I Wanna Taste the Salt of Your Skin
Pairing: Gray/Natsu
Notes: Just a short little one-shot, that follows the Alpha/Omega theme but has no actual place in my other story. Done quickly and finished at 3:30 am, so my editing is not the best.
Summary: Natsu is basically the worst Omega Gray has ever met.
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There was a certain expected behavior that went along with being an Omega, but Natsu seemed to make it his mission in life to be the exact opposite of what he was supposed to be in every single way. He was basically the worst Omega...no, the worst Submissive that Gray had ever met.
1) Omegas were considered a protected status, meant to be carted off somewhere to keep them safe from exploitation and other unsavory things.
This had never happened to Natsu. Rather someone had shown up at the guildhall and then quickly left, one leg of their pants suspiciously charred. Shortly after that two people had shown up with much the same results.
A month after the second attempt a group of four would show up at the guildhall, only to find themselves surrounded on all sides by Fairy Tail wizards who had no intention of letting one of their own be taken away. Natsu had stood, grinning like he'd lost his mind, flanked by Erza and Gray, practically daring those four unfortunate wizards to try and make him go somewhere.
Natsu was granted an official pass from the Council, with the caveat that any trouble the young Dragon Slayer caused would be the sole responsibility of the guild. It wasn't something that happened often but then Natsu was Natsu, not at all what Gray had expected an Omega to be.
Nonetheless life had gone on, mostly unaffected by the labeling of their natures. They still trained and fought and grew. Yes, Natsu went away for a few days every few months, isolated because he went into heat and it was just easier that way, but other than they nothing was different.
Well. Maybe things were kind of different. Maybe sometimes Gray noticed that Natsu's eyes would narrow and become almost reptilian when they fought. And maybe he was suddenly aware of how hot Natsu was, temperature wise of course, piercing right through the chill the clung to Gray and somehow making him sweat. And maybe he provoked Natsu into more physical confrontations because he was intrigued by the way the other's body felt against his own when they sparred.
But other than that it was the same.
It wasn't as if he was interested in Natsu seriously. Natsu was, after all, everything an Omega wasn't supposed to be. That much would become readily apparent when Lucy joined the guild. Suddenly the heat cycles came and Natsu wasn't hidden away, but continued his life as normal. He hung around the hall and went on missions, though he would only partner with Lucy during that time.
2) Unbonded Omegas were supposed to be volatile, impossible to handle, totally without logic, and even violent when they were in heat, but if anything Natsu became calmer. He slowed down, seemed thoughtful and observant. More than once Gray would look up and find those dark eyes trained on him and an odd expression on the Pink haired teens face. Worse than that he'd sometimes look up and find Natsu, Happy, and Lucy whispering and casting looks in his direction.
He didn't know what they were plotting but he knew it was bad. Gammas, Lucy's nature, had a reputation for being last thing Natsu needed was to pick up a crafty best friend but that's what had happened.
3) Unbonded Omegas were supposed to be explosive and unpredictable because they were emotionally unstable, which could lead to serious magical consequences. That's why they had to be protected, their emotions being so closely tied to their emotions was a weakness, made it so they couldn't make logical informed choices or be trusted to wield their magic properly in serious situations.
...Actually that part was almost in line with Natsu. When he was angry, when his friends were in danger, and when he felt backed into a corner he could literally erupt.
He grunted, teeth grinding together as he cursed his own stupidity. He was against a water mage and, stupidly, he'd expected tactics similar to what he'd dealt with when fighting Juvia. He should have known better; no two Wizards were the same even if their weilded the same element. He was paying the price now, holding one hand over his bleeding shoulder after being pulled out of a river by a panicked looking Lucy.
Wasn't she supposed to be helping the villagers evacuate before the wizard could flood the valley further downriver?
"He can make his water into weapons that act on their own." Gray bit out, though he imagined the gaping oozing hole in his shoulder gave that away. He'd had the mage handled, seemingly on the ropes, when his shoulder had been impaled by water, crafted into a deadly sharp blade, from behind. To add insult to injury the Mage had tossed him into the river, apparently no longer interested in their fight. Just rude.
"You've gotta look out for-"
"What happened?" Natsu was behind Lucy suddenly. Dark eyes zeroed in on his shoulder then suddenly went flat. Nostrils flared and the dragon slayer balled his hands into fists at his side. The temperature around them went up all at once and Gray could feel it prickling his skin.
Lucy looked over her shoulder, eyes wide. "Natsu-"
"Stay with Gray." And then the Dragon Slayer was gone, bounding down the river bank in the direction Gray had come from. Gray blinked then scowled.
As if he'd just stay put and let Natsu save the day. Besides, he'd just needed time to catch a second wind, he wasn't out of the fight. He ignored a protesting Lucy and forced a seal of ice over his wound. It looked bad but he always healed well when he iced things over. One of the perks of the job. Then he was on his feet and running back, ignoring the way the wound pulled and the sharp pain that came with it.
He never made it back to the right. Rather he stopped in his tracks, eyes going heavenward in shock as the blue of the sky was suddenly disrupted by fire. A large rotating column of fire, twisting and turning, seemed to be rising up from the ground. It remained for a moment and then, just as suddenly as it appeared it was snuffed out.
They would eventually find Natsu standing over the water wizard, looking rather smug. There was a scorched patch of earth around the water wizard tornado, who would be spending some time in a burn unit, rethinking his life choices, but beyond that there was no evidence that a giant tornado of flames had existed mere minutes before.
Gray had known, as he stood beside that river and surveyed the damage, that yes Natsu could erupt but he certainly didn't need protected because of it. It didn't make him weak. He could have burned down everything around him (Had Gray not seen him destroy buildings, towns, and all manner of vegetation more than once?) but he'd kept it all carefully contained.
4) Omegas had to be watched at all times because dishonorable Alphas would seek them out and try to exert control over them. An Omega was helpless when presented with an Alpha command, it was just in their nature to obey.
It was Lucy's birthday and they were out for drinks in some dinky town on the way back from a job well done. Their pockets were fuller, or had been before this stop at least. Loke was out and seemed to be greatly enjoying that Lucy had clearly had at least one drink too many. The Celestial Wizard was sitting in the Lion's lap, retelling the story of how she'd gotten her first horse in a very animated fashion.
Erza was still sipping her first drink, watching the pair with what may have been a wistful expression. Erza didn't seem interested in relationships and Gray suspected that was because of a certain blue haired man from her past, but he didn't dare say that outloud.
Natsu...actually Natsu was supposed to get have gone for more beer. Gray tore his gaze from Leo and Lucy (The spirit was now nuzzling Lucy's neck much to the blond's giggling amusement and it was all getting a little too intimate for Gray's comfort level).
Natsu was at the bar, two mugs in hand, speaking to a taller man. Well, speaking didn't seem like the right word; rather the man had one hand on either side of the pink haired teen, effectively pinning him in place. Natsu didn't look amused.
Gray was up and moving towards them before he even realized it himself. He was just within earshot when he heard-no felt- the other man speak. It was an Alpha command, it rolled over Gray like it was nothing but he could hear the steel, that edge, in the man's voice and feel the power he was using.
"Come home with me."
Natsu's eyes went flat and his lips parted just slightly before curving into a smile that couldn't be called anything but seductive. Gray's heart skipped a beat and he brought a hand up, ready to...well, he never really formed an actual thought because all too fast Natsu was bringing a mug over the man's head, shattering the glass.
A fight followed, with Natsu, Gray, and Erza against a half dozen drunken townsfolk. Lucy, Happy, and Loke would just watch, seeing the odds were already extremely unfair.
And that was the story of how they'd gotten into a bar fight and tossed out of the bar in some hole in the wall town. The bar that was under the inn they were supposed to stay in, the only in for miles, which they were no longer welcome at.
Which was how Gray found himself outside, at night, while Erza consulted a map for a place nearby they could camp out at that was far enough that they wouldn't attract more angry drunks but close enough that Lucy could make the walk without passing out.
Natsu was leaning against a building, nursing a bloody hand but smiling like it was his birthday and he'd just been given the best gift ever. Happy was resting on his shoulders, half asleep as far as Gray could tell.
"I've got a spot. Let's go." Erza grabbed the rope for her small mountain of luggage then started walking. Loke followed, Lucy situated on his back and muttering softly about ponies. Natsu and Gray fell into step behind the couple.
The journey was silent at first but Gray couldn't help but sneak glances at his friend. The question of how Natsu had shaken off that Alpha command was front and center in his mind, pushing all other thoughts out.
"Just ask." Happy's sleepy voice shattered the silence."You're making me dizzy with all the back and forth looking Gray."
He glared at the feline, who just stared back at him unabashed. Natsu reached up and made a swiping motion at the Exceed who huffed before sprouting wings and flying ahead to land on top of Erza's things.
Natsu laughed but it wasn't his usual boisterous or manic laughter; this time it was low and almost a growl in the back of the dragon slayers throat. Gray's stomach twisted and he swallowed thickly.
"Did you want to ask me something Gray?"
Gray hesitated, feeling like he was on the spot and that his next words were somehow the most important he'd ever spoken. "That guy. He gave you a command and you didn't respond to it at all. Unbonded Omegas...you shouldn't be able to just shrug that off. Not this close to your heat cycle."
Lucy giggled ahead of them. "Do you keep track of Natsu's heat cycles Gray?"
He wanted to say no but...well, he supposed he did. But it was important information. They planned missions around it after all! Lucy and Natsu worked together during those times and it was just responsible to be aware.
Natsu smiled and Gray caught a hint of sharp teeth and bright eyes whose pupils had narrowed into strangely inhuman slits. Gray shivered; an odd response since he wasn't cold. He couldn't be cold, after all.
"You have no idea? Really?"
He wondered if this was how prey animals felt right before being gobbled up by a snake. "Should I?"
"Gray." Natsu reached out and caught him by the wrist, stopping him from moving forward. Natsu's fingers were hot, almost too hot, and his grip just a hair away from being painful. "You are the worst Alpha ever."
5) Omegas will never make the first move in a courtship.
Natsu's other hand was up, curling behind his neck and drawn him in then warm lips were pressing against his, hot breath mingling with his own. His response was instinctive (Higher brain function had officially given up and called it a day, he was just beyond being able to comprehend what was going on) He crowded closer, one hands finding their way to Natsu's hips and lips parting under the gentle, but insistent, touch of the Dragon Slayer's tongue. Natsu still tasted like beer, a fresh bitterness against Gray's tongue.
Natsu mapped out the inside of his mouth then pulled back slightly, teeth lightly biting down on his lower lip; he followed the bite with another pass of his tongue and then the kiss was over, but only long enough for Gray to breathe before Natsu was back, mouth as demanding in this as it was with everything else.
"If you two don't get moving I will make you move." Erza's voice cut through the fog in Gray's mind like a knife. He jerked back, staring into darkly amused eyes.
"Erza, Natsu had been waiting for Gray-"
"And another mile won't hurt them."
Natsu flashed him another toothy smile, but it was swollen lips that kept Gray's attention, and perhaps the fact that he could feel Natsu's body, all hard compact muscle, pressing against his own.
"It didn't work because I'd already decided you were my mate. I've just been waiting for you to catch up."
Gray didn't respond and instead allowed Natsu to pull him along to catch up with the rest of the group. He was going over the past in his mind, turning over the past few years and letting it all come together.
Maybe it was him, and not Natsu, who had everything wrong.
Or maybe both. Probably both.