself. Just take care of some bandits that were bothering a town at the base of a mountain. So why had Marco asked him to come along?

"Dragon Slayers are pretty rare," Marco said, startling Natsu from his thoughts. "But I find their powers fascinating. Especially yours."

The pinkette felt his cheeks heat up at the compliment and he was glad Marco was walking in front of him. "Thanks. Hey, can I ask what your magic is? I don't think I've ever seen you use it before." He gave a frown. "Now that I think about it, nobody's seen your magic."

"That's because the type of magic I use is rare. In fact, I'm the only person in the world who can use it at this time." Natsu's curiosity had officially been peaked at that moment. He had heard of rare magics, but for only one person to be able to use a certain kind?

"What is it?" Natsu jumped on the edge of his toes. "Fight me, then! Let's see who'll win."

"I will." The answer came quietly. It wasn't a bragging answer, it was said in a matter-of-fact tone which made Natsu falter for a moment. It reminded him of Guildarts in a way, when he confronted the male on Tenrou island. But then he got a burst of confidence. Marco hadn't seen in him in an all-out fight, so there was a possibility he could win. "You still wan't a fight I see… I guess I can humor you for a moment."

"Yeah, alri–" Something hard slammed into Natsu, causing his back to collide with the side of the mountain and the breath to disappear from his lungs. 'Wh-What was that?!' Opening his eyes, he saw Marco standing exactly where he'd been when Natsu was talking with him; a light smirk playing on his tanned features. 'Did…Did he do that? I didn't even see him move...' He pushed himself away from the mountain and rolled his shoulders, walking back to Marco's side. "What the hell was that?"

Marco suddenly leaned in close to the pinkette. "Everyone knows a phoenix would win in a fight against a dragon," the blond purred into Natsu's ear, causing the younger male to blush.

"A what? What are…" Natsu's eyes widened in realization. "You have the power of a phoenix?"

"Not exactly. More along the lines of, I am a phoenix," Marco corrected, pulling back and letting the smile drop from his lips. The pinkette gave another confused look and the blond let out a sigh and held out his arms. Flesh suddenly formed into fiery blue feathers that were occasionally tipped with yellow. Natsu let out a small gasp of awe, finding the fire beautiful and calm. Reaching out, he found they held no heat to them. Then he thought of something. Giving a grin, he opened his mouth to suck in the flames and eat them…but found the flames wouldn't budge.

"Huh?" This…This has never happened before. He'd never come across a fire he couldn't eat. "Why can't I…?"

"Dragon slayer can't eat phoenix flames."

"What? Oh come on! That's so unfair! Why not?" The blond stayed silent but looked on with amusement. "You snarky bastard, don't give me that look!" Natsu roared, small flames licking from his arms. Marco looked the fire mage straight into the eyes; azure against emerald.

"There's no need for yelling," the blond said, his voice soft. Natsu felt himself calm, his fires going out and his anger disappearing. His tense muscles relaxed, and he found himself getting lost in those beautiful azure eyes. Finally, Marco broke the eye contact, and Natsu was brought out of his trance. "Phoenixes have the power to calm a raging dragon with only a single look and a few words." The blond paused for a moment, mulling something over in his mind. "You know, you look cute when you're flustered."

"Shut up," Natsu mumbled as he looked away, his cheeks reddening once more. Glancing up, he noticed the sun was about to set. He remembered promising Happy he'd take him fishing before noon tomorrow. "We should start heading back. We have to be back in Magnolia by morning tomorrow." The thought of taking a train nearly made him turn green, but the small chuckle from Marco chased away the ill thoughts. The blond transformed before Natsu's very eyes, and where a man once stood now sat the mythical fire bird.

"I can give you a ride if you'd li–" Marco was cutoff when he suddenly felt soft lips land where his cheek would have been in human form, and he glanced to see Natsu giving a bright smile.

"Thanks, Marco! You're a life saver!"

Had Marco been in his human form, Natsu may have seen those tanned cheeks turn a light red.

Guys. Like, no. The last one ended horribly. I want to erase it. It didn't even have any snow in it. Ugh. Sorry. While I was writing the Ace x Gray one-shot, I came up so many friggin ideas, I may just put up a story later containing Ace x Gray one-shots. And I'm positive I may post a multi-chapter story based on the Gray x Natsu one-shot I wrote in this. (It'll be posted later after I'm finished with one of my other stories.) The Marco x Natsu story...that'll probably be a long one-shot by itself someday with more details added in and stuff. Plus, the Marco x Natsu pairing was originally supposed to be Natsu x Shirahoshi, but I changed it last second. (NxS is such a cute couple! The little pinkettes...cute!)

So yeah, I hope you all had a wonderful christmas! :D Have a great morning/afternoon/evening/holiday!

~»roo the ice elemental psycho«