Happy New Year!

Heads-up! Day 7 is divided into four parts! A lot happens (also a lot of smut, oh my), and I've had a bit of a writer's block (which is now over, thankfully!), so the buffer I wanted to keep at four weeks has shrunk to one week (which bothers me a lot), so this is also to give me a bit more time, while not missing out on an update. I have a three weeks buffer now, thanks to splitting this day up, which feels a lot better than only week.

"Is Gray a devil slayer in this fic? Or is he the "Classic Gray" and only uses ice make?"

- He is the 'classic Gray'; he's only using Ice Make.

Enjoy!

Day 7 Part 1

There was a faceless, dark figure before him. "It hurts, right?"

"What?"

The figure nodded towards a point behind Natsu's back.

When Natsu turned around, the peaceful landscape twisted into something dark and gloomy; grass turned into rocks, trees into metal pillars with sharp spikes. The sunny blue sky changed its color to blood red. Where Gray had been happily snuggling against Natsu's back, he squirmed in pain, screaming for help while sharp blades without handles cut deep into his flesh.

Natsu didn't hesitate to wrap his fingers around the blades to try and tear them away from Gray, but all he achieved was cutting his fingers until they were severed from his hand. It hurt like hell, but seeing Gray be cut like that was even more painful. So he took over to pushing at the blades with his fingerless hands, with the same outcome—the blades cut his hands as if they were made out of butter.

A feral scream broke free from Natsu's throat, and as a reaction, Gray only screamed louder. Didn't Gray have to breathe at all? How could he let out a constant scream like this? Natsu's ears were already ringing, but it didn't stop his efforts. The next thing he tried was to push the blades away with his forearms, but it was no use.

The black figure let out a hearty laugh. Natsu whirled around, snarling.

"Make it stop! You're going to kill him! We've suffered enough!"

"Too bad for you I'm not a person. I don't even have a body. I can't change this no matter what you say. These blades won't stop until your lover is dead, no matter what."

"THEN WHAT CAN I DO?"

"Oh, I don't know. But did you see what's next to you?"

Natsu frantically looked around, searching for anything that would help him fend off the blades, but all he found was a book, buried under some stones. He kicked them aside to have a free view on the book and noticed that it was his diary.

"How can a book save Gray from blades?!"

But the figure wasn't there any longer. Natsu could hear distant laughter, but it grew quieter and quieter until it broke off completely.

Natsu belatedly realized that Gray wasn't screaming anymore. A cold shiver ran down his spine when he saw that Gray's body was completely deformed, cut into pieces, blood everywhere. The blades were nowhere to be seen; they'd vanished.

"No... Please... Gray... Gray... GRAAAY!"

Natsu jolted upright in his bed, Gray's name still on his lips. His heart was hammering against his ribcage, his hair sticking to his head, drenched with sweat, as were all his clothes and the sheets. To his surprise, his eyes were moist. That had never happened before. But then again, he hadn't had a nightmare—or any dream for that matter—before waking up in the morning until then.

He wobbled into the bathroom, completely ignoring Happy who had entered his room and asked in a worried tone, "What's wrong?"

Because everything was wrong, and he didn't have the energy to explain it—at least not right then. Maybe a shower could calm his nerves.

The shower didn't calm his nerves in the slightest, and Happy's nagging on their way to the guild only contributed to his growing desperation, as well as it was meant. Natsu blocked all questions, from 'Do you feel sick?' to 'What happened?' to 'What's in that rucksack and why are you taking it to the guild hall?'. His only answers were grunting and 'not now'.

Before they entered the guild hall, Natsu asked Happy to leave him alone once they were inside with his eyes cast on the floor.

For a few seconds, there was silence. Then a sob resounded, and Natsu was met with an armful of blue fur. "Please t-tell me what's g-going on... L-let me help..."

Natsu knew that his behavior towards Happy was rude and unfair, and that he should at least give some kind of explanation, even when all he wanted was to scream at the world to 'save Gray and him from this misery.' He brought his arms up to pat Happy's back.

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing you can do to help me... I have to figure this out by myself. Please leave me alone with Gray when we enter the guild hall."

Happy gasped when he heard Gray's name, breaking free from Natsu's grip. He beamed at Natsu, the sadness forgotten.

"Ohhhh, I see! You're finally going to confess, and you're afraid he'll say no. You're nervous!"

Natsu bit his lip, already regretting lying when he gave a small nod. Happy gave him a strong pat on the shoulder.

"You're gonna be okay! Let's go, come on!"

Happy made good on his words, flying off towards the bar as soon as they entered the guild, where Mirajane... wasn't talking with Wendy, but instead scrutinizing Natsu for some heartbeats, before focusing her attention back on Wendy. Strange, she hadn't even paid him a brief look the previous times... Natsu shook his head. It was probably just because he radiated a negative aura or something like that.

Natsu had thought hard about how to confess to Gray this time but found that he was too empty inside to flirt or anything alike. Gray would expect him to be nervous, not depressed. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't find the strength to smile or pretend to be anything other than sad. Not even the sight of Gray sitting on the bench and playing with his glass managed to cheer him up. There was no way Gray would ever believe him if he confessed like that, let alone if he didn't even say what was going on—because that was something he couldn't do. Just the thought of having to explain everything all over again turned his stomach. The easiest, but probably also most painful solution for Gray would be giving him the diary. Seeing as the plan of the day was to visit the oracle of the Magic Council and make her spit out what she knew, Gray would want to know what was going on anyway. As much as Natsu wanted to spare Gray's feelings, he didn't see any possibility of convincing him without telling him that he would die. He hated it but making Gray read the diary seemed like the most reasonable solution.

He shuffled over to where Gray sat. This time, he left a small space between their bodies when he slumped down next to Gray, not wanting to startle him. As expected, Gray ignored him at first, but when Natsu pushed the already open diary over, Gray flinched, eyeing Natsu warily.

There was a lump in Natsu's throat, making it harder for him to speak. "Read it."

"Wha—Is this a diary?"

"Yes, it's mine. Read it."

"A diary isn't meant to be read by others..."

Natsu let out a heavy sigh. "I know that. Now would you please read it or do I have to read it out to you?"

Gray shot him a questioning look, but when Natsu gave him an affirmative nod, he shrugged and started reading.

It didn't take long for Gray to show reactions to what he was reading. First, it was a small gasp, then another one, paired with an incredulous side glance at Natsu. Gray didn't take his eyes off the diary for long. He clenched his hands into fists while reading, and Natsu was sure that Gray had already passed the part where it said that they had confessed their love. He decided it was okay to rest his head on Gray's shoulder. Maybe the physical proximity would help him understand that this wasn't a joke, plus it eased Natsu's pain somewhat.

Gray went completely stiff.

"It's okay... I'm in love with you. I won't hurt you, so, please... let me be close to you."

Releasing a shuddering breath, Gray nodded and relaxed a bit. Natsu took it as an invitation to snuggle closer—and he wasn't rejected. The closeness to Gray was like balm for his wounded soul; he felt a welcome warmth spreading throughout his body, originating in his gut.

When Gray turned a page, it crossed Natsu's mind that he, too, hadn't read Lucy's entry yet, so he glanced at the pages, startled to see a very long text in Lucy's neat handwriting. Natsu read the entry quickly, wanting to check the contents before Gray would reach them. He was so focused on finding something that wasn't meant for Gray's eyes that he missed the meaning behind the words, and thus needed to go back and read whole paragraphs again.

When he reached the last passage, his throat constricted.

Gray died a few minutes ago. Natsu isn't responding to anything. If anyone besides Natsu ever reads this: Please take care of him. He's the kind of person to hide his misery behind a smile or a prank because he doesn't want to burden others. But right now I can see that he's not alright and that he'll probably go crazy if this keeps up. And Natsu, please take care of yourself. Please, please don't keep this bottled up until it's too late. I can only imagine the pain you're going through every single day. It'll get worse and worse if you don't find a solution soon. I'll always be there for you, as will Gray. He wrote it himself. I'm sure the same goes for the rest of our guild mates.

Natsu was about to cover it with his hands, but Gray caught them mid-movement.

Gray's voice was low and croaky when he spoke: "I already read everything."

"Wh-what? So fast?"

"Y-you're just too s-slow, idiot."

The insult wasn't convincing at all. It sounded rather like Gray had a hard time holding back tears. With him leaning over the book, his bangs covered most of his face; Natsu couldn't see his expression, so he pushed at Gray's shoulder, but Gray refused to budge.

He was hiding his face deliberately! Natsu forcibly turned Gray until they were facing each other. He felt a stab in his heart when he saw tears streaming down Gray's face, dripping from his chin.

"Gray..."

"S-sorry. I'm just... I didn't believe it at first... But... that's my handwriting... A-and..."

A train of sobs rendered him unable to speak. Natsu didn't think twice and pulled Gray into a tight hug, running his hands soothingly up and down Gray's back.

"Shhh... I know this is a lot to process... I'm sorry, too."

As an answer, Gray clutched Natsu tighter, his tears soaking the fabric of Natsu's vest.

Oh, how Natsu wished he could make things easier somehow. Having to deal with the prospect of his own inevitable death approaching... And at the same time being told that his love was reciprocated—Natsu didn't know if that made it easier or even harder to deal with. Knowing that you could've had more than friendship with the love of your life, and only having less than a day left to make up for years of longing while waiting for your death... It seemed cruel.

But there was no way to change it, at least not right then. All Natsu could do was provide as much comfort as he could, distract Gray as much as the circumstances allowed him to.

After a few minutes, Gray's sobbing subsided, and he sat upright again, breaking the hug. The rims of his eyes were red, and his voice croaky when he spoke.

"Tell me again... H-how you feel about me."

Natsu cradled Gray's skull, looking him deeply in the eye. He was sure that his expression was still sad, but at least Gray knew the reason then. "I love you, Gray. I have for a long time already. You're my first love... the only one I want to be with..."

Gray bit his bottom lip, looking like he was about to burst into tears yet again. Without breaking their eye contact, Natsu pulled Gray's face closer while leaning in himself. Natsu could spend hours just staring in those icy blue orbs that gleamed with love and longing, and a trace of insecurity and sadness. Instead of kissing Gray right away, Natsu nudged Gray's nose with his while stroking Gray's cheeks. A soft sigh escaped Gray's lips, and his eyes fluttered shut.

Leaning their foreheads together, Natsu whispered, "I wanna kiss you."

"Y-yes. I want that, too."

Natsu brought their lips together, barely a whisper of a touch. It felt so good, and it made all the sorrows and dark thoughts disappear at once. Gray reciprocated, hesitant at first, but then growing more certain, adding more pressure, testing and exploring. Natsu let it happen, curious how Gray would kiss if he was completely passive.

When Gray encompassed Natsu's chin to align the angle with one hand, and caressed his nape with the other, Natsu decided that this was the best first kiss they ever had, and that he liked Gray taking control. As Gray started to nibble at his lips, Natsu couldn't hold back a moan, feeling the rush of blood in his groin. Shit, that was good. If they didn't stop soon, Natsu would be hard and horny by the time they pulled apart. And it seemed like that was exactly what Gray was aiming for, seeing as he hummed contentedly, biting some more and letting his hands rove over Natsu's chest, his back, through his hair.

It went on like this for a minute or so, and when they broke the kiss, both of them were panting, cheeks flushed. Natsu could smell that Gray was just as aroused as himself.

Just then he registered the sounds of their surroundings again—or rather, the lack of sounds. Somebody—probably Lucy—cleared their throat, and slowly conversations were picked up again.

Gray kept his gaze firmly locked onto the bench, looking embarrassed.

'Cute.'

He didn't say it out loud, knowing full well how Gray would react to such a compliment.

And anyway, it was time to return his attention to moving his plans forward. It seemed obvious that the only ones who needed to go on the mission were Gajeel and Pantherlily since their 'enemies' had mentioned only him... Or at least Lucy wrote it down like that. He kicked himself mentally for not having paid attention. What if he'd missed an important piece of information that Lucy hadn't written down because she didn't deem it necessary? What if there was something she hadn't considered asking but was actually important to know? Plus, there was no way he could tell whether the mission would go well if only Gajeel and Pantherlily went. There could be something else going wrong. Anything. Natsu didn't even know who did the talking the previous time. What if it was Lucy and what if Gajeel would say something stupid that would enrage Bubbles? What if Bubbles lost control over his emotions again and 'accidentally' killed a civilian? What if—

"Oy, Natsu. I can hear your gears rotating from here. Don't overdo it or your brain might explode. Besides, your face looks stupid when you're thinking."

"What was that, popsicle?"

The devious smirk on Gray's face would normally enrage Natsu even further, but right then, he just had to smile back. Seeing this expression on Gray was refreshing, and it perked up Natsu's mood instantly, his smile growing brighter as Gray's smirk grew broader. They burst out laughing at the same time, bending over until their foreheads bumped into each other's. Gray shoved Natsu backward, hitting his shoulder playfully, and Natsu slapped his fist away before clutching at his aching stomach, shoulders shaking with laughter. It was cleansing, being able to laugh like this again after all the negative feelings.

When their laughter ebbed away, and their gazes met each other's again, the lightness was gone all of a sudden, the weight of reality and responsibility overwhelming Natsu once again.

"Do you want to go alone?" Gray asked in a serious tone.

"Where to?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "The Magic Council of course."

"No way! You're coming with me!"

"Only me? What about Happy and the others?"

"Only you."

Gray looked like he wanted to protest or at least ask for a reason, but something in Natsu's face must have changed his mind. Maybe it was selfish and unreasonable, but Natsu craved to be alone with Gray, even if it would last only until they reached the Magic Council.

"Fine. Shall we take the quick and easy way out or the long but proper way?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask, Gray added, "Out of the guild hall, flame-brain. Either we tell the others all about the situation... or..." He trailed off.

"Or what?"

"Do you have a pen handy?"

Without even knowing what Gray wanted to do, Natsu rummaged in his rucksack, pulling out a pen and handing it to Gray. Of course, he'd choose the quick way out—it meant he'd get to spend more alone time with Gray, and he wouldn't have to explain the situation for the umpteenth time to their guild mates.

Gray opened the diary, tore out the edge of a page nearing the end, and then wrote down 'Take Gajeel and Pantherlily with you on the mission. Please trust us. Sorry. Natsu & Gray'. He folded the scrap once, then tucked it between his glass and the tabletop before pulling Natsu upright and announcing to everyone that he and Natsu would be coming back soon. Natsu hastily stuffed the diary and the pen back into his rucksack, and then they walked out of the guild hall hand in hand, waving off Erza's warning that they should keep their strength for later.

As soon as they were out in the open, they exchanged a quick nod, and then took off running to the train station. The trip to Era wouldn't be nearly as long as the one to their original mission, plus there were far more trains departing in that direction. It turned out that they needed to wait only ten minutes for the next train to come, but these ten minutes seemingly lasted forever, with the both of them constantly worried that their guild mates might find the paper too soon and hunt them down before they could leave. It was the only time Natsu was actually glad to finally be able to board a train, even though he was violently ill and clutching at Gray's arm not a minute later.

When they arrived at their destination, Natsu spent some minutes leaned against a wall, trying to recover from his nausea. People shot him suspicious and worried looks, and one passerby even asked if he was alright, but Gray shooed him away.

Natsu straightened himself as soon as his stomach settled, forcing a smile onto his features when he noticed deep concern written all over Gray's face. He still wasn't feeling well, but that had nothing to do with his nausea. In fact, the bad feeling he'd had in the morning was slowly creeping back, and he didn't want to burden Gray with it. The ice mage already had enough to worry about.

Gray's brows tensed. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't act tough. I can see right through it. You're not alright."

Biting his lip, Natsu countered, "What good would it do to show my distress all the time? We need to go to the Magic Council. Come on."

Before Gray had the chance to answer, Natsu grabbed Gray's hand and pulled him along.

"Just don't fake smiles, idiot. I'm not saying you need to cry all the time."

Natsu nodded without turning back, making a mental note to either improve the credibility of his fake smiles or not to use them anymore in Gray's presence.