Welcome to chapter 19.

Chapter 1 of "We Were Brothers Once..." is now available to read, please check it out. I'm probably not gonna update it super often, it's mostly just a written for fun, update when I want kinda thing.

Chapter One of "Soulmate (Fraxus)" is now available to read as well, and I'm gonna update that one pretty damn often since I am absolutely in love with the ship right now... Please check it out XD it's really cute and bursting with fluff and just precious shit and plot twists...

Anyway.

I also wanna thank my wonderful readers (especially Nina-Chan202 and Lorelei) for the amazing reviews they've been leaving me! It motivates me to keep going and I love hearing from y'all! Thank you so much, I love y'all!

Aight let's have ourselves a chapter now that I'm through with the announcements... DOES ANYONE EVEN READ THESE?!?!?!

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Gray POV

Ultear made it her personal mission to constantly harass me and Natsu for the last couple hours we stayed there. Lyon tried his hardest to intervene and get her to settle down, but it wasn't working. She was on a role and she wasn't stopping.

Finally I got sick of it and got to my feet, pulling Natsu up beside me. He looked extremely upset and his skin was way hotter than normal, which was how I knew it was probably best we left. He was pissed. "Come on, Nat. We're going home. I see no reason to stay here when the only interaction we're getting is from a toxic bitch who brings shame to Ur's name."

I received perhaps the most hateful glare I have ever seen from Ultear when she realized what I said. "I'm not the one who shames her name, Fullbuster." she hissed, between slightly pointed teeth.

I ignored the jab and slipped my hand into Natsu's, hurrying over to the exit and bursting out into the cold night air. It was dark out, and so cloudy we couldn't see the stars glittering overhead.

On the walk home, we were both completely silent. But when we got to Natsu's home, as soon as we had gotten inside, he went off.

"Ugh, I fucking hate her!" he snarled, yanking off his tie and tossing it over a chair carelessly.

"Me too." I mumbled, suddenly nervous because of how angry he obviously was. "She hasn't changed a bit since I last saw her... That's for sure..."

"And the award for understatement of the year goes to..." Natsu rolled his eyes and stormed off into another room, probably to get changed out of the fancy clothes. I hesitated before taking a deep breath.

"Don't be like that, baby. You know I hate her too, and I'm just as upset as you are. Just please don't take it out on me." I called over my shoulder, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"I'm not though!" Natsu's voice snapped from his room. He came out a second later, dressed in a simple red shirt that was a size too big for him and gray shorts. "I'm just so agitated. I need to break something. Or punch something. I don't know, just... Ugh!" he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, growling furiously.

"C-Calm down, Nat, you're s-scaring me." this time I was unable to stop the anxious stammer from creeping into my voice.

I always hated it when he got angry because it reminded me of Juvia, which brought back uncomfortable memories of the things that happened while I was with her.

"Just be quiet, okay? I'm fine!" his voice raised to a dangerous level.

My eyes widened as he picked up a cup and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall to my left, making such a loud, horrible noise that panic spread through my entire body, fast and unstoppable.

I screamed, "No, please!" as I stumbled back and collapsed to my knees, clutching my chest, my skin burning like I was surrounded by roaring flames as I was dragged into a flashback.

Juvia's cold hands were locked around my throat and she was screaming something but my head hurt and I couldn't focus and everything was wrong and she was choking me and I knew I was going to die...

I realized I actually couldn't breathe. My shoulders heaved and my entire body shuddered as I tried to drag air into my lungs around the heart-wrenching sobs breaking out of my chest, but I couldn't breathe. It was like the air had become a solid, unbreathable wall.

Suddenly I heard Natsu's voice, shockingly close to my ear. "Gray! Oh my god, I'm so fucking sorry, I swear I didn't mean to scare you so badly..."

I shied away from the sound of his voice, crying out as I tried to get away. "Please don't touch me, I'm scared!" I pressed my hands over my face and curled into a little ball, trembling all over and sobbing hysterically, hot tears streaming down my face.

I couldn't stop screaming. Juvia was standing in front of me, a sharp knife in her hand, the tip dripping with my blood. The hungry look in her cold, dead blue eyes frightened me. My arms were bleeding all over from where she had cut me again and again and again, laughing maniacally as the blade split my skin, burning like fire wherever it touched me. The pain was indescribable. My eyes widened and I quickly raised my hands to protect my face as she raised the knife and brought it down upon me once again.

The flashback ended as quickly as it had come, and I realized I was actually screaming, "Please stop!" over and over at the top of my lungs.

I was sweating profusely and I felt so nauseous and dizzy. I wanted to throw up just so the horrible feeling of panic in my stomach would go away. I was choking on my own sobs of terror. And I still couldn't breathe. My ears were ringing so loudly, drowning out every other sound until that was all I heard.

And then I realized someone was with me. Through my tears I saw a flash of salmon-pink hair. Natsu's lips were moving but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Suddenly I felt a warm hand on the back of my neck. My whole body jerked as a shrill scream of absolute panic was torn from my lips. I didn't want to be touched. I began to writhe, desperate to escape whoever was touching me.

The thumb of that hand on my neck began rubbing slow, firm circles on the base of my skull, stimulating the pressure point there. At first I fought it, thrashing and crying and begging for it to stop, but the gentle stimulation was helping to quell my panic, little by little. The deafening ringing in my ears quieted.

"There we go. It's gonna be alright, Snowflake. Keep breathing. That's it. Shhh." Natsu's achingly familiar voice murmured, as he continued to rub at the base of my skull, palm firmly pressed to the back of my neck. "You're safe. It's just me here. Everything's okay, I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, okay?"

I whimpered helplessly and pushed back against his warm hand. Despite the mind-numbing panic gripping my chest, I somehow knew that Natsu was safe. I could be near him.

I flinched as his fingers brushed across my temple, letting out a little strangled cry of fear at the unexpected contact. He rushed to comfort me, saying, "No, no, shh, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you. It's okay. Breathe."

I tried to, I really did, but my chest hurt and I felt like I was gonna be sick. The nausea was overwhelming and my stomach did a flip.

I reached out and clasped his forearm, gasping for breath. "N-Need to... B-Be sick..." I managed to stammer out, trying and failing to sit up. I was definitely about to throw up, based on how miserable I was feeling.

Natsu immediately understood and gently helped me sit up. "Here, let me get you a bag or something..." he stood up and hurried off after helping me lean back against the nearest wall so I didn't fall over again. I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying to fight the rapidly intensifying nausea mixed with lingering panic.

This is the most violent panic attack I've ever had...

The moment Natsu returned and handed me a plastic bag, I threw up into it. He stayed with me the entire time, sitting beside me and rubbing my back, whispering soft reassurances until I was finished and slumped back against the wall, completely exhausted. There was a horrible taste in my mouth now, I really wanted to curl back into a ball and keep crying.

Natsu tied off the bag and threw it away before kneeling down beside me. "Gray... Honey, look at me." he pecked my forehead and winced. "You're really feverish..."

I obediently locked eyes with him, gasping for breath, beginning to tremble all over again.

"You seem really sick, sweetheart. Is it okay if I carry you? I'm just gonna take you to bed and get you settled in so you can rest. Is that okay?" he asked, his tone soft and gentle and loving.

I hesitated, considering the request, then nodded slowly. "O-Okay..."

"Thank you, Snowflake." Natsu kissed my forehead again before gently sliding his arms under my back and legs, scooping me up into his arms as he rose to his feet, carrying me bridal style.

I allowed my entire body to go limp, seeing as I had complete and total trust that he wouldn't drop me. My eyes drifted shut and I relaxed. Images of Juvia's cold eyes lurked at the back of mind, threatening to surface at any second. I pushed them back even further.

Natsu finally arrived in his room and set me down on the edge of his bed, running his fingers through my hair.

"Is it alright if I help you get cleaned up?" he asked, smoothing his thumb over my shoulder.

I leaned into his warm touch and nodded slightly, pressing my forehead into his shoulder and slipping my arms around his back. He peppered the nape of my neck with kisses as he undid the buttons on my shirt, slowly so he didn't frighten me. Once I was out of the flimsy white fabric, he briefly ran off and returned with a few washcloths soaked in cool water.

"Here. You can lay down and relax, baby. I'll take good care of you, okay?" he gently pushed me down so I was lying faceup on the bed. I didn't resist, completely giving in to his tender administrations. "My god, you're so precious..." he mumbled, as he began dabbing at my forehead with one cloth.

"T-The cold water... F-Feels good..." I managed to say, sighing softly and closing my eyes.

"Good, I'm glad. I figured warm water wouldn't feel so nice with your ice magic. Jeez, you really do have a bit of a fever though. Yikes." Natsu continued to speak to me in a soothing voice, frequently apologizing for scaring me so badly. "I would never do something like that to you on purpose. Jesus, I feel like an asshole now. I'm really sorry, Gray. It'll never happen again, I swear to you."

"I-It's alright, Nat..." I reassured, offering him a halfhearted, weak smile. "I-I should work on... Not being s-so goddamn sensitive to e-everything..."

"No, baby, no. It's not like that. I should've kept better control of myself, knowing how badly loud noises and sudden movements scare you. It's only been two months since everything happened and you're still recovering mentally." he brushed my hair out of my face so he could start gently wiping away the blotchy mess of tears staining my cheeks and chin with the same cloth. "Even if nothing had happened two months ago, it would still be wrong of me to go crazy and throw things, break things. It just isn't right. It would've scared you either way."

He did have a point there. Even without the extra trauma Juvia gave me, I still would've been frightened by Natsu's sudden outburst. I wouldn't have had a panic attack, but I would've been scared.

Suddenly I realized that I had made a promise earlier on in the evening to do it with Natsu when we got home from dinner with Ultear. I blushed slightly and said, "H-Hey... I know I... Promised we would, but... C-Can we not do that tonight? I-I don't feel up to it anymore..."

"Of course, my love. I didn't think so anyway. Don't worry, I'm not upset or anything. That can wait." Natsu pressed a series of gentle kisses to my forehead. "I'd never make you do anything you weren't comfortable with."

I felt my undying love and respect for him grow just a little broader at that.

I had never once thought Natsu would force himself upon me, especially not at a time like this when I was weak and vulnerable and unable to fight back, but at the same time, the constant proof that he wouldn't was nice too. It always strengthened my trust in him each time he backed off when I asked him to, or agreed to take things slow and easy for my sake.

"Thank you, Nat..." I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Anything for you, Snowflake." Natsu replied, laying the cold cloth across my forehead and settling into bed beside me. "Are you okay if I stay with you tonight, though? I just want to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't get sick again. If you do, I might have to take you to a healer." he added, his voice changing to one of concern.

"P-Please stay with me." I nodded and snuggled up against his warm chest, rolling over onto my side so I was facing him. "You make me feel safe."

"Of course, sweetheart. I've got you." he slipped his arms around me and pulled me close, allowing me to nuzzle my face into his shoulder.

I still didn't feel so well, and every nerve was on edge. But Natsu was there, and he was looking after me. I knew he'd watch over me and keep me safe. I knew that he'd take care of me, no matter what happened. And when I woke up in the morning, he'd be right there, waiting for me.

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Natsu POV

I woke up around three o' clock in the morning to the soft sound of pained whimpers. Naturally, my sharp ears immediately detected the change in background noise so I noticed the sounds the moment they started happening.

I cracked one eye open to see what was going on. Gray was still nestled safely in my arms, but something was wrong. He was clutching my shirt, face buried in my chest, tears sparkling on his pale cheeks. I could tell right away that he wasn't okay. He was trembling all over, and the pained whimpers I had mentioned earlier were coming from him.

"Gray." I whispered, nudging him to see if he was awake. He was. His eyes flew open and he looked at me. "What's wrong, baby? Is everything alright?" I asked, pulling him closer.

He shook his head. "I-I don't feel so good..." he mumbled, voice laced with pain.

"What hurts?" I questioned, eyes widening slightly with concern.

Gray shook his head slowly and his hand glided down to his stomach. I understood what he meant right away and held him tighter. "Poor thing. That panic attack really was bad, I've never seen you get physically sick after one before. Here, let me help..." I slipped my hand under his shirt and called my fire magic to warm my palm.

It was an old trick I liked to use. Whenever someone was in pain, just a little bit of warm, gentle fire magic helped ease the agony at least a little bit. Even if it didn't quell the pain, the warmth still felt nice, and that was better than nothing.

I trailed my hand up so it was resting on his stomach, pushing some of my fire magic against his naturally ice cold skin. He let out a soft sigh of contentment as the gentle heat reached his senses.

"Better?" I asked, hopefully.

"A-A little..." Gray mumbled, as I gently caressed his skin. "Ooh... I still feel so sick..."

"I know it hurts, sweetheart, and I'm so sorry." I ran my free hand through his hair, admiring how soft and silky the messy black strands were. "I wish I could do something more. Do you want me to take you to a healer in the morning? I'm sure Wendy would be more than happy to fix you right up."

"Hmm..." he paused, thinking for a moment, eyes drifting shut. It took a little while for him to respond, for a second I wondered if he'd fallen asleep. But then he shuddered and said, "I don't know."

"Okay. That's alright. We'll see how you're doing in the morning. If you're either worse or the same, we'll go find Wendy. But if you're doing better I won't worry too much about it." I decided, nuzzling my face into his hair. "Do you wanna go back to sleep? I can stay up with you if you'd like, I've got all sorts of stories about things you've probably never heard of."

Gray chuckled softly. "O-Okay. I think I'd like that."

To be continued...

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Aiiii sorry this chapter is kinda short I was preoccupied with my new Laxus x Freed fic (it's called "Soulmate", pls check it out sometime!) and I started this chapter literally a day before I realized how fucking much I love Freed and decided to start a new fic (you know, the usual bullshit) so then I got really sidetracked and after letting this unfinished chapter sit for a bit, I decided it would be best to wrap it up a little shorter than usual. My apologies for that, I hope you understand.

Love y'all, see you next chapter!

-UltimatexAdmin