Unbetaed.

I wrote this chapter a couple of years ago – it was actually the chapter that made me start this fic. ^^

Feedback would be nice.

Notes/Warnings: Fluff

T - Tea Flower

The door closed behind the two mage's backs.

Before them there was a cozy room, filled with tables and bordered by booths. The room gave off a peaceful feeling, with all the silky tablecloths and curtains in light colours. In niches up on the walls there were vases with flowers that splashed little spots of brightness around the room. The windows were covered by curtains but in each table there was a tiny ball of light at the same time that more light came from the ceiling, diffusely.

Couples and friends filled the tables as girls dressed in kimonos waited on them.

Gray turned towards Natsu, eyes wide. His expression was definitely going 'where the fuck did you just put us?'

Natsu smiled and turned towards the girl who greeted them politely.

"We would like a booth," he asked.

She nodded them and led them to a booth by one of the now closed windows. She handed them the menus but Natsu shook his head and ordered "the house special". The girl nodded and went away.

Gray turned at Natsu, confusion etched on his face.

"What the hell, Natsu-!" he all but hissed. "What's the meaning of this?"

Natsu smirked at him, eyes full of mirth. "It's a surprise. Relax."

"Relax?" Gray continued, still hissing. "You bring me to this place without a word or reason or – what's going on in that tiny and charred brain of yours?"

"Seriously Gray. What's the problem? I brought you to a tea house and-"

"There you go." Gray quickly cut him off. "What the hell. You and tea house… those are incompatible concepts."

"You wound me…" Natsu threw back, face morphing into a dramatically hurt frown. "But I found this place with Lucy. And we discovered something very interesting…" Natsu paused and leaned back to allow the teacups to be placed in front of them. The waitress left once again and Natsu continued. "But I see that the surprise is coming so, no need to worry, squinty eyes."

Gray opened his mouth to retort but at that moment the girl returned with a teapot and a small wooden box.

She placed the teapot – it was transparent, filled with crystalline water – in between them and straightened up. Opening the small box – which had a strong herbal scent – and with a set of pliers she picked one small bulb, lifted the teapot's lid and dropped it, closing the lid and, with a quick "enjoy your tea", she left, taking the box with her.

"So?" Gray asked.

"Wait." Natsu replied, seeing the tiny air bubbles float to the surface. "It takes a little while for the surprise to come."

"The surprise is in the tea? I mean, water…"

"Haha, it is a tea. Just wait and watch it unfold."

Gray did, slightly taken aback as to why Natsu – hotheaded and impatient Natsu – was content with sitting back on his seat and watching a teapot with a ball of… something, submerging in it. As time passed, the bulb started to unfold, the outer leaves peeling back and letting out more air bubbles. The water started to acquire a subtle yellowish colour. The green part, the one from the leaves, opened completely, allowing the white petals that had been covered by it to grow up, extend and open, blooming and allowing Gray to see the pink interior of it – an agglomerate of pink bubbles.

Yet more bubbles of air emerged as the colour of the tea became of a darker green.

Gray looked up at Natsu, still quite confused.

"Huh, it was… pretty…?" he asked, unsure. Why was the fire mage acting like this? The chuckle surprised him. "I never took you for a fan of tea. Even when they come like this…"

"I'm not fond of tea." Natsu replied calmly, quickly dismissing that idea, as his hand curled distractedly around his empty mug.

"Then, why this?" Gray hurried to ask.

"Because it reminded me of you…" Natsu said simply.

"Me?"

"Yes." Natsu replied lazily, eyes falling to half-mast under the soft glow of the light. The corners of his mouth lifting into a smile. "At first look, you're closed off, hard and cold, just like that bulb. It takes time and warmth for you to open up – and don't you even think about denying that." Natsu cut Gray when the other started opening his mouth. "You know how things were and how they are now," he paused to grin at a now slightly flustered Gray.

"And, that's it." The ice mage said with finality.

"Nope." Natsu retorted, his grin stretching slightly wider. "Like this tea flower, you – the real you – only comes after a long while, given the right conditions and," he leaned forward to whisper teasingly, "only to the right people."

"N-Natsu!" Gray's face was of a dark red shade and he was very thankful for the soft lighting of the room for his red face could pass unnoticed.

"Told ya," Natsu concluded with a laugh. "This was going to be an interesting and informing night." The fire mage grabbed the teapot and poured them both a cup.

"Tch, moron," Gray grunted as nursed his cup and looked away.

They started drinking the tea, in companionable silence; Natsu nearly downing his cup while Gray drank it gingerly, the water way too hot.

Between them, the flower inside the pot swayed gently, lit by the small glow that lit the table.