Natsu needed to come up with something to do for himself. Alone. Every time he tried, his mind would hang up on what all he couldn't do. He couldn't run, and as he and Gray had discovered after dinner the night before, swimming wasn't something he could do much of either. Gray had tried to distract him from this discovery by getting him to wade out into the water and start a splash fight, which was fun until Natsu thought of it as something a couple might do together. And when they'd gone out onto the sand the following morning and Natsu complained about his mobility, Gray had challenged him to a sand castle building contest, which was fun until Gray started laughing and smiling and Natsu couldn't look at him in only a swimsuit without his cheeks burning.

The whole thing was stupid. It wasn't a date. He didn't know if Gray said that because he remembered what Natsu had said when they made plans to come to the beach, or if he made the comment flippantly, but it meant the same thing either way. It wasn't a date.

Which didn't matter! It wasn't like Natsu wanted to date the jerk who told him he wasn't even allowed to walk home on his own anyway!

But that only made it all the more ridiculous that he needed to wrap his scarf around the bottom half of his face, lest Happy tell him he was blushing again. He'd spent half the morning arguing that it was only the heat, which was the explanation that made the most sense to Natsu anyway. Something about Gray's general coldness was making the heat worse. Obviously. But Happy was convinced that he wanted Lucy there. Gray had even offered twice to contact her and see if she wanted to come!

If nothing else, Natsu supposed that Gray was doing a decent job of keeping his mind off of his condition, but the whole thing was driving him so far up the wall that he half wished he could be abandoned by the river to sulk about his health alone again.

Natsu glanced over to Gray's castle, and noticed that his team mate had stepped away. So absorbed was he in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed.

Well, that was fine. Thanks to his distraction, his own castle was in a pitiful state. This would give him a chance to straighten it out. It wasn't like a fistful of sand was too much for him to lift, so there was no excuse to such a sorry looking construction.

Midway through smoothing out one of the walls of his castle, it occurred to Natsu that Gray's was unguarded. There would be no proving it wasn't some rogue seagull who destroyed his castle, and even if Gray suspected the truth, what was he going to do? Hit Natsu? For as delicately as Gray handled him, he could get off with nothing more than a scolding if he called the authorities to report they guy for public exposure.

Grinning, Natsu looked back to Gray's castle, spotted Gray walking down the beach towards him with an ice cream cone in each hand, and froze. For a moment, he forgot all about his health and even his weird reactions to his friend, but once the shock passed he snickered. Natsu and the law were not friends, but if he were the type to run to the authorities to harass a friend, there was no better time than now to report Gray for exposure.

"What are you grinning about?" Gray asked as he walked up.

"Your swim trunks," Natsu told him.

"What's wrong with them?"

Natsu waited until Gray handed him one of the cones before saying, "You lost 'em."

Having spent the whole day trying not to blush, it was satisfying to watch Gray look down, turn beet read, and drop into a crouch to try and cover himself.

"How far did you go for ice cream?"

"Just up to the boardwalk. There was a man there with a cart. I didn't notice him staring so I must have had my trunks still when I bought the cones."

Meaning he had somehow undressed himself with a cone in each hand. Natsu glanced down at his, wondering if he really wanted it after all. He'd already licked it, so the damage had likely been done, and with a shrug he resumed eating.

It was just past noon, and the beach was steadily filling with people who planned to lounge after lunch or eat on the sand. No doubt plenty had already seen Gray in full glory, but Natsu saw no reason to subject them to a second exposure.

"Point out the cart. I can walk along the sand and look around for you."

"You don't have to—"

"I'm walking Gray. In your line of sight. I can handle that." Natsu pushed himself up. "Happy will be with me, and if I suddenly keel over, it won't take you long to run to me, right? Hide your butt between the castles and show me where you were."

"I'm not sure this—"

"Unless you want to walk up to the boardwalk naked."

Gray bit his lip, physically trembling with the struggle over the decision Natsu laid out for him, then grudgingly crawled between the two sand castles and sat down. "The cart was right up there. In front of the glass shop."

"Oh! I see it."

"Really? It's a ways off."

"Your sight must suck then." Natsu flashed Gray a grin, then noticed all over again that his friend was naked, blushed, and looked away. "I'll be right back, 'kay?"

The first three steps he started off running, then remembered himself and slowed down. He couldn't run anymore. Not unless he wanted to collapse in the sand and have Gray, naked, come running after him. He couldn't run and he couldn't fight, but he could still be trusted to look after himself, and he had to prove that to Gray or they'd never let him so much as shadow someone else on a job.

He walked along the sand, spotting Gray's trunks halfway between their castles and the ice cream cart. It was insulting that Gray thought such a simple task might be unsafe, when Natsu found it almost effortless. True, the sand was a little more taxing to walk on than solid ground, but it wasn't hard.

He turned around, grinning and waving the trunks triumphantly in the air, then froze.

Three women had gathered around Gray, giggling at something he'd said. He was smiling up at them, looking as suave as he could as he made a joke about his nakedness that spurred another round of giggles.

Natsu's arm dropped, and it was just then that Gray noticed him and waved. One of the girls looked back at him, then bent down and put a finger on Gray's lips. Whatever she whispered, she said it too quietly for Natsu to pick up.

It wasn't just his cheeks he felt heating up this time. His whole body was growing warn, magic reacting instinctively to emotions he didn't understand. His ice cream liquefied, running down his hand, and he had to quickly shut his power off before it could drain him.

"Natsu?" Happy asked. "What's wrong."

"Nothing. I'm fine."

He clenched the trunks tight, spun around, and continued on towards the boardwalk.

-o-

Ice that moved wasn't Gray's specialty, but Ur had taught him and Lyon everything she could, and he had a grasp of how to do it. Enough of an idea that he could resort to creating makeshift trunks for himself out of frosted ice to protect his modesty as well as he could while he stalked through town.

Natsu looked like he was about to throw a fit when Gray tried to tell him not to go after his trunks alone, and the whole point of the trip was to get a break from all the reminders about his failing health, so Gray couldn't tell him no. Besides, the walk from his house to the guild was further than the walk to the boardwalk, so it had seemed harmless. And when he'd seen Natsu pause with the swim trunks in hand, Gray had also seen his ice cream melting all over him, so he assumed Natsu was only going to replace it.

But Natsu slipped into the crowd, and didn't return.

When it finally became apparent that Natsu wasn't coming back, Gray had raced off in the direction Natsu disappeared. In part because he needed his swim trunks back, but mostly because something had to be wrong. If Natsu only wanted to tease him, he could have waved those trunks around somewhere where a lot of people would see if Gray grabbed them from him. Unable to think of any other reason why Natsu might not walk back, Gray could only assume the worst. Happy had tagged along, but that wasn't enough for Gray's peace of mind.

With no idea as to what parts of the seaside town might appeal to Natsu, Gray started off by checking their hotel, and was relived to find Natsu sitting outside a candy store en route.

Seeing as he wasn't on the street, unable to pick himself up, the first thing Gray said as he approached was, "Swim trunks."

Natsu flashed him a dirty look and tossed the trunks at him.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing."

"Are you angry?"

"Do I look angry?"

"Yes."

"Really?" For a moment, he looked surprised instead, then his face darkened. "Well, I'm not."

"Sure, sure."

"Really."

"I believe you."

"I'm fi—"

"Don't. Please. Never tell me you're 'fine' again."

Natsu pursed his lips, still glaring, and finally said, "How can you have so much trouble keeping your pants on?"

"I don't know. I just do." Seeing that Natsu wasn't about to move, Gray sat down beside him. "Since when has that bothered you before? Usually it's one of the girls getting on my case about it."

"Yeah? Well, those girls sure seemed to prefer you without clothes."

"That's what your upset about?"

"I'm not upset."

"Please. If you were any angrier you'd catch on fire."

Natsu grimaced. Recalling his fast his ice cream had liquefied, Gray realized he wasn't far from the truth. And come to think of it…

"Fine. Forget about them. They were only teasing me anyway. You used magic earlier, didn't you? Are you tired?"

It took Natsu a moment to admit, "Maybe a little."

"Want to go back to the hotel? We can find something to do in our room."

Natsu nodded, and held out a hand in a gesture that Gray had learned meant 'help me stand.'

"You aren't that tired, are you?"

"Maybe I am."

That took Gray by surprise. They hadn't done anything too taxing, and while their hotel wasn't right on the beach, it was only a few minutes to walk there. Even if Natsu had used magic to melt his ice cream, it could hardly be that draining, could it? When he'd reported to Porlyusica before, he'd made it sound like it took more than that to really sap him. They'd played it safe and taken every precaution, from not running to… Oh.

"I forgot to bring supplies for your tea," Gray realized. "Have you been drinking it while you were with Lucy?"

"I left the stuff for it at home," Natsu admitted.

"And then spent the whole week in bed, even though the old lady said you needed a proper sleep schedule." Gray sighed and shook his head. "There's no helping it, I guess. Let's get you back to the hotel. I'll run out and buy the ingredients for you, and we'll see if it helps you make it through the afternoon."

Natsu made no protest, and offered no resistance when Gray pulled him to his. His steps were unsteady, and he half leaned against Gray as they walked.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"Not really."

"And you don't have that feeling like when you're in danger of an attack?"

Natsu paused before answering, considering how to answer long enough for Gray to realize it was a lie with the roset looked away and said, "No."

"If you think there's a real danger, let me know immediately," Gray insisted.

"Aye, Sir." Natsu mumbled.

Come to think of it, where was Happy? Gray looked around for him, glancing at the ground, then the sky, then finally asking Natsu.

"Buying fish. I told him I only needed to rest a minute."

More than a minute. Natsu was practically falling asleep on Gray's shoulder. There was no good way to delicately suggest that he really should be carried, and the hotel was only a block away, but Gray wished Natsu would give in and take more help.

Remembering Porlyusica's instructions on sleep, he dropped Natsu off in the lobby rather than their hotel room, hoping that the lacryma vision might hold his attention and keep him from dozing off. Natsu seemed attentive enough to the ongoing news report, if only because it was about a sighting of Jellal. Gray made a mental note to ask Erza for the details on that one later.

Natsu looked content when Gray left, but Gray himself felt uneasy. It had been a month since they discovered Natsu's condition, and Gray still found it alarming whenever he saw how it really affected his friend. Without taking whatever meager treatments Porlyusica prescribed, Natsu didn't even have the energy to make to the afternoon.

And without him and Mira there to breath down Natsu's neck, Natsu didn't keep that treatment up.

Gray didn't just feel uneasy as he went through the market, searching for the ingredients to Natsu's tea. He felt downright nauseas. How long would it take Natsu to learn to take care of himself? Would he ever? Gray doubted he'd ever reach the point where he gave up on Natsu out of frustration, but he wasn't thrilled with the possibility that he might spend the rest of his life reminding the idiot to take care of himself.

When he returned to the hotel Natsu was still awake, and still insisted on walking as best he could back to their room. Gray let him lie down, and began scouring their kitchenette. He wasn't sure how recently the pan he found had been cleaned, but it would have to do. He set it on their only burner and talked while he brewed the tea, intent on keeping Natsu in the waking world.

"I wasn't lying, you know," he said. "Those girls only stopped to tease me. One of them kept insisting that her boyfriend wouldn't be happy if they saw her with me."

Natsu didn't reply, and Gray glanced back to make sure he was still awake.

"Natsu? They were only giving me a hard time."

"That's not how Juvia would have seen it."

Remembering the rain woman, Gray's gripped the side of the pan tight. A second later he cursed, releasing it and shaking his hand, then applying ice to the area he'd touched to the metal. It wasn't hot enough yet to leave a burn mark, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

All good humor gone, Gray said, "Apparently, that's not how you saw it either. And what's it to you what goes on between Juvia and I anyway?"

Natsu stuttered before settling on, "You and she are both guild mates. I'm allowed to care if my guild mate's boyfriend isn't faithful to her."

"Whatever she tells you," Gray said, "Juvia is not my girlfriend."

"Really?" Natsu tried to push himself up, but it seemed to be more effort than he'd expected, and he laid back down. "But you two are always together."

"Yeah. She always finds me. Why did you think we left so quick after I got back from my job?"

"But she definitely likes you."

"Well, maybe I don't like how over the top she is with telling me that twenty times a day," Gray said. "Maybe I don't like having her follow me everywhere, and maybe I really don't appreciate having everyone assume that just because she never stops talking about how much she loves me, I must love her back. Because you know what? Maybe I don't!"

He hadn't noticed himself getting louder, but when Gray heard his voice echo, he bit down on his tongue to stop himself from going on. He didn't need the whole hotel to hear about his girl troubles.

"So, what? You hate her?"

Gray took a deep breath to try and calm himself, then said, "Of course not. I just hate how everyone expects me to go along with her."

Natsu blinked, slowly, then turned and looked up at the ceiling.

Sighing, Gray turned back to the tea, and saw that in his frustration, he had frozen the kitchenette. He cursed and dispelled the ice, then relit the burner.

"I'll have this ready for you in just a minute."

Natsu grunted his affirmation.

"You stay awake for me, okay? Don't close your eyes. I mean it, Natsu. Don't you dare fall asleep on me."

"You say that like I'm dying. This stupid disease is chronic, not terminal."

Gray didn't know what to say to that. The only comment that he could think of that followed the conversation was to tell Natsu how scared they'd been that he would die during the last two jobs they'd taken him on. Not waking up for three days, then collapsing without warning the next time he went out, and moaning so pitifully as they tried to rush him home.

But the point of their vacation was to take Natsu's mind off of that. At least as much as was reasonable. He still needed to keep his condition in mind when it came to drinking his damn tea, but Gray didn't want him to dwell on what all he could no longer do. Or the fact that because there was no cure, he would need to avoid those things forever.

Rather than mention those fearful moments and potentially start a fight over whether or not Natsu should still be allowed to come on jobs, Gray said, "Speaking of dying, you do realize I had to search the town for you naked, right? I nearly died of embarrassment running around looking for you."

"Is that why you still haven't put your clothes back on?"

Gray glanced down and saw that, in fact, he did still have nothing but frosted ice to protect his decency. What little decency was left. The ice was steadily melting.

"Where…?"

"Here." Natsu held the swim trunks up for Gray again. "You dropped 'em in the lobby."

"Thanks. Toss them over here."

Natsu threw them, and they landed halfway between the two. Neither commented on this, Gray picking them up and pulling them on silently.

They kept talking after, guessing as to where Happy might have gone and how long it would take him to figure out to return to the hotel. At one point, while Gray was pouring Natsu's tea, Natsu even suggested that if it got to be too late, Gray should go out and look for him.

Gray. Not Natsu. Gray smiled, handed Natsu his mug, and rather than ask him just how worn down he was, said, "No matter how sick you get of this stuff, remember to keep taking it, okay?"

"Okay," Natsu said, but he didn't meet Gray's eye when he said it.

-x-

STA: I'm not gonna lie, "and then Gray was naked" is basically my way of writing myself out of a corner. I got stuck early on in this chapter, recalled his stripping habit, and used it as a transition. I got stuck again, realized I never described him redressing, and had him realize he'd never redressed. Truly, his bad habit is a blessing.

As for the subject of Gruvia, I've already mentioned I don't like it. But one of the things I especially dislike about it, and I've seen people complain about being in this situation in real life too, is that there's a certain level of assumption that Gray just owes it to her to return her feelings, because she feels so strongly. I remember the number of people outright hating on him the week the chapter came out where he flat out turned her down during that party, and it was just disappointing. He didn't like the way she acted, and he had the right to tell her to stop. This isn't a Gruvia exclusive thing, but there's a lot of people who care more about their OTP than the characters who comprise it, and that always just bugs me.

Oh. A small heads up, by the way. I'm back in class, so I'll probably be updating a little slower.

Daygon Yuuki: Read that in Happy's voice XD. It wouldn't be a ship fic if they didn't like each other.

Supernova888: It isn't really a secret when you post it publicly online, but I'm glad to know you like it.