Due to popular demand, you get the EXTRA LONG CHAPTER!
The smut scene is marked with ### if you wish to avoid it. But I will say that I had myself and 2 other people working on that scene so my god I highly recommend reading it :D
Gray eyed the fluid he had just spat into the dirty sink. A pale pink this time. Good, that meant the blood was finally clearing from his lungs. It had been a bit hard to breathe for a while there. Not that he needed to breathe, but his brain and body still objected to when he couldn't out of instinct, so it was really uncomfortable.
Walking out of the bathroom, he eyed the tiny, run-down apartment that Natsu, Lucy and him were now hiding in. It wasn't overly small, consisting of a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and a lounge room. But the walls were cracked and peeling, ruined by mold. The floorboards were bent out of place and most of them creaked. With the windows blacked out and boarded up, he briefly wondered if Lucy would mind the dim light. Then again, that might be the least of her concerns. It was a miracle the door was even on its hinges.
Natsu sat on the threadbare couch in the middle of the main room, staring at nothing. He looked shell-shocked.
"Natsu." An ear twitched, letting Gray know he was listening. "You 'right?"
They had both been pretty shaken by Lucy's condition by the time they had gotten her here. She had lasted long enough to give them directions to this place before passing out entirely. It must have been an old safe-house of hers.
"Gray, you remember what a Contract is, right?"
"Don't even think it, Natsu. There is no way in hell."
Natsu just grunted, returning to his own thoughts.
Of course Gray remembered what a Contract was. Well, what little they had learnt from hearing talk of it in the first year or two in their nest. It was the formation of a bond between vampires and Sorcerers. A complex bond, apparently, that essentially turned vampires into slaves, forced to obey their 'masters' orders. Their nest had talked about them with pure disdain and vitriol. He had never understood why any vampire would subject themselves to that.
On the other hand, now he had tasted Sorcerer blood and realised that there was more to it than they knew. Gray wondered whether Lucy would be able to tell them more about them.
Gray made a small, frustrated noise as he sat himself next to the spaced-out Natsu. When had Lucy become so ingrained in their lives? They had only taken her in out of curiousity and boredom, but after a month or more of protecting her and being befriended by her, they couldn't imagine being without her. And now Natsu was apparently considering essentially selling themselves to her.
It was messing with his brain. They had never cared about anything other than themselves. They had never trusted anyone else. What made her so special? What was she doing to them?
What was her motive? What did she want?
A noise came from the direction of the bedroom and both boys jumped to their feet. Lucy leant against the door frame, looking drawn and weary, but alive. A wave of relief washed over Gray, but he angrily suppressed it with a snarl.
Natsu went to take a step towards her, worry obvious on his face, which quickly changed to confusion as Gray's arm blocked his path. Yet he stopped, trusting to wait for an explanation.
"Lucy…" Gray's voice cracked as he said her name. His tone turned angry, trying desperately to mask the fear he felt.
"Why us? What do you want with us? You've dragged us into your mess. We know nothing about you!" His voice was getting louder, but he didn't care right now. His mind was a whirling, a jumbled, dangerous mess of broken thoughts that he needed to addressed before they consumed him.
"What the hell, Popsicle? What brought this on?"
"Quiet, Natsu. Let him finish." She was looking at him with such compassion. He didn't, couldn't, understand. No one looked at them like that.
"How are we supposed to trust you?!" He was screaming at her now, hot tears streaming down his usually cold cheeks, pulling at his hair. He couldn't think straight. He wanted them to be happy. But he was too used to being isolated.
Gray felt something gently stroke his hair. His eyes snapped open to meet Lucy's. They were sad, but not angry. She should be angry with him. Give him a reason to leave, he silently begged, while simultaneously hoping for the exact opposite.
"You can't."
He stared at her. What?
"You can't trust me. Or at least, I have no way of proving that you can. And vice versa. How do I know for certain that I can trust you two? I don't. But I choose to. Because you have so far never done anything to deserve otherwise. And all I want in this life right now is friends. People I can trust and love. Trusting me is your decision to make, Gray. Same for Natsu. I cannot force you to. That would sort of defeat the purpose anyway, wouldn't it?"
Gray could feel tears again, but this time, they were different. It was like a wall, already unstable, had finally collapsed. His decision?
"I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, pulling her in close to him, and buried his face into her shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry."
Lucy rubbed his back soothingly.
"It's okay. I get it. I'm glad you're staying with me."
A soft whine sounded from behind him, where Natsu was hanging back. With quiet chuckle, Lucy adjusted slightly to allow Natsu to join the embrace.
"What terrifying creatures you two are. Dorks. I love you both. I will always be here for you. Never feel chained to me, but also never think that I don't you around. Because I desperately do."
After a moment, Gray felt a movement. He twisted his head slightly to look at Natsu, who was looking between him and Lucy with an expression of intense concentration. Gray finally caught his eye, only to be met with a silent question. With a small grin and a nod, he expressed his approval.
With a swift movement, Natsu tilted Lucy's head so that his mouth could capture hers. When she didn't pull away, he deepened it.
Gray nearly felt a stab of jealousy, but then Lucy's fingers twisted into his hair, and suddenly it was him kissing her instead, with Natsu's sharp teeth nibbling his neck.
There is a pervasive myth about vampires that paints them as unfeeling; stoney; heartless. The truth, however, is the opposite. They guard their hearts ferociously, both physically and emotionally, because it is their one vulnerability. Stab it, or manipulate it. Because when their guard is down, vampires are creatures of pure emotion. Happiness, sadness, anger; these are felt as ecstasy, utter misery, and furious rage. It is no surprise then, that the same is true for lust… and love. When a vampire lusts, it is with a burning passion. When a vampire falls in love, it is with their entire being.
It took the three less than 30 seconds to get to the lone, double bed, losing clothing along the way. Lucy's eyes were half-closed, her breathing heavy, as she allowed herself to surrender to the touches of her vampires.
This was not going to be the kind of fucking Gray was used to with Natsu. That was aggressive, often violent, vying for control. No, the inclusion of Lucy in their life had changed this also. Tonight was about healing and soothing. It was about settling into this new way of life, and this new relationship, and promising each other that everything would be okay.
Gray sat back slightly as Lucy lay back and Natsu pressed his lips along her collarbone. He was content for the moment to enjoy the sight. Lucy's chest heaved as a moan escaped her lips, and her head tilted to give Natsu better access to her neck. The muscles on Natsu's back and arms rippled as he moved, causing Gray to make his own undignified noise of need.
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Lucy's head turned in response to the sound and, hand tangled in Natsu's hair as his lips moved down her body, and reached out a hand to Gray, her eyes pulling him in. Gray approached her, drawn towards her offer of love, and leant down to kiss her, savouring the feel of her soft full lips. His hands explored her body, and Lucy happily drank in the feeling of the two sets of hands and mouths running over every inch of her.
Natsu ran a hand up the supple skin of her inner thigh, and the way that Lucy's breath caught in her throat as he brushed against the edge of her folds made Gray kiss her with renewed vigour.
Lucy whined again, with increased urgency, as Natsu's calloused fingers brushed over her core, teasing her. Slowly, he slid a finger into her and Gray swallowed every sound Natsu drew from her.
Suddenly, Lucy pushed Gray away and he felt a rush of panic until she moved again. She ran her hands down his front, tracing the lines of his muscles and skimming along his hip bones. Gray twisted slightly to look over his shoulder curiously, only to be met with a pair of glittering eyes and a dangerous smirk from a man enjoying the show in front of him.
A hot breath brushing over his erection made Gray's attention snap back to Lucy just in time to watch her wrap her soft, dainty lips around the head of his cock.
His breath caught as she moved, taking him in deeper while her tongue flicked over the tip. The vibrations from her moans had him seeing stars and reminded him that Natsu was still working. The memory of the times he had been on the receiving end of those talented hands, had Gray reaching for Natsu, needing the reassuring contact of his usual lover.
Natsu's response was eager. Without ceasing in his pleasuring of Lucy, he adjusted his position and moved towards Gray. Briefly, he coaxed Lucy away to claim her mouth in a lingering kiss, before they shared a glance up at Gray, mischief glinting in both their eyes.
Before Gray could react, there were two tongues tracing a blazing trail along his length. His mind went blank, overwhelmed with the sensation of two mouths sharing him, taking it in turns to take him completely in their mouths, and pausing once in a while to taste each other.
He could feel himself burning up as desire curled tighter and tighter in his groin. His fingers twisted into blonde and pink hair, pulling roughly as he fought to hold out control.
Natsu, with decades of experience in reading Gray, quickly picked up on his discomfort and slowed to a stop. Lucy made a small sound of complaint as he removed his fingers from her, but he quickly calmed her with a kiss.
Gray watched as Natsu moved his way elegantly over her, thoroughly enjoying the way they both moved. It was like a sensual dance, and he was captivated. He could see the pleasure radiating from Lucy as Natsu leveled himself up with her. His body seemed to consume hers, and the room felt as if it spiked in degrees. Leave it to Natsu to heat up the room with just one look.
Natsu's eyes met with Gray's and they shared a hidden message between the two before Natsu leaned back down to connect his lips with Lucy's again before he sank into her. Lucy's cries were muffled by Natsu's lips as he moved against her, and Gray watched in silence seeing the two connect in the most intimate way.
He began to stroke himself as he watched, not able to hold back any longer. Seeing his display out of the corner of his eye, Natsu gently coaxed Lucy to twist around to her hands and knees. She quickly caught on, and with lidded eyes and a gentle smile, beckoned to Gray. He shuffled forward for her mouth to envelope him once more.
Gray could see the look of concentration on Natsu's face, and knew he was enjoying himself as he moved within her rhythmically. Hearing his grunts getting louder and more frequent, Gray knew Natsu wasn't going to last much longer. Gray quickly pulled away before he himself became undone. Natsu followed suit. Ever the energetic one with the short concentration span, Natsu couldn't stick to one position for long.
Natsu's pleasured look was one that would turn Gray on to no end, even if he would never admit it out loud. Hearing Natsu huff, Gray pulled him towards himself and locked lips with him. He felt Natsu jerk in surprise, before accepting the heated kiss. Gray moved behind him, keeping his lips in contact with his skin the whole time, savoring the taste of his sweat on his neck and collarbone.
Natsu's breathing, already laboured, hitched as Gray pushed him over and slammed into him with little warning. He and Natsu had never been gentle with each other, and Natsu's roar as Gray entered him was one of pleasure; not pain. It then came as no surprise to Gray when Natsu decided to put his mouth to work, aware that this time, Lucy would be the lucky recipient.
Gray leant over Natsu as he moved, marvelling as the familiar sensations mixed with the new. As he bucked his hips against Natsu, he found one hand clinging to the other male as if he was a lifeline, while the other gripped Lucy's leg to remind him, and her. that she was a part of this too.
He heard Natsu groan with ecstasy, his senses in overdrive as Lucy's screams got louder and she unravelled beneath him. This proved too much for Natsu, who quickly followed, arching his back and forcing Gray deeper into him. Gray felt his own spring finally snap, crying out as he spilled himself into Natsu.
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Gray relinquished his hold on Natsu, allowing him to collapse onto the bed. However, he didn't expect for Natsu to twist and grab him as he fell, bringing Gray with him. Lucy giggled softly, sleepily snuggling into Gray's other side as Natsu yawned, closing his eyes. All three of them were exhausted, not bothering to even speak; communicating through actions was what they were good at anyway.
Gray brought his arms around the other two, who had linked hands across his stomach, and smiled. He had freaked out earlier from a fear of change, but both Natsu and Lucy had gone out of their way to reassure him. In response, he had given them his all and welcomed Lucy with an unspoken apology. Any discussion of their new situation could wait; for now, he was content to know that this was their family and they were committed to loving and protecting one another. As he finally drifted off to sleep, Gray allowed himself to enjoy this brief moment of happiness without complication.