Loud knocking reaches Natsu's ears. It isn't knocking, it is banging. If he wasn't a hundred percent sure who's on the other side of a wooden plank he calls door, he would think someone is attacking the Guild and the person came to hastily fetch him.
As it is, Natsu can smell mint and forest and freshwater.
Gray.
If something had happened, Gray would have made it clear even before the first knock. He sure as hell has a strong pair of lungs when he wants to and Natsu has ears of a dragon. Gray is just being obnoxious. That little shit!
Natsu frees his legs from a comforter, slowly setting his feet on the floor and shuffles to stand. Just to be an ass he shouts, "Keep your panties on, I'm coming."
A moment later, he can hear teeth grinding just outside where he knows a pavestone pathway spreads and he smirks, enjoying his small victory. That's what you get for interrupting my afternoon nap, Gray.
Those forceful knocks renew, now with even more force than before and he's actually pitying the wood. Sighing as he pulls a hand through pink locks, Natsu decides to see what the ice princess wants this time. It will become quieter. Much, much quieter, even if we start a fight. The bangs are almost piercing his eardrums and the door looks like it will give any moment now, so he hurries to open it.
And nearly gets punched in the face with a fist.
Gray, fully unrepentant, just looks at him with a droll stare and makes his way inside. He takes a look around, raises one black eyebrow at the mess on the floor and pretty much everywhere else and then, just like a bloody princess he is, sits on Natsu's bed because that's the only piece of furniture free of dust.
Natsu can feel his eyebrow twitching. That annoying bastard. Who still hasn't said one word.
"Don't tell me you're expecting me to offer you refreshments," Natsu says, derisiveness dripping from his words as he strides toward the black-haired mage and flaps his hand in the general direction of his small and cozy, albeit messy, home. "The sink's there."
Gray tilts his head and something like storm passes through those indigo eyes, but before Natsu can put in some snide remark, Gray sighs.
Natsu wonders what's that about and drops on the bed, turning his body and shuffling his legs so he can direct his annoyed stare at his rival. Already missing a T-shirt, Gray kicks the shiny black boots from his feet and does the same.
They sit like that in silence for a while.
"I'm done with Juvia's shit," Gray says.
Hmm, that's kinda new.
He thought Gray never pushed it because he doesn't really hate it that much. Heck, unlike Natsu, Gray usually had a fanclub in the town - a few girls that would come to the guildhall in the evenings when they had events with doors opened for everyone and sneak glances at Gray and swoon when he loses his clothes somewhere.
Natsu honestly thought Gray enjoys the attention. Now, considering the expression on ice mage's face, he isn't so sure about it.
Natsu waits for Gray to say his piece. It will just turn to a fight otherwise. Silence is the best way to goad Gray into speaking.
Gray keeps staring at some spot on the wall beside Natsu's right shoulder. A minute of quiet before he says, "I had an idea how to deal with it since she doesn't listen, but I'm quite sure no one will help me." Blue eyes turn molten as they land on Natsu's green ones. Gray seems almost animated given his usual cool. "Then I remembered…" Natsu isn't sure he likes where this is going. "...you don't have problems with morals-"
"I'm not helping you hide a body!" Natsu interrupts him before Gray can say more. "And I have morals, ice jerk!"
"I'm not asking you to, fire breath," Gray deadpans, giving him a glare for a long moment. And then, with a smirk blooming on his face, he continues, "Since you think fists can solve anything I don't think your morals will be a problem for what I have in mind."
"I'm not fighting Juvia for you," Natsu says and means it.
Gray sighs like Natsu is the one who doesn't understand and Natsu almost sends him flying through a window. It will be easy to change a window pane.
"Moron! I'm not saying you should beat Juvia with your fists," Gray starts with an odd twinkle in his eye. "But you could beat her as a 'love rival'."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Natsu doesn't really understand and now that Gray has negated that he wants him to fight Juvia the old fashioned way, Natsu isn't all that opposed to it. However, he still wants to hear what's that plan icicle speaks off before agreeing to anything.
"I'm saying," Gray says, scowling slightly like he's trying to find words to explain. "You can pretend to be my boyfriend until she backs off."
Natsu feels his eyes widen but keeps the rest of his surprise inside. He weighs that idea for a moment, though.
"Well, that might make Juvia stop, if I think about it," he says cautiously. "But, still... we're talking about Juvia here. We would need to be blatantly obvious about it, she wouldn't lay off just like that."
Gray's smirk resurfaces and Natsu feels challenged.
"I wasn't aware you know any big words, Natsu. Blatantly? Really?"
"Oh, shut it, Ice princess!"
Still grinning, Gray waves his hand. "Anyways, as you said we need to be obvious or it won't get through her thick skull."
"I didn't agree to anything," Natsu interrupts with a scalding glare and hopes the idiot catches on fire.
"No, but you didn't refuse outright," Gray counters and then hurriedly opens his mouth again before Natsu can interrupt again. "And for being 'blatantly obvious' as you put it, we need to do something grand. That's why I came knocking."
"More like breaking my door," Natsu murmurs, pouting and watching another smirk blooming on ice mages face. The ice bastard knows he has him. A challenge of pulling off something as crazy as this is what usually gets any idea Natsu's approval and Gray knows it.
"Wait," Natsu starts as he realizes something, gears inside his mind slowly accelerating. "What do you mean by that is why you came here?"
"We need to try out some boyfriend stuff before we parade the relationship in front of everyone," Gray answers without a hitch. "Like holding hands, hugging, and stuff. It would be pathetic if we fail because you dream of strangling me instead of hugging me."
Natsu sees even that as a challenge and reacts.
Soon, they are tumbling on the soft mattress, ice-block falling under him, as Natsu tries to get his bearings.
"What the hell, magma breath?" Gray whisper-yells, although it sounds muffled because his mouth is plastered into Natsu's scarf.
Natsu doesn't really know what he wanted to accomplish, but he managed to hug Gray. Well, smother him, to be honest. But still, he did it.
Gray shoves him hard and Natsu falls out of the bed. Just his luck to land on where a carpet doesn't reach. The floor is hard and unforgiving on his posterior.
"Geez, fire moron. Give a man some warning," ice-popsicle pants out.
Natsu glares from his spot on the floor, slowly getting into a sitting position, then shifting to massage the softened muscles where his ass has met the floorboard. "You said we need to work on boyfriend stuff and I am. Clearly, I can't do it alone since a relationship implies two people at least," Natsu says with his best mocking tone.
Dark-blue eyes glare at him under the arks of black eyebrows so Natsu grins and taunts, "You need to step up your game, Gray."
Suddenly, there's a cold hand on his arm, pulling him up and on the bed. It happens so fast, Natsu is surprised but also happy - this could mean fight and he has too much pent up energy-
There's something soft pressing on his lips...what?
Gray...Gray is kissing him!?
Oh, right. Boyfriend stuff.
Gray's face is just too close to keep staring, his eyes are going cross. So he shuts his eyes and categorizes these new sensations.
Gray's lips are softer than he expected. Colder, too. An icy sensation of his friend's magic tingles his own magic signature just like when they fight next to each other. It's familiar and not too startling. He expects to be weirded out. He isn't.
And then he realizes that he's laying on the still-warm bedsheet, Gray's wiry body over his, pressing him to the mattress with his weight, with each of their hearts thumping wildly inside their chests.
Huh. Weird.
Though he must admit, this is almost comfortable - almost like a fight, yet it is not.
Gray pulls back. Something flashes through his eyes and disappears before Natsu can even start on solving what that look meant.
"That scratches second thing from the list," Gray offers, carefully withdrawing and sitting beside Natsu.
Natsu doesn't want him to pull away. He doesn't know why exactly so he keeps quiet about it. "There's a list?" he asks after getting himself to a sitting position too.
Gray rolls his eyes as he fingers the hem of his black pants like he would pull them off any second. "Duh. We need to be thorough."
Natsu scowls at that tone. "So what else is on the list?"
"I mentioned holding hands," Gray starts as his pants begin to slide off. "It's not just holding hands, but casual touches, stroking hair and stuff like that. We should do whatever comes to our minds."
Dark fabric of pants is falling to the floor, forgotten before even noticed.
Natsu nods firmly. "Casual touches. Got it."
And then he flinches as Gray raises the left hand to his face. Gray stops inches from Natsu's cheek giving him an expectant stare. "You didn't get it. Now sit still."
Natsu is fuming because who does that ice prick think he is-
Whoa. Gray's hand is kind of freezing. Or maybe it's just that Natsu's body runs on a higher temperature than others. Still, the fingers slowly drag over his cheekbone, leaving a phantom trail of cold in their wake. It's...nice. Kind of. If he forgets that he wants to kick the ice mage's ass.
Speaking of Gray, the look of concentration on his face makes him look like he's touching a nest of angry vipers and expects to get bitten any second now. Natsu says so out loud and the hand touching him briefly leaves his cheek to thump him over the head before heading back to caressing.
"Of course, magma breath," Gray says, simply. "We aren't used to it. That's why we must practice."
Natsu frowns.
"What now?" Gray asks and shuffles closer.
Natsu isn't sure he gets it right but says his piece. "Well, won't it be weird if we just start acting all lovey-dovey? I mean, no one will buy it."
Gray's hand stills for a moment but then he continues tracing contours of the right side of Natsu's face, dipping to his jaw and rising all the way up to his brow. Ah, he could fall asleep with all that.
"Yeah," Gray agrees with a small scowl. "But we still need to get used to it." His fingers graze the line where Natsu's hair meets the brow. It's nice, but a scratch there would be perfect.
Gray must have seen something on his face because he does just that. Waaah. Natsu feels like floating as he twists his head, searching for an even better angle.
Next thing he knows, Gray's cold, half-naked tight is under his head and that hand scratches through his hair just right and he just doesn't care enough to move away.
"If I can get you this compliant every time we do something like this, we might even convince everyone." Gray's tone is mocking but soft.
Natsu doesn't know when he has closed his eyes but decides it's too much trouble to try to open his lids to glare at the ice-freak.
"Shut it, ice princess," he whispers because anything else requires too much effort.
His nap was interrupted so he might just have one right now.