Cold Flames
A Gratsu Fanfiction
By: Naliea Dragneel
Chapter One:
Ur's Death
Gray walked down the empty street his breath fogging up in little billows. Snowflakes fluttered around him but all he could see was ash, floating through the air, like the snow before him. Ash and fire, and a monster. And Ur. Today was the same day Ur died, same except the passing of many years. All he wanted was to escape this world for a little while.
However Juvia had other plans.
"Gray-sama" She shouted, waving and running over. How could she be so happy on such a horrible day! Gray thought bitterly brushing past her. Juvia didn't take the hint and jogged to catch up.
"It's our 413th day anniversary, to remember the day we first met" She swooned and continued, "And I made you a present!"
Juvia held up a scarf eagerly, waiting for her approval.
"I don't want it" Gray said knocking the scarf into the dirty snow. "I'm a ice mage." He walked away quickly his eyes filling with tears, He did not look back to see Juvia's eyes do the same.
He walked quickly, remembering the time when Ur gave him a scarf to keep him warm. However after a few minutes he found himself back on the same road. The snow crunching under his boot we found the scarf Juvia had tried to give him buried under a layer of snow. He took it, for Ur and kept walking.
He let his feet take over. He imagined each step taking him away from this world, closer to a world were Ur was still alive. He didn't know for how long he'd been walking, but he found himself at Natsu's door. He watched through the window as Natsu and Happy sat on the floor playing a game. Gray hesitated, his fist in the air ready to knock, but before he even had time to bring him fist to the wood, Natsu called from inside, not even looking up, "Come in Jackass"
Gray sighed and let himself in; Natsu never locked his door. Happy popped around the corner offering him fish. Gray declined with a nonchalant grunt and collapsed into one of Natsu's mismatch chairs.
Natsu started talking and eventually Gray told him everything. Natsu sat there through it all. Natsu was the only one who understood why Gray would never love Juvia. Firstly, Gray only showed interest in boys and secondly after Ur's death Gray locked away his heart under a layer of ice.
But there's no ice fire can't melt.
Natsu got up to get ramen, Gray still slumped in the chair and when he returned Gray was fast asleep.
Natsu set the bowls on the table and sat, scooting his chair closer to Gray. He's kinda cute like this Natsu thought, brushing Gray's hair aside. Gray's eyes fluttered open and Natsu dropped his hand as his face went as red as his hair. He scooted his chair away and glanced at his hands.
"Come on, it's getting late" He said at last. Gray nodded and made to leave but Natsu stopped him by grabbing his hand
"Stay here, it's getting late." Gray blinked, surprised and agreed, letting Natsu lead the way, not dropping Gray's hand. Happy flew circles around theirs heads, chattering excitedly.
"You can have the bed." Natsu told Gray.
"It's fine, I'm glad just to…" He trailed off shifting self-consciously.
"No really you can have it."
"No. It's fine really."
"Just take it."
"I'm intruding already." Natsu opened his mouth to protest, but Happy interjected.
"Or you could take the bed together" He said in a sing-song voice. Now it was Gray's turn to go red.
Gray collapsed onto the mat Happy had set up and Natsu dropped a pillow onto Gray's face then collapsed into his bed.
"Goodnight" Gray said, flipping over to get comfortable.
"'Nite" Natsu responded. Then realizing something he sat up."Wait, something's wrong."
"What"
"You didn't strip." Gray's face turned red and he took off his shirt just to hit Natsu over the head with it.
"That's better" Natsu said smirking. Gray turned red again and rolled over so he was facing away from Natsu, but once he was sure Natsu wasn't looking he turned back.
Gray rested his hand against the sideboard of Natsu's bed and tried to sleep, but no sleep came. Then Natsu dangled his hand over the edge of the bed a few centimeters from Gray's fingertips. Gray wrapped his hand around Natsu's, waiting for him to retaliate, but Natsu said nothing. Gray felt Natsu's pulse even out and soon Natsu was snoring happily. Gray tightened his grip around Natsu's hand and was just about to fall asleep when Natsu rolled over, right onto Gray.
Gray let out a gasp as the the wind was knocked out of him, but Natsu kept snoring happily. Hesitantly Gray wrapped an arm around Natsu's shoulder and rested the other hand on Natsu's hip, burying his chin in Natsu's cherry-blossom hair.
They fell asleep like that, fire and ice, a cold flame.