One could almost forget about Natsu's impaired condition while looking at the way he gorged his food. The first full plate that Gray gave to him disappeared in a mere 10 minutes. Natsu looked up at Gray, sauce on his face. He was pleading with his eyes.
"Fine. You beast." The second plate disappeared even quicker, unbelievably. Natsu felt his eyes grow a little heavier after all the food.
"I want dessert." He mumbled. Gray stared at him ludicrously. Natsu stared harder. Gray kept up this staring contest. Finally, he relented.
"Screw you." The next dish Gray brought out was two bowls of ice cream. One himself, of course. He sat on the edge of the bed while they both ate. Gray was only halfway through by the time Natsu was done, so Natsu cuddled into the blankets and pillows while Gray finished.
"Thanks, Gray."
"Don't worry about it, man."
Before long, Gray heard Natsu's breathing slow and deepen. He looked over, confirming that Natsu really was asleep. He placed his now-finished bowl onto the side counter, next to Natsu's dishes. He'd deal with the mess later.
"Goodnight, Natsu." Gray whispered. He stood, quietly padding to the door of the infirmary. Once he left, many of his guildmates looked at him.
"You were in there for a while. Were you two fighting?" Asked Nab, who was nearby.
"Nah. Just talking." Gray chose not to mention Natsu's condition, possibly saving him some of his pride. Nab laughed.
"That's rare! Hey, maybe you're maturing. Might even be friends soon." Gray made a face at him.
"Ew! I'll never be friends with that moron." He said, enunciating the never. Nab laughed again.
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I expected. The day you two are friends is the day Hell freezes over, literally."
Nab waved goodbye, saying that he wanted to look for the good missions before they were taken. Gray nearly told him that it wouldn't matter, in his case, but held back. He could keep in his delusions. Gray felt tired. He had put up with a lot of shit the last few days. He said his goodbyes and headed home.
Gray's apartment was cold and clean. He dropped whatever remaining clothes he had on into his laundry bin and took a shower to get the dried mud and, more disturbingly, blood off of him. The cool water cascaded down his face, back, and legs, refreshing and calming him. Gray was going to sleep soundly tonight.