Gray was a rhythmic, musical person. Every movement held a purpose; was timed perfectly to a beat only the ice mage seemed able to hear. His body was meant to be in motion, muscles rolling underneath his pale skin.
And yet, he refused to dance. After more than a decade of the guild's raucous parties filled with writhing bodies and pounding song, he'd only been seen dancing once, and it could hardly be called that at that point in the evening.
Cana had drunk him nearly under the table, and every last inhibition was stripped free. Much like his shirt.
He'd been tugged and pushed onto a tabletop, and drunkenly began to move to the music. Most of the guild laughed along (also drunkenly) at his faltering steps and swaying balance, until he had tipped off the table and onto a very irritated Elfman.
At which point Gray lost consciousness and a brawl broke out in the guild hall.
Natsu had been the one to drag him home that night, not that Gray remembered or that Natsu would admit. And the entire time he'd walked the dark streets of Magnolia to the ice mage's flat, he'd wondered and thought to himself.
Which Natsu very, very rarely did.
He knew the unconscious man slung across his back better than anyone, probably knew things about him that Gray himself was unaware of. Constant fights for more than ten years had done that to them. They spent an absurd amount of time together, sharing space and breath and magical energy while fists flew and fiery flesh steamed against icy cold.
Why had he never seen Gray dance before? Even through his rival's drunkenness, he could tell that the movements had come to him naturally and without pause. They would have to at the level of intoxication he had reached. He must've been relying almost completely on muscle memory.
While he pondered Gray's obvious frequent and secret dancing, Natsu had a startling revelation. He was upset that he had never seen Gray dance before. Despite how fucking drunk his guild mate was, Natsu had liked watching him dance.
He abruptly stopped and straightened, nearly tossing the unconscious man on his back to the hard pavement.
Oh, shit.
Returning to his previous pace and posture, Natsu brushed off his sudden revelation. The rest of the way to Gray's flat, he struggled to keep it from his mind. Tried and failed.
When they at last reached the correct building and Natsu awkwardly twisted his arm to find his guildmate's keys in his (miraculously still on) pants pockets. He jammed several keys at the knob leading to Gray's room until finally, one slid in and clicked.
The dragonslayer stumbled through the door and unceremoniously dumped his rival on the first couch he saw. He sat across from his unconscious form and watched Gray's naked chest rise and fall with each breath. Heard the inhales and exhales as they brushed along the inside of his throat, out into the air. Smelled the familiar stench of alcohol begin to fill the room as it filtered out of the ice mage's lungs.
Natsu sighed helplessly and dropped his face into his hands, struggling internally to accept that perhaps, just perhaps, he was attracted to Gray.
Not that he had never noticed the other man's handsome face, strong hands, chiseled body, refined moveme-
Oh fuck.
Yes, he was definitely attracted to his teammate. His rival. His guildmate, his nakama, the man he had grown up alongside.
Well, not much he could do about that. Natsu raised his face from his palms, rubbing at his eyes and smirking slightly as he gazed on at a sleeping, snoring Gray.
Yes, Natsu could work with this.
His small smirk turned into a sharply fanged, animalistic grin as he let a few rumbling laughs tumble from his chest. It was decided, then.
The dragonslayer would get Gray to dance, someday. Sober. And for him, for Natsu and Natsu alone.
Oh fuck yes.