Already Mine
By Faralyne
Author's Note: Song lyrics are from Distraction by Kehlani.
O– Chapter Two –O
{Three Weeks + Three Days Ago}
The magic streetlights glowed in the night sky, the winter air slowly sinking into Magnolia. Natsu stopped in his tracks. He stretched his hands up and breathed in the air dramatically.
"It's good to be back!"
He finally returned from a two-day solo quest—the village had explicitly requested him—where he had to track a group of escaped criminals who were stealing women and children and holding them hostage against the village that "wronged them". Well, Natsu hunted them and beat them down easily. It would have taken less time too if Erza hadn't scared him into swearing he wouldn't set the village ablaze while fighting.
Natsu continued down the street, hands resting in his pants pockets. He strolled, taking in the town he loved with all his heart. The multi-colored, brick houses. The light fluttering of the town flags. The beats of music pulsing through the faded tiles. The smell of winter filling Natsu's nose.
He stopped again, turning in the direction of this smell.
'No, not just winter,' he thought as he followed the smell down a different street. It smelled like roasted chestnuts, earthy and sweet. To Natsu, everyone had a unique scent, and that was Gray's scent undeniably.
Music poured out of a sketchy-looking building with a line of scantily dressed people standing outside. A word lit up in deep red was plastered overhead in cursive writing, "Ride". Natsu had passed by this placed multiple times before, but he'd never gone in—he didn't know what it was.
'Probably a nightclub by the sound of it.'
And Gray's scent drifted from it. He shrugged. Trying his luck, Natsu strolled up to the lanky bouncer at the front of the line.
"Name," the bouncer stated, demanding rather than asking.
"Natsu Dragneel."
The bouncer flipped through his long list of names. "Not on the list."
Natsu scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, but, my friend's in there though."
"Name."
"Gray Fullbuster."
The bouncer flipped through the list once more before marking something on the paper and stepping to the side. "Go on ahead, Mr. Dragneel. I apologize for the delay."
'Sweet.' Natsu didn't know why that worked, but he didn't really care. He grinned, ducking passed the bouncer and into the dimly lit club.
Do me a favor, pick me up, take me out later
Don't worry about no paper
Because I got much stacked up for nights like this
The (small) responsible part of Natsu nagged him about why he was messing around in a club right after he returned or why he cared that Gray was in here or why he wasn't freaked out he could smell Gray so easily in the first place.
Natsu knew he had a good nose, but this was sort of ridiculous. This place was packed, sweaty bodies grinding and meshing, odors mingling and changing. There was no way he should have picked out Gray the way he did.
My life can get crazy, I deal with shit on the daily
But baby, I'm thinking maybe
We could agree to work it out like this
Yet, there he was. Right where Natsu's senses led him. And left him rooted to the spot in a crowd of swaying bodies.
Gray had been hoisted onto the bar top, his legs dangling off the counter, open and inviting the burly man plastered in front of him. He was grinning, his eyes half lidded and heavily influenced by whatever he'd been drinking. The burly man's hands were all over him, running down Gray's shirtless torso and circling towards the small of his back. He was whispering in Gray's ear—well, half whispering and half trailing his lips along the beige lobe, causing Gray to shudder lightly.
I need you to give me your time
I need you to not want to be mine
Are you down to be a distraction, baby?
Natsu's mind shut down as he watched Gray. He couldn't think straight. His heart hammered in his chest as the shock washed over his body. But, he didn't dare tear his eyes away. He was glued to scene.
'So, Gray swings that way,' Natsu managed to think, 'Juvia's going to flood the town.'
Unexpectedly, icy blue eyes locked with Natsu's black ones. Natsu swallowed under the shear intensity pouring from those widening eyes. Gray visibly stiffened. He hastily shoved the burly man off, disappearing from Natsu's vision in the blink of an eye.