A cold chill pulled Natsu from a light (and blissfully dreamless) slumber. Pale blue predawn light snuck through the window. In the distance, the fire that held Master Makarov captive still crackled along, and likely would until the sun rose to chase it away. For an instant, Natsu hated flame. He was ashamed of the feeling as soon as he identified it. After all, flame was Igneel's gift. It was the last thing he had of his adoptive father. Beneath his body, Lucy shivered and shimmied closer to him, saving him from an ugly feeling. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," Lucy whispered, though there was no one else in their room to be quiet for. Faintly, Natsu wondered where Happy got to, if he'd ended up staying with Carla, or if he'd gone with Lily. He felt like a bad friend, too caught up in his own shit to make sure Happy was okay. He'd loved Master just as much as everyone else. A colder thought came to him. What if he's with neither? You don't think Zeref would have…? He dismissed the dark image in his head. Happy was okay. He wouldn't have wandered away from the others.

Lucy said, "I thought I heard fighting. It woke me up."

Natsu listened. Everything was quiet. "I don't hear anything."

"Maybe it was just in my dream, then." Lucy shivered. "Why the heck is it so damn cold in here?"

Natsu grabbed the blankets and tugged them up more properly, then used his magic to increase his body temperature. It didn't work quite as well as he hoped. Trying to probe why felt like peering down a rabbit hole he wanted nothing to do with. "Fall's coming?"

"Maybe."

Natsu could tell she didn't really believe that. The girl squirmed again and he suppressed a sigh. "I'm going to have a shower." A sweltering one so he could get away from the cold that started with his scaled arm and ended in his chest.

"Alright."

Untangling their bodies was a near-impossible task, and not just because their limbs were twisted together like tree roots. Natsu didn't want to let her go. Her bare skin was on his, her glossy hair was tangled in his fingers, her breath was warm sliding down his neck, making him feel human. He did release her, though, and thought of it as practice for when he took Zeref's life away. Imagining the day had nervousness chasing him to the dresser to grab a pair of jeans, and into the bathroom.

He threw the clean pants onto the counter then hesitated, finger on the light switch, unsure if he wanted to turn it on, afraid of what he'd see. For all the uncertainty, he was never one to let fear control him, not for long. Natsu flipped it up. The light was so blazingly bright, he had to close his eyes until they adjusted, meaning when he felt he could, the first look he had at his arm was through his lashes.

It was covered in scales blacker than pitch in direct light, smoke-grey when he rolled his forearm. The fear was back full-force. Strangely, a very human urge kept him from hyperventilating and running—as if he could run from himself—he had to pee. That was done with his blackened arm behind his back, otherwise, he couldn't go.

Good, Natsu thought when he was finished. Now shower. Another very human thing. He stripped off what remained of his clothes, recalling as he did so what got him into that half-dressed predicament: Lucy and her braver-than-you actions. Her kisses leaving a hot trail down his abdomen. Her mouth closing on his erection, doing things he didn't even know she knew how to do. That felt very human, too.

When he took off his shorts, he was stiff all over again. Ignoring it for a moment, he turned on the hot water all of the way and the cold just a little and climbed beneath the spray. There, in the sweltering confines of the off-yellow bathtub, in the smaller-than-a-closet bathroom, with the calcium choked showerhead artificially enhancing the water's spray, Natsu felt more human again. He had a hard time imagining one of Zeref's demons standing in a place like this, barely living off the rations gathered from a shitty job handed out by the King's Guard, stripped of both of their father figures and aching because of it.

He tugged the tree frog shower curtain over so he didn't soak the floor (even though it could use a good wash) and washed his hair with the only shampoo available—that cheap strawberry shit Lucy was using. Then he washed his body with the tiny bar of soap motels seemed to find acceptable. He was just rinsing again when a tap sounded on the door. Not that he could smell her over the chemically shampoo, but Natsu was sure it was Lucy. His heart lodged in his throat, imagining why she might want to come in (to tell him someone else had died? To say she knew exactly what was happening to him and she hated him for it?) muffling his "Yeah?"

Lucy didn't call through the barrier like Natsu thought she would. She pushed it wide and came in, still bare from the waist up and seemingly unashamed for it, leaving herself uncovered. Her hair was a knotted mess of golden chains, and her skin was raised in goose bumps. Even with his heart speeding nervously and his hand trapped behind his back, Natsu couldn't help but take her in greedily over the top of the half-clear shower curtain. His heart jumped again as she closed the door.

"What's wrong?"

Lucy met his eyes through the translucent barrier and pinched her lips together. Her cheeks were pink and her heart was speeding, Natsu could hear.

"Did something happen?" He was already reaching for the shower knobs.

Lucy shook her head. "I just didn't want to be alone out there."

Oh.

They stood awkwardly for another moment, then Lucy seemed to come to a decision and started tugging at her tights. They came down her body all bunched together and stayed in a mess on the floor. Natsu always imagined that she was tidy, one of those girls that picked up their clothes and folded them after shucking them off. In fact, he'd seen the evidence of it at her old apartment, but this morning… she didn't seem to care much about that stuff. Her underwear went, too, a splash of blue amongst the black of her tights.

It took the curtain shrieking back and Lucy stepping in for Natsu to realize just whatthefuck was happening. He still couldn't believe it. Not even when Lucy stepped close to him into the hot spray and breathed a sigh that wasn't quite relief, but an expel of nerves. Her doe eyes flicked up to meet his gaze. Her bottom lip was red and swollen from chewing on it. Natsu's eyes kept on down her body, scrolling over her full curves. Rivulets of water wicked off her skin and got lost in the wash. He was back to being harder than a rock and wished he could hide it.

Lucy took another step closer and reached for his hand, the one he still had hidden behind his back. That was decent libido control. His erection withered. He pushed her hand away with his good one. "Don't, Lucy."

The look she gave him was downright plaintive. "Let me see, Natsu."

"No, it's fine—"

"You can trust me."

He searched her eyes, not that he knew what he was looking for. All he saw there was sadness and concern. He let his muscles relax and allowed her to bring his arm out. Her face didn't change as she took in the scales, though he watched for that, too, actively seeking fear and hate. Lucy was just concerned.

Her fingers traced the triangular ridges. Natsu barely felt it. "Do you feel okay?"

Cold. Strange. Scared. "I'm alright."

Lucy said. "A little later, we should get Cheria to look at it, or Wendy if she's awake and feeling up to it."

Natsu knew it wasn't something that could be fixed by a healing spell. He said "Alright," anyway, just to make her feel better.

Satisfied, Lucy kissed his palm.

Natsu wriggled his hand from her grasp. "Don't."

"I'm not afraid."

That was a lie. He could hear her heart ticking just a bit too quickly. Whether she was lying or not, it didn't stop her from taking up his hand again and kissing it once more. When she was done there, she placed it on her body and encouraged him to grab her. The softness of her breast was interrupted by the ends of her damp hair clinging to her skin. Lucy used both hands to gather it back and properly expose herself. Then she made Natsu grab her other breast, too, and waited for him to do something other than just hold her.

"Lucy—"

"I'm not afraid," she repeated. This time, her voice was steadier.

He squeezed more firmly and rolled his thumbs over the hard tips of her breasts. The girl's eyes fluttered closed. Her heart sped for a new reason. Natsu's joined in and only escalated as Lucy leaned in and kissed him. A press of lips, a teasing of her tongue, and Natsu forgot his self-depreciation and his worry and his fear. After all, this was the most human thing he could do, and he was determined to pour himself into it to feel the way he did before he returned to Magnolia. No, even before that. Back before Tartarus attacked. Before he knew just how much he could hurt. Before he lost Igneel and ran away from his family. Before he ditched Lucy and she turned to someone else. Before he was plagued by memories that were stolen away by the less than human something under his skin, that coldness that felt bred-in-the-bone.

Natsu didn't realize he'd pushed Lucy against the limescaled tiles until she sucked in a startled breath and bowed into him to get away from the cold. He let her come for a minute, then pushed her back again and kept her there by grasping her ribs. She got used to the temperature change quickly after that and stopped trying to get away from the wall, or maybe she was just concerned with other things, like his mouth leaving hers to trail down her yellow and brown neck. In a few days, the bruise would be gone and it would be like that never happened. For now, Natsu kissed it and wished he could have been there. He never would have let it happen.

Her collarbone was sharper than it had been in days. The stress was getting to them all. Natsu kissed that, too, and moved further south to the tops of her breasts. Touching her, he didn't give himself time to be nervous. There were other things to concern himself with: Lucy's stalling breath, her fingers clasping on his bare shoulders, and then into his hair, the raised nub he gathered onto his tongue and nibbled and Lucy's responding moan. Yes. This made him feel plenty human.

Natsu allowed his hands to explore. At her hips, Lucy lifted her leg, resting her foot on the edge of the bathtub in invitation. Water off her skin spilled out onto the bathroom floor. Natsu kept her as she was when she tried to adjust, not at all caring that their discarded clothes were getting wet. He released her breast and kissed her again as he slid his fingers over her center and met silky skin. Without clothes between them, he could feel everything, right down to the way her body shivered when he found her nub and teased. Her hips tilted, a motion the dragon slayer was sure she wasn't aware of, and brought her body rubbing against his. On contact, her breath shortened again and her eyes opened wide. She didn't allow her body to fall out of range again, keeping them pressed together. Natsu's heart beat harder than before, to the point where he was afraid it was going to burst through his ribs and out his chest and skitter away. Everything throbbed. He moved his hand and pressed harder against her, sliding inexorably toward her opening.

At his back, Natsu could feel the water's spray hitting his ankles. The hot had run out and it was chilling his already cold back. He didn't dare stop for comfort. Besides, he'd found a new source of heat and it felt more real than anything he'd come into contact with before. Sliding into her was easy. He only paused when a look of realization overtook Lucy. She looked like she was going to tell him to stop. He even thought he knew what the problem was. He waited and waited, feeling her softness all around him.

Lucy let out a breath and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Natsu grabbed her more firmly, taking the invitation for what it was, and edged in deeper, falling into a slow rhythm. He kissed her harder and wished he could feel her damp hair clinging to his changed skin. Changing, he realized when a cold sensation outweighed Lucy's warmth. He broke their kiss so he could watch the scales climb higher up his arm, bursting through his human façade in an attempt to reveal him for what he was: a wolf in sheep's clothes. Lucy followed his gaze. Natsu crushed their mouths together before she could see what he did. He held her securely and rocked into her with more force. Her foot slipped; he caught her, but it was obvious the angle was all wrong.

Natsu pulled out and took a step back into the cold spray; he barely noticed. "Turn around." For a better angle, and because with her face to the bottom of the tub, she couldn't see his slowly changing skin.

Lucy had thrown her earlier uncertainty away and turned so her back was to him. It wasn't the most ideal; he wanted to see her face. Can't have it all. He made up for it by kissing her shoulder. Her skin was raised in goose bumps again; that was the only indication Natsu had that the water had truly gotten cold; he could feel nothing. Getting inside like this was more difficult. Lucy took pity on him and held herself open. Back arched, head tilted his way, he realized that maybe he was wrong, he could have it all. Leaning forward to kiss her was awkward and required a team effort, he was glad he did, though. It brought them closer still, in a way he didn't think was possible.

When he was through, he pulled out of her and came in the bottom of the tub.

On her cot again with Carla at her side, Erza's clambering around roused Wendy from a light slumber. She cracked open her eyes and peered blearily across the room through a veil of blue, her hair twisted around her face. Erza was stretching, as she normally did. And then she was doing push-ups until she was red-faced.

Wendy's stomach growled so loudly, it could be heard over Erza's soft grunts of exertion. The redhead paused, back arched, arms outstretched, the first rays of sunlight streaming through the dirty window igniting her fire-red hair, and found Wendy. "Good morning."

"Morning," Wendy whispered. She needn't worry, Carla was shuffling before she'd said a word, and Cheria followed shortly after.

Erza spoke more normally. "Are you hungry, Wendy?"

Starving. And thirsty. All the things she couldn't really think about last night because her head had been everywhere else. She glanced at Cheria and smiled wanly.

"Wendy?"

"Oh." Wendy's cheeks heated. "Yes."

"I'll get you something," Carla said sleepily. She climbed over Wendy's body and stumbled toward the fridge.

"You're tired, Carla, I can get it," Wendy protested.

"Nonsense." Carla waved her off, sounding more like herself as the seconds ticked by. She returned with an apple, a huge hunk of cheese, a piece of breath slathered with jam, and a tall glass of water. Wendy went for the water first, trying to shake the raisin-like feeling in her stomach, then wolfed down the food.

"Not so fast," Carla warned. "You'll make yourself sick."

Wendy barely listened, only taking a moment to breathe before she was back at it again.

Erza finished her push-ups and said, "I'm going to shower and change, then I'm going to gather everyone together so we can formulate an action plan."

Wendy remembered her late-night rendezvous with a certain water mage and felt just as sick as Carla warned of. "I want to help out."

"You're fine in here, recovering," Carla said.

Wendy ignored her and directed all of her attention to Erza, knowing she was the weakest link. "I can gather people up while you shower if you tell me where they're staying."

Erza looked like she was about to protest. Carla beat her to it. "Did you not just hear me, Wendy? You're still pale, so don't tell me you feel fine, and what if something happens again?" Carla said in a shrill voice.

"Carla is right," Erza said after a moment.

Wendy looked at her in disbelief. "What was all that stuff last night about me helping out then?"

Erza faltered. "Wendy…" She sighed, "Forgive me. I still blame myself for what happened. I want to keep you safe, but you're right. You're not a child, and I shouldn't be treating you like one, either. I do insist on taking someone with you, though."

"I'll go with her," Cheria said. "We'll be okay together."

"You've all gone mad," Carla said dispassionately. "I'm coming, too."

"I actually need you to find Lily and the others," Erza said, catching Wendy's horrified look and coming through, even though she didn't know what she was coming through on.

"We can go together—"

"They're just across the hall," Erza replied. "This is the fastest way. We'll meet back here in ten minutes. Be quick."

Wendy rose on still wobbly legs and dressed, doing her best not to look at Carla's hurt expression. I'll explain things to her. When she could, without Juvia's help, with any luck.

It was so cold in the hallway, Wendy wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. "Holy."

Cheria rubbed her own arms, encouraging warmth into them. It didn't help much. "Crazy. It must have gotten really cold last night or something and they haven't turned the heat on. Do you want to go back for a sweater?"

Wendy was in a sweater, an overlarge one with a huge white bow stencilled on the black fabric over her breast. "It's alright." Not only was this the best she had, the desire to avoid another confrontation with Carla was stronger than the want to be warmer.

"We'll be quick," Cheria said. Then she asked a hard question. "You want to talk to Juvia to ask her not to say anything, don't you?"

Wendy squirmed. "I just…"

"It's okay, Wendy."

Wendy could see that it was not. Cheria was hurt. She grabbed the girl's hand, a motion that had always been easy before but was now somehow so much harder, and squeezed. "Just until I know what to say." And how to say it. And everything else in between. She never knew like one action could make her life so infinitely more complex. Just imagining the cascading effect that one kiss had made her half-wish she'd never done it. And made her want to do it again, because when Cheria's mouth was on hers last night, it felt like it was worth all of the turmoil and confusion in her mind, the voice telling her things aren't supposed to be like this between two girls, and the one volleying back saying, I don't care. I like it.

"I don't know if we have to say anything," Cheria responded in a voice that was heavy with despondence.

Wendy turned a pleading look her way. "Please. I just need time… it's—I didn't think—I've never—" With each word she grew more flustered.

Cheria softened. "It's okay, Wendy. I understand. We'll ask Juvia to be quiet and we'll just… do things the way you want."

Wendy let go of a large part of her anxiety. They turned the corner, though, and it was right back in place. The ground in front of room twenty-two was frozen solid. The walls, the ceiling, and the door, too, were all encased in a thick layer of ice. Wendy's heart went into her throat.

Cheria voiced what Wendy could not. "What the heck?"

Wendy smelled blood and bile and knew that something was very, very wrong. She pushed past the girl less carefully than she would have liked. On the ice, her feet slipped and she went down, her muscles still not cooperating. Hitting hard didn't keep her there, she was back up in a moment and scrabbling through the frozen door. She had to turn sideways to squeeze through, only able to coax it a few inches before a bubble of ice on the floor stopped it up.

While all of the lights were off and the room was facing the wrong direction for the sun to trickle through, there was enough light. Inside was how Wendy imagined the innards of a static snow globe looked, frozen completely, utterly still, a strange otherworldly quality to it.

Wendy searched and found Gray first, a swell of ice around his collapsed body. His cheek had been bleeding; the blood had frozen. It was hard to tell exactly how long ago. The whole scene was peculiar, the half-mad and furious expression on his face, his slacked mouth, but his skin was what struck Wendy as the oddest. The black smudge on his arm that was supposed to be his devil slayer's mark was shot through with fine white lines, his skin a black mirror that someone had taken a tiny hammer to and rapped just hard enough that it exploded in tiny spider-webbed cracks.

At first, she thought he was dead. Then she saw the minute puff of condensed breath leave his cracked mouth. She fell to her knees and called up every ounce of healing magic she could, and some she couldn't, and did her best to tug Gray out of whatever hold he was trapped in.

"Wendy." Cheria's voice carried a heavy weight. Wendy couldn't help but split her concentration after that. She found her friend standing over Juvia. The water mage was slouched against the wall, legs collapsed beneath her like they just wouldn't hold her anymore. Her neck had been torn open by a vicious bite; Wendy could see the teeth marks from where she knelt. Again, the blood was frozen. In looking at her, Wendy found the source of the smell of vomit. Juvia was covered in it.

"Help her!" Is that me, Wendy wondered upon hearing that strained tenor.

Cheria's magic filled the air. Wendy watched and was still watching when a hand closed over her forearm. Her scream was honest and heartfelt, full of shock and fear that lasted well past the time she identified Gray as the culprit. Awake, he looked at her with eyes that held as much fury as she'd ever seen.

"Juvia." His voice cracked harshly.

"C—Cheria's helping her," Wendy stammered.

Gray squeezed her wrist. "The demon?"

Wendy convinced herself to look away from Gray and searched the room. "There's only us."

Gray gritted his teeth. Before her eyes, Wendy watched the black blotch stretch up his arm to his shoulder and over his chin. With it came the spider-web cracks. He grimaced with its expanding foothold as though every centimeter it gained was as painful as breaking a bone.

Gray released her. "Move."

"You're hurt," Wendy protested weakly. "Let me help you."

Gray pushed her out of the way when she wouldn't do it on her own and staggered to his feet. Wendy was right, he was hurt, but now his rib was bruised and not broken, the gash on his cheek scabbed and not an open cut. He felt like garbage, a half-festered wound without his magic and with. At least he could feel it now, however faint and strange. It was as hungry as it had ever been and it only wanted one thing: END. He didn't need to glance at Juvia to gather conviction. He did anyway. Half-frozen, soaked in bile, exposed. Used and damaged. He reached for her through the connection he'd made and felt nothing.

He couldn't entertain what that meant.

He couldn't not.

Against Wendy's protest, he left to expose the pretender for what he was and get retribution for Juvia, stopping only long enough to tug a pair of black jeans on and his boots.