The rest of the week flew by in a blur of flirty texts, silly Snapchats, and a sushi date on Tuesday evening. Now it was Sunday, and Natsu and Gray were standing in the entrance to the basement, holding hands while Sting raised an eyebrow at them.
"Finally!" He grinned. "Glad my subterfuge worked."
"Shut all the way up," Natsu grumbled, waving his notebook in Sting's direction. "You're an asshole."
Sting picked up a Skittle from the bowl in front of him and tossed it at Natsu's forehead. "I'm an asshole that got you a date," he insisted. "I believe what you meant to say is 'thank you.'"
Natsu rolled his eyes before turning to Gray and kissing him on the cheek. "Ignore him," he said quietly, smiling at the pink flush that crept across Gray's face. "He's always a dick."
"I know," Gray said, laughing at Sting's mock outrage behind Natsu's back. "But he's also right."
"See?" Sting kicked Natsu's ankle as he let go of Gray's hand and settled down at his spot at the table.
"And how long did it take you to decide to ask Rogue out?" Natsu asked, setting his dice bag on the table and raising an eyebrow at Sting. "Six months? Seven?"
"Over a year," Rogue interjected from his spot at the end of the table. "Technically we knew each other for almost three years before he said anything."
"Look," Sting started indignantly, but was saved from having to explain himself by the arrival of Erza. Everyone immediately sat up in their chairs, organizing their character sheets and pulling out dice as she dropped her books on the table.
"Are we ready?" she asked as she settled down in her chair. The excited look on her face made Natsu grin, and he could see the feeling was mutual when he looked around the table. "Everyone remember what happened last time?"
"We freed the prisoners," Gray said, tapping his pencil against the sheets of paper where he kept his notes. "But the summoning spell went off anyway, and we were—"
o.o.o.o.o.o
"—too late."
The demon's horns breached the portal, tearing through the reddish miasma as a foul black smoke filled the air. The stench of brimstone and burned flesh followed it and Gray coughed, covering his mouth with his sleeve.
"C'mon," he said, grabbing Sting's arm and nodding toward the wall. Natsu and Rogue were back by the door, herding the last of the prisoners to the stairs. Natsu turned around and made eye contact with Gray across the roof. His expression was grim, and he was pressing his hand over his side where a reddish stain was spreading through his robes.
"We can't let this thing get out," Sting insisted, pulling his arm out of Gray's grip. "If it makes it through the summoning circle, we're fucked." He gestured to the lines of blood that had been painted along the rooftop. The sight of that – and the pile of corpses that were lying next to the tree – made Gray's stomach churn.
"I can't do much else," he said, flexing his fingers as he dug deep for his magic. The well of power that usually surged through him was barely there. "I don't have any offensive spells left."
Sting looked back to Rogue and Natsu, then hefted his greatsword and turned back to the monster. "We have to do something. I'll keep it busy; you take care of those three. If you can take them out, it should weaken this bastard enough to kill it." He gestured to the three cultists standing by the portal before saying a quiet prayer under his breath and charging toward the demon.
Gray couldn't help but stare in awe as he watched Sting's charge. Brilliant white light burst from his blade as he swung it at the beast, gouging through its tough hide and causing it to howl in pain. The magic made Sting look holy and ethereal. Rogue appeared next to him – the dark to Sting's light – keeping the creature distracted while Sting swung at it again.
"Hey." Gray turned to see Natsu standing beside him, still holding his side and breathing heavily. "We've got those guys, hey?"
"You're bleeding," Gray said, reaching out to grab Natsu's wrists. Natsu shook his head and pushed Gray's hand away.
"I'll be fine. We don't have much time." He nodded at the group of cultists, who were starting to move toward them. "I've only got a fireball left," he admitted. "That won't take all of them out. You?"
Gray shook his head. "I can portal us out of here and that's about it." He looked down at the bag on his hip, quickly trying to think of anything that could get them out of this mess. The only thing he could find was the dagger at his hip, and he didn't have much faith that it would get him very far.
"Wait a minute," Natsu said. "I have an idea."
o.o.o.o.o.o
"What would happen," Natsu asked slowly, staring at his spell list, "if we cast a fireball inside a cube of force?"
Erza raised her eyebrow at him from behind her screen but didn't answer.
"I hate that look," Sting said. "It either means this is gonna be great, or we're absolutely fucked."
"I've got a plan," Natsu insisted.
Rogue scoffed as he took a sip of his iced coffee. "If it's anything like your last plan, we're gonna TPK right here."
"We're not all gonna die," Natsu insisted. He pointed to an item in his character's inventory – the Cube of Force. Gray wasn't sure where he'd picked it up, but he'd only seen it a few times before. Pressing a button on one side of the magic cube summoned an impenetrable forcefield around the user, keeping them safe from all magic spells coming from outside. Or, Gray supposed, trapping them with a spell inside.
"It's fifteen feet on each side," Natsu said. "We just gotta trap all three of them in there and toss a fireball inside before they activate it."
"Why would they do that?" Sting countered. "You're just gonna throw the cube to them and say 'hey, press this magic button, it'll be fine?'"
Natsu hummed, then looked up at Gray. "Do you have the 'suggestion' spell?" he asked. "You could try to compel them to do it."
Gray nodded. "That won't work if we try to get them to hurt themselves, though."
"They don't know it would hurt them. You'd just be suggesting that they push the button on this very fancy cube that's being thrown at them. It could be a jack-in-the-box for all they know."
"We'd have to be within thirty feet for that," Gray said. "If it doesn't work, we're kinda fucked."
"We're fucked anyway if we do nothing," Natsu countered. "Do you—"
o.o.o.o.o.o
"—trust me?" Natsu's expression was sincere as he gazed into Gray's eyes.
Gray nodded slowly, digging into his reagent pouch and pulling out the necessary ingredients for the spell. He crushed them in his right hand, taking a quick peek at Rogue and Sting over Natsu's shoulder. Sting looked exhausted and battered, wiping blood out of his eyes that dripped from a deep cut on his forehead. Baphomet's hide was stained red and covered in deep gouges, and the demon roared as Gray watched Rogue clamber up onto its back and stab both daggers into its neck.
"Ready?" Natsu's voice pulled Gray's attention back, and he looked down to see Natsu holding out a bloodstained hand. Gray took it, squeezing it tightly before turning back toward the cultists.
"Ready," he said quietly.
"Catch!" Natsu shouted, tossing the cube at the cultists as they charged forward. The leader stumbled to a halt as he caught it out of instinct, staring down at the strange object with his brow furrowed.
"Suadeant," Gray whispered under his breath as he took a step closer, still gripping Natsu's hand tightly. Sweat dripped down his forehead and the back of his neck, and his heart pounded as he stared down the cultists. "Praecepta mea."
The cultist looked up at him, eyes wide, and Gray's chest flared with hope for a second. Then the man's lip curled up in a wicked grin, and he shook his head.
"You think you can fool me with your cheap tricks?" the man shouted, tossing the cube to the ground with a snort of disdain. "I am Ezrael, he who summoned the Prince of Beasts, the Horned King. I will not be deceived by the likes of you."
"Fuck." Natsu's palm trembled against Gray's. "Shit, fucking, fuck."
"I can get us out of here," Gray said, taking a step back and holding out a trembling hand. The air sparked and glimmered as a dimensional portal began to form. "We can't do anything else – just fireball them and hope for the best."
"It's not gonna be enough," Natsu said, tugging at Gray's grip on his hand and looking across the battlefield. Rogue was on his back in the dirt now, still conscious but breathing heavily, with his arm at an unnatural angle. Sting stood against the door that the prisoners had escaped through, sword shaking in his hands as he fought against pain and exhaustion. "Sting's gonna die unless we kill them."
Gray looked on helplessly as Baphomet took a step toward Sting and hefted its enormous glaive in one hand, then brought it down in a powerful arc. Sting parried the blow, dropping to one knee as he fought against the might of the enormous beast. Baphomet knocked the sword from Sting's hands, sending it clattering across the roof as it wrapped its claws around Sting's neck and lifted him into the air.
"I'm sorry." Natsu squeezed Gray's hand and let go, giving him a regretful look.
"For…" Gray trailed off, one hand still casting the dimensional portal, the other trying to take Natsu's again. Natsu shook his head, then surprised Gray by leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to his lips.
"For this," Natsu said softly as he pulled back and gave Gray a sad look. Then he shoved Gray as hard as he could, knocking him back through the portal.
o.o.o.o.o.o
"What the hell?" Gray stared at Natsu, who was looking at his dice with an uncharacteristically solemn expression on his face. "Can I make a Strength check to counter that?"
Erza nodded and Gray rolled, cursing when his dice landed on an 11 and Natsu rolled an 18.
"What are you doing?" he asked Natsu. Sting and Rogue were also staring at him with twin looks of surprise.
"Saving you," Natsu said. He kicked gently at Gray's ankle under the table. "The plan didn't work, so either we all die, or one of us does." He looked up at Sting. "If I take the cultists out you can kill it, right?"
"I do only have… sixteen hit points left," Sting admitted. "If I can get one good hit in, I might be able to banish it. I have to do fifty points of damage in a turn, but if it drops me and I can get my sword…"
"Well," Natsu said, pulling out a pile of six-sided dice to roll the fireball's damage. "Hopefully this works."
o.o.o.o.o.o
"Natsu!" Gray's shout was cut off, and he had no time to react as the magic ported him away, carrying him safely across the rooftop until he was crouched next to Rogue. He watched with horror as Natsu turned and ran toward the cultists. "Natsu, no!"
Natsu ignored him, dodging the first cultist and dropping to his knees to pick up the cube. He turned and gave Gray one more soft smile before pressing the button.
"No," Gray whispered. The walls of force sprang into life, trapping Natsu in the cube with the cultists. All three of them were still for a moment, staring at Natsu in disbelief, and then the bright light in his hand expanded into an enormous ball of flame.
The explosion was eerily silent, muffled by the magical forcefield. It filled the cube in brilliant shades of orange and red, engulfing everyone inside in Natsu's raw power. An enormous wave of magic exploded across the rooftop, washing over Gray and Rogue on its way to Baphomet.
"No," Gray whispered again as the cube began to dissipate. The flames slowly died out, leaving behind three charred corpses and a pile of smoldering robes.
"Sting!" Rogue's panicked shout snapped Gray out of his haze of grief, and he turned to see Baphomet stumble forward and release its grip on Sting's throat. Sting fell to the ground on all fours, gasping and choking for air. His sword lay on the ground, just out of reach.
Gray stumbled to his feet, keeping an eye on Baphomet, who was still dazed from the death of its summoners. He darted toward Sting, grabbing the hilt of the sword and dragging it across the ground.
"Get up," he said, grabbing Sting's shoulder and pushing him to his knees. Sting coughed, then sucked in several deep breaths before nodding and reaching out for his blade.
"I've got this," he said, voice hoarse. "Get behind me."
Gray nodded, still dazed, and scrambled back against the door as Sting hefted the sword in both hands and murmured a few quiet words. The length of the blade burst into brilliant white flames that flickered as Sting took a deep breath and charged.
Gray watched with a deep sense of relief as the blade sunk directly into Baphomet's chest. The demon howled in pain, swinging wildly at Sting, who dodged the blows and drove the blade deeper.
"Protero!" Sting shouted as another wave of holy magic radiated from him, spiraling out from the sword and creeping across Baphomet's skin. It quickly engulfed the demon, growing brighter and brighter until—
o.o.o.o.o.o
"The holy magic and your deadly blow are enough to rip through the magic holding Baphomet to this plane." Erza looked around the table, giving each of them a significant look. "As the tether that binds the demon dissolves and it disappears, a heavy silence settles across the rooftop. The shouts and screams of battle are gone, and all you can hear is the wind blowing through the branches of the horrible, flesh-like tree."
"Jesus fucking Christ," Sting swore, dropping his head into his hands and exhaling. "That was intense. I was sure we were all gonna d—" He caught himself, looking over at Natsu, who was staring at his dice with an uncomfortable expression on his face. The spot on his character sheet to track his health read 'Hit Points – 0/93."
"You're not dead yet," Rogue said quickly. "Sting can—"
Sting shook his head. "I'm out of healing spells," he said regretfully. "I used my last slot on that banishment. And we're all out of healing potions."
"Yeah, and this is my last death saving throw," Natsu said. He glared at his dice. "I failed the first two, so if this one fucks up…" He looked up at Gray. "I'm dead for good."
o.o.o.o.o.o
Gray groaned, pushing himself to his feet and trying not to focus on the aches that crept across his body. He still felt dizzy but managed to lock his gaze on the motionless pile of robes on the other side of the rooftop.
"You're bleeding." Sting's voice was muffled, and Gray blinked at him, still trying to clear his head. "You should sit down." When Sting's hand landed on Gray's shoulder, he pushed it off, shaking his head and taking another uncertain step forward.
"I gotta…" He trailed off, looking back over at Natsu's body. "I…"
Sting's expression twisted into guilt as he followed Gray's gaze. "Shit," he whispered. He looked down at Rogue, who had managed to shuffle himself against the wall of the building. Rogue nodded, gesturing for them to go to Natsu. "C'mon," Sting said, grabbing Gray's arm and wrapping it around his shoulders.
Each step across the rooftop ached. When they finally reached the charred circle where the fireball had gone off, Gray dropped to his knees. Sting helped him to roll Natsu onto his back and Gray brushed pieces of singed hair out of his face. His forehead and cheek were badly burned, and his arms were blistered, and Gray stared helplessly at his chest, willing it to move.
"You idiot," Gray managed through the tears that were starting to form. His throat was thick with smoke and emotion. "You stupid fucking… we could have figured out something else." He ran his fingers down Natsu's arm and took his hand, squeezing it gently.
"He saved us," Sting said gently. He was crying too, tears making tracks through the dirt and blood on his face. His hands trembled as he pressed them to Natsu's chest, but his magic only flickered dimly. "I can't heal him. I'm sorry."
o.o.o.o.o.o
"Here goes nothing." Natsu picked up his twenty-sided die – bright red, flecked with gold – and shifted it between his fingers a few times before tossing it into the center of the table.
The room was eerily silent as the dice rolled. Gray's chest was tight with the emotions of the roleplay – despite it not being real, the thought of Natsu sacrificing himself for everyone made him desperately sad.
"C'monnnn," Natsu whispered under his breath. The dice spun once more, then landed next to Gray's coffee cup – on a 20.
o.o.o.o.o.o
"It's not your fault," Gray reassured Sting, who slumped down onto his knees as well. "It was his cho—"
Natsu's hand twitched in his.
Gray looked down, eyes widening as Natsu's fingers trembled, then weakly wrapped around his own. Natsu's chest rose with a shallow, shuddering breath, and relief and joy flooded through Gray as his eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Did…" Natsu's voice was raspy as his gaze tracked from Sting to Gray. "Did it… work?"
"Yes," Gray squeezed his hand tightly. "Yes, you stupid fucking idiot. Don't you dare ever do anything like that again, you absolute moron." The angry words were tempered by a wet laugh of relief. Gray ran a thin layer of ice across the burns on Natsu's face and arms and he sighed in relief. "Can you move? We should get out of here."
"Ugh." Natsu took another shallow breath and tried to push himself up on his elbow. When he wobbled unsteadily, Gray put an arm around his shoulders and helped him up.
"I'm gonna go get Rogue," Sting said. "I'm glad you're alive. Thank you." He squeezed Natsu's shoulder, giving him a grateful look before heading back over to the other side of the roof.
Gray pulled Natsu as close as possible, being careful to avoid his wounds. "You're an idiot," he said again. "I thought you were dead."
"I thought I was too," Natsu admitted. He sighed and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Gray's shoulder. "I'm glad I'm not, though."
"Me too," Gray whispered before nudging Natsu's chin up and kissing him.
Natsu made a soft, happy sound, returning the kiss and gripping Gray's robes as tightly as he could. "Gray—"
"Shut up." Gray shook his head and kissed Natsu again. "You're not dead and neither am I so just shut the hell up and kiss me."
o.o.o.o.o.o
"Gaaaaaaaaaay," Sting whispered, laughing as Natsu punched him in the shoulder. He was still looking at Gray with pink cheeks and the widest smile Gray had ever seen.
"You all make your way slowly down the stairs," Erza interrupted, "supporting each other as you limp back out into the forest. The dark clouds begin to part as the sun breaks through, filling you with hope and warmth. Despite your wounds and your exhaustion, you are content, knowing that your quest was fulfilled, and you saved the world from a hellish nightmare." She closed her notebook with a flourish. "And that's the end of that campaign!"
"That was awesome," Sting said. "I can't believe we all survived."
"Barely," Rogue added. "Pretty sure my arm was about to fall off."
"Hey, at least you didn't get blown up," Natsu said indignantly.
"I believe that was your choice," Rogue said, laughing. "And you got a kiss out of it."
"Worth it," Natsu agreed.
The rest of the evening was spent laughing at each other and retelling the best parts of their adventures, and by the time everyone was ready to leave, it was almost one in the morning.
"Hey." Natsu caught Gray's hand as he started to head upstairs after the other three. "Do…" He hesitated, looking at the floor. "Do you wanna stay? I mean, I can drive you home if you want, of course, I just thought—"
"Yes." Gray waited until Sting, Rogue, and Erza were up the stairs before pulling Natsu close and kissing him. He ran a hand through Natsu's hair, brushing his messy bangs out of his face and bumping their noses together. "But this time we get to sleep in your bed instead of the couch."
Natsu laughed, kissing Gray's cheek and nudging him upstairs. "Deal," he said.
Once everyone was gone, it didn't take long to get ready for bed. Gray yawned as he shifted over, letting Natsu curl up next to him with his head resting on Gray's shoulder. He made a soft sound as Natsu slipped a hand under his shirt, tracing gentle circles on his hip.
"I'm glad Sting invited me to play with you guys," Gray said quietly, tipping Natsu's chin up to kiss him again. Natsu sighed contentedly and cuddled closer as he ran his tongue along Gray's lower lip.
"Me too," he murmured between kisses. "And I can't wait for the next adventure."