Author's note: Thank you everyone for your support thus far. I apologise for the delay in updates despite saying that it's summer already, but there have been a few, say, preoccupations. All the same, I am glad you like the story. Nori: the mind reading thing is supposed to be painful; Natsu is just surprised because Gray is so stubborn he refuses to make a sound even when pained (and I certainly hope I got my portrayal of Gray across) and then suddenly he's screaming out loud. I'll clear up the plot and explain issues and concepts as we go along, no worries.

Not so much action in this chapter; just mostly romance for my own entertainment. There will probably be more actions and developments in the next one, though. Enjoy.

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Chapter two: Temptation

Gray was drifting in and out of consciousness. But even in his floating state, he could feel his mind throbbing from the lingering pain of the examination. It was a deep throb that went to his bones, except that it weren't his bones that were hurting; it was his very consciousness, his sense of self. It kept him from fully losing himself to a coma; it even kept him from falling asleep, and Gray could feel his sanity slipping from him with the mental exhaustion. There were times when he could see images swimming before his eyes, the face of an elderly woman, a burning hand on his forehead, a flash of pink that blurred into nothing. Other times, only the pain accompanied him. Once, he could feel something like burning on what he guessed were his fingers, but Gray couldn't be sure, not with the way the fog in his mind refused to clear up.

However, there were short spells when he found himself awake, too. Not coherent, perhaps, but awake nonetheless. It was during one of those flashes that Gray found himself propped up, his head lolling against the crook of someone's neck. He could feel how his jaws were slack from his position, and then there was a spoonful of something vile being inserted between his lips.

Gray choked and spluttered when the taste registered – to say that it reminded him of horse piss would probably be an insult to horse piss. Vaguely, he remembered there was a hand rubbing his back, before his head fell back into place, feeling like it was splitting into two. Swimming before his eyes was something pink again, followed by a face. Gray was certain he knew this face; he just wasn't sure to whom it belonged.

'I know it tastes like shit, but you have to drink it if you want to keep your fingers, Gray. It's to fight the infection.'

Gray knew this voice. If they find you to be an enemy, well, you shall see with your own eyes what a dragon rider can do.

He pushed weakly at the person holding him in place, but pain lanced up his arms and he felt himself flopping bonelessly onto the bed. Natsu growled at his petty resistance.

'Stop fighting me, moron! I promised you I wouldn't harm you, didn't I? It's not poison! If I had wanted you to die, I need but leave you to exposure, and the vultures would've done the rest.'

Gray felt like an imbecile for still trying to be stubborn in the pathetic state he was in. He knew it wasn't because he didn't trust Natsu; if the honour of dragon riders still meant anything in the world, Gray would be safe. No, he was angry for such an inconsequent reason as being mocked by him, and it made Gray feel silly just thinking about it. The thought didn't linger for long, though, because pain was surfacing again, both from the tear in his mind and the burning on his fingers.

He was pulled back up again, and this time, Gray realised that he was being propped against Natsu's shoulder, with a muscular arm around him to complete the humiliation. He was too tired to resist, though, so when the putrid medicine was offered again, it was all he could to do swallow without choking. In his opinion, it still tasted like horse piss, and when he was well again, Gray would make sure Natsu have a taste of his own medicine in more ways than one.

'Wine. Or sleeping draught.' His tongue felt thick and clumsy in his mouth, and Gray would have been horrified to find out that he couldn't formulate a complete sentence had he the strength.

'Huh?'

The way Natsu blinked owlishly at him was irritating, too. He didn't want to have to tell him that he couldn't sleep because of the pain; whatever was left of his pride, Gray was determined to keep it.

'Look, Polyushka said you can't drink anything except for your medicine and water. If you can eat, I'll get you some porridge, but that's it. So finish your medicine quickly so I can tell her that you're awake, and then get you that porridge. You've eaten nothing in days.'

Gray wanted to shout at the dimwit. Each sound grated against his sensitive hearing, and his head felt like there was a sledgehammer pounding against it. His eyes were blurring from the effort of staying semi-upright, too, so he ignored the jumble of words and simply rolled over, very much intending on going back to his more or less coma.

'Gray. Gray!' Natsu wouldn't give up, of course, and he rolled Gray over again, so that he was lying on his back. 'Come now, at least finish your medicine, or I will force-feed it to you. You must have the whole vial.'

Gray blinked open his weary eyes, and saw the half-full vial of something blue being waved in front of his face. He decided that it wasn't worth it, and closed his eyes again.

'Gray! Bastard, don't make me do this!' When Gray ignored him further, Natsu finally snapped. 'Very well, then, you can't blame me later. This is just to save you, you hear me?'

It was quiet, and then his lips were forcefully pried open, and the unmistakably pungent potion flowed down his throat. Gray had no choice but to swallow, which he did, if he didn't want to choke to death. What made him want to choke even more, though, was the fact that there was something wet and moving inside his mouth as well. His eyes snapped open, and right before him, pressing against him, was Natsu.

He's kissing me. By the gods, this man is kissing me!

Gray couldn't tell if it was horror or something else that he was feeling, but he knew that he'd regret it were he to wake up again and remember this. Before he could pull away or swing at Natsu, though, the man had already pulled back. He upended the vial for the last spoonfuls, before swooping in again. It was too quick, too determined, and Gray in his weakened state never had a chance to evade anyway. What he could do, though, was to clench his jaws and resist in the only way he could. Which Gray did, too, before there were fingers pressing into the joints at his jaws to force his mouth open.

'Fuc…' He was going to curse at Natsu, but the medicine was flowing into his mouth again, followed by a tongue that wouldn't let him spit it back out. And then… And then Natsu moved his lips, and his tongue brushed against Gray's own. With another jolt of horror, it dawned upon Gray that what he was feeling was pleasure that raced down his spine in blinding waves despite how his head ached. And then he finally fell into sleep, feeling even more mentally exhausted than when the dragon Igneel had torn his psyche open.

Gray was surprised to be feeling better when he woke up again. The crippling pain in his head had subsided, although his fingers still throbbed. His mind was hazy at first, but before long the memories of what happened returned to him. He began to doubt whether what had transpired between Natsu and him in that brief moment of wakefulness had been real. However, the thought that it was a figment of fantasy his fever-addled mind came up with was even more unsettling. I am too tired to be thinking about this, he thought, all the while knowing that he was just running from his own insights. It had felt too real to be a mere hallucination or a fantasy. Even then, his lips still tingled from the phantom touches. Gray had never been one to doubt his own mind, so he wouldn't be starting a precedent now, either.

Even so, that can wait. It was just to save me, anyhow.

Breathing deeply, he slowly rolled himself into a sitting position. The room about him spun at first, before it slowly stopped moving long enough for Gray to take in his surroundings. He was in another stone room, but it was much more spacious than the cell he had been put in when he first arrived. There was an empty desk, a dresser, and an orb on the ceiling that glowed softly, much like the one in the great hall with the dragon, only less luminous. On the floor, clothing was strewn in every direction. The walls, too, were covered with odds and ends that made his head swim just trying to decipher what each article was. It was clearly a room used by a permanent resident.

'Oh, you are awake.'

Gray's head whipped up at the voice, so quickly that his vision began to spin again. Yet, he refused to back down from the threat. Pressing a hand to his eye, he forced his wobbly legs to stand up into a defensive position. It was futile, he knew, but it would have been an even bigger joke to let himself be helpless again in this man's presence, after the humiliation that he had been so thoroughly put through. Gray didn't care much for further helplessness.

'Careful, now. Don't you collapse on me again.' Natsu was, of course, oblivious. 'How many times must I say it to get it through to you? I won't harm you, as I promised!'

'Someone made me a similar promise once, and then went on to threaten to kill me immediately after.' Gray heard himself croaking, but he ignored it. 'Now I find it quite difficult to trust such a promise. I can't imagine why.'

The contrite look that passed through Natsu's countenance satisfied his petty petulance while making him feel like a fool at the same time. It would have made him laugh but for the fear of keeling over when his knees buckled beneath him.

'Look, I…' Natsu inhaled and exhaled once, before firmly turning to look Gray in the eye. 'I apologise. I wasn't thinking when saying it. I never meant to mock you; blast it, I even vouched for your innocence before Igneel! In the end he found you guiltless, didn't he?!'

Out of nowhere, Gray felt his own temper flaring. He clenched and unclenched his hands, almost flinching at the sharp stab of pain that shot up.

'Oh, so it's my fault now, is it? You are right, dragon rider. None of this would have happened had you not saved me in the first place!'

In the blink of an eye, Natsu was suddenly in front of him, his forehead touching Gray's as he snarled into his face. The dragon rider looked furious.

'Stop this nonsense. You're behaving so childishly, I would have beaten you black and blue were you my friend.'

'That's rich coming from the rider who can't even apologise properly.'

Natsu bulled over him, though, 'Listen, and listen well, I would've saved you even if you didn't want it, ingrate! That's how much I meant it when I said I wouldn't harm you!'

The fierceness with which Natsu explained his actions took Gray aback. This man wasn't merely a straightforward man; he was a stupidly good man, as Gray had suspected. Not to mention that he's too close. Gray could feel the puffs of the man's breath on his face. He took an uneasy step back.

'And if Igneel had found me to be lying? Tell me, Natsu Dragneel, what would you have done then?'

Natsu, too, seemed to be realising their compromising position, and backed off. He swallowed, looked away in guilt, before gnashing his teeth together. Gray could see the way his jaws moved, and it amused him like nothing else did. That's right, because you would've broken your promise, rider. Like you could have done otherwise. So much for honour. Inexplicably, the thought brought a bitter taste to his lips.

'I would have killed you, or let my guild mates kill you, at the very least.' Gray was surprised for the second time by the certainty with which Natsu replied to his question. 'But for breaking my promise, I would die to wash my honour clean.'

'You would die for a promise you made with a complete stranger?'

'Yes.'

There was no hesitation when Natsu answered. Abruptly, Gray started laughing. He laughed long and hard, as though he was a madman, or as though what Natsu was saying was all a particularly entertaining jest. His throat hurt, and his head hurt, and Gray swayed on the spot for an instant before collapsing back onto the bed. There, he rolled onto his side to regain his breath.

'Why did you laugh?'

Gray could hear the frown in Natsu's voice rather than see it. He rolled back, a biting smirk at the ready.

'For a split second there I almost believed you.'

For a split second there I actually believed you. I wanted to believe you.

Natsu seemed poised to argue, the beginning of a growl escaping from his throat. He held back though, and merely set down a tray onto the night table. On it was the familiar vial with the blue potion, but next to it was also a steaming bowl of wheat porridge and a glass of water. Gray's face involuntarily twisted in disgust at the sight.

'No.' He said, fully intending on following his word.

'Yes, you will drink it, or I will force-feed it to you again.' It was more of a statement than a threat, although Gray couldn't be sure if the tint of pink to Natsu's cheeks was due to embarrassment or anger. 'Sit up. You were well enough to stand earlier.'

It was just force-feeding. It was just to save me. Gray repeated to himself, feeling very much like a liar. He was still angry, and half-indignant at the way Natsu was giving him orders. The rational part of his mind, though, knew that it was for his own health if he complied, and so he did. Thank the gods Gray still had a functioning brain, unlike someone who always acted without thinking first. He sat up, took the vial, and poured everything down his throat in a single draught. It left him unbelievably nauseous.

'Eat.'

Natsu was ordering him again. Gray hated it with a passion, yet he dared not open his mouth to tell the other man where he could shove his command for fear of vomiting and wasting his efforts in forcing the vile drink down in the first place. There were other ways, though, so Gray frowned and made a rude gesture with his hands. It was satisfying to see Natsu seethe at his obstinacy.

'Gray. We're not playing a game. If you would just stop acting like a sullen child for a moment, we can clear this misunderstanding and get some strength back in you. Igneel also recommended that you join us, so you had best recover so we can start training you.' Natsu's face darkened, 'One way or another, I will have you eat that bowl of porridge.'

The mention of joining them, whoever they were, piqued his curiosity. It was obvious that they needed to keep their hideout secret, and that they were a large guild. Gray had suspected that they were wanted by the empire as well, judging from how tightly they guarded their presence. The fact that Natsu mentioned 'joining' now confirmed that, and Gray suddenly found himself interested in what this purported guild had to offer. Perhaps they could even serve his goal. At the same time, he was still angry at Natsu, and so much more at himself for behaving in the childish way he did. Truly, he felt no more than a spoiled brat who could not let go of the tiniest slight. See how I finally learnt, father? Now I won't even forgive unintentional words spoken in distress by the man who saved my life, thank you very much.

Like with everything else, though, Gray's mule-headedness had to get in the way of his rational thoughts, and he stood back with a sort of morbid satisfaction to watch it play out for a short while. He made sure that he could speak again without vomiting the moment he opened his mouth, before actually doing it.

'And I said no. If you think you can molest me again with such a paltry excuse, well, you overestimated yourse…'

Before Gray could finish his sentence, though, he suddenly found himself pinned down on the bed on his back. Natsu was straddling him, his weight pressing down to keep him immobile, and the dragon rider growled into his face. But Gray wasn't going to give up without a fight; it was more of a habit than anything else. He took a swing at Natsu.

'You are weak. Much weaker than when you first woke on your first day here.' Natsu stated matter-of-factly as he caught Gray's wrist with no effort at all. 'Stop being stupid and eat. Or if you won't, I'll "molest" you again, and there'll be nothing you can do about it.'

'Try me. I'll bite your tongue off if it gets anywhere near my mouth again.'

Gray wondered if Natsu felt gross as he was threatening all that. However, above all, he wondered why he himself didn't feel as disgusted as he should be when they talked about mouth-to-mouth feeding between two men, who were complete strangers at that. There must be something wrong with him; that, or whatever it was that they made him drink was making Gray lose his wits.

And then, for how many times he had lost count, Natsu managed to surprise Gray again. With a determined look on his face, Natsu leaned down again, and Gray found himself assaulted for the second time in the most unimaginable way possible. He tried to struggle, but his empty stomach grumbled and his arms failed him when he needed them the most. Next came his heart, which hammered against his chest despite the lack of energy, before his mind finally joined the mutiny against him. It shut down, and Gray could feel a blank taking over his consciousness as the tongue he promised to bite off snaked its way into his mouth again.

'Hmphet offphm!'

His shout was muffled, and when Gray tried to bite down, the tongue stayed despite the tang of blood. Natsu, he realised, was also a stubborn man, perhaps even more so than Gray himself, and he wouldn't back off. Not this time. And there was nothing he could do, what with his hands being held down in iron clamps and Natsu challenging him to bite his tongue off for real. Even when he tried to lean back, the man was following his movement, lips gluing to Gray's own with all his weight put into the move.

The real horror, though, was when Gray tried to buck his hips to dislodge Natsu. The almost intimate instance of touching between their bodies woke something within Gray, something that he was too afraid of to name. His heart quivered at the thought, so he bit down harder on the foreign tongue in his mouth, trying to ignore the way it rubbed against his own tongue in that almost sensual manner. Running away again, Gray Fullbuster? Natsu inhaled sharply at that, yet he wouldn't let up. If anything, he pushed down more, lips moving over Gray's own even more aggressively. Why won't you let go? More blood was flowing down his throat, mixing in with the acrid taste the potion left to create a potent lethe on which Gray was slowly becoming intoxicated. Why can't I ever resist you?

His mind swam even as Natsu let go of his wrists to cradle his face. The hands were a strangely good burning, Gray noticed, before he also noticed that he was now free to hit his assailant with all his strength. Perhaps, just to run away for a little while longer, Gray did precisely that. The crack resounded throughout the hollow of the room as Natsu fell beside him, caught by surprise by the sudden full swing.

'Ice Make: Dagger!'

The familiar tingle of magic ran through his body in a reassuring flow, through his core, his chest, his arms, out of the positioning of his hands to take shape. Cold and colder it got, before ice formed out of nothing, welded into being through Gray's life force. It was a simple dagger, but it would do. Gray flipped to pin Natsu down with his whole body weight.

'Do not think I won't make good on my promise this time, dragon rider.' He hissed at those stunned eyes. The dagger was pressed against the man's throat, hard enough to bleed, yet not nearly enough to kill. 'Does it amuse you to take advantage of a weakened man? Sodomy, really? I've never realised how low the mighty dragon riders can fall nowadays. It makes me sick!'

Venom dripped from his words, and it stung. Or it must have, judging from the way Natsu's eyes widened. Yes, dragon rider, feel the humiliation, for how you have humiliated me, turning my own body against myself.

Yet again, the dragon rider Natsu Dragneel managed to catch Gray by surprise even when it was he who had the upper hand at last. Instead of shying away from the blade drawing blood at his throat, the man pushed up and towards the razor edge. This man was defiant, Gray realised too late, and a trickle of red ran from the knife's kiss.

'Do not insult the dragon riders! I was wrong in forcing myself on you; I apologise for it. Retaliate if you want – take my tongue off if you want; I deserve it. But do not for one moment think I will forgive an insult on the riders in general!'

'Or what, you'll kill me, rider?'

Natsu opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish, before Gray caught a fleck of guilt flitting through dark eyes. It was interesting to watch Natsu squirm, anger and indecision warring in each twitching of his features. His jaws tightened, before becoming slack with abrupt realisation.

'You can use magic!'

Gray watched the man underneath him a moment longer, before pulling away. His arms were shaking anyhow, and Gray refused to let Natsu see any more of his weakness. He rolled over and turned to sit on the edge of the bed, presenting his back to Natsu. The dagger in his hand vanished to thin air as his magic receded, sucking with it the last ounces of energy he could muster. Yet, despite the absolute exhaustion claiming his limbs, Gray's mind still raced in endless circles. Even after he had been forcefully kissed by a man, he didn't know what to do with Natsu, or with himself, for that matter. He should have been out for blood, but here he was, dismissing his weapon when it was his only chance to kill, and wasn't that grand indeed?

Slowly, Natsu sat up, and Gray could feel rather than see the hand coming up to touch the angry red line decorating his neck.

'Look, I'm sorry. I…'

When the rider faltered, Gray let him. The awkward silence stretched out impossibly long in the void between them. It was the sound of the door creaking open that ended the conundrum of sulking they were caught in.

'Natsu? Oh.'

The woman who stepped in was beautiful. Long blonde hair flowed past her shoulders in brilliant locks, complemented by the honey brown of her eyes. A heart-shaped face, small nose and full lips, she was the picture of innocent charms. Her ceremonial robes swished as she moved in graceful steps, each one jingling with the chain of keys worn around her neck. They shone even in the low light of the room, and Gray quickly counted all twelve of them.

'My apologies. I did not mean to disturb.' The woman looked perplexed. 'Should I come back later?'

'No, Lucy. You came at just the right time.' It was Natsu who spoke. He rose from the bed and stepped down to embrace the woman, kissing her on both cheeks. Gray spied those lovely cheeks flushing a pretty crimson, and suddenly found himself irritated for no reason. 'Meet Gray, our newest guild member. Gray, this is Lucy Heartphilia, daughter of Jude the Shrewd, High Priestess of The Twelve, and proud guild member of the guild Fairy Tail.'

Gray did not know at which piece of news he should be dumb-founded first, the fact that he was staying within the most wanted guild in the whole empire, the fact that he was meeting with the High Priestess, or the fact that said High Priestess was a wanted criminal. Finally, he settled for putting on his familiar mask, and stood only to kneel again before the Priestess.

'Your Holiness.'

Lucy Heartphilia, perhaps having been used to such acts of worship, accepted the gesture calmly. She smiled, and Gray saw that it was gracious, before bending to help Gray up with gentle hands on his wrists.

'Please, Gray. We are guild mates now, and as equals, I must ask you not to treat me so. It embarrasses me. Save the ceremony for when we are in public, but then you must treat me accordingly if you want us both to stay alive.'

'But… How? You really are the High Priestess! You have all twelve keys!'

'Well, that is a story for later, I promise. Know only now that I wish, as everyone here does, to restore justice to this corrupted empire. You are here too for that purpose, no?'

Actually, I don't know about that. Maybe I just want to spite a man I despise.

'Yes, of course. In a sense, I ended up here by accident, but the empire is my enemy, your Holiness. I was running away from the empire itself, and Natsu here saved me from falling to my death.' Gray said instead. He almost started to wonder why it was so easy for him to lie to this holy woman whom he was supposed to worship, before he caught himself. The gods could punish him if they wished; Gray wanted nothing more to do with his own psyche, especially in its current traitorous state.

'Not "your Holiness", please. Within these walls, I'm just Lucy.'

There it was again, that pretty blush. She truly was lovely, so Gray couldn't quite understand why he only felt sour when Lucy directed a shy glance at the dragon rider next to her while blushing. The worst part of it, of course, was that his frustration was aimed not at the said dragon rider.

'Should I warmly embrace you and greet you with kisses on the cheek now, then?'

Gray had meant for it to be friendly teasing, a harmless sort of banter between 'equals' as she insisted, yet it came out wrong. Lucy's blush bloomed so brilliantly it was as though her cheeks were burning up, but this time, it was terror that reigned over her features. It was fear of being caught, Gray realised, for the High Priestess for The Twelve could never escape her own vow of celibacy, and yet here she was. Her eyes darted towards Natsu again as she took an involuntary step back. Just then, though, something else caught her eyes, and she latched onto the man, her fears and her holy vows completely forgotten in the blink of an eye.

'Natsu! What happened to your neck? You need a bandage!'

With barely concealed annoyance, the rider brushed her concerns aside, all the while trying to be gentle about it and failing.

'It's nothing, Lucy. I caused this myself in, uh, confusion. The bleeding will stop shortly.' Natsu was avoiding his eyes, Gray knew, yet he himself couldn't stop gluing his own to the rider to observe every one of his movements. 'More importantly, please tell this mule he needs to eat. He's a religious man; he'll listen to you.'

It was brief, yet Gray felt it all the same. He felt like crying.

'No need; I will not trouble the High Priestess over such triviality. I will eat, and then I will tour the guild. As for joining it, I am yet uncertain, so please refrain from calling me your guild mate.' Then, as an afterthought, 'May I have a minute?'

When Lucy made to leave even as bewilderment shone through her gaze, while Natsu seemed reluctant to do the same, he added through gritted teeth: 'Alone, if you will.'

Black eyes hardened, but Natsu obeyed. He left with a soft click of the door. It was only then that Gray allowed himself to collapse on the bed. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. The guild Fairy Tail, Gray tried to remind himself, the one thing that would help him defeat his father. However, it was only pink hair and a hurt look that Gray remembered. He lifted his head to gawk at his surroundings again. A messy room; a single man's room. There was also a queer smell to it, almost like burning sulfur on sandalwood. The scent fixed itself to the air, the bed, the walls. When Gray took a tentative sniff at the pillows he had been lying on, it overwhelmed his senses in waves of soothing calm that left him powerless. It was then that realisation struck him. Only one man he knew smelled like that. It was Natsu's room, and Gray had been in it at least since before he woke up the first time, with no one but Natsu to care for him and tend to his needs while he was busy being dead weight.

Gray let out a bark of laughter, before doubling over as pain laced his empty stomach and bile rose in his throat. Shakily, he reached for the now cold bowl. The porridge tasted bland, and he nearly retched it up again. Yet, Gray remained stubborn and resisted. He swallowed every bite, and drank his water like a good obedient child. He also pretended that his eyes weren't wet, and that he wasn't drawn even more to this strange man and his foolish kindness.

Join the guild, genius. And try to stay alive when they ask to skin you alive upon discovering that you are your father's son. Thank you father, for gifting me with another problem to deal with.

Gray had made up his mind even before he opened the door again. Natsu and his stupid room could wait. Gray needed to focus on his goal, his purpose, or he would be lost again. Natsu was not helping, so he could go have his pick of salacious young men where Gray wouldn't be involved. For why would he – why should he – be concerned with whom the dragon rider consorted with? Gray had an empire to overthrow, and a father to repay a debt. Yes, and you, Gray Fullbuster, can keep running away from your own filthy desire. Isn't that smart for such a coward? Coveting a man when you really should be more concerned with the fact that he is a lost dragon bloody rider, now?

Gray slammed the door open in a fouler mood than ever.