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 Ten O.o.O
'Holy… cow.'
His neck detached itself from the rest of his body. What did he think? That sleep on the couch in a sitting position was the most comfortable sleeping pose?
The splashing of cold water on his face revived a part of him as he twirled his neck around, hoping the cramps would stop. Upstairs, where he kept their luggage, Gray was in his boxers as he picked his beige chino pants, a grey V-neck t-shirt, and his brown hooded jacket.
Dressing up these days was a hassle. He'd spend half an hour changing the dressing of his injuries first, then avoiding rubbing the fabric with them. This madness has got to stop, he was treating his designer clothes like they were landmines.
He reached out to put on his shoes, then realized he had grabbed the air.
He wanted nothing more than hanging Natsu upside down. Gray had mind-blowing egoistical moments where he admitted/sang to himself that 'He's perfect' before AND after he'd dressed. Come on, why did he waste his prime years of youth on electrical engineering when he should have been a model? That's why, putting on cracked glasses wasn't the proper finishing touch to "Perfection", or his imaginary male-modelling career.
Natsu's violent tendencies aside, how did Gray ever forget bringing spare glasses? He knew the nature of the psycho he travelled with, tsk.
Ok, food, food, food.
When it came to breakfast, human beings belonged to two extreme categories:
One: Those who can't have it.
Two: Those who can't live without it, Gray Fullbuster's category.
His stomach swirled, grumbled, groaned, and protested, plus he needed to take his medication.
Natsu slept like an idiot would sleep. Limbs all sprawled and drooling, so disturbing the idiot's sleep didn't pain his heart. He prodded Natsu's cheeks, then pinched his nose.
"Get your butt out the… sofa. DUDE—we didn't get drunk yesterday, what's wrong with you? Wakey wakey!"
Natsu had placed a pillow on his face and turned the other side, but Gray wouldn't have it.
He sucked in a deep, deeeeep breath, and shouted, "GOSH ALMIGHTY! FOOD'S GONNA BE OVER!"
Natsu's eyelids flew open, and his body jerked forward, "WHAT? WHY?"
After dodging two fatal kicks, Gray held his stomach that pained from laughing so much without having a decent meal first and leaned against the bathroom's door frame where Natsu washed his face shirtless.
"Fucking cunt…"
"Hey, hey, hey. Less energy spent on pointless cussing, more on starting the day."
"If you weren't injured, I would kick you in the balls." Natsu spat and Gray ducked the fourth punch.
If Gray wasn't so hungry, he would have smiled as wide as a smile can be. Natsu was yelling at him first thing in the morning, and they slept together in the same… err, sofa, the night before… though he passed out without relishing the moment.
"What can I say? I'm a slave to what my body needs."
"Oh yeah? That's what she said." Natsu retorted as he closed the mixer.
"Well played, nice. Could you hurry?"
"Are you fucking kidding me?! Do you-"
"-They serve from six-thirty to ten. Now, it's nine. I wasn't lying, food's gonna be over-"
Natsu froze, "Food's gonna be over?!" For Natsu, it was the ultimate epidemic.
"YES!"
While reaching for the towel, Natsu wetted Gray with the water on his hands and hair, which was… childish?
"I don't care! I was sleeping! I was in the deepest REM stage or whatever shit that is—You're such an insensitive bastard all the time."
"Not so interested of what you think of me right now as long as we get moving. Vamos! Date prisa! Let's go, let's go!"
"Am I your dog-"
Gray cut him short. He entered Natsu's space, forcing the boy to move back until his spine straightened against the wall tiles. Drops of water rolled from Natsu's hair towards his beautiful scarred neck and collarbones that… he ignored and trained his eyes not to fix themselves on the boy's lips.
But he fixed them on Natsu's lips…
Natsu's hand covered the neck portion that Gray gaped at, and a flush crept across his cheeks, spreading to his ears. His shaky fingers scratched his neck, and he avoided eye-contact with Gray.
Natsu smelled nice…
"-What...?" Natsu's voice struggled to sound firm.
"Good morning."
The boy's lips parted, and his face glowed red.
"Could we just… go? Please? Yeah?"
Natsu pushed Gray's body away and fetched the towel, "I hate you."
"Sure you do." Gray almost scoffed, but hated to worsen Natsu's mood, then argue for two more hours. He wanted breakfast… and fast.
Ten minutes later, Gray drove the Jeep towards the mess hall. Sunglasses covered Natsu's eyes, and whenever Gray talked, Natsu gave the 'DON'T talk to me'-autoreply.
Unlike the day before, they didn't have to ask for directions. As they exited the vehicle, the rattling caught his attention upwards, where two squadrons of aircrafts danced in Blue Pegasus base's sky. If he wasn't so hungry, he would have watched till the end of the drill.
With their late appearance for breakfast, lesser people occupied the hall, which worked perfect for him. It was quieter and Sergeant Gajeel wasn't lurking around, so they could eat without having to watch their backs.
They had two choices of breakfast when they reached the counter, since they came later. They either ate the traditional Japanese breakfast or ended up with Danish pancakes. Gray has chosen the Danish pancakes for them because Natsu was quiet and not in his element when food was on display.
'Hmm. Maybe I was insensitive…'
The young lady on the counter offered to deliver the food to their table since the number of occupants was 'manageable', but we all know that Gray had that kinda charm that gets girls to do stuff for him.
While they waited for their food, Gray remembered Kinana. He left and didn't say goodbye… How was she taking his leave? Was she making any progress with the prick Erik? Shit… he should have called her at least. He held his phone, hesitant.
'After breakfast…'
Natsu removed his sunglasses and placed them in his washed pink shirt's pocket as he raised an eye-brow.
"What?"
"Just remembered a friend at work… I left without telling her anything… and she probably thinks I'm an asshole."
"That's you. You love and leave. Nothin' new. Speaking from an experience."
"Dude, don't equalize me with perverts."
"…" Natsu tapped on the table and licked his lips, "If she's important, then you should call her... Otherwise, she'll assume you're cheating, and women are scary with that sorta thing-"
"-Woah woah woah…" Gray grunted and left his phone on the wooden surface of their table, "She's not my girlfriend, she'll understand."
"… Oh." Natsu scratched his neck, "Ok."
"I'll call her after breakfast."
"Hmm. So what about the…?"
"The?"
Natsu stared at him for a while, then blinked and looked elsewhere, "Nothing. What happens if those pancakes aren't good?"
Gray shrugged, "Not my fault. You weren't talking to me, and you didn't bother looking at your options."
Natsu glared.
"Relax, it'll be good. There is this phenomenal café that serves Danish pancakes where I used to work, and I have been addicted to these ever since."
When he was part of the working society, he visited that ladies café with colleagues and had filling energetic breakfasts… then used to look forward to working challenges. He was one of those suckers who loved the line of work they specialized in for a living.
Natsu's face had a minor frown. His eyes glanced at the people sitting outdoors from the glass panel and tried to figure them out. His hair was messy, and the white and pink striped shirt hugged his frame the right way.
Ah, though he loved it when he had a job, the days where he and Natsu used to live together and even before where they used to go to school together… these days were the best and irreplaceable. He was lucky to have Natsu with him. His existence showered Gray with the light he missed in life.
"So… before shit went real, what did you do?" Natsu asked, uncomfortable with Gray's long stare at him.
Gray crossed his fingers on the table, "You know that I'm an electrical engineer, yeah? I did that."
Natsu looked with slight amusement, "How is it? practical work…"
"Interesting, but nothing like college."
"thought so." Natsu mumbled, "I worked for a while before I went Guinea. Junior mechanical engineer. But practical work has nothing to do with theory."
Gray remembered his coworkers who were mechanical engineers as well and smiled, "You should meet this guy in our office. Senior mechanical engineer, but someone who you can learn something from. He has this unique character and air, but he's kind of an ass too."
Natsu developed a small smile, "Yeah? Is he hot?"
"Yeah—seriously?" Gray's eyebrow raised at Natsu's stunning inquiry, and a burn spread in his chest.
"What? You said I should come and meet him." Natsu looked smug and dared to show it.
"Yeah, you know what? You should meet our Managing Director's secretary. Now she's a bomb." Gray played along.
"Your Managing Director? The same Managing Director who shot you and tortured me?"
Gray smiled, "Have an open mind. She has nothing to do with it. She's a hottie dude, the best that there is."
"Sure, why not? Introduce me sometime."
Gray laughed, "So you're into women now?"
Natsu shrugged, "Psshhh, men, women, whatever. Like, look at that—there. That beauty…"
Gray looked at the lady militant and got what Natsu hinted at. The hazel sleeping in her eyes was the first he appreciated, then the pretty smile, the shiny green hair, and that unrivaled pair of giant breasts. That looked heavy to carry around.
"Dude, why does it feel so hot suddenly?" Gray grinned, "That's my boy, good eyes."
Natsu bowed, "Thank you, Thank you."
They laughed and stared at the trucks moving outside. When he saw the frown deepening on Natsu's face, he cringed internally.
"What?"
"We never got to talk about it, by the way."
"Talk about what?" Gray asked.
"This… me liking both genders, me dating a guy, me liking dicks and boobs-"
"Yeah, the bisexual you. What's to talk about?"
Natsu slapped his forehead, then his fingers rubbed on the table, "Yeah, that. I didn't mean to hide or anything, I didn't want-"
"-I'm gonna have to stop you there. I didn't realize you thought so little of me. Honestly, after all of what we went through, I don't think you wanting to touch my dick is THAT big of a problem."
Natsu hurled the fork at him, "In your dreams, asshole."
"Awww. You don't want? You would've been the happiest guy, your loss man."
"Thanks, but no thanks." Natsu laughed, then frowned again.
"Ah-oh, now what?"
"Gray…"
Fuck, here it comes.
"I… can't…" Natsu's sharp eyes pierced him, "How could all of this happen and I know nothing… that's really unfair, don't you think?"
Gray inhaled and leaned back in his seat. He knew this was coming. Last night wouldn't have been enough to put Natsu's concerns and protests to sleep.
"Do you think it's unfair?" Gray asked.
"Yes. Yes. With every fiber in my body, yes. Gray…" Natsu's eyes reddened, swirling Gray's guts.
"Dude." Gray leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table, "There was nothing I could do better. I wasn't in control. I was weak, dependent, not good enough. I… am sorry if that's hurting you now."
Natsu sighed and had his hand rubbing the bridge of his nose, and then almost growled, "That's—stop it!" He lowered his voice for people not to look at them, "We could've done something about it! Together! Gray, together!"
What the fuck Natsu? Don't make it sound so easy. Natsu didn't have an idea how he felt the last three years. For Gray they weren't three years, they were thirty.
"Your dad was so intimidating that I couldn't risk your future, okay? Sue me."
Natsu's glare intensified, and his cheeks reddened.
"You're frustrated and angry, I understand. But don't direct your anger towards me. I have spent enough time away from you, please don't add to it anymore."
The boy's olive green eyes kept looking everywhere, and pain clouded them. Natsu must deal with it somehow.
"I missed you Nat. I truly did, and I'm glad you're here. It feels like a dream-"
"-Yeah, right…" Natsu chuckled, sarcasm dripping from his words.
"Hey. I'm serious. Okay?"
"This is… so insanely hard for me to-" Natsu began.
"-That's what she said." Gray cut him off, smiling.
"You're totally ridiculous, mine was so much better."
Gray was glad he could see the danger gleam in Natsu's eyes, "You're—oh! Our meals, Finally." Gray's stomach pained. Serious starvation.
As soon as the plate was placed in front of him, he was relieved, "Can I get a bottle of water? Please."
"Sure. Room temp or cold?"
"Room temp." "Cold."
Gray and Natsu fired threatening glares at each other, battling in silence over the temperature of water that should come in with the food. The young lady stood there with a sweat-drop while watching these two immature adults struggle for domination.
"Cold." Gray emphasized, "Please."
"Ah… sure." She retreated, relief on her face as she left their table.
"Fuckhole." Natsu cursed.
"I thought travelling to Africa will enhance and change your choices."
Natsu exhaled in annoyance, "You—I'm gonna-"
"-What?"
"Why are finding every chance to make fun of my nationality?"
"So, you're Guinean now?" Gray scoffed.
"I'm both Guinean and Japanese, like it or not."
"Oh my god, do you know how silly this sounds? It's like having a white guy who's proclaiming he's from Uganda or some shit like that. People, look at Natsu Dragneel, he's Guinean. Not a Japanese, now laugh your asses off."
"You know what? If you can't accept me for what and who I am, then you're a terrible human being."
"Trust me, I accept you for the Japanese person you are. This Guinean Citizen BS is why you ended up in NIA's security, why you were choked to death, and why I have been shot."
"You know what racist?! You and all your typical Japanese security officers! You people despise any change mingling with your culture whatsoever, you just can't take it! But I'm a living proof that people can be-"
"Dude, that's not true, and by the way, you're one of those-"
Japanese militants, security officers, VIPs and other kind of VIPs were scrutinizing and giving them looks of annoyance because of one: Their young age, two: The context of their offending chat and clearly, one could tell who was loathed the most out of the two.
"Fuck you." Natsu whispered.
"Ok, shall we eat? I was so hungry and guess what? I'm dying out of hunger now, let's postpone this fight."
Natsu rolled his eyes and held the fork, "This bullshit got my stomach growling, let's eat."
Gray was grateful at how 'UNDERSTANDING' that sounded like, coming out of no other than Natsu.
Natsu gave a satisfied nod and moan, "That's too good. What's this called again?"
"Danish Pancakes."
"Well, I don't care what nationality they're from! Fuck, that's too good."
"That so? Great." Gray smiled, "Hand me the salt."
DO. NOT. Underestimate Danish pancakes. They possessed enough power to alter hurting crazy-insane-criminal-psychotic moods to sweet-gentle-fluffy-satisfied moods. Gray was glad that the initial conversation revolving around Natsu's father's dreadful deeds got derailed, thanks to his humble manipulative tactics, and Natsu's super guileless head.
He couldn't have this argument with Natsu at any cost, for the simple reason that Natsu wouldn't understand his situation three years ago.
The Japanese/Guinean boy was right, it tasted good. However, since Gray had it before in the Café where he used to work, he found out that there's no beating that, but he kept that information for himself not to ruin it for Natsu.
He was glad he could fill his stomach, and it wasn't bad, but he was a tad disappointed.
"Wow." Natsu said the word thoughtfully while chewing, "I don't think I have had a meal like this… in forever."
"Oh yeah?" Gray was busy feeding his stomach.
"In Guinea we used to have these meals delivered to us in the mines. Breakfast, Lunch, dinner. Breakfast was some banana baked stuff, tasted a bit weird at first, but they stated it was an excellent energizer."
"Dude, how did they know? I bet you miss your real banana meals down in the mines where you had banana parties with other-"
"If you don't want me to stuff those pancakes down your throat until you die, you'll shut up."
Gray's shrewd smile blew up to a series of choked laughter and he choked on his food. He had this urge to roast Natsu, but saved it for another day.
"To think you refused my banana-"
"-HA. HA. I'll punch you, but unlike yesterday, those glasses won't function."
"I'll stop for now…"
"STOP FOREVER."
They have had their meal, and Natsu ordered a second plate when he was half-way eating the first one, while Gray ordered another glass of fresh orange juice. Natsu insisted to ask around to patch up Gray's glasses. Gray has taken it off when the crack annoyed him and claimed he can see fine close. Plus, the screen protection element in it wasn't necessary since he wasn't working.
But as usual, Natsu was an adamant son of a bitch.
"We're not that busy! We have all day to fool around." That was Natsu's way of convincing him.
"It's not that… I'd rather not run into people here. You never know what offends them…"
"I don't give a shit. Come on."
Gray followed Natsu in reluctance as they headed for their Jeep… except that they couldn't go so far.
Gray and Natsu froze as a group of officers stood in a horizontal line scowling at them, one guy leading them in front. They blocked their path, and Gray had this déjà vu of Oh crap, we're in trouble, fucking again.
He got so used to it. Back in the peaceful days, the word security officer/police used to evoke shivers and respect in him, not anymore.
The military-lead examined them. He was fit enough, average height with spiky brown hair and a somewhat tanned skin tone. And who wears that shade of blue sunglasses and gets away with it in the military? Gray could tell that the guy was in his late twenties, like he could tell this guy would arrest them in a few minutes.
Gray shot Natsu a look that says You had to blabber about Japanese security officers being racists, dumb fucker?
Natsu swallowed, but puffed out his chest in confidence. "Can we help?!"
To Be Continued...
Who is the 'Military-Lead'? Anyone guessed?
Next Chapter Release: TBD. My (expectation) is 15 days, subject to change.
Special thanks to: KoriNoKoibito, Guest, Guest, Jo. Thank you so much for the support and love.
Question by Jo: 'The fuck does KMC mean?'
Sorry If it wasn't clear, apologies. Kameda Medical Center (KMC). This is the medical facility Natsu got admitted in after he was attacked in the airport. Gray, Natsu, and Jellal got admitted in it again after Gildarts shot Gray, and caused a fatal car accident (Chapter 6).
For all my readers, feel free to ask me anything if it wasn't clear, as well as sharing any comment, inquiry, or advice. I'd love that.
Alright, till next time!
Looooooove,
Flame-Belt