Disclaimer: Mashima sensei owns Fairy Tail and its characters.

Chapter 3

The Old Flame

"Is it true?"

Gray didn't have to turn to know who asked the question. He knew only one guy who had a slightly high pitched yet masculine voice. He took his time putting his uniform from his locker to the gym bag. There was no way he should have run into Gray since their training time are completely different so, Gray knew his friend had deliberately sought him out.

"What are you talking about?"

His question seemed to have rubbed the pink-haired boy in the wrong way because the hothead male slammed Gray's locker door shut before he could grab his t-shirt. He finally turned around half-naked to see Natsu, in his jersey and basketball shorts, leaning against the locker with his eyes burning with something he couldn't name. He's completely sweat-free which meant he just got the stadium.

"You know what I mean, ice freak. Stop acting like a fool."

Gray crossed his arms across his bare chest and raised his eyebrow.

"Really? Because I have come to understanding that it is YOU who owe me a huge apology for disrupting my date."

Natsu had enough conscious to look guilty at the mention of his nefarious scheme and appeared to have forgotten his initial reason for the confrontation.

"What? You botched my chance to with a pretty girl on our double date last week when you opened your big mouth and started spewing craps about me."

Taking a seat on the bench in front of the locker rows, he smirked at the black haired boy.

"Besides, I didn't know you were serious about your date with your stalker."

"She has a name, you know."

"Yes, yes. Juvia Lockser. You're the one who acted all haughty like you're doing her a favor by having dinner together."

Natsu shrugged casually but Gray could see his eyes were serious.

"I just did you a favor by cutting your date short with a little "accident". I thought you would have been happy."

"No, you idiot. I'm pissed that you ruined our night."

The smirk on Natsu's face grew until his inhumanly sharp canines were on full display and Gray knew he walked into a trap.

"So, what you're saying is you actually like this girl and really wanted to go on date with her?"

Gray turned away and stared at the small crack on the wall beside the clock.

"Maybe."

He heard a booming laugh from his frenemy and felt a large hand clapped on his shoulder roughly.

"Man, you're such a tsundere but it's gross on you cuz you're not a cute girl."

Gray glared at the brash boy and slapped his hand away from his shoulder.

"Fuck off, flame brain."

Instead of getting into a usual heated fight after name-calling, Natsu leaned forward, fidgeting slightly on his seat.

"Just out with it, Natsu. What do you wanna know?"

The pinkette sighed and dropped his head on his hand, clearly uncomfortable with the way this conversation was leading.

"Is it true? About you and Lucy?"

Gray knew this day was going to come eventually but he just didn't know that Natsu would be first one to know about them and that they would talk about it in the empty musky locker room.

"Yes, we dated for a while."

Natsu looked up hesitantly.

"When did it happen?"

"After our hiking trip on the first semester last year. I dated for three months and called it off."

Natsu opened his mouth and closed again before biting his lower lip in deep concentration. Gray gave him time to voice out his question.

"Why didn't you guys tell anyone? I mean I'm her best friend and I've known you forever."

Ah, there it was. The main question that had been bothering Natsu since he came in. Gray leaned back against the locker and rubbed his neck.

"It was Lucy's idea, actually. I didn't question her so, if you wanna know, you need to ask her, mate. But I'm sure she would say the same thing. It's none of your business."

Natsu got up and slapped his hand on the locker beside Gray, making a loud noise in the otherwise quiet changing room but to Gray's credit, he didn't even blink at the sound. He was used to physical altercation when it came to hot-blooded pink head. It was how they communicate actually much to the dismay of Lucy and Erza.

"I'm her best friend. We never kept secrets from each other and now, I found out she's been shagging up with one of my friends. It kinda hurts even if it has nothing to do with me."

Gray straightened up and turned his back to the sulking male to get his shirt from the locker. He slid his head through the neck hole and faced his friend again while finishing dressing.

"Why do you care, Natsu? You have to know that she has dated before. She's not gonna stay a Virgin Mary while you whore around."

Gray eyed his friend carefully. Natsu was looking intently at the clasped hands on his lap and didn't reply.

"Are you being jealous, Natsu? Is that it? You like to monopolize Lucy all to yourself, I've noticed that but do you actually like her?"

At that, Natsu looked up, his eyes disbelieving.

"Of course, I like her. She's my best friend. But I don't like her like a, you know, potential notch on my bedpost. I mean she's smoking hot and she's easily the cutest girl I've seen, even more than Mira. She's got killer body with full, juicy ass and the soft, ample breast I could suc_"

"Get to the point, Dragneel." Gray pinched his nose in irritation, ignoring the glazed look in his friend's eyes.

Natsu shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Right. What I meant to say is Lucy is very important and she's too special for me to cross that line. She's just a friend and it's gonna stay that way."

Gray stared at Natsu for a full minute and they both didn't break the stare the entire time. Finally, Gray blinked and bent down to pick up his gym bag and hockey stick from the floor.

"Whatever you say, Dragneel. But you know you're being too selfish and greedy when it comes to her. I know you love her but stop bringing into the middle of the hot mess. You're being a terrible friend."

Natsu stared after Gray as he walked out the changing room without sparing him a glance, leaving Natsu to his own thoughts.

Was Gray right? Was he being selfish? Natsu couldn't help these thoughts while struggling to insert the key into the lock. He absentmindedly kept trying to push the key in without looking until he realized that he had been standing in front of the door for five minutes.

Calling himself all the synonyms he knew for stupid, he successfully unlock the door and entered. First, he wasn't sure if he was the only one in the house but he heard Lucy's voice in the kitchen.

"Dammit, Happy. Stop scratching the couch. Do you know how expensive it is?"

Happy meowed and he could hear Lucy giggling a second later.

"Okay, you furball. Stop trying to act cute and butter me up."

He could hear the fridge open and Lucy moving and shuffling things around.

"Here, I got you a fish in the farmer's market this morning. It's sardine, your favourite!"

Happy meowed happily.

Natsu walked to the kitchen to see the blue cat munching on a fish happily and Lucy washing dishes in front of the sink while humming softly with her back to him. He could see that all she was wearing was a pink short shorts and yellow tank top and a cute red apron he bought for her, her feet were bare.

He softly padded to Lucy and rested his head on hers, inhaling the pleasant smell of her coconut shampoo.

"Hey Natsu. Welcome home."

Natsu hummed in his throat.

"How come you aren't scared? You usually scream when I hugged you outta nowhere."

Lucy dried the pan and placed it on the drying stand.

"Well, I could hear you trying to open the door for a long time. What was that about, by the way? And your sneaking isn't as good as you think."

Natsu chuckled.

"I'll get you back later for that."

After drying her hand with the towel, Lucy turned around and Natsu took it as a cue to change his headrest to the soft valley between her bossoms. Lucy, used to his antics, wrapped her arms around his head and played with his hair.

"What's wrong, my fierce dragon? Ran out of fire to breathe today?"

Natsu preened a bit at being called her dragon and snuggled deeper into the soft and welcoming cushion. They stayed like that for a while, Lucy running her fingers into his hair.

"Do you think I'm a terrible friend?"

Lucy's hand paused in her motion and Natsu didn't like it. He pinched her backside as a way to wordlessly telling her not to stop and she resumed.

"Why do you ask? Did someone say anything to you?"

"No. I talked to Gray before our practice. He called me greedy and selfish as far as you're concerned."

Lucy tensed when she heard her ex-lover's name but she didn't stop this time.

"Natsu. You're not a bad friend. I love that you care about me enough to border insanity."

"Hey!"

Lucy laughed at his protest and looked down at his pink head.

"You sometimes put me in a tight spot but you're protective of me at the same time."

Lucy pulled on the pink strands lightly and he looked up.

"You took me in when I was a mess and showed me home. Whatever anyone else says, Natsu, you're my best friend, my family. Nothing in the world would ever change that."

His onyx eyes shined suspiciously but Lucy didn't point it out. Natsu didn't like to show his "weak" side to anyone but Lucy. They looked at each other's eyes and unlike the time with Gray which was filled with tension, it was warm and both could see the love and affection in their eyes.

Natsu's eyes strayed to her soft gloss-free lips and for one crazy second, Lucy thought he was going to kiss her when he leaned in. But his lips softly grazed her nose and he pulled away.

"You too, Lucy. You're my world."

"How was the practice?"

Lucy asked as she scooped rice into Natsu's bowl for his third serving. Natsu nodded his thanks and dove in like a starved beast. Lucy was so used to his way of eating that she didn't mind the splutter of rice and bits of food around his plate much anymore.

Remembering that Lucy didn't like it when he spoke with his mouth full, he swallowed quickly before he talked.

"It was fine. I got there hours before the meeting so I had time to play by myself."

"You were early? How come? Normally, you spent time at the gym before your training."

Natsu shrugged and ate another mouthful before he answered.

"I wanted to talk to Gray and the ice hockey practice is really early in the morning. I couldn't sleep last night so, I went there to talk to him about it instead."

Lucy put down the cutlery and looked at her friend carefully. Only now she noticed the faint dark circles under his tired eyes. She had an idea what he had been thinking about last night.

"Natsu. About me and gray…"

"It's ok, Luce. I talked to Gray about it and he's right. It wasn't any of my business. You are an adult and allowed to make her own decision."

Lucy smiled thankfully when she saw that his eyes weren't troubled like the night before. She pick up where you left off with her lunch. It was quiet again except for the sounds of silverware clinking against the dishes while they ate.

Natsu piled up all the dirty plates and bowls and carried them to the sink. Lucy followed him slowly and leaned against the doorway to watch him getting started on washing. It was slowly starting to become a routine; her cooking and him washing the dishes. Somehow, seeing him with rubber gloves in front of a bubbly sink while Happy sleeping on the counter, gave her a tranquility she had yearned all her life.

"How was your day, Luce?"

Lucy smiled when she thought about her morning.

"I woke up after you left I think. I went to Juvia's house to apologize about yesterday. Oh, you won't believe it!"

Lucy walked up to the counter and hopped up to sit beside Happy. Natsu looked at her sideway and smirked.

"What won't I believe?"

Lucy gestured her hand wildly and nearly hit him in the face.

"Her house is full of Gray's pictures. I mean even her throw pillow cover has Gray on it! I don't like to judge people but that's just…" Lucy shuddered, "creepy. And she calls me love rival even after I explained everything to her and kicked me out of her apartment!"

Natsu laughed. He wasn't very surprised about choice of interior decoration. That girl was obviously obsessed with Gray.

"Well, our Gray apparently likes that few cards short of a deck. He's actually upset that we ruined their date. I guess they balance each other out. Him being a heartless machine and Juvia being… well, Juvia."

Lucy nodded and reached to scratch Happy behind its ear. He made a purring noise in his sleep.

"Hmm. That's true."

Lucy climbed down from the counter and stretched.

"Well, I'm gonna read a book in the living room. You can go back to sleep. You must be tried from the practice."

Lucy, still barefoot, sauntered out of the kitchen and Happy looked up from his position at the blonde before staring at him again.

"It's Mama's time to read, Happy. Don't disturb her."

Happy tilted his head when Natsu slipped off his gloves and placed them on the stand as well to dry.

"Because that's my job."

Lucy got comfortable on the couch with her feet tucked neatly under her and slouched ungracefully. She didn't have to be lady like here unlike at home and she liked to utilize it to its full potential.

She turned the book to the page where she had left off. She was cut off from the world when she read so, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a weight on her lap.

She moved her book and saw that Natsu was lying on her lap with his eyes closed. Lucy slapped him on the stomach with her book.

"I meant sleep in your own room, Natsu. I'm trying to read here."

Natsu faced his body to the back of the coach and rubbed his face on her stomach. Lucy twitched and hit him on the shoulder again.

"Ow! Dammit, woman. Have mercy on the man who just had a four hours training. Now, let me sleep in peace."

Lucy pushed at his shoulder so that he was lying on his back again with his face up. Natsu pouted at her but Lucy just shook her head.

"The last time you slept on my lap, my legs fall asleep as well and couldn't be used for half an hour."

Natsu moaned.

"Pretty please? I will give you a foot message when I wake up."

Lucy stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Promise?"

Natsu made to write an "X" on his chest with his finger.

"Cross my heart."

Lucy sighed and went back to her book. Taking that as a surrender, Natsu closed his eyes and relished the feel of her soft bare thighs under his neck and before he knew it, he was in the dreamland, dreaming of a very pretty girl with honey blonde hair.

A/N: I'm on roll! Damn! Lol, well, here's another chapter for my wonderful readers. Thank you for the reviews and since someone asked for more NaLu moment and Natsu's POV on Gray and Lucy's relationship, here you go. I tried my best but I don't want to get too much into GraLu so, I improvised. Your reviews keep me going so, keep them coming! Haha. Lemons would be in later chapters so, you would have to wait a bit for that. But fluff would be everywhere! Moe! Until next time, my beautifuls!