Family is Everything
Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail
Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG
Chapter 1 – Accidental Mates (Rated T)
Natsu walked into Gray's bedroom and stretched. It felt so good to get back from an extended mission. He moved over to the bed and collapsed onto it, his head hitting the soft pillows. Gray hadn't returned from the guild yet since he had to report their mission's results, which gave Natsu a little time to get ready.
Natsu and Gray had been going out secretly for the past six months. Sure, they'd had sex plenty of times, but Natsu's feelings had grown deeper over the past few months. He wanted something more now, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what that was.
The dragon-slayer got up from the bed, went into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and changed into an oversized black shirt. Next, Natsu dabbed a little bit of cinnamon-scented cream—it drove Gray wild—along his neck and wrists. Looking at himself in the mirror, he ruffled his hair to give it a messier look and then walked out of the bathroom.
Natsu pulled down the sheets on the bed and lit a few scented candles with his magic. Glancing at the clock, he realized Gray would be back any minute now. Smiling to himself, he mischievously stepped into Gray's closet and waited.
Gray opened the door to his bedroom wearily. He assumed Natsu would already be asleep. It had been a tedious mission, after all. Shutting the door behind him, he shrugged off his shirt and turned toward his bed. His jaw dropped in surprise.
The sheets were turned down. There was a slight aroma of cinnamon in the air, but Natsu was nowhere to be seen.
"Natsu?" he called out, searching for him.
"Yes, Gray?" Natsu answered huskily, revealing himself as he stepped out of the closet seductively.
Gray nearly fell over in shock. Natsu was wearing one of his shirts—only one of his shirts—which left little to the imagination. "N-Natsu?" he stammered as the dragon-slayer approached him. Gray tried backing away, not used to Natsu being so forward, but the dragon-slayer pulled him back and started loosening the ice mage's belt. "What are you doing?"
Natsu stared into his eyes. "I want you to make love to me, Gray. Please?" he begged, kissing Gray gently on the lips. "Please?" He succeeded in removing Gray's belt and dropped it on the floor. "Make love to me."
Gray felt his mouth go dry. Unable to utter a single word, he merely nodded. They'd done this many times before, but he wasn't used to Natsu being so assertive in the bedroom. This time felt different. He wasn't sure how, but he wasn't going to protest. Gray quickly gave into Natsu's demands.
Gray rolled onto his back in exhaustion, pulling Natsu with him so that he lay on his chest. His heart and neck pounded.
"That was good. Like, really good," stated Gray. "But did you have to go and bite my neck like that? I think I'm bleeding."
Natsu felt his heart slam unsteadily in his chest as he came down from his hormone-induced high, panic steadily taking over. What had he done?
Instead of alerting Gray that something was wrong, Natsu shakily snuggled up against him. Gray leaned up slightly to pull the sheets over them. Natsu felt the ice mage kiss him softly on the forehead. This made Natsu relax somewhat against him.
"I love you, Gray," he whispered.
"Mmm."
Gray woke to the sun shining on his face. Groggily opening his eyes, he looked down at the dragon-slayer splayed across his chest. He smiled happily when he remembered last night's activities. It always felt incredible how they gave themselves to each other, but last night felt like something more profound. Gray never imagined making love with someone you truly loved could feel so intense.
Gray tenderly nudged Natsu awake. "Natsu? Time to get up," he said softly. His request was met by a loud yawn. Natsu stretched, nestling back against Gray.
"Why?" came his muffled reply. Gray noticed that Natsu's eyes were still closed.
"Because I need to go on a mission today. I'd rather stay here in bed with you, but I made a promise," Gray answered, gently stroking the dragon-slayer's back.
Natsu groaned, sitting up in the bed, the sheets pooling about his waist as he stretched again. When Gray snickered, Natsu gave him a weird look. "What?"
"If you don't want me to ravage you this morning, I suggest you cover yourself up," he replied with a fiendish leer.
Natsu gasped in shock as he realized he was completely naked in broad daylight. Scrambling to pick up the sheet to cover himself from head to toe, the dragon-slayer flushed furiously when he remembered what happened last night. "Pervert!"
Gray chuckled loudly at Natsu's accusation. "No, I think you're more of a pervert than me. Who's the one who jumped me last night? Not that I minded or anything," he added slyly.
"Jerk," Natsu mumbled, but then his face grew serious. "I bit you last night."
"Yeah, and it hurt like a bitch, too," replied Gray, rubbing the sore spot on the side of his neck. "But it's not like I complained about getting it."
Natsu apprehensively rubbed his hands together. "We need to talk about that."
"It's just a bite."
"It's not just a—!"
"Anyway, I need to get going on that mission," Gray cut in.
Natsu was not pleased with the interruption. "Mission? What mission? We just got back from one."
"Yeah, well, this one's all me."
"How long are you going to be gone?"
Gray shrugged. "A couple weeks."
"A couple weeks?" Natsu echoed. "But we need to talk about the bite."
Gray rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll talk about it." He sighed as he rose from the bed in all his naked glory. "When I get back."
Natsu wanted to object, but he bit his tongue and nodded instead.
Gray smiled at that. Bending over, he gave Natsu a quick peck on the lips. As he pulled away, Natsu pulled him back. The kiss eventually became more prolonged, more intense, more urgent, more passionate.
Gray moaned when he finally managed to pull back completely. "Natsu," he growled, giving him another peck on the lips,
"I really have to go."
Natsu smiled sadly at him. "Then go. I can wait."
"Great," Gray said.
"Oh, and Gray?"
"Yes, Natsu?" Gray asked, turning to face him. Natsu now had a roguish grin on his face.
"Are you sure you wanna go on a mission like that?" Natsu smirked.
Gray turned beet red when he realized he was about to go off on a mission nude. What the hell was he thinking? Natsu was starting to become too much of a distraction.
After Gray left for his mission—fully clothed this time—Natsu decided to speak with Gajeel. However, instead of proceeding to the guild, Natsu chose to follow his nose.
This directed him to Gajeel's residence: a tiny place near the edge of Magnolia. Natsu braced himself for the onslaught of questions that would assuredly come his way and knocked on the door.
"Natsu! Well, this is a surprise!" announced Pantherlily.
"I-I need to speak with Gajeel," Natsu stammered.
Pantherlily invited Natsu inside and closed the door. As soon as he entered, Gajeel—who'd been enthusiastically chowing down on a large chunk of iron—stopped and stared at Natsu. A flash of concern and apprehension wavered in his eyes ever so briefly before it was superseded by a stern gaze.
"Oi, Lily. Leave us for a bit, will ya?" said Gajeel.
"I'll be at the guild," replied the Exceed as he stepped out.
Gajeel stood from his seat and approached the other dragon-slayer. He grabbed Natsu by the wrist and hauled him over to his beat-up couch, urging him to sit down. Gajeel sat next to him and stared. "Ya smell funny."
"That's the first thing you say?" Natsu replied meekly.
The lack of an insult made Gajeel grow more concerned. "What happened?"
"I-I think I accidentally made Gray my mate."
"Ya mated with the ice bastard?!"
"I don't know! I'm not sure!"
"How can ya not be sure?! Wait! How long has this thing been goin' on?"
Natsu stared at his clasped hands. "We've been seeing each other for the past six months."
"And what? Ya had sex for the first time last night? That don't make ya mates."
"We've had s-sex a lot before last night, but last night was different somehow. Something came over me, I think, and...I bit him," Natsu said softly.
Gajeel leaned closer toward Natsu and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He kept doing so until he found what he was looking for. "Ya went into heat last night, moron."
Natsu's eyes widened. Shit, Shit, Shit! Igneel had told him about going into heat! Why hadn't it dawned on him? That's why last night felt different.
"Is this your first heat?" asked Gajeel, looking curious.
Natsu nodded faintly, swallowing hard, the reality of the situation sinking in.
Gajeel ran a hand through his hair. "So, who's the—ya know—bottom?"
The fire mage paled. "M-Me." Now he realized he was in deeper shit.
"Ya talk to the ice bastard about this yet?" asked Gajeel.
Natsu shook his head. "He left on a mission."
"How long's he gonna be gone?"
"A couple weeks."
Gajeel frowned. "That's a long time to be away from your mate."
His mate. "I really made him my mate, didn't I?"
Gajeel nodded. "And then some."
Natsu didn't even want to consider the additional consequence of giving in to his heat cycle.
"You should see Wendy," started Gajeel, "to make sure."
Natsu swallowed thickly. "I don't wanna go to the guild."
Gajeel rubbed the fire mage's arms comfortingly. "Stay put. I'll bring her here."
"Thank you, Gajeel."
"That's what family's for, Salamander."
End Chapter