Author Notes:
Warnings: Swearing - Sexual themes/Content.
Genre, in depth: Male/Male Romance, also known as, Yaoi.
Story Cover Art: Astrovique.
Beta Reader: enjoys literature.
Disclaimer: Dear reader, I'm not the owner of Fairy Tail's characters. If they were mine, Gray and Natsu would be boyfriends.
O.o.O Chapter Three O.o.O
1:55AM
Plip. Plop.
Gray wiped his phone's screen with his black jacket. He stopped leaning against the frame of Hibiki's Land Cruiser and stared at the fire escape's exit, his heart galloping.
He forgot about the rotten decaying smell emitting from the trash containers, that he was leaving his job and mother behind, and that he trusted a stranger. His eyes were fixated on one thing. Natsu's security and safety. Yes, he was a douche-bag for breaking it to his clueless sleeping mother by a 'text message' that he decided to leave the district and head towards the unknown in order to protect his friend, but what options did he have?
Either he did this, or risked Natsu being kidnapped. Kidnapped? Stifling a grunt was all he could do. Natsu was a dumbass who had nothing to be kidnapped for, except for, perhaps, money. Like Natsu's super rich, but not a billionaire-rich that a psychopath would have an eye on him.
Then again, the world was a shitty shit-hole nowadays. For some sickos, money is everything. Happiness, desire, necessity, obsession.
Did Natsu become a wanted felon with a bounty on his head? If that's the case, that's another story.
Gray exhaled, the chilly air itching deep into his skin as he waited. Few more minutes and Natsu would be safe with him until they figure it out.
After he had sent his mom that text, he froze for a few seconds. God, what was he doing? Did he know what he was doing? Was he following the correct course of action? According to Hibiki Lates, a guy he knew as of three days ago, he was.
He took in the fuck it deep breath and banished the doubt rushing in his blood to calm. So long as guilt didn't accompany his decisions, Gray was confident. Guilt would devour him whole if Natsu was harmed because of something he did, or did not do.
Tapping on the wheelchair's metal didn't help his patience. What if Hibiki couldn't make it? What if-
'He said 2:02AM. Fucking wait.'
And Hibiki was accurate. At 2:02AM, he dashed out of the fire escape with Natsu carried on his back, unconscious.
Was the '02' necessary?
Hibiki hustled his way to the Land Cruiser. In hurried movements, he dropped Natsu's body inside, and Gray helped him lift the wheelchair to the Land Cruiser's trunk.
"Ok, here we go." Hibiki started the engine, and they were on their way, "Fasten his seatbelt and yours. This is gonna be one hell of a ride."
"Where to?"
"Do what I said."
Fine, be secretive.
Natsu was there, in hospital clothes, covered with Hibiki's blazer. For a second, Gray thought Natsu wasn't breathing, so he placed his hand on Natsu's chest, and there it was. A gentle rise and fall that ensured his liveliness, safety, warmth.
"Is he… okay?"
"He's fine. Can't let him in on what's happening or where we're going, that's all."
He worked on Natsu's seatbelt, raising his arm. The scrappy nails, the bruise on the back of hand, signs of struggle. He was close enough to see the reddish skin and traces of blood under his nose, the swollen eye. Physical abuse aside, the incident would leave a permanent mental mark in Natsu.
As Gray's fingers grazed the bandage around Natsu's neck, black and violet flames wrapped, united, and dispersed through his limbs that tightened with a desire for vengeance.
Natsu wasn't perfect, but he was that high school (delinquent) student who gave away more than half of his lunch food to a poor hungry classmate. As an adult, he was that dude who had fun standing in the middle of a garden feeding hungry birds. His beaming smile was contagious and cheered lots of people to achieve their goals, to pass a difficult time, to work hard at the Taekwondo club activities. This bullshit shouldn't have happened to someone like him. He held the warm hand in his, grateful the boy's eyelids closed in serenity, and made a promise.
'I'm not a hero, but I'll do the absolute best to protect you.'
No matter how torn or battered, Natsu's hand was still beautiful, same as his pink boyish eyelashes, or his soul that brightened with the purest light. He would defend everything fucking sparkly in Natsu, even if his life paid the price.
It took them hundreds of kilometers and two hours driving on roads engulfed with a starless night until they reached Hibiki Lates's 'safe' mansion. Gray hoisted Natsu's body and settled him in the wheelchair as Hibiki opened his three security gates.
Hibiki's mansion resembled the fucking concealed entrance to platform nine and three quarters of Harry potter. You pass through the security gates, the main entrance, and discover that the hard silver grey contemporary exterior is a portal to a magical realm of Corona chandeliers, ornamented rugs, and enormous French sofas.
Weird. Hibiki Lates didn't strike him as a classical French interior lover.
"I think that room is convenient since your friend is handicapped at the moment. But first…" Hibiki cuffed Natsu's hands, "Much better. It's about time he wakes up so, careful. He's a felon until we prove otherwise."
"But-"
"Nope. Not negotiating."
Well, no arguing with that.
Gray pushed Natsu's wheelchair onto the oak parquet corridor's flooring next to Hibiki who showed him the kitchen and the bathroom.
"I'll be in the room opposite to the living room. Need anything, call me."
Gray nodded and bowed, "Thank you so much. It's-"
"-Gray. I'm not doing you a favor. This is really… It's not about you or him anymore. This is about the integrity of my agency and my men, and that's a nightmare, but not your problem. I did myself a favor, so don't thank me."
"It sucks I can't offer help."
"Like I said, not your problem." Hibiki handed him a handbag, "Here. Your friend's luggage and medicine."
"Thanks."
"Take your rest. Like I said, if you need anything, I'm a living room away."
"Goodnight… or shall I say morning?"
They laughed lightly, then Hibiki left him to rest.
Gray placed the bag on the edge of the king-size bed and sighed. The point of no return.
The pleasant floral scent dominated the room from the fresh roses vase onto the night stand as the king-size bed stood out proudly. There was one study desk, a sofa, and two small table lamps giving the dark room light.
He stretched his arms, dismissed his glasses to rub away the sleep from his eyes, and discarded his black jacket, stopping midway when Natsu stirred.
The pink haired wasn't fully conscious, head heavy and swinging to the left and right, eyes half closed.
"Gray?"
A slow smile fought against Gray to govern his features. His throaty voice ridded Gray of the past 20-hours tension. Because… he was there, and the first thing he said was Gray's name.
He kneeled in front of the wheelchair and held Natsu's shoulder, "Hey."
Natsu dozed off, his head falling back.
Gray decided against disturbing Natsu's sleep and carried the clueless boy to bed.
'What kinda drug did Hibiki give him?'
Before he could lay Natsu on the bed, he paused. Natsu's warmth spread through, thinning Gray's skin that his heart could be seen through, enchanted. It was inappropriate, but for a few, just a few seconds, he wanted him to settle there, in his arms.
Natsu's eyes opened again, confused, and held on to Gray's chest, instinctively.
"…eh?"
Gray chuckled, and laid him on the bed, but Natsu won't let go of his shirt. He hovered above Natsu, eyes searching in the boy's disoriented honest ones. His hands wrapped around Natsu's warm one on his chest and as much as it pained him, he tried prying it off.
But it won't. Although Natsu was sedated to hell with no control over his limbs, his hold won't budge.
"… Stay."
He said it. Unconscious or not, Natsu wanted him to stay. It pulled a muffled gasp in his chest as he stared at Natsu longer. His eyes were half-lidded, his lips have lost their healthy color, his smooth naval was exposed under the hospital clothes.
What if he brings those lips their healthy color back? Natsu was unconscious anyway, he wouldn't know.
'Stop.'
"I'll stay." Gray let Natsu hold on to him as he slid Hibiki's blazer off the boy's shoulders, covering him with the beige comforter. He sat next to him, hand in the pink hair, "I'll stay."
"Hmm."
Natsu closed his eyes, satisfied with Gray's answer and soft massage to his scalp.
Gray smiled and continued his ministrations, almost drifting to sleep, "Things are more complicated now, Natsu… I don't know what to do…"
When he was certain his friend dived into a deep sleep, he slipped away from Natsu's hold, and flung his body on the sofa, gaze fixed on the ceiling. They would be strangers again once Natsu is sober. Their relationship would be the ugly patch work that Gray himself created.
'Why did it have to be this way, Natsu?'
Narita, Japan – 10:30AM – Hibiki Lates's Safe House (Mansion)
Gray spent the two hours left from the night's darkness on the sofa. His plan was to catch some sleep, but his mind was a vigilante over his friend. The previous attacks and attempted kidnappings activated the paranoia in him, causing the current predicament.
He wished for ten minutes of sleep, just ten minutes.
"You're killing yourself. My mansion has three security gates, automatic bollards with an alarm system, the glazing is bullet-proof and vandalism-proof, heck, if we're bombed, the place still won't collapse because the specs of my reinforced concrete walls are something else. You should have slept OK."
His head spun. He didn't have his glasses on, so he could see half of Hibiki's facial details, but it was enough to tell that the blonde wasn't happy, "Thank you for telling me that now."
"Honestly, what is a safe house for? Or did you want me to give you the construction details at four in the morning?"
"Ok dude, no need to yell."
"Shit, I'm not yelling, you need to sleep."
"Cool."
Hibiki stood in the middle of the kitchen in his dress shirt and pants from yesterday, no tie. According to him, he slept for three hours, and they were enough. Lucky him.
Gray's attention was focused on those breakfast sandwiches in the making. He didn't have dinner or a snack for a long time and he was ready to dig in even if it tasted like shit.
Finally, the blond poured orange juice (no coffee for Gray) and a square-shaped plate with his creation. The sandwiches were comprised of kale with eggs and grilled cheese. They were tasty, and his fascination must have appeared because Hibiki chuckled out of the blue in front of his two big ass laptops and weird small device.
"There's more for your friend. Whenever he wakes up."
His cheeks gained a hint of red, "Thanks, it's so refreshing. Your girlfriend's a lucky chick." The eggs were perfect.
"Heh, that's funny." Hibiki munched on his food.
"What? She doesn't appreciate?"
The blond shrugged, "Nah, she doesn't exist."
"Seriously? You look like a great man though."
"So?" Hibiki gave his attention to Gray for a second.
"Behind every great man, there's a great woman. "
Hibiki chuckled again, and returned to his laptop screens, "My occupation is tacky, and I'm more the love and leave kinda guy. Not a great man, I can tell you that."
"Oh." Did he reopen any healing wounds? "There's greatness in that too."
Hibiki laughed this time, "You're so wasted. By the way, you can borrow some of my clothes if you need to change. We'll be staying here for quite some time until the storm calms."
"Thanks, appreciate that."
Fuck, he needed a shower. Those clinging jeans irritated him too, and he couldn't wait to get comfortable in sweatpants, if Hibiki owned them.
It wasn't long before Hibiki's phone rang. He answered a few calls and ignored some. Then came one call that changed the course of the day.
"Fernandes, listen—no you listen-nah, I literally helped the guy escape, trusting that you'll have something. Otherwise, you're dead."
Gray resumed eating his sandwiches, slower than before. Hibiki made agreeable noises, then hung up and Gray was curious, but didn't question because the blond had enough to worry about.
But what the fuck is going on?
"Relax, Fullbuster. Fernandes has good news."
"Ok?"
"He's… well. He's gonna be here, and you're finished, let's go."
No, he wasn't finished, but complied. In hurried steps, he followed Hibiki to the narrow elevator that accelerated upwards to the mansion's roof. Gray's face winced at the sunlight beaming down and shielded his eyes.
Because his ears picked up an uncomfortable buzz, his gaze was forced towards the sky.
"Are you serious?!"
"Yup. I swear to god, it's like I created the helipad on top of this roof only for his sake. Enough abuse already."
The chopper's blades whirr deafened him and shattered his troubled head. When it landed, a guy with sunglasses and large headsets over his ears appeared. He removed both the headsets and sunglasses, grabbed a backpack and hopped off, smiling as he ran their way.
The guy's hair color matched his causal denim jacket over the white V-neck, and the amber of his eyes shone with the sunlight contrasting with the bloody red marking slashing across his eye. Gray's image of formal-suit-and-tie-and-arrogant kind of guy got ruined. This was… well… what?
"Took you long enough princess!" Hibiki yelled out.
They were old friends from the looks of it.
"Is that how a commoner talk to an ambassador?"
Shit…
"Excuse me, your highness. What kind of ambassador can't get in touch with the Guinean embassy in forty-eight hours? It's time you retired."
"What kind of defense intelligence general gets beaten up at the airport AND a lousy medical center by his own men?! You're one to talk!"
Shit...
"That's low. OMG, that's so low."
Shit…
"If your house is made of glass, don't throw stones at others!"
"Come here you little! Shit, I didn't think I would be glad to see you!"
Shit…
Hibiki Lates is crazy.
Hibiki Lates was a defense intelligence general. He was buddies with an ambassador, and was cursing an ambassador and still breathing oxygen. Not only that, they were hugging.
"Gray! My friend, Jellal Fernandes."
"Lo siento Hibiki-san, I've just realized that I've exposed your identity…" The ambassador, Jellal Fernandes said.
"No worries, you did yours too. Guess we're even." Hibiki laughed, and Gray gawked at the scene.
That Jellal Fernandes was a few years older than him. How the hell did he become an ambassador? Gray cursed owning nothing more than his bachelor of Electrical Engineering. Pathetic.
"Nice to finally meet you in person, Gray."
Like, are you serious? An ambassador was saying it's 'nice' to see him? Fuck, Gray didn't even humor the thought of seeing an ambassador in his lifetime, "… pleasure is all mine."
Hibiki and Jellal laughed, "Gray, loosen up. Jellal's cool."
"I'm so thirsty. The weather's shit." Jellal blurted.
Both of the extraordinary people walked to the living room's bar. "Serious? I wasn't thinking of going outside cause guess what? Got a felon cuffed in that room. Will you enlighten us now?"
"YES!" Jellal laughed.
Hibiki waved to Gray, "Come here!"
Was it legal to sit next to an ambassador? Like, what's the protocol?
"For the love of GOD! Would you sit?" Hibiki dragged Gray to the stool and stomped towards his fridge, taking out Guava juice. It was amusing witnessing the ambassador accept the glass of Guava juice like normal people—way too much like normal people.
When Gray first met with Hibiki, he thought the guy was the pandemic of confidence, but Jellal Fernandes? He won Gray's liking in their first few seconds, at the same time, his body shrunk in size as if sensing the authority and power the blue-haired guy possessed.
His voice was just the right tone, not low, not high, strong enough to resonate.
Jellal Fernandes made the famous gesture of 'Hold up' with his finger, then hopped off the bar-stool to go get the backpack from the sofa. He pulled out his laptop and a large pink folder. First, he started up his computer, then removed a paper from the folder, giving it to Gray.
"Your friend wasn't lying." The ambassador begun, "There you go. Attested from the Guinean embassy, you guys have no idea how painful it is to get that paper."
"oooooohhhhh." Hibiki's eyes widened, "You did it bro! But wait, how's that possible?!"
"Yes, dual citizenship! But when did you…?" Gray rubbed his eyes from underneath his glasses, holding the paper as if it was fragile glass.
"Take that Erza Scarlet!"
"But how?!"
"Before you guys bombard me with questions, please wait until I explain."
"…"
"What surprised me was that this task, even for me, demanded effort and negotiations. As Hibiki-san said, I should have gotten this paper in forty-eight hours. If not, I should have at least gotten a word from the Guinean embassy it's being processed."
Something locked Gray's lungs, he needed an answer, "Natsu's Japanese, this isn't real."
Jellal laughed as he drank some of his juice. "He is. He is Guinean too."
Because the paper in his hand had a significant role in proving Natsu's innocence, Gray didn't shred it as he wished he could.
"About three years ago, he traveled to Guinea to help a guy there goes by the name Alzack Connell. Alzack worked in the mines, and down there, Natsu helped a man beaten up and I think the whole thing was an abduction scheme that failed because of Natsu's interference at a crucial time. That's how he got the citizenship."
Gray grunted, "Excuse me? He helped a man, so what?! How-"
"-That man was the vice-president's guard. Senior Ondrej."
Gray and Hibiki gawked at the ambassador.
"Ondrej Jeremiah was grateful to his rescuer and granted him citizenship with the Japanese government's agreement. The guy had a lot of powerful connections so it was easily done." Jellal finished his juice, "Ondrej was in Italy and his information is all confidential, thus, the paperwork took time. Don't ask me how I got this much out, it can cost my life."
Gray sat the paper on the side.
"With all respect, I don't understand. Why would he go to such lengths to grant Natsu the Guinean passport?"
"Pardon me." Jellal apologize for laughing out loud, but he didn't look apologetic, "Some say it was gratitude… Some say it was a gift from Ondrej to Natsu for saving his life, but that's not true."
Hibiki crossed his arms over his chest, and Gray did the same.
"Ondrej was in love with your friend. He wanted them to marry, and when I tracked Ondrej's records, I found a marriage registration paper which was never signed by Natsu Dragneel. Concrete evidence, is that better or what?"
"Ouch! Nice one dude, how the hell did you fucking know?" Hibiki smacked Jellal's shoulder.
Jellal gave Hibiki a look that said it's because I'm so awesome.
What the fuck? Marriage-fucking-registration fuck paper?
The headache Gray's head harnessed because of sleep deprivation soon evolved, thrashed around with the worst information overload.
"First time I see a Guinean dude go gay all the way to marriage. But well, I think their women aren't as soft as foreigners!" Hibiki joked.
"You'll be surprised. There's a huge percentage of Guineans who are gay."
Hibiki's voice heightened, a hard serious look replaced his cheerful features, startling them. He grabbed his gun and aimed behind them, towards the pink haired who listened to their conversation in silence.
"Get on the ground and-"
Gray froze as he stared between the hole of Hibiki's gun and Natsu.
'Fuck… fuck, FUCK!'
In seconds, Gray's robotic body pushed him on his feet, his chest blocking the gun's way to Natsu who complied and got on the floor.
The ambassador sighed and strode towards Natsu, defending him too, "He's innocent, remember?"
To Be Continued...
Next Chapter Release: In 10-15 days.
Special thanks to: JChrista (dude, I'm still hung up on your profile pic), deboome (Long time no see!), and Kori no Koibito (The successful electrical engineer, you have my utmost respect. I know how you guys suffer since my brother is one). Dudes, I know I sound weird, but really, what a fucking day...
Thank you ALL for reading. Feel free to share any comment, or advice. I'd love that.
Alright, till next time!
Flame-Belt