Favorites

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

Summary: A plan to deceive is a good plan indeed.

Favorites (Rated M)

"You love him more than me, don't you?" Happy accused, on the verge of tears. "Gray's your favorite! Isn't he?!"

Natsu stood rooted to the floor. Had anyone else seen him at that particular moment, they would have thought he wasn't the real Natsu Dragneel. The real Natsu Dragneel wouldn't just stand there, pale-faced before his best friend, cowering under that tearful gaze, would he? Would he?!

As hard as it was to believe, the all-powerful dragon-slayer did just that.

"I don't love him more than you," Natsu argued back meekly. He wasn't used to this type of conversation, so he really didn't know what to say. Having an unstable Exceed in his presence didn't help much either.

"Yes you do! Don't deny it!" Happy yelled, pointing a finger at the stunned fire mage.

Natsu found himself at a loss for words. "What…What makes you think I love Gray more than you?"

"You spend more time with him than me."

"No I don't," Natsu protested.

"Prove it," demanded Happy, crossing his arms.

"Well, Sundays I spend the evenings with the both of you until it's time for bed since I'm on small missions all day. Monday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings are spent with you since Gray hangs out at the guild those days. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings are spent with Gray since you hang out with Carla and Wendy. Fridays I go out with Gray, and Saturdays I spend with you."

Natsu patiently waited for Happy's response. He felt he managed his time impeccably so that he could spend equal amounts of time with the both of them.

"You still spend more time with Gray," Happy insisted.

Natsu lost what little patience he had left. "Why do you still think I spend more time with him?!"

"He gets you every night!" exclaimed Happy, pointing his finger accusingly at Natsu again. "See?! You still spend more time with him than me!"

Natsu gulped. Having Happy voice that he spent nights with Gray was not a conversation he wanted to get into.

Sighing in defeat, Natsu asked, "Then how do you suggest I spend more time with you?"

Happy seemed to think for a moment. "Don't take missions on Saturdays and Sundays. That should make up for it."

Takes Saturdays and Sundays off of missions?! But he had food to buy! Natsu was just about to say this when Gray suddenly burst into his home looking quite…upset?!

"You love him more than me, don't you?!" Gray shouted. "Happy's your favorite! Isn't he?!"

Natsu felt his knees buckle under the force of both their glares. Hadn't he just gone through this same exact thing with Happy? What was going on? Was there something in the air? What?

"Let me guess," Natsu started anxiously, "you think I spend more time with Happy than you."

Gray nodded his head.

"Happy has already said that I actually spend more time with you than him."

"No, I don't!" Gray snapped.

"Yes, you do!" Happy blurted. "You spend every night with him!"

"To sleep!"

"Yeah, right! I know what two healthy teenage boys are capable of in a bedroom!"

Natsu wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

"You think we have sex every night?!"

"What else?!"

Getting kidnapped sounded pretty good right about now, too.

"If you think that goes on every night, you are sorely mistaken!"

"What? Can't keep it up?"

Had Happy really said that?!

"Ha! I'm not the problem in that department!"

"Oh really? So are you accusing Natsu of being the problem?"

Why couldn't someone unleash a monster that needed defeating?

"If he weren't so damned fucking tired when he got home from missions, he wouldn't be!"

"Then get him those pills or something!"

Or a Dark Guild. A Dark Guild hadn't attacked in a while.

"Oh! So you want him to overly exert himself so that he's too exhausted to play with you the next day?!"

"No! I didn't mean that!"

Would these two ever stop?

"Then what did you mean!? Because it seems to me that he cares more about his fucking missions than he does us!" Gray yelled at the top of his lungs.

Happy's eyes widened. "I…guess it does."

Silence. Natsu could hear the ringing in his ears from the deafening silence. And suddenly, both Happy and Gray rounded on him.

"You love your missions more than us!" they shouted at him simultaneously. "It's your favorite! Isn't it!?"

Natsu finally collapsed in a chair looking deathly white. "What do I have to do to prove that I love you both equally? In different ways, yeah, but I love both of you just as much," he said quietly, his voice just above a whisper.

Happy and Gray walked up to him and knelt before Natsu, gazing up at him thoughtfully.

"You're working yourself to death, Natsu," Happy stated bluntly.

"No. I'm—"

"Ye,s you are," Gray interrupted. "Or do I have to go through what you do on a daily basis? Sundays you're on missions from five in the morning to six in the evening because you can't say no to Lucy about her rent; Mondays through Thursdays you're helping in the guild from four in the morning to seven in the morning, then go on missions from seven in the morning until eight at night; Fridays you help out at the guild again from five in the morning to seven in the morning, then you go on missions until six in the evening; and Saturdays you do odds and ends for members of the guild from twelve in the afternoon to ten at night. That's not counting those times when you get up in the middle of the night to fix some stupid little problem at the guild that could wait until later. Now, tell me where I'm wrong! I dare you!"

Natsu felt like control was slipping from his grasp. His guild mates needed him, his best friend needed him, and his boyfriend needed him! But neither three would have him if he worked himself to death.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" How come he'd never noticed how tired he was before?

"You probably won't like this much, but it's because we love you that we're even suggesting it," started Happy.

"Yeah. So no more early days. Sundays you'll do missions from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon," added Gray.

"Mondays through Fridays you will get up at seven in the morning. Then you can go on missions until six in the evenings unless it's a long mission. And you will take Saturdays off of missions. Completely. If there is anything someone asks or tells you to do, say no," finished Happy.

It…sounded reasonable. Natsu had to admit that helping out at the guild full time, plus going on missions full time, plus spending as much time as he could both with Happy and Gray was tiresome. Why hadn't he realized that before?

"Fine. I'll do that. I just need to learn o say…no to people so I'm not so overworked, I guess. And then I'll…I'll relax. We can do something…okay?" Natsu waited expectantly for their answer.

When they smiled at him, Natsu felt relieved. He'd made them happy, but more importantly, he'd made himself happy. Even though he might want to, he couldn't do everything.

"Okay, Natsu! We'll meet you down in living room!" cried Happy excitedly as he raced out the door.

"Yeah, we'll see you out there. Go get yourself relaxed," said Gray, kissing him on the forehead before stepping out of Natsu's bedroom. He shut the door behind him with a soft click.

"We did it!" Happy hissed triumphantly.

"I know! I didn't think he would ever agree to that," Gray replied in the same manner as they headed for the living room.

"That was some really good acting you did back there," commented Happy.

"You, too. I'm just glad our plan worked."

"Yeah. But it's for Natsu's own good."

"And we did it because we care about him. Let's just hope he doesn't find out we tricked him." They both laughed at that.

They'd do anything for Natsu, especially if it meant keeping him healthy and happy.

End