Fend for Yourself Night
Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail
Summary: Natsu feels as if Gray doesn't appreciate all the little things he does? What will Gray think of that?
Fend for Yourself Night (Rated T)
Gray was exhausted. He'd been up since before the sun had risen because he had an emergency mission to attend. Several fights and a few disasters later, he was finally home. It was late in the evening, so he was just in time for dinner. And boy was he ready for one of Natsu's delicious, home-cooked meals. His mouth salivated at the thought.
Entering their apartment, he threw off his jacket and tossed his shirt on the floor…and just stood there in confusion. No scrumptious aromas wafted from the kitchen, no sizzling sounds of something delectable could be heard, and no clanking of pots and pans.
Something was wrong.
Concerned, Gray walked toward the kitchen and peeped inside. No one was there. It didn't even look as if anyone had cooked at all. The kitchen appeared spotless.
Leaving the kitchen, Gray called out for Natsu. "Hey, Natsu? Where are you?"
"Here," a voice snapped from the living room.
Taken aback by the dragon slayer's harsh tone, Gray slowly made his way to the living room. Curled up on the couch and covered in a thick blanket lay Natsu, reading a magazine.
"Hey," Gray said timidly. Was it just him or did Natsu look mad?
"Hey, yourself," Natsu spat indignantly.
Okay, Natsu didn't look mad. He was mad. But why?
"Are you…all right?" Gray questioned as he sat on the floor in front of Natsu.
"What do you think?" Natsu answered in the same tone as before.
Gray sighed. "Did I do something to upset you?"
"Ding ding! We have a winner! Wow, you really don't have ice for brains, do you?" Natsu snarled sarcastically.
Gray cringed. What had he done to deserve this? "Um…this may be a strange question, but…what did I do exactly?"
"It's not what you did do; it's what you didn't do. Or rather, what you've never done."
What he'd never done? What was that supposed to mean? "And that would be—"
"You never compliment me on my cooking. You don't thank me for preparing dinner for you. I go out of my way to make sure you have a decent meal, and you just come in and eat without saying a word. Well, not anymore! It's fend for yourself night, mister, so you can go eat out of the damn trash for all I care!"
Gray raised an eyebrow at the dragon slayer's outburst. This only angered Natsu further. He put down his magazine and threw off his blanket. As Natsu tried to get up from the couch, Gray pushed him back down.
"Wait," Gray said firmly. Natsu crossed his arms and averted his eyes. "I'm…sorry. I didn't know small things like that meant so much to you."
"It's not a small thing," Natsu said quietly. "It means as much to me as saying 'I love you.' Do you understand that?"
Gray smiled warmly at him. "I think I do. Is it like how you've started wearing blue because it's my favorite color and matches my eyes? Is it like how you wash your hair with strawberry shampoo because I love the smell? Is it like—"
"Yes," Natsu interrupted. He was now blushing furiously. Had Gray really noticed all those little things? "It's exactly like that."
Gray inwardly smirked. He'd actually gotten Natsu to admit that. But now he had something a little more important to settle. Resting his forehead against Natsu's, he whispered, "I really am sorry about that, Natsu. It never occurred to me to say anything, and that's the truth. But I will from now on. And if you don't want to cook all the time, it's all right. I understand. There is one thing I'd like to say though."
"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"
"I almost love your cooking as much as I love you," Gray answered, nuzzling Natsu's neck as he proceeded to give him a nice hickey.
Natsu chuckled. "You can sweet talk me all you want, but I'm still not making you dinner. Go fend for yourself; order take-out or something."
Then Gray said something that floored Natsu.
And not in a good way.
"Don't worry. I'll make us something to eat," Gray replied, getting up and making his way toward the kitchen.
Suddenly, panic seized Natsu. Gray? Cook?! Like hell! He'd blow up the apartment complex in seconds! And that was more fire than he was willing to consume.
"Gray! Gray, wait!" exclaimed Natsu as he hurried after his lover into the kitchen.
End