Frostbite

By Faralyne

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Summary: On his latest solo mission to defeat an evil ice witch, Gray is cursed with the witch's jinx, and Natsu takes on the responsibility to nurse him back to health.

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Chapter 1

Returning Home.

A dreary rain poured down on Fiore. Dark, grey clouds hovered over every inch of the bleak sky, blocking out any chance of sunlight. The weather seemed to have everyone in a bad mood, especially a certain guild named Fairy Tail.

Almost no one was at the guild today. Team Natsu sat around a creaky wooden table. Lucy impatiently tapped her index finger on the table top, her chin cradled in her small hand as a bored pout graced her lips. Erza immersed herself in leisurely enjoying her strawberry cake so she wouldn't have to join Lucy in boredom.

Thump… thump… thump…

A tick mark formed on Lucy's forehead, and she whipped her head in the direction of the repeated sound.

"Natsu! Will you quit banging your head on the table! It's annoying!" she barked bitterly and the thumping noise stopped.

"But, Lucy!" Natsu whined, "I can't take this anymore! I haven't fought someone in days! Let's all go on a mission and beat up baddies!"

Lucy sighed, though Erza spoke up, "Natsu. You know the reason why we cannot go on a mission," she glanced at the empty seat next to Natsu.

"Gray would be sad if he couldn't come with us. Wait patiently for his return," she ordered before taking another bite of delicious cake.

"Why do we have to wait for that bastard? He went on a mission without us anyways! We should do the same to him too," Natsu pouted, crossing his muscular arms.

"I heard Master-san sent him alone on that mission for a reason. Wasn't his magic the only one efficient enough to accomplish the mission?" a small voice spoke up, catching the attention of the table. Wendy stood a little bit away from the table with her hands fiddling behind her back.

Lucy perked up a bit, "Hey Wendy! What do you mean? All Gray told us was that we couldn't come with him."

Wendy nodded, taking Gray's usual seat. "Master-san specifically asked Gray-san to take the mission. Something about an evil ice witch trying to takeover a town where an old friend lived. Gray-san's magic seems to be the only type compatible enough to achieve success," she explained and Erza and Lucy nodded understanding.

Natsu snorted, "Hmph! I bet I could've kicked that ice witch's ass no problem!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Possibly. But isn't Gray taking too long? He left about a week ago… he should've been back at the guild by now—"

Creak!

The large guild doors slowly opened. A huge gust of wind followed by a few splashes of the relentless rain stormed in. A hooded, concealed figure entered the guild. The person had his or her left arm in a sling.

The figure dragged his or her feet to the bar area where Mirajane stood cleaning beer glasses. Her eyes widened a bit, but they narrowed at each step taken. Every rain-drenched footprint froze over, creating a thick print of ice. A bit of black hair with a tint of dark blue peaked through the hood, and Mirajane visibly relaxed.

"Gray, is that you? Welcome back! How was your mission?" she asked slowly, confused on why he hadn't greeted Natsu, Lucy, and Erza first. He always found them first one way or another.

"A lot worse than expected. Is Master here? I need to talk to him." Gray's voice was low, hoarse, and barely audible. He kept his head down and facing the ground. Mirajane had to lean in to hear him.

"No, sorry, he left for a meeting a few hours ago. I'm not sure when he will be back. Can I help you in any way? You don't seem very well," she offered, glancing at Natsu's table. All four of them were staring at the scene at the bar. Actually, all eyes in the guild stared at the figure on the barstool.

"Not really… but something to drink would be nice," he fidgeted, straightening his gloves.

"The usual? A berry milk tea?"

Gray shook his head, "Err, can I actually get something warm? I'm kind of cold."

Mirajane stared at the boy, dazed for a second before shaking her head and preparing a piping hot chocolate. Well, that's weird. It's Gray. He never gets cold, she thought.

Gray let his head drop on the bar counter, aware of the stares he'd been receiving. His head was blaring, and he just didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. Not even Natsu or Lucy or Erza. Gray just wanted to drink some of Mira's famous hot chocolate and hurry home, hopefully to sleep off some of this… illness he acquired. Damn ice bitch, he thought begrudgingly. It was her fault he was like this. A sudden chill ran down Gray's spine, and he shuddered a bit. Someone was intensely glaring him down. Was it Juvia? No, she would run straight up to me. Just as Gray was about to glare down the creeper, a body stood in front of his vision. A bare chest with a plaid scarf swishing around to be precise.

Gray almost jumped, but contained it, glaring at the boy through his hood. It would probably be best not to take off his clothes. If that happened, he'd have some explaining to do. And that sounded tedious.

"Oi, ice princess. What took you so long?" Natsu asked bitterly.

Of course Natsu knew exactly who it was with that special nose on him. He knew what Gray smelled like a million miles away; mint and sweet basil after a morning rain. There was always the smell of soap or cologne trying to cover it up, but Natsu knew better. He crossed his arms and frowned. He felt a little bad for the attitude since Gray seemed hurt from his mission (the arm in a sling), but that (dat?) ass made him wait an extra week to beat up bad guys!

Gray's eye twitched at the comment, "Shut up flames-for-brains. The mission took longer than expected."

Natsu smirked, "What? Too much for you to handle? Did the wittle ice witch kick your wittle ass?"

Gray tensed, his right hand curling into a fist, but gradually sighed, "Fuck off Natsu, I don't feel like playing with you right now," he spat, sliding off the barstool and starting for the door. I don't even want hot chocolate anymore. I just want to go home and sleep. To think I missed this guy.

Halfway to the door, a warm hand gripped Gray's shoulder and stopped him, "What did you say, bastard?!"

And before he could retort, a flaming fist found its way to the back of his head. As if everything was moving in slow motion, Gray felt his head whine in protest, pulsating from the impact. His entire body lurched forward, tumbling into the door where he finally crashed upside down. Light glared into his eyes as his hood was thrown off. In an instant, Natsu was standing over him with a grin that screamed smugness. Until he took a good look at Gray's face. That smile dropped as if he saw a ghost.

Half of Gray's face was covered in a thick layer of ice that seemed to be growing. One of his eyes turned an icy blue color while the other was still his usual dark mysterious blue. But, that wasn't it. To Natsu, his face looked thinner as if he had been starved in the desert for weeks.

"O-oi, Gray, are you o-okay?" Natsu stuttered, not knowing exactly what to say.

Gray laid there for a bit trying to get the room to stop spinning. He felt a hand touch his iced forehead and jerked away. But, it was too late. Ice gripped Natsu's hand, creeping up his arm as if it wanted to eat him. His arm felt like a heavy weight, and the ice stung. Natsu attempted to melt the ice off, but he couldn't expel his flames. He blamed it on being so startled.

"Damn it Natsu, I said I didn't want to play with you!" he yelled, jumping up to his feet even though he was so dizzy and exhausted. Gray quickly removed the glove on his left arm, ripping off the sling. His entire hand was covered in thick ice. His fingernails were a mix of dark blue and purple. His veins looked like they were bulged and overflowed.

He grabbed Natsu's ice-covered arm and exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. Slowly, the ice receded into his hand. Gray's arm dropped like a dead log, unable to move anymore. His breath was ragged, and the stare Natsu held pissed him off to no end. Gray just shook his head before backing out of the guild and into the pouring rain. Natsu watched his frozen footprints in confusion and worry.

Lucy, Erza, and Wendy quickly joined him asking him questions, but for some reason he couldn't hear them. One thought kept screaming through his head like an alarm clock: Gray's in trouble. You've got to help him.

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Three days passed since the incident with Gray. Gray hadn't showed up to the guild since. The rain finally stopped, but the clouds remained a deathly grey color, permanently blocking out any sun. The guild was full, but everyone was talking in hushed tones. Gray was the main topic today. Gossip (aka. Mirajane) traveled fast.

Natsu hadn't said a single word about it since then, not to Lucy or even Erza (though she tried to beat it out of him). He was mad at Gray for some reason. Plus, if Natsu went to go see him, it would look like he was wrong, even if he probably was. Natsu didn't want to lose to Gray though (Natsu logic)! However, the guilt, worry, and confusion were eating him alive. He couldn't get Gray's sickly face out of his head. Gramps said he would wait for Gray to come back to the guild, but he didn't think that was right. He felt they should visit his house—

As if reading his mind, Erza grabbed him by his scarf, dragging him out of the guild.

"Oi—cough—what are you doing?!"

"Natsu. We are going to see if Gray is all right. Lucy, Wendy, come," she commanded in a low tone. How could Natsu think Erza would just overlook this? Though he didn't fight her, somehow his emotions got the best of him. Well, he wouldn't be losing if Erza dragged him to Gray's house, right?

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Gray lived in a small cottage on the edge of Fiore, near a small lake and forest. He loved the tranquility and peace the lake provided, but it could get lonely out there sometimes. That was what the guild was for.

The site Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy expected was not what they were presented with. The lake was frozen over. The forest was covered in snow—trees frozen down to the last leaf. The snow seemed to be growing just like the ice that was on Natsu's arm.

Lucy quickly began rubbing her cold arms, "U-um, do we really have to go in there? The snow looks like it'll eat us…" she trailed off.

Erza glared at the frosted cottage before reequipping into something more winter-friendly.

"Natsu. We will continue into Gray's house. Your naturally hot temperature will keep you guarded against this freak storm. Lucy, Wendy, you will stay out here and try to stop the snow from growing anymore," she ordered and walked towards the ominous hut.

Natsu was genuinely confused. He came to Gray's house once in his life, and it never looked like this. It wasn't cold and void of all life. It was actually kind of… nice. But, he wouldn't admit that! Though, Happy really enjoyed the fish in the lake, and Natsu had a ball chasing around some scared bunny.

Natsu quickly shook his head and followed Erza to the cottage. She didn't even bother with knocking on the door, reequipping a long sword and slashing the door into pieces. Natsu gaped. Now he was really worried. The entire inside of the cottage was filled with ice.

"Natsu."

Erza didn't need to say anything more. Blazing flames engulfed Natsu's hands as he pulled an arm back in an attempt to punch the ice to pieces. He's melted Gray's ice before. This shouldn't be any trouble, right? In a flash of mighty fire, the ice wall blocking the entrance melted into water and trickled out the door. Natsu grinned at his work and continued to melt the ice in their way. Even though he had only been to Gray's once, he remembered exactly where his room was. The next left down the only hall.

Gray's door was a pretty mahogany wood, frayed and cracked by the ruthless ice. Honestly, what happened here? What's going on with Gray? Natsu thought. Maybe something really happened during the last mission? But, why not just go to Wendy if he was in pain? Stupid ice-block! Natsu gritted his teeth. His thoughts were getting on his nerves. Why did he have to think so much about the ice princess?

"Hmph, time to give someone a wakeup call," he muttered to himself before pulling the door open.

Just like before, the room was sealed in ice. Though, it was a little darker and more ominous than before. If you squinted, you could make out a figure on the twin-sized bed. A figure curled up in a fetal position, frozen in the ice he made. Natsu's eyes widened at the scene. It felt as if something plummeted into his gut. Immediately, the fire ignited by Natsu's hands increased to unbearable temperatures. Erza even stepped back a bit. He placed his hands on the ice blocking the entrance waiting for it to melt. But, it never did. Steam clearly entered the air around them, but the ice did not budge.

Natsu blinked in confusion, increasing the flames in his hands. No change. This damn ice was pissing him off! Natsu punched the ice in fury and something seemed to flash in his head. Words. No, a soft voice. It hurts, it whimpered. The voice was brittle and barely audible. Confused, Natsu punched the ice again. The bright flashed appeared again. Help me. The ice didn't even have a dent in it. Natsu wasn't sure what to do. He kept punching and kicking the ice in hopes to see a crack. The voice continued to appear in his head, usually saying it hurts or help me. Though, on the last kick, it screamed his name. Natsu!

Natsu crashed to the floor in exhaustion. His flames barely engulfed his fists now. His hands bled from the continuous punching, and his feet hurt from the kicking. Erza quickly stepped in front of the entrance with a sword in both hands. She slashed mercilessly at the ice, but there wasn't much change. Only a small cut that was barely visible. Erza seethed. She was worried about her friend and angry with herself for not being able to help him.

"Wait here… I'm going to get… Master," she announced between pants and darted out of the house.

Natsu huffed, staring at the blurry figure on the bed. He crawled up to the ice again, this time placing a single hand on the ice. Natsu!

"Come on ice-block. Let us in," he whispered slowly.

"How can I help you? Just tell me, and I'll do it."

Natsu was aware he was talking to himself. How could Gray hear him all the way in there?

"Gray… please…"

Then it hit him. What if Gray was already dead? Maybe this was how ice mages died, expelling all of their magic in a chilly rage.

"No!" Natsu screamed. As if he'd let that happen. Gray was his rival! He was his best friend! Gray was family! To hell with death! He wasn't losing Gray even if his life depended on it. He would never lose anyone ever again.

Natsu's eyes stung. He could feel his body temperature rising rapidly. He bared his canine teeth, nails digging into the ice. Natsu didn't know what the hell this ice was or why it was keeping him from being near his friend. But, it was annoying. And he wasn't having any of it anymore.

Suddenly, hot flames burst from his body, engulfing him entirely. The cottage went from wet to dry to on fire in a matter of seconds. All Natsu could see was red. And that blurry figure on the bed. He pressed his body against the ice hoping he would somehow go through. Natsu pushed hard, crushing his body against the ice. The wooden floorboards underneath him broke under the force.

But, he could feel it.

Natsu!

The making of water.

Natsu!

Bubbling and fizzing.

Come closer!

His feet slipping on the floor.

Help me flame-brain!

He was practically running now, burning a Natsu-shaped hole in the dark ice that slowly dissipated in the air. Natsu reached the bed. He was shaking and panting. He could barely see straight from the amount of magic he was using up. But, that didn't really matter right now. He looked down at the figure, still covered in a thick layer of ice, lying on the bed. Gray's eyes was scrunched closed, his face contorted in a pained frown. His arms gripped around his legs as his forehead touched his knees. Just as Natsu thought, he really did look like he had been starved for weeks in the desert. This damn ice was sucking the life out of him. And he looked so cold.

Natsu stared at the frozen silhouette no longer. His body moved on its own, wrapping around Gray in an attempt to warm him up. He could feel his clothes dampening as the ice melted. Natsu's hands found Gray's wet ones, and he sighed in relief when he could still feel a pulse. He could smell the mint and sweet basil wafting off of him, pulling a smile on his lips.

He did it.