Summary: Working retail was a pain in the ass, but it got worse when the holidays rolled around. Luckily for Gray, he had a fun and goofy coworker to go through the hell with. Now, if he could just stop his heart from racing every time he was near Natsu, he would be golden. A two-shot Christmas story. Modern AU.
Pairing: Natsu/Gray (Gratsu)
Rated T for foul language and adult situations.
Genre: Humor, Romance
Word Count: 6.7K
Jump Start: Part One
Gray glanced at the clock on the wall, smothering a groan when he saw his break was up. He stood, stretching his legs before heading back to receiving to grab another pallet of freight. He nodded and greeted customers as he made his way through the store, his steps stuttering when he caught sight of pink hair.
Gray ducked into the toys department, taking the longer route to the back to avoid a certain co-worker that made his blood burn. It wasn't that Gray disliked the guy. It was quite the opposite. Over the past eight months of working together, Gray had developed a crush on the other sales associate.
Although, crush didn't seem to fit anymore, not when the mere sight of Natsu made Gray's heart flip in his chest.
He took a deep breath as he passed through the double doors, heading towards the mountains of freight they got from the last truck. He tried to push the thought of Natsu out of his head, but he couldn't do it. Those dark green eyes and fanged grin surfaced in his mind, causing his heart to pound a little harder.
He hadn't meant to like the guy, but it wasn't like he stood much of a chance. Natsu was funny, smart, and damn did he have the best smile Gray had ever seen. He easily lit up a room when he entered, his fiery personality affecting everyone he interacted with.
The managers loved him, customers loved him, and Gray—
Well, Gray really liked him. He didn't want to toss around the word love so carelessly. He needed to get to know Natsu better, and spending time at work together was not the way Gray wanted to do it.
Of course, he was too chicken to straight up ask Natsu out, too afraid of rejection and humiliation. Gray didn't know if Natsu was even interested in guys, and if he was, Gray didn't think he'd agree to go out with him. It wasn't that Gray thought there was anything particularly wrong with himself, he just didn't know if they would be good together.
Sometimes their personalities didn't mesh up well, often times resulting in the two having a yelling match until someone put an end to it. Usually it was Erza, their supervisor, but she never wrote them up, only telling them to apologize and get back to work.
Despite them arguing over petty shit sometimes, they did have their moments where they got along. They had a lot in common, liking the same video games, TV shows, and genres of movies. Gray couldn't count how many times he wanted to ask Natsu out to watch a movie with him, but every time he got close, he decided against it. He was too worried Natsu would say no, he never gave himself a chance.
Gray forced himself to stop thinking about Natsu, knowing he had to concentrate on work. The store was busy due to the holidays being around the corner, the lines at the registers seeming to never end and the merchandise on the shelves disappearing faster than they could restock it.
While that was great for business, it put a lot of stress on the employees, but this wasn't the first holiday where Gray worked retail, and he doubted it would be any worse than the years he had endured before.
He grabbed a pallet jack, ready to pull out a pallet of health and beauty merchandise when he heard a familiar voice call his name, his eyes flitting until they landed on his supervisor.
Erza scurried her way over to him, her face flushed with beads of sweat clinging to her forehead. He wanted to ask her if she needed to take a breather, but she was already speaking, pointing towards the doors leading to the store's floor.
"I need you to help Natsu in pantry. We have to get those edible gift sets out today. Okay?"
Gray opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't come up with a good excuse to get him out of it. He sighed, nodding as he turned towards the doors. Spending time with Natsu definitely wasn't the worst thing in the world, but lately he had been trying to limit his time around the man.
And that reason was so painfully obvious to Gray once Natsu saw him walk up, his lips tugging into a grin as he nodded towards him.
"Hey! Did Erza send ya?"
"Yeah," Gray mumbled, biting his inner cheek to fight off a blush, his heartbeat doubling when he met those sharp green eyes. "She uh, yeah."
Once Gray realized he liked Natsu as more than a friend, he started reacting differently to him. Most were internal, easy to hide from the world. His racing heart and chills were only his business. Gray didn't mind those so much, but when he started blushing and stumbling over his words, that was when Gray had a problem. He thought limiting his time around Natsu would make it go away, but it hadn't.
All it did was make Gray miss the pink haired pyro, making his feelings stronger.
"Great!" Natsu beamed, bending over to grab a box, unintentionally giving Gray a good view of his assets.
Gray cursed himself before grabbing a box too, slicing it open with his box cutter before figuring out where it went. The gift sets were being put on six quads in front of pantry in an attempt to entice customers into buying them. Gray found the correct quad for his merchandise before stocking the empty spot, doing the same with the boxes after that.
They fell into a comfortable silence, only interrupted when a customer came up to ask a question. Gray had almost forgotten he was working with Natsu until he started stocking gift sets that included four mugs with the 'Ford' logo on them and hot chocolate, Natsu striking up a conversation as he stood over him.
"Oh. That's kinda nice that they made those."
Gray looked up, seeing Natsu holding his own box against his body, the weight not affecting him. "Huh?"
Natsu nodded to the gift sets Gray was stocking, an amused grin surfacing on his face. "Those mugs. Now you can have something to drink while you wait on the tow truck."
Gray snorted, shaking his head while Natsu laughed. He wasn't too surprised Natsu was bringing up that again. It wasn't the first time they had a Ford vs. Chevy debate. Gray knew his vehicle wasn't the best, but he liked his little Ford car. It got him from point A to point B just fine. He didn't need to dominate the road in the process.
Natsu on the other hand loved his Chevy truck. It was big, shiny, and of course, red. He was proud of the beast, even when Gray made jabs at him, asking if he was trying to overcompensate for something.
Only once Natsu offered to prove to Gray he wasn't overcompensating, but Gray had quickly declined the offer. That was back before he had this pesky crush. He didn't know if he would consider the offer now, but he liked to think he could resist.
Gray put the last gift set on the shelf before standing up, keeping Natsu's gaze as he used his box cutter to open the other end of the box, thus making it easier to stack with the rest of the empty boxes. "Let your Chevy get stuck. Then who'll be laughing."
"It won't get stuck!" Natsu fired off, sounding almost offended.
Gray couldn't help but push his buttons. "But what if it does? Then what?"
"I won't tell anyone," he said, shaking his head.
Gray raised a brow, his grin growing coy. "You won't even call a tow truck to get you out?"
"Nope!" Natsu held the box in his hands tighter against his body, his expression serious as he added, "I'll set it on fire and say someone mugged me. No one'll know."
Without missing a beat, Gray grabbed one of the gift sets with the Ford mugs, darting it towards Natsu. "You're gonna get mugged?"
Natsu's eyes widened as his jaw went slack, needing a moment before he shook his head and walked off. "You're horrible!"
Gray let him go, too busy laughing hysterically. Natsu was too fun to mess with. It was one of the reasons he started liking him. They both had a weird sense of humor, oddly complimenting each other.
Gray went back to work, snorting whenever Natsu mumbled something under his breath about Gray having terrible jokes. He didn't think anything of it, assuming it would be a regular day.
He didn't know how wrong he was.
Two hours and four pallets of gift sets later, Gray was heading towards the break room, ready to grab his stuff before clocking out. Natsu had been stopped by a customer, and rather than stick around and look like a lovesick puppy, Gray went on without him.
He thought he wouldn't be seeing Natsu again until the next time their shifts matched up, but he was pleasantly surprised when Natsu came jogging up behind him when he was about to clock out and go home.
"Hey! Gray!"
Gray took a subtle deep breath, calming his nerves before he turned to face Natsu's large grin. "What's up?"
"Hey. I uh, I was wondering if you could help me with something," he said, cupping the back of his neck with a hand.
Gray cocked his head, surprised because they were done with their shift and therefore Natsu shouldn't need anymore help. 'Unless Erza asked him to stay late. Fuck. I really don't wanna end up staying late too.'
Despite his mind telling him not to, Gray forced out, "With what?"
He expected Natsu to try to convince him to stay an extra hour or two to help with freight, but nothing like that came out of his mouth. "You remember me telling you about my little sister?"
Gray blinked, thrown off guard as he nodded. "Yeah. Wendy, right?" He had to make it sound like a question. He remembered far too well the conversations he had with Natsu since they met, finding himself wanting to know more about him.
Natsu nodded, relief flashing through his eyes for a moment before it was replaced by something Gray couldn't place. "Yeah, that's her. I need to get her something for Christmas, but uh, I kinda waited 'til the last minute."
Gray chuckled, not finding that surprising at all. "Christmas is like a week away. Why'd you wait so long?"
Natsu shrugged, his eyes falling to the side before finding Gray's again. "Anyways, I was wondering if you— Well, I mean if you're not busy, if you could, well—"
"What?" Gray asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Natsu to spit it out.
"Would you come with me to help pick out a gift for her?"
Gray's lips parted, surprised by the question. His heart leaped in his throat, beating uncomfortably fast as he fumbled for words. "I, what?"
"You said you had a younger brother," Natsu started, scratching his head. "I uh, I thought maybe you'd be able to help. Wendy's not into all that girly crap, so I thought since you had a younger brother... maybe they like the same stuff?"
Gray shook his head, not noticing the way Natsu flinched. "My brother's only a year younger. Didn't you say Wendy's like fourteen?"
Natsu nodded, his body tense as he said, "Shit, I didn't know that. And yeah, yeah Wendy's fourteen. Fuck." He started turning, sounding less excited than before. "Never mind. Sorr—"
Gray grabbed Natsu's wrist before he could escape, doing his best to ignore the jolts of electricity flying up his arm at the direct contact. He wondered why Natsu's body was so hot, knowing his hand had to feel like ice on his skin. "Wait! I'll still help ya."
Natsu gave him an incredulous look as he cocked his head. "You will?"
Gray nodded, forcing a small smile on his face. The thought of spending time with Natsu outside of work sounded too good to be true. He knew he was going to be a nervous wreck, and admittedly he might sweat more than what was appropriate for late December, but he didn't mind so much. He wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to hang out with Natsu, even if the idea of buying a toy for a kid didn't sound all that appealing.
Natsu's eyes lit up as he grinned, his body turning so he was facing Gray. "That's awesome! H-here—" He pulled out a small piece of paper, handing it to Gray. "That's my number. Just call or text me when you're ready. We can go in a couple hours if you wanna go home and change and stuff? Or would it be better to go now?" Natsu looked down at his shirt, spotting the dirt clinging to it from working on freight all day. "Eh, on second thought, better change first."
"Yeah, I need to shower anyway." Gray took a step back, finally letting go of Natsu's wrist. He ran his hand through his hair, giving Natsu a nervous chuckle. "I'll uh, I'll see ya later?"
Natsu nodded, that huge grin remaining on his face. "Sounds great. I gotta go get my stuff, but I'll see you in a bit. We'll probably go to the mall or something? I dunno." Natsu walked backwards before turning, holding up a hand to wave at Gray. "Drive safe! You'll need to in that car!"
If Gray wasn't in such a great mood, he would scowl. "Oh ha ha!" he fired back, but there was no bite in his voice. He was too excited to see Natsu later today to be upset by the jab at his Ford.
Gray clocked out with a smile on his face, wondering what he should wear for his shopping trip with Natsu. He didn't want to overdress, but he still wanted to look nice. He didn't know if Natsu was interested in guys or not, but if he was, he wanted to dress to impress.
Gray couldn't wipe the grin off his face even if he wanted to. If he had to describe the shopping trip with Natsu, he could use the word perfect. The two men had found a gift for Wendy within the first thirty minutes of looking, but instead of calling it a day, Natsu suggested they hang out for a bit longer, even offering to buy Gray lunch.
They talked, laughed, and even got kicked out of a store for goofing around with a mannequin. Overall it was a fun day, especially when Natsu gave Gray a hug before they parted, thanking him once again for helping him find a gift for his younger sister.
Gray swore he could still feel Natsu's warmth on his body, his heart pounding as he drove home for the day. It may have been his imagination, but he thought Natsu might have been flirting with him today. When they were at one of the stores, Natsu had held up a shirt and told Gray he thought it would look good on him. He then insisted on Gray trying it on to 'confirm his theory'.
Gray had gotten so flustered he ended up spending extra time in the dressing room, willing his face to return to its normal color before he saw Natsu again. When he had come out from the dressing room with the shirt in hand, Natsu had pouted, saying he wanted to see Gray wearing it.
Gray hadn't been able to come up with something to say in response, instead shaking his head as he made his way to the checkout counter, buying the damn shirt so they could leave the store.
Gray tossed his shopping bags beside his bed before hopping on, getting comfortable as he grabbed the book he had been reading. However, after trying and failing to read the same page for five minutes, Gray closed the book. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate, not with the memories swimming in his head.
Regardless if anything did or didn't happen with Natsu in the future, Gray would treasure those memories, happy they had a fun time while out and about today.
He just hoped he would get to see Natsu again soon, not knowing when their schedules would match up again.
However, Gray didn't realize he didn't have to wait until they both worked again before he could see the guy who made his heart race, unaware of the interesting night he was about to have.
Gray jolted awake when he heard something buzzing by his head. He glanced at his nightstand, seeing his phone lighting up his room. Groaning, Gray turned over, ready to dismiss the call and deal with it when he woke up in the morning. Considering he didn't get to bed until ten, he knew it had to be somewhere around midnight or past that.
However, the phone didn't stop buzzing, the sound pulling Gray further and further away from precious sleep. His eyes shot open, irritation clouding his mind as he rolled towards his phone. He knew he wouldn't be getting back to sleep that easily now thanks to whoever decided to call him in the middle of the night.
Gray grabbed the device, sliding over the green bar without seeing who was calling. He didn't try to hid his displeasure, voice rough and harsh as he asked, "What?"
"Don't laugh."
Gray blinked, his brows furrowing as his tired mind started working, taking a few seconds to recognize the voice. He sounded a little different over the phone, but it was definitely Natsu, though that still didn't explain why he was calling so late.
"Huh?" Gray shifted on his back, covering his face with his blankets. Normally a call from Natsu would make Gray's heart flip, but he was too exhausted for that, wanting to get the call over with as soon as possible so he could try to get back to sleep.
He could fawn over Natsu some other time.
"Don't laugh," Natsu repeated, his cryptic message chipping away at Gray's patience.
"What?"
"Don't. Laugh."
Gray sighed, wondering why Natsu sounded serious. It wasn't like him, the guy usually full of jokes and laughter. "Uh, sure. I won't laugh." He cleared his throat, throwing off the blanket so he could sit up. "What's up?"
"I need your help."
Gray waited to see if Natsu would say more, but he didn't. He dragged a hand over his face, hoping it would help him wake up faster. When Natsu didn't add anything else, Gray shook his head. "With what?"
His question was followed by a long pause. Gray was about to ask him to spit it out, but before he could utter a single word, he heard Natsu's voice coming over the line.
"My truck... won't start."
Gray's lips parted as he processed the words, a smile etching its way on his face before he burst into a fit of laughter, no longer caring what time it was.
"Oi! I said don't laugh!"
Gray ignored him, the corners of his eyes beading with tears while he laughed harder, causing his side to hurt. He knew he sounded winded as he spoke, but he didn't give a fuck, too happy by the news. "What happened to Chevy being the best? Thought your truck was invincible?!"
Gray tried quieting himself, his shoulders shaking as he suppressed his laugh. He couldn't wait to find out why Natsu's truck wouldn't start.
Natsu didn't sound the least bit grateful for Gray's restraint, his voice a mixture between anger and something else Gray couldn't quite place, but if he had to guess, he would say it was embarrassment.
"I left the lights on and the battery died! That has nothing to do with the truck!"
Gray couldn't help but snort, his lips tugging into a grin as he imagined Natsu's annoyed face. It was fun bothering him. "And what do you want me to do about it?"
"I want you here with me," Natsu responded, causing Gray's few remaining chuckles to stop.
He swallowed, reminding himself Natsu didn't mean it like that. As if that wasn't enough, Natsu confirmed his theory in no time.
"Bring your car out here. I got jumper cables with me. I need a jump."
Gray grabbed the blanket that had pooled at his waist, already regretting his actions as he shifted out of bed. He definitely wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon. "You can't ask someone around you for help?"
"I'm in the middle of nowhere. There is no one else."
Gray sighed, knowing he couldn't leave Natsu stranded with a dead vehicle, even if the idea was tempting. It would serve him right for making countless jokes about his Ford, but Gray pushed past that as he grabbed a pair of pants, keeping the phone pressed against his ear with a shoulder as he shrugged the jeans on. "Alright, alright."
When he fixed his pants, he stood straight, stretching his sore muscles before a yawn tore from his throat. "So, where are ya?"
Natsu wasn't kidding. He really was in the middle of nowhere. Gray had to drive to the outskirts of Magnolia just to find his friend, the last five miles of his trip being on dirt roads. Though after driving a mile on it, Gray couldn't tell. The entire place was covered in snow.
It wasn't too hard spotting Natsu, seeing as he was the only truck parked on the shoulder. He raised a brow when he saw a tree in the bed of his truck, knowing he didn't see that earlier when it was parked in the parking lot at work. However, that thought quickly vanished when Gray got a look at Natsu.
He suppressed a laugh when he saw Natsu sitting in the front seat of his truck, his eyes narrowed when they met Gray's. He knew it had to be humiliating for Natsu to call him out there after boasting about his truck for so long, but that didn't mean Gray wasn't going to let him have it.
Besides, the least Natsu could do was let him pick on him considering Gray drove out there at two in the morning.
Gray maneuvered his vehicle until he was in front of Natsu's truck, leaving about a foot or two of space between the vehicles. Before he put the car in park, Natsu was hopping out, jumper cables in hand.
Gray turned off his vehicle, watching as Natsu walked through the snow to his hood, lifting it before attaching the cables to his battery. Gray popped the hood on his car, letting Natsu take care of that end as well. He thought once Natsu finished he would just tell Gray to start the car, but he surprised him by coming to the passenger door, knocking on the window so Gray would unlock it.
Natsu didn't hesitate to climb inside the car once Gray unlocked the door, his teeth chattering as he rubbed his bare hands together. "Fuck," he mumbled, his voice shaky. "It's cold as shit out there!"
Gray barely held back a snort as he shook his head, placing his fingers on the key. "I start it now, right?"
Natsu nodded, prompting Gray to start the engine. He had never jumped a battery before, but he figured it couldn't be that hard. "Can you turn the heater on too? I'm freezing my ass off."
'Wouldn't that be a shame?'
Gray pushed the button to turn on the heater, watching as Natsu put his hands up to the nearest vent. Gray hadn't been running it on the way there, but since the car was still warmed up, the heater kicked in quickly.
"Stupid fucking battery," Natsu muttered, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them. "I remembered thinking I forgot to turn my lights off, but I was soooo sure I did. Turns out they were on the whole fucking time, draining that stupid ass battery!"
"Sounds like it's not the battery's fault," Gray said, laughing when Natsu shot him a glare. "What? I'm not the one who left the lights on."
Instead of firing off with something smart, Natsu turned back to the heater, shivering in his seat. Gray let his eyes flit down to see the thin jacket Natsu was wearing, the material clinging to his body like a second skin. It couldn't be providing enough warmth that chilly night. His fingers twitched, wanting to rub his hands over Natsu's arms.
'I wish I could warm him up.'
Natsu's head snapped towards him, as if he heard Gray's thoughts. He stilled, waiting for Natsu to say something, but he didn't, letting his teeth chatter again as he scooted closer to the heater.
Gray let out a sigh, happy Natsu couldn't read his thoughts. He wasn't ready to let Natsu know he liked him, and honestly, Gray didn't think he ever would be. "So, what're you doing out here anyways?"
Natsu flinched, eyes flitting to Gray's for a second before he looked down at his lap. "N-nothing."
"Nothing?" Gray cocked his head, not believing him for a second. "You came all the way out here for nothing?"
"...Yes?"
"Bullshit." Gray could see it in Natsu's eyes, even if he tried to cover them with his pink bangs. He was lying, but Gray didn't know why. He could take a guess though, thinking it had to be one of two reasons. Either the reason was bad, or it was embarrassing. "What are you doing out here?"
Natsu tried denying it one more time, but after Gray shut that last attempt down, Natsu sighed. "I... I was getting a Christmas tree."
"What?" Gray blinked before he looked around, the realization that they were near a forest hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Why— You... you were just gonna what? Go chop one down?"
Natsu ducked his head, having the audacity to look ashamed of himself as he nodded. "Yeah... I uh, already did..."
Gray's eyes widened, realizing where the tree in the bed of Natsu's truck came from. "What if someone owns this property?" Gray asked, piecing things together. "That's stealing." He paused, gaping when another thought crossed his mind. "Christmas trees aren't even that expensive! Why are you trying to steal one?!"
"Hey!" Natsu looked up, his teeth clenching as he gave his weak defense. "The guy wanted thirty-five bucks for one. I got mine for free!"
"It's still stealing," Gray pointed out, laughing as he shook his head. "Besides, is it really free? Aren't you gonna have to replace your battery now?"
"What?!" Natsu gasped, eyes fixing on his truck outside. "I better not!"
Gray couldn't stop laughing, especially when Natsu pouted. "You should see your face!"
"Bastard."
"Whatever you say!" Gray leaned back in his seat, his cheeks staining red from either the heat in the car or the fact that he couldn't catch his breath. Either way, he was happy, even if Natsu interrupted his sleep.
"But seriously," Gray started, shaking his head. "Why didn't you call your dad or something instead of me?" Part of Gray hoped Natsu said it was because he wanted to see him, but he should have known that wasn't the case.
"I tried my dad first," Natsu said, ending Gray's laughter.
"Oh, you did?" he whispered, feeling disappointed. He thought Natsu called him because he trusted him to help, but it turned out he was just the back-up plan.
"Yeah," Natsu nodded, not noticing the way Gray's shoulders fell. "I tried calling my mom too, and Lucy, then Cana. No one answered."
"Is that so?" Gray mumbled, trying to ignore the pain in his heart. He was the last resort, meaning Natsu didn't want to call him in the first place. He didn't want it to get to him, but it did. It made things worse when Gray remembered texting Natsu earlier that day to set up plans to meet at the mall. If Natsu hadn't gotten his number that day, Gray doubted he would've even thought of him.
"I was last on the list, huh?" Gray tried to make it sound like a joke, but it came out bitter, his head lowering in defeat. He thought spending time together was a way to get closer, but Gray realized it was more out of convenience than anything else.
Natsu sighed, saying the last thing Gray wanted to hear. "I didn't wanna call you at all."
Ouch. That hurt more than Gray wanted to admit.
His hands clenched into fists as he took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the pain he felt. A heaviness settled on his chest, a reminder that Natsu would never see him as more than a friend. Hell, at this point he wondered if Natsu even considered him that much.
Gray wanted to be his friend at the very least. Natsu was a cool guy, and they had fun together for the most part. Yes, he had hoped for more, but he wasn't going to hold that against Natsu.
Natsu looked over, his brows furrowing when he saw Gray's tense body and sour expression. His eyes widened as his jaw went slack, his hands coming up to wave in front of him. "Shit! I didn't mean it like that! Just—"
Natsu clenched his teeth as he looked at the dashboard of Gray's car, one hand coming up to tangle in his hair. "Fuck, I'm sorry. Of course I wanted to call you, it's just, not like this."
Gray looked up, his brows pinched together as he asked, "What do you mean?"
Natsu let out a heavy sigh, leaning against the passenger door while he faced Gray. "I just, I wanted you to think I was cool, but this," he gestured to his truck, "this isn't cool at all."
"What?" Gray's eyes flitted back and forth between Natsu and his truck, wondering what he meant. "Why do you care if I think you're cool or not?" For the record, Gray did think Natsu was cool, but he wasn't about to admit that, especially after everything going on tonight. Gray felt vulnerable, and the last thing he wanted to do was stroke Natsu's ego when he felt like shit.
Natsu groaned, leaning back in his seat as he dragged a hand over his face. He looked exasperated, further confusing Gray. "You're always so calm and confident, and me—" Natsu sighed. "I'm just bleh."
Gray blinked, his brows furrowing as he tried to figure out what was going on inside Natsu's head. 'Why is he saying this? And why the hell does he think he's bleh?' In Gray's opinion, Natsu was anything but 'bleh'. He was interesting, funny, and hot as fuck. 'Bleh' was the opposite of what Natsu Dragneel was, but once again, Gray kept his mouth shut about it.
Natsu stole a peek at Gray, his eyes falling to the dashboard a moment later. "I thought if I could impress you, you'd..." His voice trailed off as a tinge of pink colored his cheeks. If it weren't for his headlights reflecting off the snow around them, Gray wouldn't have been able to see the soft color since it was so late at night.
Gray's first thought was to blame the blush on the heater, but that thought vanished when Natsu added, "Well, I uh... I thought if I impressed ya, you'd say yes when I... when I asked you... out."
Gray's eyes widened, jolting back as he absorbed the information. "What?" He gaped, heart pounding against his rib cage as he tried to make sense of what he heard. Surely he was mistaken. "You... you like... me?"
Natsu didn't look fazed at first, nodding as he glanced over at him. "Well, yeah," he said as if it were obvious. "I thought we've been flirting lately?" Natsu's eyes slowly went wide when Gray didn't respond, panic flashing within that emerald color. "Oh shit, are you not—?"
Natsu covered his mouth with his hand, his body going tense as he let out a string of curse words. "I'm so sorry! Fuck! I-I honestly thought you were flirting back with me. Damn it!" He closed his eyes as he shook his head, that pink on his cheeks turning into a deep red. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable if I did. I just thought— Fuck! I fucked up! I'm sorry! I—"
"No!" Gray yelled, cutting Natsu off. He was convinced if he hadn't done it, Natsu would've kept going. Gray's throat felt tight, but he pushed through it as he turned in his seat, facing the man who made his heart pound. "I-I was, I mean, I was trying to anyways. Flirt I mean..." He cupped the back of his neck, feeling himself sweat from nerves. "I'm not really that good at flirting..."
"Are you kidding?" Natsu asked, but since he didn't clarify, Gray didn't know what he was referring to.
"I'm not," he settled with, letting Natsu take the lead.
Natsu blinked, his eyes wandering towards the floorboard before his gaze met Gray's again. "But, all the jokes and stuff... And the way you're always so confident—"
"Not really that confident," Gray added, but Natsu wasn't having it.
"Please. You're the most cool guy I know!" Natsu took a deep breath, his voice a little shaky as he said, "I thought I was a mess next to you." His eyes started flitting around the car, looking at everything but Gray's face. "I've been, umm, trying to find a reason to... well, to ask you out for weeks."
"Really?" Gray cocked his head, a small chuckle building up in his chest. "And buying a gift for your sister was the best you could come up with?"
"What?" Natsu fired back, his eyes narrowing as his voice adopted a defensive tone. "I wanted to ask you to something else, but I figured you'd say no. I wasn't sure if you were even into guys." He grumbled as he turned his body away from Gray, wrapping his arms around his middle. "Some people pretend to flirt just for the hell of it. I didn't know if you were just messin' around."
Judging by the way Natsu said it, Gray figured something similar must have happened in his past. He had read signs wrong from people before and made a fool out of himself when he asked out someone who wasn't interested. He knew how badly that rejection hurt. He didn't want Natsu to worry anymore. It seemed like he had put himself through enough. He didn't need Gray making it worse.
"I wasn't," Gray assured, lifting his hand. He hesitated before setting it over Natsu's, feeling heat radiating from his skin. He hoped that meant Natsu wasn't cold anymore.
Natsu flinched as he looked over, his eyes growing wide before he glanced down at his side where Gray was touching him. It was small, but a smile tugged at the corner of Natsu's lips as he relaxed.
"You weren't messing around?" he asked, sounding reserved, like he was expecting Gray to tell him it was all just one big joke. However, Gray had no such plans.
Shaking his head, Gray said, "Nope. I uh, I—" He cleared his throat, feeling his face burning with a blush. "I like you."
Silence swept over them as they took it all in, Natsu's smile slowly growing bigger until it reached his eyes. "I like you too, if that isn't painfully obvious by now." He let out a nervous chuckle, eyes locked with Gray's.
Gray couldn't help but smile, the weight on his chest lifting now that everything was out in the open. He never thought his feelings for Natsu would go anywhere, but he was happy he was wrong.
"What was the other thing?" Gray asked, causing Natsu to cock his head. "You said you wanted to ask me out to something else?"
"Oh!" Natsu nodded as he swallowed thickly. "A friend of mine is having a party. A uh, a Christmas party. She said I can invite you, if um..." Natsu snorted, shaking his head. "She said if I ever get the courage to ask you out, that is."
"You told your friend about me?" Gray asked, surprised and oddly happy about it.
"Yeah. I told you about Lucy before. She's my best friend. I—" He laughed at himself, the carefree sound being music to Gray's ears. "I told her about you the first day we met. Except back then I said you were kinda annoying."
Gray narrowed his eyes while Natsu chuckled. "So she doesn't know you..."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, she knows I like ya. I told her that too once I realized it. She told me I shoulda asked you out a while back, but I thought you'd say no." He sighed, flexing his fingers a bit, but Gray kept his hand covering his. "I'm kinda glad it worked out this way though."
"Me too." Gray smiled, but it soon turned into a smirk. "Now I get to hold this over your head." Natsu stuck out his tongue, but it only made Gray think he was cuter. "Speaking of your truck..." He turned to look at the beast. "Do you think it's done chargin'?"
Natsu's eyes widened. "Shit! I forgot about it!" He pulled away, getting out of the car to enter the cold outdoors.
Gray watched as Natsu went to his truck, starting the ignition with relative ease. It had been charging for a while, their conversation lasting longer than expected. When Natsu got the truck up and running, he hopped out, disconnecting the jumper cables from his truck before doing the same to Gray's car. After closing the hood, Natsu walked over to Gray's window, tapping on the glass to get him to roll it down.
Gray cut off his heater before rolling the window down a few inches, not wanting to let all the heat escape. "You good?"
Natsu nodded, a large, toothy grin on his face. It made Gray's heart flip, happy he could help cause such a beautiful expression. "Yeah. Thank you so much for helping me out! You really saved my ass."
"No problem. Next time don't leave your lights on. Your truck's not as invincible as you think it is."
"Clearly," Natsu said, glaring at his truck as if it betrayed him. He looked back at Gray, his eyes softening in an instant. "So, um, did you maybe wanna go to that party with me?"
Gray perked up. He had forgotten Natsu wanted to invite him to it. "Yeah, that sounds fun. Um, can you text me about it later?" He chuckled, his eyes drooping a little from exhaustion. "I kinda need to get home and sleep."
"Right!" Natsu nodded, bundling up his jumper cables into his chest. "Thanks again! I'll text you when I get up. It's not for a few days, so you got time." He took a step back, his bright smile remaining on his face. "I'll see you later?"
Gray nodded towards Natsu's truck. "I'll follow you out. Wanna make sure you actually get out okay." He saw the way Natsu's cheeks turned a darker red, making his own face warm up at the confession. He was glad when Natsu didn't comment on it, instead heading to his truck to get it ready to drive.
Natsu put the hood down before climbing in, throwing his truck in reverse to give himself room. Gray waited until Natsu turned around before putting his car in drive, following Natsu until they made it to the main roads.
A turn down the road took them different ways, Natsu heading left while Gray went right. Gray didn't worry, knowing the battery would be good until Natsu got home at the very least, but hopefully charging it would be enough to keep the battery alive for a while. He knew those things could get expensive.
Gray drove home with a huge, giddy smile on his face. He couldn't believe Natsu liked him. Not only that, he asked him to go to a party with him! His heart thrummed and his palms sweat, but he didn't give a single fuck.
Natsu Dragneel liked him, and that was enough to keep him grinning.
Hello! Happy holidays! I hope you have a safe and happy time no matter what you celebrate! Thank you for reading!
So, tell me what you think. This story was inspired by a short conversation I had with my husband while we were at work. He brought up the Ford gift set thing and I made the lame 'mugging' joke. That was enough to spark the idea for this two-shot! :P I hope you liked it! Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts? I'd love to hear them!
Thank you for reading once again!