"He did what?" Natsu yelled, hands bawling into fists.
"Natsu, calm down already! Seriously, what's gotten into you? This isn't something to be that upset about." Lucy said, placing her hand on his shoulder.
He gritted his teeth, "What's gotten into me? The real question is, what's gotten into Gray— we are supposed to be a team, he can't just up and leave on his own for a mission and not tell anyone about it! This is the fifth time that he has done this!" he barked and lifted his fist.
As he was about to slam it down to the table in front of him, a hand caught his wrist. "Lucy is right, Natsu, this isn't anything to be upset about— Gray wanted to go on a mission alone and there's nothing wrong about that." Erza stated, staring calmly into his eyes.
"He's not supposed to go on his own, though— we are a team, after all!" Natsu insisted, snatching his hand away.
Erza sighed and placed her hands on her hips, "Being a team doesn't mean that he can't go alone if he wants to, and either ways, you and Lucy go alone on missions many times, how is this any different?" she asked, head slightly titled.
He averted his gaze and scowled, remaining silent. While that was partly true, it didn't entirely count. He and Lucy did go on many missions, but they had been doing that for a long time and they were watching each other's back, so it's not like they were alone and vulnerable. Was that it? Was he…concerned about Gray?
"There's no way I'm concerned about that ice-princess." He mumbled under his breath.
"Did you say something, Natsu?" Lucy asked, leaning slightly down to look at his down-casted eyes.
"It's nothing." He said as he plopped down onto the bench and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Do you think he will be okay? It's not like him to get this upset over such minor thing." Lucy turned and walked towards Erza, standing by her side.
"I don't know, but I think it's best that we leave him alone, he will eventually come back to his usual self." Erza exclaimed and placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder, guiding her away.
Natsu ignored their comments and all the loud commotion that was going on around him, as he was completely enamored into his thoughts. There was no way that he was actually concerned about Gray, after all, Natsu knew that the Ice wizard was more than capable to protect himself. Although, he had noticed some strange behavior lately.
Gray was more silent that usual and whenever Natsu sneaked a glance, he would always find him spacing out, gaze unfocused. He had become more closed to himself and the weirdest thing yet, was that he never initiated any fight between them. The two of them were always at each other's throat, but Gray didn't even talk to him as much. Natsu felt like Gray was avoiding him, felt like he was hiding something from him and didn't like it one bit.
"Whoever pissed you off is in serious trouble, eh, Salamander?" he heard a giggle and lifted his head.
"Oh, believe me, once that ice-freak comes back, I will beat him to a pulp." He threatened lowly, fire coming out of his mouth as he breathed out.
"Did you and your boyfriend get into a fight again? You guys are worse than an old married couple—" Natsu shot up and grabbed Gajeel's collar, yanking him forward.
"You wanna go?" he yelled into Gajeel's face, his other hand bawling into a fist, wrapped in flames.
"What, did I hit a nerve—"
Natsu stilled and sniffed the air. There was a strange smell that he couldn't exactly pinpoint coming from afar. He turned his head towards the guild's door and loosened his grip on Gajeel, taking a few steps towards the door.
"Can you also smell it, Gajeel?" Natsu addressed the man behind him, yet his gaze remained glued onto the door in front of him.
"Smell what? What are you talking about, Salama—" Gajeel sniffed the air and then turned his head towards Natsu. "Smells like copper to me."
His eyes widened as he could now smell and hear more clearly. The coppery smell filled his nostrils and felt drops of liquid falling down.
Blood.
Then, he heard that familiar breathing pattern, those familiar steps and his chest tightened.
"Gray…"
He immediately shot forward, bursting through the guild's door and ran like his life depended on it. He heard shouts addressing him from behind but he didn't stop for anything, the only thing he had in his mind was Gray and the dread that followed with it.
As he reached the outskirts of the town, he supported his hands on his knees and panted. He wiped with the back of his hand his forehead and then spotted a bundle of dark blue hair.
"Gray!" he rushed to his side and kneeled down next to him. He flipped him over on his back and his eyes widened in horror as he saw the deep wound on his lower abdomen, covered with blood almost everywhere.
"Hey, Gray, wake up! Don't you dare die on me, you bastard! Gray!" he yelled and shook him, but he got no response. He let out a shaky breath and started trembling as he stared down into Gray's pale face.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit— you're not dying yet, bastard, it's too early for you to die— I won't let you die!" he choked out and shoved his hand against Gray's wound.
"I'm sorry for this," he whispered and his hand light up with flames, cauterizing the wound. He heard Gray grunt and turned his head away, face scrunched up in pain.
"Just hold on for a little while longer, please, hold on." Natsu brought his forearms underneath Gray's knees and lifted him up, carrying him bridal style. He started running like a madman back towards the guild and as it came into view, he heard yelling.
"Natsu, bring him into the infirmary immediately!" Erza yelled, as she held the door open for him.
He rushed through and headed towards the infirmary. He kicked the door open and saw that Wendy was already inside.
"Hurry, Natsu-san, place him here!" Wendy said, her horror-stricken eyes locked on Gray's pale form.
He sharply nodded and laid Gray down onto the bed. "I-I cauterized his wound in order to stop the b-bleeding, but I didn't know what else to do, please, you gotta help him, Wendy, please—" he inhaled sharply and ran a hand over his face. "Please…"
"It's alright, Natsu-san, I promise to save Gray-san's life no matter what." Wendy gave him a tight smile and started healing Gray, hands glowing green.
Then, Erza burst in through the door, followed by Lucy and Happy.
"How is he?" Erza hurriedly came over to stand beside him, staring down at Gray's pale form.
"He— he was like this when I found him, had this massive wound on his lower abdomen— I, uh, I cauterized it but I don't know how much that helped— god, Erza, he lost so much blood, he is practically covered with it," Natsu's voice cracked towards the end, never breaking his gaze from Gray's unconscious body.
"No way, this can't be true…" Lucy covered her mouth with both hands, staring in horror at Gray.
He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder, "Natsu, I think it's for the best that we don't disturb Wendy so she can focus on healing—"
"I'm not moving an inch, whether you stay here or not, that's your decision, but I have already made mine." He breathed, voice nothing more than a whisper, gaze remained locked dead on Gray's body.
"Fine…suit yourself, then. Come on, Lucy, Happy, we have a call to make." Erza lifter her hand off his shoulder and walked towards the door.
"Erza, but Natsu—" Lucy started, but was caught off.
"Leave him be for now, we'll come back later."
The three of them walked of the door, leaving Natsu and Wendy alone, with Gray between them in the infirmary.
"Natsu-san, are you alright?" Wendy hesitantly asked, glancing up at him.
"Yeah." He responded and both remained silent after that.
He gritted his teeth as his eyes scanned Gray's body. Now that he took a better look at him, he realized that he was covered in bruises, whereas not as critical as the wound on his lower abdomen. Fear and anger flared up deep inside him as he continued to study Gray.
Gajeel was right, Gray was into some serious trouble when he would wake up.
_
Gray woke up in a daze, disoriented. His head throbbed as he slowly brought himself into a sitting position and blinked his eyes open. He groaned as the bright light hit his eyes and brought up a hand to cover them. His blurry vision gradually cleared and his eyes widened at the familiar room. He was sitting in one of the beds in Fairy Tail's infirmary. Then his hand went over his wound, as the memories of his mission flashed into his mind.
"What the— it's healed…" He gently rubbed his lower abdomen where bandages were now covering his wound. He let out a small sigh and leaned his head against the wall behind him. How he had managed to arrive to the guild in time was a mystery. The last thing he remembered was collapsing just outside Magnolia— maybe some traveler had noticed and recognized him. Although he had lost so much blood, it was still a miracle that he had managed to survive.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, the hair on the back of his neck rising. Now that he had fully woken up, he could sense another presence inside the room, yet he oddly felt…intimidated.
He slowly turned his head to his right and his eyes widened, heart rate spiking up as he spotted a figure leaned against the far corner of the room. He swallowed as his eyes locked with an intense glare. Those two brown eyes blazed with silent fury and Gray, if he didn't know better, could have been fooled that they were gleaming crimson instead of brown.
He averted his eyes and braced himself for the oncoming yelling, but no matter how many seconds and minutes passed, the figure didn't even move an inch nor make any sound.
"Will you stop glaring at me like that and talk already, flame-brain?" he mumbled out and glanced up as he noticed Natsu slightly tilt his head to the side.
"I think you already know what I want to say, Gray." Natsu responded in a monotone, low tone.
Gray rolled his eyes, "Yeah, like I would know what goes through that thick skull of yours, ash-brain. Let me guess, are you butthurt again that I didn't join with the rest of you? Seriously, I'd thought you would have matured a little bit until now, but I guess it was just false hope, isn't that right, squinty-eyes?" he snorted and lazily stared towards his general direction, avoiding direct eye contact.
Then Natsu moved forward and in a few strides he was in front of him, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him forward. "Will you for once stop being such a smartass? You almost died out there— if I hadn't heard your goddamn blood dripping down from your intestines, you probably would have bled to death! I had to carry you all the way to the guild, terrified that at any moment your heart would stop beating and die in my arms, unable to help you!" Natsu roared into his face as his eyes blazed with anger, nostrils flared and his lips drew back into a snarl.
His eyes widened, mouth gaping and his hands grabbed Natsu's wrist, slightly tugging. "Natsu, let go of me—"
"No, I won't let go until I get my words through that icy brain of yours!" Natsu shook him and then gritted his teeth, hands starting to tremble, "When I found you, you were completely covered into your own blood from head to toe. You were so pale and felt so damn cold, for one second I thought that I hadn't been fast enough and that you were already dead." He choked out in a shaky voice.
Gray's eyes lowered and he felt Natsu loosening his grip on his collar, retracting his hands. He intensely stared down at his hands in his lap as he tried to slow down his beating heart. He clenched his fists as he felt immense guilt overtake him, his stomach twisting in knots.
Control your goddamn feelings, now's not the time for this.
"You won't go on a mission on your own ever again." Natsu declared, eyes turned away.
Gray froze and snapped his head towards Natsu. "What? You don't get to tell me what I'll do, it's none of your goddamn business! I can go on as many solo mission as I please, there's no rule forbidding me from going, is there?" he yelled, hands fisting the bed sheet.
Natsu's glare returned back to him and seethed, "This isn't debatable, Gray, you will do as I say and that's final!"
"And who the fuck are you to tell me what to do, huh?" he barked back and flinched back at the loud impact of Natsu's fist colliding with the wall next to him, creating a huge dent.
They both panted heavily and Natsu lowered his head, his bangs falling over his face, covering his eyes. "Don't make me say it twice, Gray."
Gray silently watched in shock as Natsu walked towards the door and slammed it with force on his way out.
He snapped out of it and clicked his tongue, "Idiot squinty-eyes," he grumbled and laid back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Who did Natsu think he was, commanding and ordering him around like that? He had no right to forbid him from going on solo missions just because he wanted to. It seriously pissed him off. And it wasn't like he couldn't handle the mission or that he was helpless, he had just been caught off guard, as his mind had been racing with various thoughts about a certain someone.
He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Ever since they had defeated Zeref, things had been oddly uneventful and that resulted in having a lot of free time to get lost in his thoughts.
Lately, without even realizing it, he had been watching Natsu from a different perspective. He didn't feel as angered with him as he used to, and started noticing small gestures. Like how Natsu's face scrunched up into ridiculous expressions every time he was in deep thoughts, how his face brightened up, a wide grin forming on his lips, eyes sparkling every time they were assigned on a mission. Gray's chest would tighten, heart rate speeding up as he and Natsu would be physically close, having another one of their usual fights.
All this irritated him to no end, having to cope and struggle to hide these new developed feelings, yet deep down, it also saddened him. He knew that whatever he felt towards the pink haired mage, it would never be requited and even if his feelings were to be returned, did he really think that they would be in some sort of loving and caring relationship?
Gray scoffed, a sad smile forming on his lips, "Yeah, right, maybe in your dreams, idiot."
He let out a heavy sigh and rolled to his side, curling into himself. If he kept his distance and ignored Natsu, then eventually his feelings would return back to being platonic and things would be normal again.
"If only it were that simple…" he mumbled angrily.
He heard the door being opened and turned his head over his shoulder.
"Oh good, you are still alive." Erza said as she walked in, grabbed a chair, placing it next to the bed and sat down.
"Unfortunately…"
"What was that?"
"Nothing." He muttered and turned his head away again, his back turned to Erza.
He heard her sigh. "You really worried us, Gray, we thought that you were beyond saving. You should be thankful that Wendy was present and not on some mission, otherwise we probably couldn't have been able to save you." She stated solemnly.
"Then I guess I need to thank her, don't I?"
"Yes, you do."
After that, they remained silent for a while, an oddly calm silence feeling the room.
"Gray, what happened to you? The mission you took wasn't of immediate danger or difficulty for you to end up…to end up half dead." She questioned.
"It was because of my own stupidity…I, um, I was distracted and underestimated my opponent, so I got caught off guard and it only took one good hit to render me in this state." He explained, feeling slightly ashamed that such a low wizard had managed to do this critical damaged to him.
"This isn't like you at all…what could you possibly be distracted by in a middle of a fight? You know better than to underestimate your enemy, Gray, whoever that may be." She stated firmly and then made a humming sound, "Considering your condition, you'll need a few days, to a week for full recovery, so until then, you are out of commission,"
He shot up and turned towards her, "But Erza, I'm perfectly fine! I don't need a whole week to recover." He protested, but she held her palm up, silencing him.
"This is final, Gray, you need this time to recover and have some proper rest. Just accept it and stop whining, we both know that you need this." She finished and stood up. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a firm hug. "Promise me that you will be more careful from now on."
He huffed and slightly nodded, patting her on the back. "I promise."
Then she pulled back and walked towards the door, grabbing the handle. She paused, turning back to him.
"You also owe Natsu an apology, don't forget that. After all he was the one that found you and brought you here, if it wasn't for him, you'd be…" she trailed off and slightly shook her head. "Just make sure that you apologize to him, he seemed very upset."
Gray swallowed and nodded. "I will…"
"Good. Get some rest, Gray, I'll be right outside if you need anything."
He waited until she had closed the door and then buried his face into his hands, groaning.
This couldn't get any worse.
_
He was wrong.
He was so, so wrong.
It could get worse, so much worse.
He felt agitated with so many people gathered inside the infirmary, all of their eyes focused on him. Erza had gathered those who were more close to him and had decided that it would be a good idea to assign someone as his caretaker for that whole week when he would be staying home.
"Juvia can take care of Gray-sama! Juvia will make sure that Gray-sama rests and recovers fully!" her voice chirped, insisting.
As much as he liked Juvia as a friend, she could sometimes be a little bit too…pestering. He didn't know if he could handle to live with her for a whole week, no less.
"I will do it."
All eyes turned towards the one who spoke up and Gray's breath hitched in his throat as he saw Natsu standing into the entrance with an unreadable expression.
"Natsu? Are you sure about this?" Erza asked and whispers started going all around.
"Yeah, I am," he glanced towards him and his chest tightened as their eyes met, "Leave him to me."
Erza looked skeptical for a while, but then flashed a grin and nodded. "It's decided then, Natsu will take care of Gray."
"What? But Juvia was supposed to take care of Gray-sama!"
All other noise was blocked out, had long become nothing more than a buzz to his ears. He averted his eyes and felt his face heat up, biting his lower lip, as he felt those fiery eyes burn holes into the back of his head.
This had just gotten so, so much worse.
_
It was already nighttime when they headed towards Gray's house, both remaining silent. Natsu hadn't even blurted out a word, so he had decided that it would be for the best that he didn't try to talk either. He had to lean up against Natsu as he still felt weak and couldn't walk properly on his own. This close physical proximity made his heart speed up, chest tightening. He felt like everything was working against him, because he was so close to finally managing to control his feelings, but now this ruined everything.
"Gray, give me the keys."
Natsu's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he lifted head, but froze as his face was mere inches away from Natsu's. He stared directly into those two brown eyes and noticed that Natsu actually had long eyelashes for a male. Then, his gaze flicked down onto his pink lips.
He scrambled away, his back hitting the wall behind him. He heavily panted and covered his mouth with his hand. What the fuck was he doing? He needed to snap out of it and hold himself together if he wanted to survive this week.
"What's wrong, ice princess, do you feel sick?" Natsu questioned, eyeing him up and down.
"No, I...I feel fine, just a little bit out of it, I guess." He mumbled and he inhaled sharply as a hand was placed onto his forehead.
"Well, for a popsicle, you do feel kinda warm."
"I said I'm fine." Gray slapped the arm away, limping towards his door. He shoved his hand into his pocket, grabbed the keys and unlocked the door. He limped inside, whilst trying all this time to fight off the blush that was forming on his cheeks.
He headed towards the kitchen and as he reached the sink, he turned on the water and splayed some over his face. He took a few deep breaths, collecting himself and then turned towards Natsu, who was standing in the middle of his living room, looking around.
"What's with that face, squinty eyes? It's like you have never seen a house before." He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Shut up, frosty." Natsu grumbled and then glanced away from him. "Hey, what's this?"
He felt like his heart almost jumped out of his chest as he saw Natsu approach a small wooden box placed on top of a cabinet.
"No, wait—" he shot forward, hand extended but the sudden movement made his head throb and swayed on his feet. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, knees hitting the ground and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the impact, but it never came. Instead, he felt warmth envelop him and tried to blink the blurriness away. He felt oddly safe being wrapped by this pleasant warmth and turned his head towards the firm surface, letting out a contained sigh.
"—ray? Hey, Gray, can you hear me?" he heard a voice calling out to him and then his eyes snapped open and lifted his head up, staring at Natsu's concerned face.
"Natsu?" he asked, mouth gaping. He cringed as he realized that he had been nuzzling against Natsu's chest, as he felt two pair of arms wrapped around him, holding him steady.
"Who else would it be, idiot? You should have told me that you weren't feeling fine instead of saying that you were fine over and over again," Natsu sighed and briefly closed his eyes, "well, there's no helping it." He said and brought his forearms underneath Gray's knees and lifted him up bridal style.
"So, where is your bedroom?"
Gray's heart stuttered and he almost choked on his own spit, face heating up. "What the fuck do you think you are doing, ash-brain? Put me down!" he protested and tried to move, but Natsu only gripped tighter.
"You obviously can't walk in the state you are in, so stop your whining and tell me where your bedroom is. The sooner you tell me, the sooner this is over."
He lowered his eyes and lifted his hand, pointing to his left. "Down the hallway, the door to your left." He mumbled and bit his lower lip as Natsu started walking.
When they reached the bedroom, Natsu pushed the door open with one foot and walked in, heading towards the bed. He gently placed him down and turned to close the shutters, whilst Gray observed him silently.
"That wasn't so hard now, was it? Anyways, good night, ice princess, make sure you get plenty of your beauty sleep." Natsu walked to the door, but halted in his steps as he heard a soft mumbling.
"Did you say something, Gray?" Natsu turned his head over his shoulder and glanced at him.
Gray sighed and glanced up at him, "I said thank you, for, uh, you know…for saving my life, I owe you one."
Natsu's face remained passive for a few seconds, but then a wide grin formed on his lips. "You're very welcome, droopy-eyes." Natsu responded and then walked out, closing the door behind him.
Gray flopped down on the bed and placed his right arm over his face, shielding his eyes. He let out a deep, shaky breath and then drily chuckled.
This week was going to be pure hell.
_
Gray woke up stiffly, his whole body feeling prickly. He groaned as he craned his neck to the right, nape throbbing. He slowly brought himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. He glanced over to the clock and sighed.
5:27am
He had hoped to sleep more, but it seemed that his body refused to comply with his wishes. For a while now, no matter how tired he was, he would always sleep no more than just a few hours, or would occasionally awake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat.
Besides the restlessness, nightmares regularly haunted him— ghosts of his past, regretful choices, guilt, mistakes— death, be it his own, or a person close to him. Most of the time, his nightmares revolve around Natsu and witnessing him getting hurt in many ways. Every time that he woke up from a nightmare like that, he had to physically restrain himself when he was in the guild from tackling Natsu and proceeding to hold him like a lifeline.
He ran a hand over his face and slowly stood up, slightly limping towards the door. He walked down the hallway and paused as the living room came into view. It was still dark outside, the light of the moon sipping through the windows, reflecting on Natsu's sleepy face. Gray silently watched him as he peacefully snored on the couch. He heard some inaudible mumbling and got closer, staring down at him.
"Meat…my delicious meat…"
Gray snorted at the words that came out of Natsu's mouth. Even while asleep, all he thought about was food. After all this time, he still remained the same.
"G-Gray…"
He inhaled sharply as he caught those words being whispered out, yet barely. Gray leaned down and brought his face close to Natsu's, straining to catch all those mumbled words. Natsu snapped his face towards him and sniffed. Gray's heart stuttered, hands starting to sweat. Was he waking up? Could Natsu actually smell him while being asleep?
He straightened up and glanced away. It would be at least a couple of hours until Natsu woke up— he knew that he was not a morning person— so he had plenty of time to think and decide what would be the best course of action for this week.
He sighed as he ruffled his hair, mouth set in a hard line. He whirled around and headed towards the door. He went outside and slowly closed the door behind him, making sure not to wake up Natsu. He walked out of the house and headed towards the only place that made him feel safe and serene.
After a long and quiet stroll, Gray finally arrived at his destination. He gazed at the river down the hill in front of him, memories flashing through his eyes. He shivered and hugged himself, cursing for not bringing anything with him. It was winter and the morning air was bone-chilling. He quietly laughed as he strode down the small hill. Him being cold was the most absurd thing possible, as the cold was practically his second nature. But he assumed that with being injured, his body had become more sensitive and weak to things like this.
He slowly sat down, wincing as a wave of pain flared at his lower side. He probably shouldn't be outside at this ungodly hour, freezing his ass off, but he didn't car. Being here and gazing at this very river was the only thing that could put his mind at ease.
He brought his one hand up and clenched it into a fist, placing it upon his open palm. He murmured under his breath and a tiny, ice-made boat appeared on the river, floating away. Gray scoffed, as he gazed at his creation. He wasn't planning to create anything in particular, yet he wasn't the least surprised at what form it took.
He leaned back and laid down on the ground, arms spread open, gazing at the dark sky above. A chill ran down his spine and noticed that he had started trembling from the cold, yet he couldn't bring himself to care nor move.
"I'm probably going to get my ass kicked by that idiot, aren't I?" he chuckled as he felt his eyes staring to drop, body going numb. His breathing became heavier, coming out in puffs.
It had been a while since he felt like he could go to sleep again after having awaken, and who was he to deny it?
The small, ice-made boat glistened under the moonlight rays, floating further and further away, until it could no longer be seen.
_
Gray frowned, face scrunching up in discomfort. Why was it so hot suddenly? His room wasn't supposed to be this hot, especially in winter. His eyes snapped open and widened as he took the sight in front of him. Now he remembered, he wasn't in his room— he had woken up in the middle of the night, had decided to take a stroll all the way to the river where he and Natsu used to fight as kids and had fallen asleep there.
"So, um, ash-brains, what a surprise to see you here—" he yelped as a burst of power increased the flames that were engulfing the man in front of him. He struggled to scramble back, wanting to get out of the vicinity of the flames.
"Gray…do you know what time it is?" Natsu asked, voice stripped from any emotion.
"Uh, passed your lunchtime, I assume? Given how much your stomach is growling," he responded, voice lashed with sarcasm, yet he didn't know if being sarcastic was the best option in this kind of situation.
The ground trembled and groaned under him, cracks emerging underneath Natsu's feet. Gray thickly gulped as the other started taking slow steps towards him, getting closer.
Gray struggled to move further back, yet he couldn't go far with the numbness over his body. "Wait, Natsu, don't come any closer, your flames will—"
He was yanked forward by the arm and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt those flames surround him, expecting to get burned to crisp. Instead of getting burned, he felt a comforting warm seep into his body, the flames lightly caressing his skin, soothing. He hesitantly blinked his eyes open and glanced in awe around him at the burning flames surrounding them.
They looked almost…alive.
"Gray."
He slightly flinched as he heard those words being whispered into his ear, and turned his head towards Natsu, his penetrating glare meeting his. Before he could say anything else, Gray was scooped up into Natsu's arms and had already started walking away from the river bank, heading back towards Gray's house.
"H-hey, Natsu, not this again— put me down!" he shouted, but snapped his mouth shut as he felt Natsu tighten his grip on him.
"Shut up."
The road towards his house was silent and filled with tension. Thankfully, Natsu had set out his flames, yet he could still feel the dark aura surrounding him and every person that happened to be on the same road as them, stayed at least ten feet away from them. When they arrived in the house, Gray was placed on the couch none too gently.
He grunted and glared at Natsu, "That's not how you treat an injured person, you know." He smirked as he saw Natsu clench his fists.
"Well, I would if you were actually acting like an injured person— who the fuck leaves their house when they are injured to go wonder off into their own?" be barked and turned fully towards him, "I have been searching you for hours— hours! I literally went through whole Magnolia searching for your sorry ass!" he panted heavily as his face turned red from anger, nostrils flaring.
"You are being too dramatic —I was just merely sitting down by the river, got tired and fell asleep— I don't get why you are this angry, I'm fine." Gray said, waving his hand dismissively.
"You were almost frozen to death! When I reached you, your body was fucking freezing, stone cold and you are telling me that you are fine?" Natsu snarled and looked him dead in the eye, "You know, maybe I should tie you down or something, make sure you that you won't be able to leave."
Gray's eyes widened as his heart rate flared up. He averted his eyes, staring down at his lap and felt his face redden.
Am I seriously getting turned on by this?
He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes, clenching his fists tight. He tried to think anything else but that, trying to distract himself to restrain himself from getting a goddamn erection.
He ended up thinking about Elfman in a dress with high heels and snorted out loud, but then covered his mouth with his hand as Natsu narrowed his eyes at him.
"What's so damn funny, ice-freak?"
"Nothing, nothing at all."
Natsu continued to stare at him, sizing him up, but then broke the contact, turning away. "If you try to do something like this again, I will seriously cuff you to the bed." He declared as he walked towards the kitchen. He grabbed out of the microwave a plate and set it down onto the dining table.
Gray stood up and came near the table, inspecting the food. "You made this?" he asked, looking up at Natsu.
Natsu rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "Well, yeah, Erza told me that she had asked Porlyusica what you should eat and I made you this, so, yeah…" he trailed off, head turned away.
He stared down at the plate filled with two fried eggs, cooked broccoli and rice.
The corner of his mouth quirked up and placed his hands on his hips, "Are you trying to kill me, squinty-eyes?"
"Just eat the damn food, ice-princess!" Natsu huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Okay, okay."
He sat down and grabbed the fork, sliced a piece of the fried egg and brought it to his mouth. He slowly chewed it, savoring the taste.
"It's actually…not that bad."
"Of course it's not— after all, I'm the best chef there is." Natsu cackled.
He rolled his eyes, but continued eating his food in silence. When he finished, he stood up and nodded towards Natsu.
"Thanks for the food." He said and turned away, but a hand clasped his wrist, holding him back. He groaned and faced Natsu again, "What is it now? I said I was done."
"You didn't eat your broccolis." He exclaimed, tugging him forward.
"I don't like broccolis." Gray argued, tugging his hand backwards.
"I'm not letting you go until you eat those broccolis, Gray."
"Eat them yourself if you like them so much."
Natsu narrowed his eyes at him, his grip tightening, "Gray." he threatened.
"Natsu." Gray mocked, a smirk forming on his lips.
"I said," Natsu grabbed the broccolis from the plate, "Eat them!" he shoved them against Gray's mouth.
He coughed, as they were shoved into his mouth and then bit Natsu's hand. He cried out in pain, jerking his hand back and cradled it against his chest.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, pervy-popsicle?" Natsu shrieked, examining his hand.
"Oh, stop being such a wuss, you're fine." Gray said dismissively and Natsu remained stunned, as he whirled around and walked down the hall to his bedroom.
When he closed the door, he slid down to the floor and winced. He leaned his head against the door behind him, staring at the ceiling.
"Did I just fucking bit him?" he wondered out loud and closed his eyes, trying to calm his rapid breathing.
This was just the first day and things were already spiraling out of control.
_
Gray woke up violently shivering, body feeling numb from the cold. He weakly snorted and shuddered. Him, being cold, that was insane, yet here he was, freezing his ass off yet again. A fit of coughs escaped his mouth, chest throbbing. He curled up in himself, tugging the covers closer. His head was spinning, couldn't even will his limps to move, numb from the cold.
"Natsu…" he croaked and gritted his teeth.
He didn't even recognize his own voice, just barely above a whisper. He tried to call out louder, but that resulted in a fit of violent coughs, body spamming from the aftermath. He tried to move again, biting his lower lip as his limps ached.
Painfully slow, he dragged one leg out of the bed and placed it on the floor. He panted heavily, his whole body trembling under the strain. He needed to get to Natsu, needed to wake him up. Natsu could help Gray, he would—
He paused, staring down at the floor. He would do what, exactly? What did he want Natsu to do? Was he hoping for something?
Gray clutched his chest with a wobbly hand, struggling to breathe. "Na…tsu…" he whispered and felt everything spin around him, falling towards the floor. He landed on something soft, warm, and despite everything, he let out a contained sigh, realizing who had caught him.
"You're…late, flame-brain," he said in between pants, weakly grinning.
"Sorry about that, ice-princess." Natsu apologized and Gray lifted his head, gazing at his concerned expression.
"Are you actually…worried for me? I feel honored." Gray's grin slightly widened as a blush dusted Natsu's face.
"Shut up," Natsu grumbled, "Even in this state, you still somehow manage to remain annoying."
He hoisted him up and placed Gray gently on the bed, covering him with the blanket. Natsu brushed a hand over his forehead and clicked his tongue.
"You are burning up —and as much as I would have enjoyed making fun of you— we need to bring the fever down." He exclaimed and turned, "Wait here, I'll be right back."
Gray watched him go through half-lidded eyes. It was impressive that Natsu had heard him in the middle of the night, even with his super hearing, because from what he knew, Natsu wasn't a light sleeper.
Before he could even blink, Natsu had returned with a glass of water and something else that Gray couldn't make out. Natsu came to his side and sat on the bed next to him, helping him up in a sitting position.
"You should take this, it will help the fever go down." Natsu explained, showing the small pill in his hand.
Gray lifted his trembling hand, went to reach for it, but dropped it on the bed. He softly cursed and reached for it again, but Natsu caught his wrist.
"It's okay, let me do it." He said, picking up the pill and brought it close to his lips. Gray shuddered as warm fingers entered his mouth, placing the pill on his tongue. He felt his face become warmer by each passing second and closed his eyes, wanting to avoid those piercing eyes. Then, the glass was softly pressed against his lips and a hand was wrapped around the back of his neck as he titled his head back, swallowing down the pill.
"What was it?" Gray asked hoarsely, as he was gently pushed down on the bed again.
"Antipyretic, it should start taking effect after a while." Natsu placed the glass on the nightstand next to the bed and turned back to him. "You should go back to sleep."
Gray shook his head, letting out a shaky breath. "Can't— too cold." He weakly pulled the blanket, seeking warmth.
Natsu remained eerily silent for a few moments, his eyes glued on Gray's shivering form. Then, without any warning, the blanket was raised off of him and he shivered as the cold slipped through. He tensed as something solid and warm was pressed against his face, two pairs of arms secured around his back, drawing him in.
His breath hitched in his throat, eyes widening. He felt his heart beat loudly in his ears, blood rushing into his face. His bottom lip quivered and clenched his jaw, trying to bit back the moan that was threatening to escape his mouth.
"N-Natsu, what are you…" Gray questioned, but he was shushed, a hand combing through his hair.
"Just go to sleep, Gray."
He shivered as he felt Natsu's breath ghosting over his neck, hand slowly massaging his scalp. He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes, willing his heart to calm. He tried to clear his mind and relax, but was too conscious of Natsu's body pressed against his. He focused on his breathing instead, and gradually, his body slackened, melting into Natsu's embrace.
The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was something soft pressing against his head.
_
It had been two days since Gray had been running down with a fever and, thankfully, he had gotten better. The fever had dropped drastically the next day when he had woken up and the chicken soup that he had eaten was all it took to make him feel better.
When he had woken up the next day, pressed against Natsu's chest, he almost had a heart attack right then and there. Not knowing what to do and in order to avoid from making things awkward between them, Gray had kicked Natsu out of the bed. They had proceeded in their usual bickering, but after a while Natsu dropped the subject and let him be.
Although, he never seemed to catch a break, as he was now leaning against the wall in the shower with a hard on, water dripping down his body from the bathroom faucet. He gritted his teeth and pressed his forehead against the wall.
Today he had woken up with a hard on, after having experienced a very vivid, wet dream about Natsu. Fortunately for him, Natsu hadn't been home and instead had left a small note, saying that he was out buying food and more medicine. He had tried going into the shower in hopes of willing his erection away, yet nothing seemed to work.
His mind was racing with the dream— how Natsu had touched him, hesitatingly at first, curious, asking for permission. His warm hands trailing down his chest, abs, thighs and all the way down to his legs. His hot breath ghosting over his neck, mouth leaving a trail of kisses down to his collarbone. His body looming over his own, pressing down, rutting against him. Those lustful, hungry eyes watching his every more, every reaction— studying, observing.
"Gray…"
He cursed as his cock twitched, head already leaking. There was no use, he might as well do it and be done with it.
"To hell with it." He reached down and wrapped his hand around his cock, giving a light squeeze. A low moan escaped his mouth, a shudder running down his spine. He brushed his thumb over the tip and bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. He started slowly moving his hand up and down, hips bucking. His breath was coming out in short, rapid puffs of air, mind clouding with pleasure.
Gray snapped his eyes open, hand pausing. He glanced back and hesitantly moved his other hand behind him, fingers sliding between his buttocks. He placed his middle finger against the ring of muscle, massaging in circles. A shudder ran down his spine as he slowly pushed the finger in to the second knuckle.
"Natsu…" He whined, legs shaking. He pressed the finger all the way in and shivered, drawing it back and thrusting it forward again. His back arched as he repeated that movement, mouth falling open. After a few moments, he lined up his ring finger against his entrance and pushed in all the way, moaning loudly under the strain. He started thrusting his two fingers in and out, stretching himself.
"N-Natsu…Natsu, please, oh my god, Natsu."
He took a hold of his dick with his other hand again and started jerking off, picking up pace. Small whines escaped his parted lips as he went faster, trying to align both hands. Suddenly, his two fingers inside him brushed against his prostate and sparks ran down his spine, tipping him over the edge, as his whole body violently shuddered.
"Oh god, Natsu!" He let out a loud moan as he spilled all over himself, legs giving out and falling down on his knees. His body was twitching, still sensitive.
He slowly pulled out his fingers, whimpering at the empty feeling. He let out a heavy sigh and braced himself against the wall, the running water already cleaning away the mess. He remained there panting, still unable to move as his legs still felt weak.
He was so far gone for the pink-haired asshole.
_
"Hey, flame-brain, is this necessary? Why do we have to go out this late?" Gray asked, foot stomping down.
"Oh, come on, don't pout, ice-princess. I promised Erza that we would go out for a while to let you get some fresh air." Natsu replied, walking slightly ahead of him, arms crossed behind his head.
He clicked his tongue and shoved his hands inside his pockets. "Where are we going at this hour, anyways?"
"You'll see."
He grunted and turned his head sideways. What was that idiot thinking, going out this late? Not only that, but it was also snowing. They were just wasting their time like this, wondering around meaninglessly.
He glanced back at Natsu's back and felt his face heating up. This was going worse than he had originally thought, taking into consideration yesterday's resulting events of the dream he had. Not only was he struggling to conceal his feelings, but his body had also started reacting weirdly whenever he would be close to Natsu.
Gray knew that the pink-haired idiot was as dense and oblivious as someone could be, but for how long? And even if Natsu never figured it out, the guild was ought to realize it, and then what would he do? Was he supposed to suppress his feelings for the rest of his life? To only observe Natsu from afar, never being able to reach him?
But wasn't that what he had always done, since the start? Just staring at Natsu from the back, watching him as he grew stronger, as the gap between them kept widening, never being able to reach him.
And to think that once he had the slightest hope of Natsu being able to return his feelings, what utter bullshit.
"—ray? Hey, Gray, are you listening to me? What happened, does it hurt anywhere? Do you want to go back?"
Gray flinched back as a warm hand was placed over his shoulder, head snapping up to stare at Natsu in a daze.
"I'm…I'm okay, idiot, what's all the fuss about?" he asked, waving his hand dismissively.
"No, it's— um, you were crying just now and had this pained expression on your face, so I thought your wound opened again or something…" Natsu explained, averting his eyes.
Gray brought his hands up to his face and brushed them against his cheeks, feeling the wet drops. He turned around and wiped them away, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at his hand.
How more pathetic could he get, getting this emotional over losing something that he never even had?
He gave a bitter chuckle and pressed his hand against his face, shielding his eyes. He was such a mess, he even pitied himself.
"Gray, you—"
He whirled around and started walking, passing by Natsu. He raised his hand and beckoned over his shoulder to follow him. "Aren't you gonna come, squinty-eyes?"
"Hey, Gray, wait— you didn't answer me, you bastard! Why were you crying just now? Did any of your wounds hurt?" Natsu caught up to him and grabbed his wrist, turning him around, coming face to face, "Or did somebody hurt you?" he narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening.
He tugged his hand back, yet Natsu's grip didn't budge. "I told you I'm fine— now let me go, dumbass, you're hurting me."
"Tell me, Gray, what happened? Who hurt you? What did they do? I swear if I get my hands on them, I'll—"
"It's none of your business, Natsu! Just leave me be— and why do you even care, anyways? Things like this never concerned you before, what has changed now?" Gray snapped, forcefully wrenching his hand back. He took a few steps back and rubbed the sore spot on his wrist. "You are acting weird."
Natsu snapped his head up, glaring at him, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "Oh, look who's talking! The guy that has been avoiding me these past few months, deleting me completely from his life and acting like nothing has happened!" he barked, as he glowered at him.
Gray gasped, eyes widening. Had this idiot actually noticed his weird behavior towards him? He knew that he wasn't being very discreet, but thought that Natsu was as dense as a brick and wouldn't think that anything was wrong.
Natsu grinned widely, taking a step forwards, "Oh? You think I wouldn't notice, Gray?"
Gray shivered from the way Natsu spelled out his name and continued to take small steps backwards and Natsu advanced.
"You think I wouldn't notice how you were avoiding me? How you were completely ignoring me, shutting me off?" Natsu drily laughed, "You have no idea how much it pissed me off, seeing you avoiding me like that— it drove me crazy, not knowing why you were doing that, thinking that I had done something wrong!" He roared, shoving Gray back.
He grunted as his back hit a wall behind him. "Hey, Natsu, what are you—" his voice hitched in his throat as a hand was slammed to the wall next to his head. Although he had to slightly lower his head in order to meet the pink-haired mage's eyes, he felt so small under that furious gaze.
"Tell me, Gray! Tell me why you have been acting like this towards me— have I done something to you to make you hate me this much?"
"No…" He whispered under his breath, yet Natsu didn't seem to hear him and kept on yelling.
"Is that it? After everything you just decided to throw away our friendship like that, like it never meant anything to you?" Natsu roared as he lifted his other hand, wrapping it around Gray's shirt, yanking him forward.
"No, that's not it…"
"Then what is it, Gray? Tell me! Do you hate me that much that you can't even tell it to my face? Do I mean nothing to you, after all that we have been through?" His voice cracked, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He sniffed and clenched his jaw, "Come on, say it, you coward! Tell me how much you hate me! Tell me how much you—"
Gray grasped the hand that was griping his shirt and tightened impossibly hard.
"I have been avoiding you because I love you, you idiot!" he exploded, body shaking. "I'm so in love with you and it scares me to death!" his lower lip trembled, breathing heavily.
Horror dawned on his face as the words that had escaped his mouth echoed in his head repeatedly, like a broken mantra. He lowered his face, head spinning. No, this wasn't supposed to happen, Natsu wasn't supposed to know this.
He had ruined everything, every little hope that he had on maintaining his friendship with Natsu was gone in just a matter of seconds. His whole world was crumbling down around him and it was nobody else's but his own fault.
He did this.
It was his fault that Natsu would hate him and never talk to him again.
"Gray—"
He slammed his body against Natsu, sending him backwards. Then, without wasting further time, he turned away and starting running like the wind. Running and running and running until he couldn't feel his legs, until he couldn't breathe, until he couldn't feel anything.
_
Gray collapsed, clutching a hand over his chest. He struggled to breathe, throat closing up as he felt tears prickling his eyes. He fell to his knees and pressed his head against the snowed ground, whole body shaking. He lifted his fist and punched the ground hard enough to create a dent, enough to hear the satisfying crack.
"W-Why…why did it have to be like this…" he choked back a sob and clenched his fists. Then, he decided to finally let go all of his emotions out in the open.
Despair, loss, misery, love.
He let out an ear-piercing shout, tears streaming down his face, onto the cold ground. He wailed, curling in to himself. His mouth was hanged open in a silent scream, struggling to breathe, suffocating. He clawed at his neck as he tried to draw in a breath, yet all he could do was weep curled up into a fatal position, alone. No one was coming for him, no one would want him back in this pathetic state he was and after learning about his secret, everyone would hate him. They would think that he was weird, outcast him from the majority, leave him all alone.
He let out a broken laughter, devoid of any emotion, empty. It was funny, how the past always seemed to repeat itself, how he always seemed to be left behind, abandoned. Was this how it was going to be for the rest of his life? Creating bonds, trusting and depending on other people only for them to stab him in the back?
He was tired, so, so tired. Exhausted. He just wanted to go to sleep, to let all of his problems and struggles behind, he wanted to escape this hell.
He wanted someone to seal his darkness again, needed someone to make his pain go away.
Yet, there was no demon this time, there was no monster that they had to beat with magic, because the demon was from within, deep inside his heart, his soul. Although in order to defeat this demon, magic wasn't needed. He knew what he had to do, he was prepared a long time now.
Wait for me, dad, Ur, I'm coming.
Gray slowly stood up and studied the horizon. Then, from the corners of his eyes he noticed an edge. He started walking towards it, hand clutching his chest. He stopped a few meters away from the edge and stared down at the complete abyss. The cliff seemed to be stretching down endlessly, trees and rocks placed on its wake.
The corner of his mouth quirked up.
It was perfect.
He slowly started walking forward, nearing the edge. He reached the end and he brought his other foot forward, about to dive in into the void.
Something tightly gripped his arm and was thrown in the opposite direction of the cliff, rolling in the ground. He groaned as he came to a stop and violently coughed, struggling to get up.
What the fuck had just—
"Gray!"
He tensed as he heard a roar from behind him and raised his head, eyes going impossibly round.
"N-Natsu, what—"
A fist was collided with his face, sending him flying backwards. He grunted and spit the blood that was in his mouth, a hand wiping his lips.
"I'm going to kill you, you bastard!"
His eyes widened even more in alarm, as he barely avoided the flamed fist next to his face. He jumped backwards and panted, face paling as he took in the scene in front of him. Natsu was standing there, a few yards away, wild and uncontrollable flames emitting around him, causing havoc. He shielded his face and struggled to remain standing, yet the flames were growing stronger each second.
His eyes searched amongst the flames and then his whole body shuddered as he caught sight of the two familiar pair of eyes. He thickly swallowed as two crimson eyes were locked onto him. He noticed that red scales that were covering half of his face and arms, all the way down to his legs.
Had Natsu entered Dragon Force?
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Gray stared in horror at the flames that erupted from Natsu's mouth, coming towards him at full force. He lowered his head, bangs covering his eyes.
"So, this is how I go, huh…" he wondered out loud and closed his eyes, falling onto his knees.
How ironic it was, to be killed by the very person that he cherished most in his life, but assumed that it was better this way.
Then, instead of being burned alive, a warm and soothing feeling engulfed him, sipping into his skin, into his bones, into his very being. He snapped his eyes open and gawked at the flames that were wrapped around him, dancing in the wind. He hesitantly reached out, his hand getting lost into the flames, yet it didn't hurt the slightest.
It was beautiful.
Gray immediately remembered the last time that something like this had happened, four days ago, when he had fallen asleep on the river bank. Back then Natsu had wrapped him in flames too, but never did it hurt him, not even a little bit. He wondered how Natsu had made that possible— was it even possible? He had never heard of something like that before, willingly making one's own magic not to affect another.
Then, a figure appeared in front of him and Gray raised his head, staring up from his kneeling position. A hand was wrapped around his throat as he was slowly pushed backwards, laid against the ground. He went pliantly, there was no point in resisting. Whatever was to become of him, he would accept it.
His breath hitched in his throat as he felt lips ghosting over his collarbone, nails lightly grazing against his throat. He held his breath, as he felt sharp fangs brush from his collarbone to his shoulder.
"W-What the…" he lowly moaned as a tongue was dragged up his neck. His heart beat loud against his ears, blood rushing into his face.
"Shut up, Gray." Natsu commanded, voice grave.
That send a chill down his spine as Natsu gripped his chin and turned his head away, his throat bared to him. From the corner of his eye he saw Natsu lean down, teeth bared and his eyes widened in alarm.
"Natsu, wait, what are—"
He choked out a loud moan as sharp teeth pierced the flesh between his throat and collarbone, drawing blood. Sparks flew through his whole body as he shuddered, toes curling. He shoved his hands through Natsu's hair and held on for dear life. He threw his head back, mouth opened in a silent scream.
At that moment, he felt everything. Pain and pleasure rushing through his whole body. His heartbeat beating loud in his chest, the blood rushing in his ears. The smell of pine, earth and salt. He could feel his very own being, but that wasn't all. He could feel Natsu, sense him, his beating heart, and each breath that he drew from his nose as his mouth was still buried into Gray's neck.
What is this?
He whimpered as the fangs were drawn back, a tongue in their place, licking the sore spot. Gray panted heavily, head lolled to the side. Then, his head was turned again and before he could comprehend what was happening, soft lips had captured his into a heated kiss. His eyes snapped open, wide as he was stared back by a challenging, yet angry gaze.
He moaned as his arms were pinned above his head, an arm combing through his hair, tugging. He felt a tongue being pressed against his teeth and opened his mouth, allowing entrance. He groaned into the kiss as he felt his lower lip being bitten, goosebumps running down his spine.
Natsu broke the kiss, let his hands go and shoved his face against his neck, nuzzling the bitten spot.
"Natsu, I—"
"You are really unfair, you know that?" came out Natsu's muffled voice.
Gray stayed silent, waiting for him to finish, to let it all out.
Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray, holding him close. "Who gave you the right to do that to me? Who gave you the right to say that you love me and then run off to god knows where, only to find you about to, about to…" he choked back a cry, his body starting to tremble.
"About to commit suicide! What were you even thinking, Gray? No, there was no way that you were thinking, cause if you put that thick brain of yours in use for one god damn time in your life, you would have known better! Did you even stop to think about the consequences of your actions for what you were about to do? Did you, Gray?" Natsu roared, face drawn back, staring into his eyes.
"You were about to toss your life away like that— and for what? Over a small misunderstanding! I really don't get you— didn't you say that you loved me? If you meant it, then suicide would have been the last thing that you would think about! If you really had meant it, instead of going out the easy way, you would have fought on to stand by my side, no matter what!" Tears were streaming down Natsu's cheeks, falling down onto his face.
Gray could only stare with a guilt-stricken expression, completely speechless.
Natsu scoffed, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand, "You are really cruel and selfish, you know? I don't even know I managed to fall in love with a bastard like you."
Time seemed to stop for Gray as those words rang through his mind over and over again.
'I don't even know how I managed to fall in love with a bastard like you.'
His bottom lip quivered, eyes starting to sting.
"That's right, I'm in love with you, so you better get it through that icy brain of yours," Natsu sat back, straddling his hips and grinned widely at him, "I'm sorry, but you are stuck with me forever, ice princess. I don't plan on letting my mate go anytime soon."
Gray's eyes widened, glistening in tears. He covered his eyes with a hand and as the first tear broke free, all the others followed after like an endless stream. He silently cried, cheeks colored a bright red.
"Aw, did I make my princess cry?" Natsu teased, chuckling.
"S-Shut up, flame-brain." He grumbled, vigorously wiping his face.
His hand was lifted off his face and before he could bark anything, lips were lightly pressed against his nose, startling him. He stared in shock at Natsu's goofy smile and felt a smile of his own working its way up on his lips.
"You are the worst." He said, gazing up at Natsu affectionately.
"Worst? You better watch out how you speak to your future husband, droopy-eyes!" Natsu cackled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Gray choked on his own spit and lightly hit his chest with his fist. He narrowed his eyes as he heard Natsu laughing his ass of, yet he couldn't help the small smile forming on his lips.
He felt something pressing lightly against his forehead and noticed that Natsu had leaned down and placed his own forehead against his, eyes closed.
"I love you, Gray," Natsu exhaled, brushing his nose against his, "My mate."
Gray's chest tightened and slowly closed his eyes too, allowing himself to be enamored by Natsu's warmth.
By his lover's warmth.
Maybe what Gray needed wasn't for someone to seal his darkness away, but for someone to stand beside him and face it together.
Maybe what Gray needed all along was Natsu.
His friend, his rival, his lover.
His mate.