Complicated

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

Summary: Gray finds emotions are too complicated to comprehend.

Complicated (Rated T)

Against the hard wall of the guild, Gray slammed his fist down. It made a resounding thud. He then pressed his back up alongside the wall and slid down into a sitting position. He rested his head on his knees while he massaged his temples with his thumbs.

Why did his emotions have to be so irrational? He couldn't deal with irrational. Things—all things—were supposed to be rational. So why couldn't he sort out what he was feeling?

The ice mage growled to himself and dropped his head back against the wall. He winced slightly, not expecting his head to have been that close.

"Hey!"

"Great," Gray muttered under his breath as Natsu suddenly appeared, looking furious.

"You can't just start a fight and then leave! We weren't finished yet!"

The ice mage just stared at him.

"Aren't you gonna say something?"

"What's there to say?"

Natsu's anger seemed to dissipate as confusion became evident in his eyes. "Huh?"

"As eloquent as ever, I see."

The fire mage took that as an invitation to kick Gray's feet, to which the ice mage responded merely by looking at him blankly.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why aren't you bashing my head in or something?"

"Did it ever occur to you that I might not want to do things like that to you?" he questioned.

Natsu seemed to have lost his ability to speak, but only for a moment. "I don't get it."

Gray groaned and looked up at the sky. He could see the clouds passing by slowly. It looked like rain. If only that could wash away his mixed feelings.

"I hate you. But at the same time, I don't," he said, hoping that would be clear enough.

The fire mage slid down the wall, sitting next to Gray as he pondered this. "You got any more than just that?"

"You definitely know how to make things difficult."

"Well, excuse me for trying to figure out why you're acting so moody. Is it your time of the month or what?"

"Don't push me."

"You got some PMS going on? Pissy man syndrome?"

"Would you shut the fuck up? You plague my thoughts enough! I don't need you to rub it in!" Gray shouted, forcing himself up off the ground. He made to grab his shirt—seriously, he needed to get a hold of his stripping habit—but Natsu snagged it. "Give it back."

"No. Not until I get some answers."

The ice mage glared at him, but it seemed to have no affect on Natsu. "Speak, then."

"What did you mean when you said I plagued your thoughts?" he asked quietly in response.

To be honest, Gray wasn't even sure he knew himself. "Anytime my thoughts wander, you immediately flood my mind. I can't get you out of my head. I find myself thinking about you, wondering what you're doing, what you'll do tomorrow, what will happen when I next see you. And I hate it."

"You…really do hate me, then?"

"I'm not mad or angry with you," Gray explained quickly. "And the more I think about it, the more I can't tell if I actually hate you. And when I try to remember why I hated you to begin with, I come up with nothing."

"Heh. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked me," Natsu teased to blow off the deep turn their conversation had gone. But when the ice mage remained silent, he grew worried. "Do you?"

"I don't know," Gray answered honestly, looking lost. "It's…complicated."

"I know."

"You do?"

"I can't remember why we fight all the time, either. But whenever I'm alone and stuff, I keep thinking about you for some reason," he stated unsurely. "What's it mean?"

"I'm the last person to be asked such a question."

"Because you're an ice block?"

"I'm not an ice block!" Gray snapped. "Stupid flamebrain."

"Stop calling me that!" barked Natsu. "See?! This is why we hate each other!"

The ice mage yanked his shirt out of Natsu's grasp, additionally grabbing his wrist in the process.

"Hey! Let go!"

"We're going to get something to eat."

"Together?"

"Yes, together."

"Why?"

"So we can figure out why the hell we feel the way we do. Maybe if we do something as common as having a meal together, we'll be able to figure this out. Stupid emotions."

"You've gotta be the most complicated person on the planet."

"You're next on that list. Now, come on."

End