Author Notes:
I officially apologize for not posting within the promised period. GUYS. I'm… SO sorry, especially for the 'Guest' reviews. The delay happenend for these reasons: I was travelling back and forth between two cities for work, and then I traveled for an unexpected vacation. Also… MORE work. I could've gotten this chapter posted a month ago, but I couldn't let it go without editing and refining it more. I hope it was worth all your wait.
This chapter is too, too long. I had debated cutting it off into halves, but I figured I should compensate for the delay, so essentially, I'm giving you two chapters!
This chapter is also one of my favorite chapters. I enjoyed writing it and I love it because it has that development in Natsu's and Gray's relationship! I hope you like reading as much as I enjoyed the writing.
Warnings: Swearing - Sexual themes/Content.
Genre, in depth: Male/Male Romance, also known as, Yaoi.
Story Cover Art: The Amazing 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 Seven O.o.O
"Dude, I'm bored. It's been so long since I've checked my Facebook account."
"Fuck you. Facebook account my ass."
Natsu snapped, "I HAVE ONE."
"And I have a Snapchat account."
"Fuck if you have one. You don't tell your own mom what goes on, and you'd tell the world? So messed up."
"You get my point."
"I have a Facebook account."
"No, you really don't."
"I do."
"You don't."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES."
"NO."
"Yes."
"YOU DON'T HAVE ONE."
Natsu spoke between his gritted teeth, "FINE. Man, my twitter is flooded by now-"
"Stop the BS."
"How can you be so sure? Huh, tell me? How?-"
"-Who in their right mind will follow a pink head slanted almond eyed-idiot? The answer is no one—except your Guinean buddies and your black boyfriend."
"I know I feel sick, but I can still kick your fucking ass for that racist comment."
"Wanna go down the road where we argue for an hour about how this isn't racist and just ironic?"
The wavy road they drove through, rocked them sideways, up-down, frontwards-backwards, and they were heading for the top-or the other side's lower part, who knows? The plum trees, bushes, yellow flowers, all shifted to blur through the windows as the Land Cruiser sped towards its destination.
"Man, this thing between you and transportation is still fucking hilarious."
"What? Don't you notice the remarkable improvement?"
"Yeah. Like I also notice the lifeless eyes."
"Shut it. This road isn't recovering-motion-sickness-people-friendly, ok?"
"Dude… this is Japan, why don't you go back to flat Guinea where you oh so belong?"
"I swear to god-!"
The driver's foot pressed on the brakes to climb yet another route. As a result, Natsu's body jerked forward, and Gray held the boy's waist before he bumped his face into the front seat. And oh-boy, the stiffness of Natsu's abdominal muscles spoke about a brutal workout routine. The curiosity of assessing the quality of chest muscles, biceps, triceps, and lower-much-lower abdominal ones controlled his palms.
Before he rips the idiot's shirt apart and indulges himself in a sinful act, he shoved the hazardous body away, and strapped the seatbelt around Natsu's waist.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
"It's a seatbelt, not a hentai tentacle dear."
Natsu shifted between the seatbelt and his seat, "I don't need it, okay?!"
"There's something wrong with you! You almost fucking bumped your head."
"This 'seatbelt' culture is stupid. It means I don't trust the driver and it's rude!"
"Fuck, WHAT?!"
"At least that's what it means in Guinea."
Ok, CALM THE FUCK DOWN, breathe and don't strangle Natsu, you like his sexy muscles.
"Really? Why don't you stand in the long ass line of people waiting for me to give a shit about your damned morals of your damned to hell nation?"
"What. Did. You. Say?"
"What. You. Heard."
"Anooooo…" The short blonde guy in the front seat interjected, raising his sunglasses, "Are you really in your early twenties? Hibiki-Senpai told me that… is it true?"
The raven-haired driver's snicker embarrassed them. Why did he let Natsu's bullshit rub off on him?
"Ah… yes… I'm twenty-four," Gray pushed his glasses back, "He's twenty-three."
"Hoooo." Amazement shone in Eve Tearm's deep sea water eyes, "Your energetic selves are impressive. What was that—? Oh yeah. Young at heart."
"Aha-haha… thank you." Natsu replied, rubbing the back of his head.
They exchanged glares of look what you did, then shoved their heads away, observing the green mountain's scenery.
Two months and a half post (Gildarts the Villain MD), which should be the title of his life two months ago, Hibiki directed them to stay hidden for god knows how long, god knows why. Hibiki had too many irons in the fire after that incident to answer questions and Gray understood nothing, but refusing the government wasn't an option, so he submitted in reluctance and Natsu followed by default.
Eve Tearm, and Ren Akatsuki were Hibiki's contacts who escorted them from Fukuoka's airport and drove them miles out the city.
The Land Cruiser slowed until it halted because of the closed road, and the traffic police scattered to regulate the path of the honking vehicles.
"Shit…" The driver removed his sunglasses, "I totally forgot. Was it today? Shit."
Eve Tearm shrugged, "Yeah, I forgot too. Well, that's a half an hour break."
"It's gonna be unprecedented if it's only half an hour."
"Let's hope for the best."
Ren reversed to park the car. He exited and talked to one of the traffic police officers while Eve unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Guys. We'll have a break. If you wanna stretch your legs, this is your chance."
"Ah… Ok." He could use a whiff of fresh air. Natsu dashed to it before he did, jumped on the paved ground where fallen leaves cluttered and inhaled as much wood-scent freshness as he could.
"Thank the gods. I was so close to puking."
He shook his head and marveled at the sight of plum trees as their light pink tinge was fading. Ren talked to the traffic police and Eve joined him, and Gray was curious.
"What do you think is going on?" Natsu stretched his arms above his head as he rotated his torso.
"If you don't know, why would I?"
"Where do you think we're going?"
"Seriously?"
"OK FINE." Natsu almost smacked Gray's shoulder, except that he didn't. He pulled back his palm at the last moment, "Is it better than the morning?"
Underneath Gray's cream T-shirt, there was a bandage wrapped tightly around the injury the bullet left behind, and it almost healed… almost. His eyes darted to Natsu's bandaged arm and snickered, "You should ask yourself that…"
Gray came to know that his motherfucker MD could track them because of a nano-tracker one of his accomplices implanted in Natsu's body when he was attacked in Kameda Medical center. Removing the tracker from Natsu's shoulder and entire system was another minor surgery he had to undergo.
"Gray." Natsu's voice resembled a hard paved surface. Not allowing for resilience, bickering, or smart-ass comments. It demanded the answer Natsu searched for, and won't settle for less. Also, it was weak and worried.
Gray being Gray, he didn't give a shit.
"Are you worried about me?" Oh, this is so much fun.
Natsu threatened him with his fist, "You wish! I need to know when I can beat the shit out of you liberally."
"Hmmm. So you're worried."
Natsu paused before his mouth opened to slam an answer in Gray's face. The look he gave Gray was one saying I'm not worried, I'm killing myself with worry and stress over you, but I won't fucking say it, cause of pride. The first time Gray saw Natsu after the incident, the boy had lost so much weight, had dark bags under his eyes-basically, he was the basic zombie of Plants vs. Zombies. Not even the badass one with the metal bucket over his head. The idiot refused eating, sleeping, showering. Gray was the one who brought misfortune upon Natsu because of his relationship with Gildarts, not the other way around. They have had so many (fruitful and non-fruitful) chats the past month and a half until Natsu returned to the land of the living.
"I-"
"Don't fight kids."
The blonde and his companion joined them, and unlike Eve's chill attitude, Ren was uptight, hands in his pockets.
"Multiple trucks are moving a special item into our base, so we gotta wait. They're almost done, but since we're very free, we figured we'll give you kids a few tips."
Natsu and Gray listened as they appreciated the cool breeze.
"I'll leave this to Senpai, he'll do a better job than me in breaking this down. Senpai, please go ahead!"
"Whatever." Ren said, "Listen up. It's so simple that a squirrel can get it."
Sweet.
"Don't ask why, don't say no, don't reply with huh. Don't engage in sexual activities with any of the girls—or in your case, guys inside. Don't laugh openly at someone when giving you instructions, and don't respectfully decline to take part in major training events—like, you'll be setting yourself up for bullying. Questions?"
Gray raised his hand and Ren nodded.
"We're civilians, why should we abide by military rules? Or why are we expected to?"
"As this guy said, these are tips. If you show you're giving a courtesy to the people inside, you'll be respected a notch. No troubles and all that."
"—For your information, I could be engaged in sexual activities with girls." Natsu cut in with a sly smile.
"Whatthehellever. Don't do relationships or sex inside. It's complicated, and neither of you can bear the repercussions of dating a militant."
"Sounds challenging." Natsu rubbed his chin in a way that says I'm all fired up. And Gray could only shake his head. As always, trouble attracts Natsu. Then again, military girls would be all fit, tight, and dangerous. He exchanged a look with Natsu who shared Gray's thoughts and both broke into heavy laughter.
"Kids…" Eve Tearm shook his head, "Don't even think about it… speaking from an experience…"
Natsu whistled, "Care to share?"
A loooooooooong heavy sigh tore Eve as it came out, "Let's say, it won't be pretty when she hears you cheated on her as she's deployed on the other sweltering part of the globe-"
Ren held Eve's shoulder, and nodded, "-She'll track you down like a vindictive bitch, haunt you while you're eating tacos at a random Mexican restaurant, making an example out of you in front of your peers."
Eve threw himself at Ren's chest and faked crying.
"YOU FUCKING DESERVED IT YOU ASSHOLE!" Gray and Natsu yelled, irritated as hell.
"Not when I expressed my intentions of wanting an OPEN relationship. Some females are hard to fathom. They go with the flow, then they end up getting hurt…"
"Yiikes!" Natsu slapped his forehead at Eve's logic.
Ren cleared his throat, "Digression aside, your protection is guaranteed. Just follow the rules and everything will fall into place."
"Protection from what?" Gray raised the question that has been bothering him for days.
Eve said, "Hibiki-Senpai will contact you and explain. We're his messengers, and that's it, sorry. Aside from these tips we shared, you'll pick stuff up yourselves on the way."
The desire to drill Hibiki's ears with profanities heightened. One fine day, he showed up and told them they'll enroll in a witness protection program for WHAT?—no idea. WHY?-no idea. And that they'll travel to Fukouka—and that's it.
If Natsu hadn't gone all the way to fucking Guinea, he'd be playing online war games, and not on a trip to a creepy place.
They discussed further until the traffic police informed Ren they can pass. This 'special item' was so special they've closed the road for two hours or more, and the endless queue of vehicles with angry drivers that almost stretched from Fukouka till Tokyo lessened as they removed the offending temporary gate.
Intimidated by Ren and Eve, the traffic police prioritized their exit, which was cool and fucking illogical. Why would anyone be intimidated by the cute thing that is Eve? Not that he's complaining. At least they got to escape the congestion.
Long live Defense Intelligence agents, bless you all, shameless womanizers.
Natsu wasn't cooperative when it came to the seatbelt, but Gray forced it on him.
"Hey."
"Mhmm?" Gray looked at his friend.
"You didn't forget about your promise, did you?"
"What are you talking about?"
Natsu raised an eyebrow and combined it with a glare, "Playing dumb much?"
"No. Dude, what are you talking about?"
"Remember you said you'll tell me everything after we're done from all the shit?"
Fuck. Right. He did, right.
"Oh." Gray pretended to be interested in the beautiful landscape, "Sure."
"When?"
"It's not gonna be right now. Talk about reading the atmosphere."
"Yeah, but when?" Natsu pressed, his emotional side surfacing, and that wasn't good.
"Once we're settled. I'm not running away, we're stuck together for an infinite amount of time."
Natsu tsk-ed and rested his chin on his palm as he watched the scenery next to him, "I hate you."
"Love you too."
"Fuck you man."
"You don't want me replying to that."
"Shut it."
"You started it! You should have the balls to continue."
"They're attached tightly under my dick, very much there." Natsu whipped his head towards him, "But if we continue, I'm gonna crack your skull."
Eve sighed.
Almost three years ago, Gray made a choice to leave Natsu's life. He'd debate the sanity and the correctness of that choice often, and he'd shrug it since he regretted nothing. A part of him hated explaining to Natsu because of the grave consequences, the other part wanted the heaviness off his chest for good.
Getting shot and involved in Natsu's affairs wasn't so bad. It restored part of their relationship, but Natsu held a part of him back from Gray. He won't look Gray in the eye for over two minutes, won't chatter freely with him about stupid nonsense he bothered him with before, won't use violence (that was Gray's last hope of physical contact), and it was a miracle they could still bicker.
FYI, Natsu used to fucking sleep on his lap, so this underlying tension and caution in Natsu's treatment made him stand and say Are you fucking serious?
It's true that Natsu felt indebted to Gray after he'd taken two fatal shots for him, but that didn't nullify the negative effect of Gray's actions towards Natsu in the past. Natsu wished to understand, and it was fine, anyone in his position would want the same thing.
You can't be brothers one day, and the next, your brother is shutting you off, deserting you, treating you like a damn stranger. That shit is crazy.
There was ONE fix. Saying the truth—and oh god, how difficult and cruel the truth always is. But there was no escaping it, if he wanted things to be like they once were.
Natsu was lost in the green mountain's scenery, his pink hair floating around since he insisted on opening the window half-way to breathe, he pulled his kissable lips in a thin line, and if they were anything like before, Gray could caress his soft cheek and it'd be fine. Tsk, why was this happening to him? Why was Natsu so goddamn beautiful?
They passed through two main security gates into the Blue Pegasus military base as Eve briefed them. The guards requested all of their IDs, including Eve and Ren's. When it was verified, they removed the automatic security bollards so that their vehicle passes.
"Wow, another one so soon?"
Eve laughed, "This place is fortified because it hosts not only VIPs, ambassadors, and entrepreneurs, but also lots of secrets—we're here. Kids, let's step out for a minute."
They exited the Land Cruiser. A blonde with an average height waited for them to show up with his arms crossed. A formal white collared shirt defined his fine-toned built, his black tie hung above his black pants belt, and his hands were in black gloves.
The sharp stone blue judgmental eyes made Gray shift. He did nothing wrong, right?
Eve and Ren saluted him, and the blonde did the same, though a frown covered his face. Behind him, an intense line of solemn soldiers stood, and maybe he was their boss.
"IDs?" The guy said.
Eve handed him their IDs and the weapon licensing paper. An intense loud-whirring that drilled his ears pulled his gaze towards the sky where a squadron of aircrafts rocketed. The nine aircrafts maneuvered around the military base's buildings singly, and then reunited in one path through the higher altitudes. That air force formation impressed him and he didn't want to lose a second of the show.
Was it a show? Or was it training?
"We'll field-strip this vehicle."
Back to earth… He will do what to the vehicle?
Eve nodded and Ren got out of the way. One soldier behind the blonde drove their car into a small workshop.
"These two, physical search."
"That's fine. Be mindful with Gray, he's got two recovering gunshot injuries."
The guy nodded.
Eve retreated and spoke to them, "Guys, don't worry, it's only a procedure."
Eve explained that its protocol, but that was a shitty one. With his instincts of self-preservation intact, his muscles quivered as his palm turned into a fist in his pocket.
"Girls that way, guys that way."
Natsu tapped his foot on the paving, his voice deepening, "Where're the girls again?"
"Oh." The blonde approached Natsu, "Turns out, you're a guy. Interesting."
Natsu's entire being reddened as he froze.
"Stop laughing, ASSHOLE."
Gray was a laughing mess in the Land Cruiser.
The pit of his stomach throbbed with pain, his lungs struggled with a little air in them, and his jaw fucking hurt.
"…" Gray couldn't stop his sharp intakes of air, or giggling.
Girls… pffft, girls.
"That guy! How dare he?! Such a motherfucking asshole! I'm more of a guy than he'll ever be!"
Natsu's voice shook, his foot stomping on the vehicle's floor. Eve chuckled, and Ren had a smile fighting to be noticed.
"Ah well, don't hold a grudge! Sergeant Sting Eucliffe is so strict when he's on duty. He's a nice person when you get to know him on a personal level…"
"Like I want to! YOU! OH MY GOD, STOP LAUGHING!" Natsu smacked Gray's head, "This physical check was the worst! My knuckles itched to knock off those looks of contempt! What did I ever do to that guy?!"
Gray practiced inhaling and exhaling to save himself from choking and dying.
"You done?!" Natsu asked.
Gray smirked, and whipped his head back to his window, observing the squadron of aircrafts flying by.
What were they doing in this place?
'Sergeant Sting Eucliffe' had his staff provide Natsu and him with new phones which can only make calls, send texts—no images or video storage and sharing, after they had synchronized the contact lists between their smart phones and those basic ones. Back to the twentieth century bullshit. And it didn't settle in Gray's stomach well.
Hibiki better explains to them soon.
Natsu fumed, "I'm so hungry I could eat all those security guys."
Yeah, Gray was hungry too, not the kind Natsu experienced though.
Snickers sputtered out of him, "Watch it boy. They're too old for you to wish for that."
"Fuck you." Natsu cursed.
"I mean you have been with an older man for a long time, so it won't surprise me."
"Watch your—Fuck me, is that… another gate?"
Gray banged his forehead on the glazing of the window.
Natsu breathed, "Man, talk about tight security, this place is like an airport or worse, a prison."
"Step out of the vehicle."
Gray and Natsu were thinking, 'Been there, done that.'
Eve laughed nervously at the guard's command, harboring sympathy towards the kids who got checked physically, again. The biggest dilemma was when one of the security guys pointed out guns existence in their belongings, making Eve unfold a long explanation about Hibiki Lates, and how the guy PROVIDED them those, and the written confirmation from their headquarters.
Which fired up an argument. Because Gray wasn't that mature, and Natsu was starving, they had remarks about the issue at hand. Said remarks weren't welcomed, and they should've known better.
"Man, we've met your obsessed pals five minutes ago, and they had passed us. I don't see why this is a problem?!" Natsu spat.
Eve's sunglasses fell at Natsu's objection, one that kicked the 'tips' he had given before entering their military base in the freaking balls. The poor blonde paled, but for the first time, Gray agreed with the way Natsu handled things.
"So rude. We have our own… Sergeant, what was it called?" An idiot subordinate asked their Sergeant.
"Lily, it's called jurisdiction. We have our own jurisdiction-point." The idiot boss answered.
"Right… Sergeant Gajeel Redfox, is it?" Natsu's eyebrows twitched, "That fucking jurisdiction is within the same three hundred meter radius from the previous gate point? You gotta be kidding me."
"I hate to say I agree with him. They have judged that these guns are allowed inside, and now you're telling us you're gonna confiscate them. Is this some joke?!" That was the kind of support friends should give to one another.
Bravo, Gray.
Ren took liberty in blocking Gray's blabbering mouth with his hand, and Eve waved around to cool the situation.
"We can't let these go inside. What I say is final even if the five previous inspection points have approved."
"Of course! We'll follow whatever your point requires, it was our fault." Eve sweated and rubbed the back of his neck while calming the goddamn gorilla of a man.
Natsu entered Sergeant Gajeel's personal space, his eyes tightening, and ignored Eve's hand sign of NO NO NO NO, then spoke through his teeth, "Quit your stupid obsessive self and give us our belongings you hedgehog head!"
All the security staff (Seven in the count) stared with protruded eyes and dropped jaws at Natsu, while Eve was fainting. Such ill-manners he has shown would condemn him with a serious penalty.
"Fucking dictator. Come on!" Gray shouted.
Eve fainted and Ren struggled to support him.
The staff surrounded both with looks of pure contempt.
"Get them in my office." Sergent Redfox's stiff, loud voice ordered as he retreated inside the small building.
"No!" Natsu objected, "Why should we go anywhere? I'm asking you a question here!"
"Move!" One of staff pushed Natsu forwards, and the other kicked Gray's injured leg.
Gray fell, squirming in pain. His injury hasn't healed fully, and that slight nudge was in the wrong irritated spot.
"YOU! YOU! YOU! I swear I will kill you! You fucking dick!"
Without a second thought, or even a slight comprehension of the consequences of his preposterous actions, Natsu jumped on the guy who had committed the sin of kicking Gray's leg and beat him to the ground. He punched him hard in the jaw, and his mates haven't gone to watch the scene before them without returning the favor.
Before they knew it, Natsu was kicking, punching, and burning the security staff with his blazing anger… and they fought back with equal ferocity.
'Fuck…'
Gray was horrified, Eve's soul ascended to heaven, Ren's following not so far behind.
The Pegasus Compound - 4:00PM – Sergeant Redfox office
"You two clowns…"
Sergeant jackass's nostrils flared, his sharp eyes widened, showing the horrifying whites of them (They were HORRIFYING). Natsu has showered him with many cool gifts. Oh yeah, starting with the red bruise adorning his chin, then with the one pulsing on the bridge of his nose whenever his heavy hatred-rigged breathes fumed, and above his right eye. On his forehead, too.
The office was filled of groans and coughs. Sergeant jackass's subordinates were in no better shape, and Natsu got one of them limping. If the Sergeant and his subordinates could devour their visitors alive, they'd do it.
He thought he imagined it, but… Sergeant Sting's building and this office had the same smell that was a blend of freshly washed clothes, newspapers and petrol.
The cold metal around Gray's wrists strapping him to the back of the chair was alarming enough for him to stay quiet. Unlike Natsu who has won a scratch mark on his cheek, and a freaking busted lower lip, Gray had no bruises, but the injury in his bent shoulder and leg stung insignificantly.
Natsu's breaths were as heavy and hot as the Sergeant's. Apparently, Natsu has made a vow to himself to win the most offensive and challenging glaring contest of the year with the Sergeant, and help their case less.
Fuck, this thing went out of proportion. Did Natsu have to fuck their first debut in a military base?! Dude, it's not a school, college, or a bar. It's a military base where they have internment camps. And for what?! Gray made a fucked up to death girly whine when someone kicked his leg—doesn't mean he was dying!
YES, YES, AND YES to restraining your overprotective buddy.
The Sergeant tossed a registration document on his desk and flipped the pages, "These idiots who came to this inspection point… I haven't experienced such lunacy even by the criminals who came seeking our protection!"
He tossed The record on the floor, in front of them.
A part of Gray didn't feel guilty whenever that demeaning tone bit them in the ass, and his belittling crimson eyes charred them. The guy was part of the problem, HE provoked them.
"If it weren't for Hibiki Lates, I would've ripped both of your balls."
Natsu scoffed, "Oh, you could try."
"AHAHAHA-! Sergeant Gajeel! We apologize for the MASSIVE inconvenience! We'll do what's necessary to compensate." Eve interrupted Natsu's introductory line for making it to the internment camp.
"Be thankful. If the secret squirrels weren't here, no one would hear from any of you again as you earn your rights to be one of the real, full-fledged, evaporated society… especially you."
Natsu smiled wryly as if the Sergeant has complimented him and Eve was a nice a guy, but he was a nice guy who wanted to strangle Natsu Dragneel at that moment. The troubled blonde spent maximum efforts to get them out of the shit hole that Natsu dug, but Natsu shrugged off his efforts, and kept digging painfully deeper.
"You chose to be vulgar, so in return, Hibiki agreed your weapons are all confiscated. Now…" Gajeel breathed while maintaining his glare at Natsu, "Any further comments, and the weapons won't be the only thing I take away, and you both will end up in the internment camp."
After another hour of lecturing and reprimanding, they trudged their way out of the lion's den, and towards their Land Cruiser.
As the 'idiot subordinates' were getting their car from the 'inspection', a feather-warm touch latched itself onto his healthy arm. He stiffened, rotated his head slowly to find Natsu wrapping both of his hands around his forearm, a fearful look in his green eyes, and a faint tremble in his chin.
"You… okay?"
Natsu's concern radiated hotly from his touch. He was okay. He had completely forgotten about any sufferings as soon as Natsu touched him.
GOD, this was getting worse. He needs to stop thinking about kissing his friend whenever his face came into the line of sight.
"Jesus…" Gray jerked his arm from the innocent touch and injected irritation in his tone to cover up the sheer happiness of having Natsu worried about him, "You need a goddamn leash."
As they got into the Land Cruiser, Gray didn't miss the ashamed blush on Natsu's cheeks.
Eve drank water as a headache blossomed in the back of his head. Ren drove in silence, and Natsu fixed his gaze on the glazing next to him—WITHOUT the seatbelt. Sighing, Gray figured, if he as much hinted at the seatbelt issue, Natsu would strap it around Gray's neck in that dark mood.
"Kids… get out." Eve Tearm's voice scratched at his throat and faded out before the blonde intended to.
They grabbed their suitcases and backpacks which dropped a lot of weight after Gajeel Redfox had confiscated their weapons.
That part of the Blue Pegasus military base had several Tuscan style small houses, but not many. Those were probably special housing units built for specific purposes and people.
Eve and Ren led them to one of the small two-story houses. It welcomed them with its cool breeze, white painted walls, foyer arc, and sandy-brown floor tiles. They all rested on the comfortable white L-shaped sofa in the living room, sighing as if they traveled close to eight thousand miles.
"This is unit 8, your new stay." Ren placed two cards and a key onto the glass surface of the coffee table, "This is for accessing the unit, and this is for the Jeep in the garage. You can use it however way you want, as long as you're not exiting the military base. You know… just stay away from any checkpoint and you'll be fine."
Gray paid attention, but Natsu? Not so much.
"Where can we eat?"
-Oh yeah, that was so crucial if you're Natsu Dragneel.
Some things just don't change with age.
Eve shook his head and adjusted his back, "If you take the Jeep, head where you can see the big building on the right, and ask when you get there about the mess hall which will be next to it. At six-thirty they'll serve dinner, so you guys have to wait for that."
"Great." Natsu tossed his body backwards, "We're gonna die."
"You'll be fine, I brought Oreos." Gray sighed, "Eve-san, I'm so… sorry about the trouble earlier. We… got carried away."
Eve couldn't glare, he was a nice guy, so he pouted, "Got carried away is an understatement. You guys… this unit 8, this house is Hibiki-Senpai's unit. It has all the weaponry in the world for protection, that's why none of us argued with Sergeant Gajeel. We were only trying our luck, and it was an experiment, let him confiscate his toys, so what?"
"WHAT?" Natsu's body jerked forward as if he got struck by lightning, "Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"
"We wanted to be secretive and have you guys show your natural reaction, and we were fools! Lesson learnt."
Gray's ears were searing hot.
'Shit…!'
"We're sorry."
Eve stared, expecting an apology from Natsu who blushed until his cheeks matched the color of the crimson fabric of the sofa's cushion.
"In my defense… I didn't know…" Natsu stuttered and Eve still stared at him with a raised eye-brow, "Sorry…"
The blonde sighed, and stood up with Ren, "We'll take our leave… remember, this is Hibiki-Senpai's unit, so careful. There's a laptop in the study room that you can use, you'll find the weaponry in the study room, and this…" Eve gave them another card, "… will allow you to access part of it, I don't trust you with the other part. You have our numbers, if anything came up, call. Ah-almost forgot… there are surveillance cameras outside, and in the foyer… for your safety."
Gray nodded and followed Eve till they went out.
"It's that big building, ok?" Eve pointed where they could get food, and Natsu nodded, remembering that building for life.
"Kids… stay safe and don't cause trouble. You're already in Sergeant Gajeel's bad books, and you don't wanna make it worse."
Once the two defense Intelligence agents left, Natsu tossed his weight on the white sofa and released the loudest sigh ever.
"Maaaaaaaaannn, I'm soooo beeeeeeaaat... and so hungry…"
He watched for two minutes the bigger squadron of aircrafts dance in the skies with quick heart beats. Look at these talented guys. The sole downside to this was the whirring and banging noises.
Two handbags, two backpacks, and two suitcases... man. They needed to unpack, but that can wait… he would need a fresh change to shower first. The new stay looked great, but they went through too much bullshit to care.
"Gray, WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
It was a muffled shout because Natsu has laid on his stomach and buried his face in the red sofa cushion. And YEAH, when it comes to food, Natsu shows a dramatic attitude.
Instead of rolling his eyes at his friend's crumbling psychological state, he cleaned his blotched glasses first, then fished in his backpack for the Oreos packet (It's in his belongings because Gray knows how Natsu can be, don't judge).
He almost nudged Natsu with his foot to accept the packet when he… couldn't.
Between Natsu's washed blue jeans's waistband, and his slightly pulled pink Rayon T-shirt, the gorgeous crest of Natsu's back was bare. It was so beautiful.
The crème beach sands skin tantalized Gray's fingers that wanted nothing more than tracing that nice crest curve, definitely give that ass a hard squeeze, flip Natsu over on his back, kiss him, love him, and…discard every piece of meaningless clothing. Let his lips spread kisses and explore Natsu's hot chest till it sinks in between his hips. Would Natsu moan his name when his mouth melted him? Would he arch his back and push further into Gray's mouth? Oh, he'd like that.
He needed help, big help.
Red smoke pressed on his lungs. The blood rushed to his face, and the Oreo packet fell from his hand.
This is the most fucked up situation ever. Living with Natsu was like dieting, and then someone places a fucking giant black forest cake baked with the finest Bulgarian chocolate with cherries on top in front of him. People! Gray would want to have that black forest cake, okay? That's just wrong, it can't happen, and just NO. Clearly, Gray has upset whatever force ruled this world, otherwise why would this happen to him?
He could imagine himself from this moment onwards suffering enough the coming weeks.
He gave himself a good slap on the forehead, then kneeled to retrieve the Oreo packet. Fuck, people should've thought of making sexual commercials with Oreos long ago.
First of fucking all, calm down. So you're having another 'want Natsu so badly'-moment, so what? You've maintained your cool all those years, don't waste those efforts and-and you're way stronger than this.
He wished to kick Natsu for what he's constantly doing to him, instead, he nudged his leg with his knee.
Natsu sighed, "Fuck off Gray. You're the source of all my stresses in life."
Gray nudged him again, forcing him to release a guttural grumble.
"How flattering. I didn't know I took so much space from that floppy disk of a brain you have."
"Don't… even… start being a smart-ass. There's no space in here for your bullshit, alright?" Natsu unburied his face and narrowed his eyes at him as his cheek rested on the cushion.
"DUDE, you were born to stress the hell out of me. Don't get me started on that!"
The pink haired's figure slumped, his voice losing the grumpy edge it possessed before as he recognized Gray's hidden lines.
Point A - I get a FUCKING phone call telling me you're arrested at the airport.
Point B - I get ANOTHER fucking phone call telling me you're attacked and in a medical center.
Point C - I'm fucking jobless, thank you very much.
Point D - I got shot in the ANUS by my managing director for you and maybe gained a mental trauma on the way.
Point E – I had to tell mom I'm receiving mental treatment under the Sakura trees—and of all places on the planet, I chose the sticky humid scorching Okinawa that I like to call 'the devil's home from all those cartoon shows'. SHE KNOWS I'M LYING. My lie can't be any more blatant.
Had enough? Thought so.
"I had never thought I'd say this, but I hate the telepathy thing going on between you and me at this fucking moment."
Well… Gray wasn't annoyed or stressed by the aforementioned points. He breathed the same air as Natsu and they were together, what more could he wish for? Everything was perfect.
'Together' as in two best friends sharing a living space temporarily. He REALLY tried his hardest at fighting off Natsu's stinking pheromones.
"Here."
Natsu huffed and let go of the cushion to accept the Oreo packet. "How can this substitute food?"
"It's better than nothing, no?"
"Do you not have any rice crackers?"
"Do you not have any rice crackers?" Gray mocked and hoped his face wasn't still red from the previous imagery, "Beggars can't be choosers."
The pink haired grumbled, then sat, and pulled his knees to his chest as Gray moved to sit two meters far where he can calm the fuck down.
Natsu opened the packet, and as soon as he munched on the biscuit, he flinched and held the right side of this chin, wincing, "Fuck…"
"What's wrong?"
"Gajeel Redfox."
He examined with his eyes the problem which was the idiot's busted lip and maybe a potential fracture in his jaw. Gray would shrug it off on a normal day because Natsu always got himself into stupid fights, but NOT this time. Natsu wasn't shot like Gray was, but still, he had minor fractures in two ribs, a severe burn on his right arm, and the tendon connecting his arm with his shoulder was torn after the Land Cruiser's accident.
Natsu was a hundred times better now, but, again, Gray hates to have him physically hurt at this stage.
Gray took off his glasses and rubbed between his eyes, heat gnawing at his gut, "Dude… I know you love me so damn much, but that was a disaster."
Natsu chewed, challenging the pain in his lip to satisfy his hunger, then stared at Gray with a raised eyebrow, "Pfffffff, someone needs to get their ass off their shoulders. The guy was freaking annoying, alright? It has nothing to do with you."
"You didn't get physical until that guy… did what he did—and I appreciate that, I really do, but Nat, you fucking did a number on the guy. AND Sergeant Jackass. AND his freaking staff—that's-"
"-So what?" Natsu stopped eating and rotated himself to face Gray, "You got shot twice for me. You think I'll ever accept that? What I did isn't even a tenth of what you'd do."
"—Ah-"
"Ah—what? What?! If you're gonna scold me for what I did, you better be ready to time travel and stop yourself from taking the shot for me."
Natsu's shoulders trembled, faint red in his eyes, chest puffing with dense breaths. As the warmth and care of those words touched him, he wished to dip in and kiss the pain away from the bloody corner of Natsu's lower lip.
"So that's it? You're paying me back?"
"…" Natsu's scoffed, but his voice softened, "No."
"Then what?"
"Dude… What's wrong with you? Stop being a flippin' idiot. I don't need a fancy-ass explanation for wanting to do things for you! Like you don't need one to get shot for me! In case you still don't understand, It all comes with the friendship package."
Natsu was beyond crazy. That's right, he IS crazy. His tenderness blew Gray away, but… how can he still consider them friends? Not only that… the adoration in Natsu's voice reverberated in Gray, and NO, he wasn't just hearing things.
He wished he was.
"God! What are you shocked for?"
After all the pain inflicted upon Natsu… how was it still possible?
"You're insane… after what I did…"
His friend left the packet on the coffee table, drawing in a long breath and releasing it before he spoke, "I don't know what happened… what made you leave me like that, but... I haven't stopped thinking about it. I thought it was something I did, but when I couldn't think of ANYTHING, I was furious. I wanted to hate you so bad, I even tried. I kept repeating 'I fucking hate him', but whenever you popped in my mind, I… just couldn't, and I kept asking why? Why? Why? Why?"
Yes, Natsu should've hated him. He had to.
"I'm not an idiot. You wouldn't do this unless you've a compelling reason. Gray, for fuck's sake, we faced death together, you got shot for me. Do you really think what you're withholding from me is greater than that? HELL TO THE NO. And if you… don't want me to torture you to death until you say it, you talk to me, okay? There's just nothing you can't tell me now and you know that."
The whirring of the air-force's squadron struck for seconds, the same ones that his heart melted in.
Fuck… did the day come where Natsu has got valid points and they make sense? Ok, a terrifying natural phenomena will happen.
"I dunno what to say…" He licked his lips, "Thank you Nat… for not hating me. It means so much that you still think of me as a friend."
"Dude, you've got issues. Serious ones. You're more of an idiot than I am, you know?"
"No… you're too kind for your own good."
"… And?" Natsu waited for something else. The tough talk that Gray didn't have the heart for.
"We'll talk about that later, ok? I promised."
"I believe you will. I trust you."
"Thanks…"
Natsu hopped from his seat, breaking Gray's personal bubble as he sat right next to him, gluing their hips.
'What…'
And just like that, Gray found himself wrapped in a tight bear hug.
"You know…" Natsu had a light shiver in his words and hold, "You're so close, then you're so damn far. I… I hate that. Stay with me, okay?"
'Kiss him. Say okay, and tell him how much he means to you. This is a fucking opportunity, so do it.'
That kind of thought occurs whenever Gray sniffs the saltiness of Natsu's sweat mixed with his vanilla scent, or when that warmth of his body rubbed Gray's.
And like a champ, Gray reeled himself away.
You have just got him. Do this favor to yourself and don't blow it up.
He allowed himself to pull Natsu's waist closer to him, and hold the back of his head with fondness. Damn, he liked this guy so much it hurt. He wanted him to know, to answer those… desires and feelings and color Gray's world.
"I'm gonna have to tell you to let go now, my shoulder fucking hurts."
"Shit!" When Natsu pulled away panicking, his cheeks were blazing, "Sorry."
"Dude, it's okay," Gray smiled more, "Must be tough loving me so much."
"Fuck off." Natsu returned to his seat across, reached out for the Oreos, and resumed munching on them.
His eyes stung with warmth as he attempted to laugh. Natsu was... incredible, the best friend that anyone could ever have.
"These are great, you want some?" The pink haired offered.
"Nah... I need to shower."
"They won't be there after you're finished."
"That's okay. Enjoy man."
He took his backpack and escaped. He closed the bathroom's door upstairs, then his steps seized, and his stomach felt rock hard.
They had to live together…
'Shit... shit… no, not again... god…'
If they had to live together, again… how is he supposed to control the feelings he once repressed if Natsu's mere voice undoes him every time he speaks? He remembered how pathetic he was, how he was reduced to nothing but a stunned statue whenever he came in contact with Natsu's rich vanilla, fresh sea breeze scent.
How was he supposed to survive this horror?
Gray drove the Jeep Wrangler Sahara model, humming, and grinning at how empowering the vehicle was. Baby, he was on top of the universe. He'd always wanted to drive the Rubicon model, but this was just as awesome.
This is a true life thrilling experience.
"You like that, huh?" Natsu shook his head, strapped by the seatbelt, and safe.
"Yeeeeeeah. It's cool, isn't it?"
"I'll kick your ass if you have so much fun and damage your shoulder, or WORSE, miss our dinner."
"Relax, we'll be there."
When they reached the building Eve pointed at, they debated about asking one of the militants about the mess hall, or finding it themselves. Lastly, Natsu thought it'll be faster if they ask and targeted one girl for information (as per Gray's instructions).
A few minutes and he came back with a wide grin, "Ok, it's so close. Go straight, and first right."
"Aye, sir."
Gray parked, and together, they entered the hall. They could smell the Japanese curry from a mile away along with other scents and it was so enticing that Natsu drooled. Chatter, laughter, and even quarrels resonated in the hall as groups of soldiers swarmed in to be fed.
'God… it's like they came out of a hunger epidemic…'
But then… Natsu also gave off that vibe—and he disappeared.
What…?
The pink head of Natsu wasn't missed. The fucker had left his side and was ordering food.
Man.
If he wasn't so adorable, he would've received a kick in the ass. He joined his friend at the service counter and started choosing his food. The big cafeteria had a Japanese style dinner for the night, and they got to know their menu changes every day, which was a good thing.
With a great difficulty, they found a place to sit and have their food as it was packed.
Natsu's cheeks glistened and radiated red as he devoured his food, nodding to give the chef his approval on the meat and potato stew.
"It's so good, I'll cry."
Gray laughed and dug in. He had known he was hungry, but not THAT hungry. But then… the chopsticks halted in his mouth as his eyes widened.
"What?" Natsu looked at him, puzzled.
"Don't look ok? Sergeant Asshole is like three tables behind you…"
Natsu choked on the rice, and pounded his chest, "—Fuck!"
"Shhhh! Idiot!"
Natsu drank water and ducked his head, "Dude! What are we going to do?"
"Your fucking neon pink hair is gonna expose us…" Then Gray remembered that Gajeel Redfox could bully them to pay back this afternoon's favor, "... You know what? fuck him… we did nothing wrong anyway. Just don't look behind."
"…Ok…?"
They both sighed, and resumed eating because their stomachs grumbled, and hoped a miracle will happen and Sergeant Asshole won't spot them because they weren't in the mood for another round of beating.
Their wish was granted. They finished their food, then bought juices, mineral water, snacks, and just like cartoon figures, they snuck out of the facility, and into the Jeep.
"Drive and never look back!" Natsu commanded.
They laughed until they lost their breath while Gray reversed and headed back to unit 8.
Natsu said, "Confiscating our weapons after they were approved? And saying they have their own jurisdiction point my ass."
Gray shrugged, increasing the speed, "Everyone has a job to do. His job is to annoy people, can't blame him for that."
"Man." Natsu sighed, "I wanted to have at least one gun to practice on you."
"And I wanted the knife for that same reason." Gray smiled.
"Fucker. You know, when I was in Guinea-"
Gray glared, "What? You used to shoot other people?"
Natsu nodded, "Not quite. We used to go hunt our dinner, it was so much fun."
Gray rolled his eyes, "I know. You also used to paint your ass up green color and dance around the fire like a damn psycho monkey. Wait, you also used to sing like one."
Natsu's body went still. He then folded his arms over his chest with a burning glare that flickered in his eyes as Gray drove with no care in the world.
"There is more to Guinea than painting your ass, dancing around fires, and all the stupid shit you imagine."
"Right." Gray snickered, "Like, Ondrej Jeremiah? Because as far as I imagine, there's nothing else. Oh wait, does that glare mean you feel like you actually belong there?"
The irritation that Gray saw in Natsu was real. It wasn't like the superficial one when they joked around, this was… genuine. Yes, he provoked him, but he didn't think the other will take it to heart.
"When you like a person, you would love their origin too. Something you might never understand."
Ok, Natsu was spitting fire at him, and it scorched.
He chuckled, "True. I was pulling your leg. So now your Guinean self can't take a joke or what?"
Natsu remained silent until they arrived to unit 8 after Gray confused his way to it. When he parked, Natsu slammed the door shut and walked away.
Gray's eyes widened as he leaned on the Jeep, shaking his head at Natsu's mood transformation, "Jeez. What did they do to him there?"
He took his time to enter and spotted Natsu. He stood in the kitchen, waiting for the kettle to heat water, and Gray wasn't sure how to approach the fuming 'Guinean'. Like hell he was Guinean. In fact, he wanted to irritate Natsu more with that topic because he was curious about the country that Natsu felt he truly belonged to.
"Sooooo…"
"Fuck off." Natsu didn't even look.
"Hey, are you serious, Natsu? Fuck. I think I deserve more than that for the shit I have been through for your sake."
Natsu threw the teaspoon and spoke in a tight tone, "Are you blackmailing me now?"
"Dude. Chill-"
"No! You listen!" Natsu's face was red like it would burst as he approached Gray with hostility, "I didn't ask for your shitty help! In fact, I remember the first time you came around in the airport, I clearly said, FUCK OFF! It was YOUR decision and no one else's!"
Gray leaned on the wall with a careless expression, "Why are you taking it so personal, Natsu? You know I was joking, right?"
Natsu stood red in the face, clenching his fists with stiff shoulders.
"It was my decision and my decision alone to help you. I know that much. I couldn't leave you. I would never do that."
"Yeah, right!" Natsu shouted, "Like how you did three years ago?! Stop contradicting yourself, you asshole! The reason I went to Guinea in the first place was to forget about you! To have a new start and to help my friend!" Natsu held his head, "Fucker, god!"
"Whatever." Gray crossed his arms on his chest and sighed, "Blame it on your dear daddy who threatened me to back off in exchange for your freedom. Remember that incident with the drug dealers?"
Gray wish he could keep this forever to himself, but having Natsu think he abandoned him, was way too much for him to accept, and the words were out before he could take them back. His best friend stood petrified with widened eyes.
"Anyway… dude. I'm tired. Oh hey, didn't mean to offend your country, was just joking and shit."
Gray turned the other way to go sleep everything off, but Natsu grabbed his arm.
Ok.
The night was gonna be a long one.
To Be Continued...
Next Chapter Release: TBD. This chapter is already written. It needs editing, which will take sometime, I don't want to promise a time and go against it again. My (expectation) is 15 days, subject to change.
Special thanks to: Guest (You're correct. Natsu speaks Fulani here, but as Jellal isn't sure which native language Natsu is speaking, he says 'Guinean'. I hope this clarifies? Let me know if you have more inquiries!), Guest (Thank you so much for following this story so avidly! Extremely sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoy this lengthy chapter!), Guest (I'm happy you wanted to read in less than 20 days, and love you too, haha. I've assigned 20 days that time because I knew I'll be traveling so I couldn't be consistent with my editing… turned out to be 3 months of fucking writing deprivation… I'm so sorry. I hope this chapter compensates for my sins!)
Jchrista (Phase 2 starts with them living together soooo! This part won't be as frustrating, right? I hope. And it's really interesting that you feel symphathy for Gildarts...), mdelpin(This is actually the first story that I had to do a lot of planning and drafting for… it was really tiring, and what you're reading is probably the 5th/6th version. So I'm glad you're enjoying it! Let me know how you feel about them living together!), Kori no Koibito (Girlfriend! Don't hate Natsu! Natsu is so innocent in this story. Gray's tormenting him actually! Yes… Gildarts… not cool…)
DragonFire44 (I love all your comments. Your takes on what's happening and what should be happening is wonderful. I think you're probably an amazing Author. And YOU HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS I JUST WANT TO ANSWER BUT I CAN'T! Hehe, you'll have to read on to figure it out. I will answer one comment though. Yes, I wanted to write chapters from Natsu's point of view which would have been amazing, but to avoid so many repitions and plot details, and a lengthier story, I chose to go with Gray. To be honest it's a mistake, but yeah… I learned. Anyways! I know I've already contradicted your expectations of the story, but I hope you'll still enjoy it.)
Thank you ALL for reading. Feel free to share any comment, inquiry, or advice. I'd love that.
Alright, till next time!
Looooooove,
Flame-Belt