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"Do you want to come see me Friday?"

Gray glanced up at the pinkette hanging over his shoulder. Natsu had his face so close to his their noses were almost touching. The raven scooted to the side and returned his attention back to the poster he was trying to hang. "For what?"

"What do you think? You're the one holding the flyer."

The dark haired teen rolled his eyes and looked at the announcement he was taping to one of the school walls that he hadn't even bothered to read. "Annual charity relay…since when do you do charity work?"

Natsu gave him a half-hearted glare. "I have always been a nice person; you're just too dumb to realize that." Gray snorted, making the rosette glare even harder. "Is that a yes or no?"

"It's a yes, and I already know you're only doing this because all the track team has to." The hotheaded teen scoffed at him. The raven finished hanging up the poster and stepped back to admire his work. "So what charity are you running for?"

The pinkette tapped his fingers against his forehead. "Well I've had a while to think about it, and at first I thought about one of those book charities. Ya know, the ones that gives little kids storybooks, 'cause I figured 'Hey, kids love fairy tales.' I thought it'd be worthwhile."

Gray raised an eyebrow at his friend. "That's actually very mature of you, Natsu."

"Yeah, I thought that too. Then I thought, screw the story books. Literacy isn't going to get you anywhere."

"You're an idiot."

The pinkette gave him a sheepish grin. "Lucy said the same thing."

"So, since you're deadest on having a lower educated population, who are you really going to run for?"

"Medical treatment centers, I thought I'd give the money to one specific to kids."

The raven turned towards him, blinking in surprise. "Wow, Natsu, that's…really sweet."

The pinkette felt a blush heat up his cheeks. "Thanks. So you're coming?"

"I'll look like a jackass if I don't."

The pinkette gave a nervous laugh. "I guess I'll see you then."

"Yeah…I got to go now. Lyon's waiting for me so we can go home, and you know how he gets sometimes."

"See ya," Natsu gave a small wave at the raven as he walked away from him. The pinkette's tiny smile disappeared as soon as the other turned the corner. He ran a tanned hand through his salmon tresses, yanking at the ends in frustration.

…

Gray flopped onto the couch, closing his eyes as he did so. He kicked his boots off, and pulled one of the cushions into a strangling hug. Lyon sighed at his younger brother. He loved Gray but lately the raven had become the epitome of laziness. He'd come straight home and sleep until dinner, eat, then go back to sleep. If he didn't know better he'd swear his brother was replaced by a sloth.

A snoring from the couch seemed to confirm his thoughts. The silverette shook his head at the raven before moving into the kitchen. He rummaged through the freezer for a while and pulled out a few items for thawing. He eyed the packages for a moment and placed a few back on the shelf. Ur had worked late every night this week; no doubt it would only be him and Gray tonight.

The young adult started towards his bedroom only to back track towards the kitchen again. He delved into the cabinets. He grinned in triumph when he spotted an old plastic mold that hadn't been used since he and his brother were kids in the summer. He placed the piece on the counter and quickly grabbed a few ingredients from around the room. He quickly mixed up a sticky concoction, pouring it carefully into the mold. He smiled at the tray of soon homemade goods. Making sure his brother was still out cold he placed a few of the raven's tablets into the mix. The medication quickly dissolved in the sweet substance. Lyon grinned and placed the tray into the freezer, feeling like he should get the brother of the year award. Maybe for once the raven wouldn't complain about the pills either.

Honestly, was there anyone out there who could take better care of his brother than him?

…

Natsu huffed and brushed hair out of his face, sending drops of sweat flying. Happy greeted him with a meow as he walked through the door. The pinkette dropped down next to the cat, trying to catch his breath. He wasn't out of shape by any stretch of the imagination, but he if he wanted to be captain of the track team next year he'll need to be faster. Gray might have given up the sport but he'll be damned if he didn't have a way of getting rid of all his excess energy. He'll be damned twice if Sting is named captain instead of him too.

The feline purred and rubbed his head against the rosette's leg. Natsu smiled at the cat before leaning back and groaning. He rubbed his exhausted eyes and wondered when this week was finally going to end. Monday had been hell, and every day after that was the same as the first. All he wanted was to sort everything out and instead he comes to school and sees the raven smiling without a care in the world.

So he had done the stupid thing and smiled back with the same unworried attitude. He wasn't going to bring it up, he knew by now not to. He been dropping hints all week though, and Gray hadn't done so much as to bat an eye.

Maybe he was the one losing it. He didn't fully read anything, he could have gotten confused, or maybe it wasn't actually Gray's name on the page. Hell, he could have made up the whole thing.

As if reading his mind Happy swiped his claws across the pinkette's leg. Natsu flinched at the sudden sting. The feline sat back on his hunches, staring at the rosette coolly. "Well, what the hell do you want me to do? Scream at him until he admits to it?"

Happy flicked his tail unhelpfully. Natsu gritted his teeth and got to his feet. He stormed away, leaving the cat behind.

…

Gray tentatively slid his tongue along the frozen surface of his treat. Lyon had his arms crossed over his chest, impatiently awaiting the yay or nay to be given on the desert. The raven tapped his fingers against his chin dramatically before beaming at the other. The older of the brothers gave an arrogant smirk at his success and began cleaning off their dinner plates.

The raven nibbled at the end of the popsicle as his brother move around the kitchen. Lyon stacked a few plates and stuffed them into the overcrowded shelves. The silverette watched his brother out of the corner of his eye. "Juvia invited me to the relay; she wanted to know if you were coming too."

The raven glanced up. "My popularity must be increasing. I'm in very high demand for that." Gray thought back to his blue haired beauty of a friend. He always forgot she was on the girls track team. What he never forgot was how in love Lyon was with her. "Yeah, I'm going."

"I thought you would. Who else asked you?"

"Natsu,"

Lyon barked out a sharp laugh. "That moron? Like he could possibly win against someone like my Juvia."

Gray nearly gagged at the added "my" in the sentence. Ever since Juvia agreed to go out with him Lyon was stuck in deep puppy love and it was a little overkill at times. "That moron happens to be pretty fast."

"I guess he has to make up for the lack of brain somehow." Lyon murmured. He placed the last of the dirty dishes into the sink to soak. "I'll take you on Friday then. That is, if you ever stop sleeping."

Gray shrugged. "I can't help it. I'm just tired lately."

"Maybe if you didn't stay up all night texting Natsu you wouldn't need to sleep all day."

Gray felt his face oddly heat up at the comment and was thankful Lyon was no longer looking at him.

…

"So how was your date last night? Was Mr. Student President all over you?"

Lucy was leaning over a very flustered scarlet. Erza had her mouth hanging half open, failing to put a string of words together. The rest of the group of friends snickered. It wasn't often the ferocious scarlet was at a blank, but whenever they mentioned a certain someone she was a deer in headlights.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"So was that not you and Jellal making out this morning?" Lucy teased.

Erza's face made her hair color look weak. "We were not making out! It was just a little kiss-"

The scarlet shut her mouth at realizing her mistake. The rest of the group broke into laughter. Gray slowly stifled his and gave a congratulatory smile. He lost it soon after. The raven sighed and glanced around the group. It seemed recently all his friends were starting to get involved in serious relationships. Loke and Lucy had each other, Juvia had Lyon, Erza now had Jellal, Gajeel had Levy, heck even Rogue was dating now (though he wouldn't say with whom).

"Oi, what 'cha thinking, Ice Block?"

Gray rolled his eyes. At least he could always count on one other person to always be single. That idiot wouldn't know if someone liked him even if he was told so. "Took you long enough to show up. Where have you been?"

Natsu gave him a not so innocent grin. "Let's just say a few teachers aren't very happy with me at the moment." The raven wiggled and made more room for the rosette to sit down at the crowded table. Natsu plopped down in the seat next to him. "So what is everyone talking about?"

Gray gave a short puff of breath. "Everyone's throwing themselves at each other."

Natsu's lips curled upward, showing off his pointy teeth. "Oh? Anyone in need of catching?"

The raven snorted. "No one would want you to, Flame Brain."

A low rumble of a laugh met Gray's ears. He raised an eyebrow at a quiet figure sort of looming out of frame at the edge of the group. Rogue flashed him a dangerous smile which disappeared just as quickly as it came. Gray shot him a questioning look but didn't speak up. Natsu didn't appear to notice, already involved in another conversation with Loke.

The raven brushed off the little action and tried to refocus on what else was going on around him. Occasionally the playboy would let a bit too many details on his love life, earning a few backhands from the blonde next to him.

…

"Why does it have to be so damn hot?"

Gray brushed his dark bangs away from his face and had to squint in the bright light. Lyon shrugged his shoulders and slammed the car door closed. The silverette quickly checked to make sure the doors were locked before heading towards their destination, motioning for Gray to follow.

A medium sized crowded had already formed at the track field. The two teens pushed past the gates and made their way up the stairs of the stadium. Other students were shoving past, trying to find open spots on the benches. The raven rolled his eyes and sat on the first empty seat he saw. Lyon dropped down next to him and immediately turned his attention to the runners stretching at the start line. Gray practically groaned when his brother's eyes become glued onto one of the athletes.

The raven did his best to ignore his head over heels in love brother and impatiently waited for the relay to begin. His navy orbs roved over the field. A flicker of pink in his eyes drew his notice. Even from his seat he could see a tanned leg being pulled behind a back. The pinkette cockily flexed his muscles, smirking at the runner next to him. Gray couldn't help smile to himself. He knew his friend was a smug bastard, and not that he'll ever admit it but he knew Natsu was just as good as he boasted he was.

Gray lost the smile and groaned at the heat. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the warmth the dark color of his hair had absorbed. It was scorching today and his friend on the field didn't seem fazed in the slightest. All the other participants looked like they were about to drop and the race hadn't even started yet.

A high-pitched whistle got the attention of the crowd. The racers down below shuffled about and moved to the starting places. Gray jumped when the sound of a gun went off. Lyon cocked an eyebrow and the raven grinned back sheepishly. The starting pistol never failed to give him a mini heart attack.

Natsu was at the front in a rapid burst of speed from the beginning. Gray silently cheered for his pink haired friend. Lyon leaned forward in his seat next to him. The raven blinked at the next moment a bluenette was right behind Natsu. The dark haired teen bit his lip. He had faith in the rosette but Natsu was notorious for giving all his energy at once and not pacing himself. Not to mention this was one of the few times the girl and boy track stars competed together during the year. There was no way Juvia would allow the boys team to win over hers.

The pinkette was oblivious to all of this as he rounded the next curve. The smile plastered on his face was radiant and Gray swore it flickered into a smirk for a moment when he managed to shake Juvia. Lyon cursed under his breath and Gray felt a strange sense of pride for his friend.

After each round of the track Natsu somehow succeeded in becoming farther and farther ahead. A sheen of sweat was visible on the rosette's already sun soaked skin but the heat only spurred him onward. Gray clapped when the pinkette began his last lap and gave an actual root this time around. The raven's voice quickly became a clog in his throat and he gave a harsh cough. Lyon patted his back, a look of concern in his eyes. Gray raised a hand to show he was fine and caught his breath. His brother gave a hesitant nod and turned back to the race.

The raven glanced back up in time to see a smudge of pink cross the finish line. Applause echoed around him as the rosette made his way to a bench and collapsed. A flash of blonde came right after him. Juvia was next to stumble across the finish line, stunned at coming in third. Sting stood in front of her, seemingly to have appeared out of thin air. Gray gawked at realizing how close his time was to Natsu's. The pinkette really did have reason to be worried for next year.

The raven stood up to congratulate the rosette on his win and immediately sat back down. Lyon gave him an odd look and bent his head to look at his brother's eyes.

"You don't look so good,"

Gray closed his eyes for a moment and swayed in his seat a little. The heat had gotten to him and he felt like the world had suddenly flipped on its axis, leaving him dizzy and uncoordinated. "I-I need to…"

Lyon wrapped one arm around the raven's shoulder. Gray was pulled to his feet and dragged away from the bleachers. His feet dragged on the ground while Lyon hauled him out of the stadium.

"What's going on?"

The raven groggily opened his eyes. Colors were blurring together but he could make out a fuzzy salmon shade. He wished he could have smiled but he felt like he was about to puke. He wished even more that the pinkette was the only one paying attention to his departure. How Natsu had picked him out from among the crowd amazed him, but then again, being slumped against someone tended to make you get stares.

"He's not feeling well. I figured if he laid down in the back seat with the air conditioning he might cool down some."

Natsu nodded and slung an arm around the raven's waist. Gray felt his eyes slip open and closed repeatedly but he couldn't remember telling his eyes to do so. Lyon was in the next moment trying to open the car and hold him at once. The edges of his vision were becoming blurry and everything was less than vague.

…

Panic flooded the pinkette when the raven in his grip slumped forward. Natsu cuffed one pallid cheek in his hand and turned the raven's head to face his. Gray's blue eyes were closed and his breathing was coming out in shallow waves. He kneeled down, lowering the raven flat against the ground.

"Dammit!"

Lyon was busy placing one hand under the raven's head for support. Not knowing what else to do the pinkette gently lifted the raven's feet, hoping circulation would bring him out of his black out.

Natsu took a shaky breath. To say he was thrown off by his friend wouldn't begin to describe what he felt. His mind was spinning off in every direction but he couldn't follow any of it. "We need to get him to a doctor. Tell them whatever treatment they're giving him is having repercussions."

For the first time Lyon glanced away from his younger brother only to gawp at him. "What the hell are you talking about? What treatment?"

Natsu stared back just as stupidly. "What the hell are you talking about? He should have started therapy by now."

Lyon was cut off from any further questions by the raven. Gray's head jerked to the side and his shoulders tensed and arms twitched. Natsu's eyes widened and he pinned the raven's legs to the ground. Lyon restrained the teen's shoulders and struggled to keep a hold on Gray's head so he wouldn't smash it against the ground. Small, futile sounds were being choked out in gasps. Gray's blue eyes were glazed over and unseeing. Natsu gave up trying to keep down the raven's legs and firmly grabbed his head instead. The dark haired teen wrenched his neck in attempts to break free. Natsu gritted his teeth and clutched the bone so hard he thought the raven's skull would break.

…

Gray squinted his eyes, faintly beginning to regain his vision. Colors and images were still distorted, running together in swirls. His ears were muffled to the point no sound could reach him. He couldn't make out anyone near him and terror seized his heart at that.

Something warm touched his cheek, bringing him back to reality. He turned his head-or maybe someone was moving it for him-and strained to make out the shapes clouding in front of his eyes. The light surrounding him was blinding. A figure leaned over, blocking out the glare and becoming the only thing in focus. Everything else lost touch and he could only see one thing, one face. Coal eyes were watching him with a mixture of fear and kindness. Light flickered off their vibrant sakura hair in almost a halo. He felt his own fright become numb and ebb away as he was left with nothing else but that one person.

Then he lost them again.

It's a beautiful day when school is done for the summer.