The guild hall was exactly the same as the last time Natsu was here – a dingy, shitty-looking bar full of grungy people who looked scarier than they actually were. Except Laxus. He was actually scary.

Gray trailed close behind Natsu as they walked through the door – he hadn't been back since they'd left three years ago, and not all of these were friendly faces. Erza gave Natsu's arm a soft squeeze and smiled encouragingly at Gray as her and Mira headed toward the basement stairs.

"Hey, our alien friend is back!" Natsu turned and glared at Gajeel, who was leaning back against the bar and grinning at them. It rankled Natsu when other people called Gray by something other than his name. That was something only he could do.

He was about to retaliate when Gray touched his lower back and Natsu looked down to see his markings glowing a faint pink. Suddenly Gajeel yelped, jumping up as several glasses of beer from the bar tipped over and poured onto him. A tiny smile played at the corner of Gray's mouth and Natsu snorted, shaking his head.

"Natsu!" A blonde boy appeared in front of them and Natsu's face broke out in a grin, grabbing Sting and pulling him into a tight hug. He sighed happily – leaving had been easy when he'd been pissed at his dad, but he'd missed his friends. Three years was a long time. "Shit, you got even more scars." Sting gestured to the mark on the side of Natsu's neck.

"Yeah, hellhounds don't like to let go," Natsu said, rubbing at it. Gray had used all his magic in that battle and ended up unconscious, so that was one of his injuries that had healed naturally and ended up with a real scar.

"You fought a hellhound?" Rogue's quiet voice came from behind Sting – they had always been shy, but they were deadly with knives. Natsu once saw them take down a wendigo in less than a minute.

"More than once," Gray said quietly, and when Natsu looked up at him, he realized suddenly that his boyfriend was not only anxious but also shy. The last time he'd seen these people, he hadn't spoken any English, and had been seen as more of a creature than a person.

Natsu reached down and gripped Gray's hand tightly. "Yeah, shit's getting weird out there," he said quietly, looking around the room. Everyone here had a harder feel to them, something more intense. Even Sting's eyes looked darker than usual. "Is, uh... dad here?" He asked. Better to get it over with now than hide from him.

"Down in the vault," Sting said, giving Gray a hesitant look. "He's in a mood. Gray, you wanna stay up here with us?" Gray gripped Natsu's hand harder and he squeezed back.

"Do I need to?" he asked, looking between Sting and Rogue. "He isn't planning on dissecting me or anything, is he?" Natsu caught Sting's surprised expression at the fact that Gray could both understand them and speak perfectly understandable English. Gray sighed. "You're looking at me funny." He turned to Natsu, giving the look that asked if he'd made some sort of cultural mistake. Natsu shook his head.

"Well, you're, um... different," Sting said hesitantly, gesturing for them to come join him and Rogue at a table. "And... together?" He looked at their joined hands, lifting an eyebrow.

"Mhmm," Gray replied, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Natsu's cheek. "And I couldn't help learning English listening to him, he never shuts up." Natsu grumbled and elbowed Gray in the ribs as they settled down at the table.

"He's not wrong, Natsu," Rogue said, smiling at him. Rogue and Sting had been partners – hunting wise and romantically – for longer than Natsu had known them, and they worked together as if they were one person. Rogue was deadly with their daggers, and Sting had a steady hand and a knack for wielding magical weapons.

"Anyway," Natsu said, sticking out his tongue at Gray and changing the topic. "It's been a weird few years." He drummed his fingers on the table and glanced over at Gray, raising an eyebrow in a silent question. Gray hesitated, then nodded. "Look, we're not staying here – you know where we'll be. Come meet us tonight and we'll fill you in."

"Don't you want to tell Gildarts?" Sting asked, frowning. "If something's coming, the guild should know."

Natsu put a hand on Gray's forearm and squeezed, shaking his head. "I don't trust him yet," he said quietly. "Last time he had Gray he... hurt him." He turned Gray's arm to show them the scars that Gildarts' interrogations had left behind. Rogue let out a soft breath and shook their head.

"Why..."

"He was scared," Gray said gently, pulling his arm back. "And with good reason. You still don't know what I am." His voice took on a sad tone, and Natsu shook his head, wrapping an arm around Gray.

"Doesn't matter," he said quietly. "You've saved me hundreds of times, taken bullets and hits for me, carried Erza out of a burning building..." Sting and Rogue's eyes widened, impressed. "You're not dangerous, and if he tries to pull that shit again, I will fucking fight him."

Gray gripped Natsu's hand tight as Sting and Rogue began to ask questions, curious about their adventures. He glanced around the guild, catching a few people staring that quickly looked away. Gajeel was still glaring at him and Gray raised his eyebrows at the man.

He sighed when Gajeel looked away, turning back to the bar. They were all scared of him – all of them except Natsu. Even Erza had shown fear occasionally, when they'd been in dire straits and his magic had flared up out of control. It had never hurt any of them, but it was still wild, unpredictable. He glanced back down at the marks on his arms, focusing and changing the color to a silvery white.

"Hey Dazzler, what's up?" Natsu's voice was teasing, and Gray sighed at the ridiculous nickname.

"I don't know—"

"...who that is, I know," Natsu said, kissing his nose. "That's why it's funny. You okay?" He ran a thumb over the marks on Gray's arms. Gray could see Sting peering at him curiously from across the table and he hesitated a moment before rolling up his sleeve and holding his forearm out for inspection. He looked away, tensing for the inevitable look of fear from them.

"Holy shit that's cool," Sting breathed, peering at the changing colors. Gray blinked, risking a look at him, and was surprised to see not fear but amazement on his face. "Can I touch them?"

"Uh... sure?" He started a little when Sting's fingers brushed over them, smiling at the excited expression on the other man's face when the colors changed from white to blue.

"What does that mean?" Rogue asked, leaning but not touching. They didn't seem scared though, just curious. Gray went to reply but Natsu took over, leaning his elbows on the table and grinning. He looked... proud.

"The whitish blue is protective stuff, like barriers," he said excitedly. "Pink is healing, it's crazy how many times he's saved us. Red's like fire, black is just this crazy..."

Gray stopped listening, resting a hand on Natsu's thigh and focusing on his magic. His closed his eyes, trying to feel it, where it usually rested underneath the marks. It felt like a living being sometimes, but something that was tamed – a pet that answered its masters call. Since he'd been hit by that demon sickness, though, it hadn't been cooperating.

He prodded at it now, curious. It shied away from him, and Gray felt like it was growling. It was angry at him, but why?

Listen to me, he thought, and was surprised when there was an answer.

Esaeu ona raeq ednaerdh araeuks, it replied, and the sensation made Gray shiver. He focused on the words, trying to remember what it meant in that language. You are not strong enough. How could that be? He'd been wielding this power for three years now, and his magic had never spoken back.

S'es rael? He asked, feeling uncomfortable with the words. He rarely used them now, except when a new concept appeared that he couldn't communicate. Why now? He repeated. The magic ignored him. He huffed, frustrated, and opened his eyes.

"You okay?" Natsu asked, squeezing Gray's hand on his thigh. "You wanna stay up here while I go see dad?" Gray looked over at Sting and Rogue, uncertain. Natsu was his lifeline here, the only person who didn't think he was dangerous and didn't want to study him. But Rogue and Sting didn't seem afraid, and he wasn't particularly keen on seeing Gildarts again.

"Yeah," he replied, sighing. "You go. I'll be fine." Natsu stood, leaning down and kissing him gently before squeezing his hand and moving away.

"Rogue, you wanna grab us something to eat?" Sting leaned over and kissed his partner, smiling when Rogue headed over to the bar. Then he leaned towards Gray and grinned.

"Tell me," he said conspiratorially, "the stupidest thing Natsu has done over the last three years."

Natsu ran his fingers along the railing as he made his way down into the vault. He knew he was stalling, taking the steps as slowly as possible, examining the scars on the back of his hand in the dim light. He'd been ignoring his father's calls for years now, letting him speak with Erza instead. Now he had no choice but to face Gildarts.

He stepped into the room at the bottom of the stairs. It was large and round, and held a table in the center with a devil's trap both on the ceiling and under the rug on the floor. A cabinet off to the side held implements like holy water, silver knives, and iron bars. Natsu shuddered, trying not to think of the last time he'd been here.

A door off to the right of the room held Gildarts' office, and Natsu could see his father with his boots kicked up on the desk. He sighed and walked up to the office, leaning against the doorway.

"Hey, dad."

Gildarts looked up, surprised, and set down the book he was reading, standing up and moving around the desk. He looked for a moment like he was going to hug Natsu, but stopped himself at the last second.

"Your hair's longer," Gildarts said finally, shifting uncomfortably. Natsu reached up to touch it – he hadn't had a haircut since they'd left, and it was already past his shoulders.

"Uh, yeah." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Look, you know I don't wanna be here so lemme get something straight. I'm not gonna watch you test or experiment on him. If I don't like it, or he doesn't like it, we're leaving."

Gildarts was silent for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest. Eventually, he sighed. "I understand, son," he said. "But you have to understand that I still don't trust him. He's different, and dangerous, and we don't know—"

"He's not dangerous," Natsu insisted, feeling the ball of tension rising in his chest that came every time he fought with his father. "You just don't know him. He's smart, and quick, and incredibly brave. He's saved my life over and over."

"You remember that dog that lived next door when you were little?" Gildarts changed the subject suddenly and Natsu frowned. "She was gentle as they come, loved you to death. You played with her for two years, every day." Natsu clenched his teeth, realizing where his dad was going with this. "Remember where you got that scar?"

Natsu's hand came up to touch his cheek, where a ragged white scar ran from his eyebrow to his jaw. "Yeah, she bit me," he said, exhaling sharply. "Gray isn't a fucking dog. He's a person."

"But he's not," Gildarts insisted, rubbing his temples. "He's not human and you know it. This book proves it, Natsu, you just have to—"

"I love him."

The words hung in the air between them, drawing out tension until it was a stifling force between them. Gildarts opened and closed his mouth a few times, finally shaking his head in surprise.

"I, uh, I didn't know you were gay."

Natsu groaned in exasperation. "That's what you're taking from this? Seriously?" He uncrossed his arms, then crossed them again awkwardly. "Y'know, if you'd actually spent time when me when I was little, instead of always being gone chasing monsters, you'd know these things."

"You know perfectly well why I was gone," Gildarts said, tone suddenly defensive. "I had to find what killed your mother, and—"

"Why?" Natsu shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "She was dead, she didn't give a shit if you found out what happened!" His chest was aching and he felt like he was going to explode. "She probably would've been happier if you'd stayed home and been a father instead of abandoning your son!"

Before Natsu could react, Gildarts stepped forward and slapped him, hard across the face. Natsu shook his head in surprise, bringing a hand up to his stinging cheek.

"Oh, god, Natsu, I'm so sorry," his father whispered, stepping back and pulling his hands into his chest. His face was stricken, brows drawn and mouth agape. "That was... I'm sorry, I don't know what..."

Natsu's fingers traced the stinging heat on his skin, then he sighed, shoving past Gildarts and sitting down at the desk. Sheafs of papers were scattered over the surface, most covered in an illegible script that Natsu had never seen.

"What language is this?" he asked, voice curt.

"Son, I'm sor—"

"Don't call me that," Natsu whispered, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I'm here to save Erza. Show me what you've got."

"I'll do it." Gray looked at Gildarts – he looked placid on the outside, but Natsu had been with him long enough that he could see the tension in Gray's jaw and temples. "If it'll help Erza, I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked softly, pulling Gray toward him and ignoring his father. Gray drew his fingers gently over the red mark on Natsu's cheek, sighing. He nodded.

"It's just a book. What's the worst that could happen?" he asked, giving Natsu a wry half-smile. Natsu groaned, reaching up and rubbing his fingers over the back of Gray's neck.

"What did I tell you about saying that?" he muttered.

"Superstition," Gray replied, kissing Natsu on the cheek. "Which I don't believe in because I am not bound by your silly Earth rules, remember?" Natsu shook his head, laughing.

"All right, Kal-El. Just... if it's too much, tell them to stop." Gray nodded. "Promise?"

"Promise." Gray brushed back Natsu's hair and smiled at him. "Try not to kill your dad, okay? I love you."

"I know," Natsu replied, squeezing Gray's hands one last time before he made his way to the table in the center of the room. He turned to his father. "Dad," he said quietly, clenching and unclenching his fists. "You're family, but I love him." Gildarts' face was serious, and he met Natsu's gaze. "If you hurt him, I will hurt you."

"Understood," Gildarts said, nodding before heading over to Gray.

"He'll be fine," Sting said, taking Natsu's arm and pulling him over to the sitting area at the side of the room. "If anything crazy happens, they'll get him outta there." Natsu reached up and grabbed Sting's hand, squeezing it as he watched Gray sit down at the table next to Freed.

Gray looked at Gildarts uncertainly as the man approached the table and sat down across from him. A spike of trepidation shot through him and he winced, thinking of the knives and symbols and other things he'd endured last time he was here. He pushed the thoughts away, looking over at Erza, who was sitting with Mira and the others on the other side of the room. This was for her. For his family. She'd saved his life, and now he was going to return the favor.

"We can't translate the text." Freed thumbed through the large book and looked up at Gray. He pointed to the open page, which was full of unfamiliar symbols. Gray suddenly felt dizzy. "Do you recognize any of this?"

Gray looked at the characters and frowned. He could read some English – not as well as Natsu or Erza, but enough to get by – but these words weren't made with the English alphabet. They were... sharper, somehow, and they hurt his eyes.

"I don't understand it," he said. There was something scratching at his mind, something that wanted to—

He gritted his teeth as his arms lit up, on their own, in a way they'd never done before. It hurt, a sharp, stinging pain that felt like needles on his skin. The magic pushed away from him, as if it were trying to escape his skin. Gaednaes, it shouted in his mind, and Gray tried desperately to push the magic back down. He knew that word – destroy. But he wouldn't destroy. He would protect.

He looked up to see Natsu standing at the edge of the room, Sting holding his shoulders, his hands balled into fists. Gray exhaled, closing his eyes and focusing on the magic, trying to soothe it. Raenzoh, he whispered, picturing his friends. His family. Natsu. Raenzoh. Quiet.

Eventually it stopped and the pain dissolved. Gray leaned forward on the table, breathing heavily – it felt like he'd been running from something. His entire body ached, a deep strain that pushed on his bones and pulsed through his muscles.

"Some of it is readable now." Freed was talking to Gildarts but the words echoed in Gray's ears. It sounded like he was underwater.

"Is that... did it work?" he asked hesitantly, looking up at Gildarts, who had moved over to the other side of the table. His stomach was churning now and he felt like he might throw up. Gildarts didn't answer at first – he was frowning intently at the book and flipping through the pages.

"Stay where you are." Gildarts' voice wasn't dangerous, but it wasn't friendly either. Gray's first instinct was to run, but a hand on his shoulder kept him in the chair. "Can you read this?"

Gray swallowed heavily as the book was presented to him. The room swam uncomfortably and he felt nauseous. He kept his hands on the table to steady himself.

"Can you read it?" Freed's voice was gentler than Gildarts'. Gray turned his attention to the page. Words in the forgotten language were vibrating around a drawing in the center that perfectly matched the marks on his arms. It made him uncomfortable, like it was echoing through his skin.

"No," he groaned. A hot flash of pain spiked through his head and he grunted, bringing a hand up to his temple. The nausea intensified and everything started to blur. "I don't... feel good."

"Dad, stop!" Natsu broke free of Sting's grip and rushed over. He crouched down next to the chair, brushing Gray's bangs away from his face. "He's burning up, what the hell did you do to him?"

"Natsu, don't touch him." That was Freed, and his voice was tinged with fear. Natsu turned to Freed and glared at him, keeping his hand on Gray's forehead.

"Fuck you," he growled. Gray blinked hard, shaking his head and reaching up a hand to Natsu's wrist. Everything was spinning and he was so, so hot. "What did you do to him?"

"He just looked at the book," Gildarts said, brow furrowed in confusion. "We didn't do anything, I sw—"

"Fuck." Gray slumped forward and Natsu caught him, feeling the burning heat of his boyfriend's skin against his neck. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're getting you outta here." He slid his arms under Gray's legs and stood, lifting him up.

"Natsu, you have to look at this." Gildarts put a hand on the book and Natsu shook his head. "It says what he is."

"He isn't a what!" Natsu shouted, backing out out of the circle with Gray clutched tightly in his arms. Mira, Erza and Sting moved over to stand next to him. "He's a person. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! All you ever do is hurt people."

"Natsu, he's a demon!"

There was a long, tense silence. The words hadn't come from Gildarts but from Freed, who was holding the book out to them, showing them a drawing surrounded by indecipherable symbols that blurred and shifted. Natsu shivered, holding Gray tighter against him.

"Look." Freed pointed to the page. It showed the dark silhouette of a woman joining hands with a white silhouette of a man. In the next picture, a white burst of light moved from the man into the woman's stomach, and her hands became claws, staining the man's shadow red until he crumpled to the ground. The woman then sank down below the ground where the light grew within her, finally transforming into another humanoid figure. This one was half white, half dark, and had black marks crawling up its arms.

"What is this?" Erza demanded. Gildarts had begun to move toward them and she placed herself between him and Natsu, hand dropping to the sword that had begun to materialize at her hip.

"It's Gray," Freed said, pointing to the half-and-half figure. "This word, cambion, it's a... a half demon. One of them." Natsu felt like he was going to be sick.

"He's not a demon," he whispered. Gray was heavy in his arms, shivering and burning with fever. Natsu clutched him tighter, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"He's partly one!" Gildarts raised his voice in frustration, stepping closer to them again. Erza's sword solidified in her hand and she held it in front of her, glaring at him. "Erza, you know I don't wanna hurt you. I'm trying to keep us safe."

"This is your fault," Natsu hissed, backing up until his heels hit the stairs.

"Natsu, listen, we're not going to hurt him." Gildarts sighed in exasperation. Mira stepped in front of Natsu as well, hand going to the dagger strapped to her thigh. "We just want to figure this out. We'll keep him here until we've figured out what's going on."

"Like hell you will," Natsu snarled, letting the other three make a wall in front of him and Gray, who had fallen unconscious, head against Natsu's chest. "You're not touching him."

"We're not gonna hurt him," Gildarts insisted. "We'd keep him in the same room, it's not—"

"This is a person you are talking about!" Natsu shouted. "We've lived with him every day of the last three years, and he has never hurt us." Erza nodded in solidarity and Natsu backed up again, this time moving up the stairs. "We're leaving."

"And I'll be taking that." Erza held her hand out to Freed, indicating the book. He hesitated, looking to Gildarts for guidance. Gildarts stared at Erza for a moment, then gave a short nod.

"Look, you don't have to—"

Natsu was already halfway up the stairs when Gildarts started speaking, pushing through the doors and into the bar. Rogue appeared in front of him, eyes wide.

"What happened?" they asked. Natsu could feel the heat from Gray's body through his jacket, and fear raced through him. Something was seriously wrong, and he didn't know what to do.

"Is there something you can do?" He asked. Rogue looked down at Gray's feverish body. They placed a gentle hand on his forehead, eyes widening in surprise at the heat, then ran their fingers down his arm to the marks, which were pale and inactive.

"I have... my things are upstairs." Rogue wasn't a witch, but they had a way with minor magic that sometimes came in helpful when dealing with things that ordinary medicine couldn't treat – things like werewolf scratches, or hellhound bites. "We can meet you at the hotel?"

Natsu was about to reply when he heard footsteps on the stairs, and turned to see Gildarts standing in the doorway. He clutched Gray tighter to him, ignoring the strain in his shoulders.

"We're leaving." He said to Gildarts, voice flat. He glared at his father, who looked desperate. "If you ever touch him again, I will end you." Gildarts' eyes widened and he raised his hands in surrender. The entire guild was watching now, eyes on the altercation.

"I know you can't see it, but I'm just trying to protect us." Gildarts' voice was calm and even, and it infuriated Natsu. He hadn't realized he was crying until his vision started to blur.

"You're trying to protect you!" He shouted. "Just like you've always done! You're so fucking selfish. Gray has..." he took a shaky breath, anger making everything sharp and surreal. "He's loved me more in three years than you have in my entire life."

The silence in the guild was oppressive. Gildarts' face shifted into something regretful, but he didn't speak. Natsu turned back to the door, and the others followed him, Rogue and Sting on each side, Erza and Mira behind, a protective blockade in case anyone tried to intervene.

By the time they got to the car, Natsu was shaking, holding Gray in his lap and brushing his hair out of his eyes while Sting wrapped an arm around him. Rogue sat in the front seat with Erza, who took off from the guild, tires squealing.

"We're gonna figure this out," Sting said, voice confident. "It doesn't matter what some book says. If you trust him, we do too." Rogue nodded. Natsu made a soft sound of appreciation, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to Gray's forehead.

"It'll be okay," he whispered. The dim moonlight highlighted the marks on Gray's arms and Natsu ran his fingers over them gently. "Whatever that book says, whatever anyone says, it doesn't matter. I love you, and I always will."