Author's Note:Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you for still reading! And a special thank you to Serial Letters for being my first reader!
Warm
No more than ten minutes had passed before Erza caught up to me and tackled me to the ground. Having not been hurt I stood up and let out a deflated sigh. I'll never find Happy at this rate. I bowed my head, suddenly depressed, but then, as if reading my mind, Erza spoke in a soothing tone, "We will find him and together we will find whoever did this." She proceeded to pull me in for a hug, that I gladly accepted. After a few seconds, I pulled away and asked "Where are the others?"
"Oh, Lucy is down the hill with Gray."
"You left her with him?!" I sprinted down the hill to where Erza said she left them where I found Gray in nothing but his underwear and Lucy with a face as red as my fire. "Pervert! Put some clothes on!" I went to lecture Gray about taking his clothes off again, but before I could say anything else, I was put into a trance by his delicious six-pack. Of course I had seen Gray like this, but never once think about it like I was then. After chasing me, and probably carrying Lucy too, the mage was dripping with sweat. The fine droplets swam around his muscles, as if trying to make someone jealous. When did the ice wizard become this hot? Gray ran his fingers through his long, dark hair and took a step towards me. I'm reluctant to admit that I was practically drooling. Remembering where I was, I realized that Gray was probably angry at me for calling him a pervert. I was brought back to my senses when Gray smashed his head against mine and said scornfully "It's hot. That's the reason I'm dressed like this. You're a fire wizard, you're used to the heat, slanty eyes!"
To which I replied with, "Just cool yourself with your ice magic. Don't strip when you're alone with a girl, droopy eyes!"
We kept arguing like this until Erza reached the bottom of the hill. She was a slow walker and often gave us time to fight, but when she was around, if we wanted to keep our heads on our shoulders, Gray and I are forced to act as friends. Lucy and Erza decided that we should at least conjure up a plan before we go around destroying the city without our guild's permission. I suggested a diner that me and Happy frequented - or rather used to. Every time I thought of the creature, I could feel a piece of me break. I had to stay strong though. For Happy, and everyone in Fairy Tail. We arrived at the diner and sat at my usual table. Having recognized my face, the waiter came over instantly. He greeted everybody at the table politely and then started talking to me, "Yo, Natsu! How's it goin', man?" It was a rhetorical question, so instead of telling him about Happy and the fight, I just nodded and told him I was fine. The waiter went on to ask, "So you'll have the usual?"
I answered "Just half today, thanks", my voice on the verge of breaking. It was hard to order food for just myself and not Happy as well. I began to wonder whether coming here was a good idea. The waiter took the others' orders, but before leaving, looked around the table seeming confused. Please don't ask. The waiter opened his mouth to talk. Don't ask. Please don't ask.
"Hey, Natsu," He's going to ask. I clenched my fists and shut my eyes tight. He must have seen my unease, because just then, out of nowhere, Gray stood up, looked the waiter in the eyes and whispered "Don't talk about that stupid blue cat." He took a deep breath and sat back down again. The waiter must have got the message because he speedily walked away from our table and got back to his job. Thank you Gray. You didn't use the best words, but I know you did that for me. Gray did try to help, but it was too late. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another. I let out a small whimper, attracting the attention of the people on our table. They all looked around at each other awkwardly, trying to decide on someone to comfort me. Their eyes eventually rest on Gray. He didn't question why they chose him to calm me down, but instead he just held me in his arms, with my head buried in his chest. I lay still, sobbing into the dark haired boy's arms for a few minutes and then I realized that despite being an ice wizard…
Gray's touch was warm.
