Chapter Text
Gray felt the heat licking at him before his eyes fully opened. It was not oppressive, just a steady warmth pulling him up slowly into consciousness. As an ice mage he normally preferred the cold, but this was a nice feeling. Gentle. Comforting. As though he was wrapped in a lovers' embrace. He blinked his lids open slowly, then sat up with a gasp as he took in his room.
Fire. Fire everywhere.
"Oh, shit!"
Gray felt desperately afraid as his eyes darted around. His walls were coated in it, painted with flames. The blaze oozed across his stone floors like liquid. A thousand shades of yellow, red, and orange merged and blended. Hell's very own paint by numbers set. Gray took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, pulling up his hands and drawing on his magic. He figured freezing the whole room would be the most effective way to put it all out at once.
"Ice Make Instant Freeze!" He shouted, feeling the rush of energy pour out of his hands and blow through the room like a cool breeze. The flames danced in the shockwave of his magic, but no ice came forth. His magic didn't work. Gray needed to get out of there quick. He glanced towards the door and felt his chest tighten.
There was no door, only a wall of fire.
Just as he tried to pull on his magic again, the fire began to retreat. It shrank first from the ceiling, then down the walls. The flames descended slowly and began to creep across the floor. Gray stared, open mouthed and panting at the perfect, unburned surfaces. It was as though no fire had ever been there, let alone the inferno that had been his room moments ago.
Fire started to coalesce in the floor at the foot of his bed, a cyclone of flame swirling in circles, faster and faster. Howling like a strong wind, it danced and shuddered. Then the fire shrank down, cracking like a campfire as it folded in on itself. Light flashed and suddenly instead of roiling flames, a person stood, tendrils of smoke coiling off his skin. The smoke smelled like cinnamon, warm and familiar. Gray blinked rapidly in muddled recognition.
"Natsu?"
It wasn't really a question. Gray would know that face anywhere. Natsu stood motionless, arms crossed over his chest, pink hair spiking in every direction. His ever present dragon scale scarf was wrapped around his neck, along with loose fitting white pants, but his vest was nowhere to be seen. Looking down, his feet were also bare, which Gray found strange.
A giant fire turning into Natsu in your bedroom is not strange, but him being barefoot is weird?
Gray shook his head as he caught Natsu's eyes. He inhaled sharply as he was pinned down by that dark eyed stare. Natsu looked at him with an intensity he had never seen before. Gray's soul was laid bare under his gaze, every secret revealed, every dark desire unearthed. Natsu's mouth turned up into an amused smirk.
"You thought your ice could put out my flames?" He asked, putting a challenge in the question with his inflection. Gray was too dumbfounded to argue.
"Uh, I.....uh..."
"I'm burning just for you, snowflake. You think a few ice cubes can stop me?"
Natsu grinned, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he climbed onto the bed.
Natsu smiled at me, Gray thought. His heart pounded stupidly loud in his chest.
Gray's eyes were drawn from that smoldering gaze, to the chiseled muscles of Natsu's abdomen, and back again. His throat went dry as he tried to swallow down sudden apprehension. Natsu crawled up the bed without breaking eye contact, predatory and fierce. An unspoken threat was written across his features. Soon they were so close Gray was leaning back against his pillows as Natsu straddled his hips.
Natsu is on top of me. Gray's breathing came in shallow pants.
"Ah.... What are you doing, Natsu?" His voice was small and uncertain.
A dragon's smile spread over Natsu's lips, a bearing of sharp teeth. He eyed Gray like a wolf sizing up a lamb.
"A dragon does what it wants, takes what it wants." Natsu grabbed Gray's jaw, forcing his head left, then right. Gray let out a harsh breath. He was rock hard under those black eyes, the red of flames dancing within. "And this dragon wants his treasure."
Natsu grabbed Gray's wrists and pinned them over his head, crushing his lips against Gray's in a vicious kiss.
Natsu kissed me. Heat ate up Gray's flesh.
He shifted his grip on Gray's wrists to his right hand and ran his left down Gray's neck and chest to pinch his nipple. Gray moaned at the contact, unconsciously grinding his hips up against Natsu and wishing there weren't layers of fabric between them. Natsu's tongue pushed into his mouth, not asking permission but demanding entrance.
Natsu's lips. Natsu's tongue.
His bare chest pressed into Gray's as he ground their hard lengths together, and Gray almost lost it then and there.
Natsu's skin. Natsu's cock.
Gray began to struggle underneath Natsu, not wanting to embarrass himself by finishing in his boxers. A fierce kiss, a hot touch, and he was fighting the ache shooting up his flesh. How many times had he yearned for this very thing, Natsu's hard body and soft lips pressed against him? Yet he didn't want to want it to end so quickly. He tried to pull back.
"N-natsu, wait!" He mumbled into the other's mouth.
"Nnn-nnnm," he hummed back, "been waiting too long already..." Natsu argued, trailing his mouth over Gray's jaw to his neck where he began licking and sucking.
"I'm gonna- nngh..... gonna cum!" He pleaded, twisting underneath the fire wizard, trying to escape. Natsu pulled back and smiled gently at him. It was such a sharp contrast to his aggression so far. Emotions played openly across his features. Desire. Affection. Love. Then the gentle smile transformed into a villainous smirk.
"I want you to. I want to watch." Natsu palmed Gray's cock through his boxers as he pressed a hot mouth on his ear. "Come for me Gray."
Gray was done for. His muscles tensed as his body curled in on itself, heat racing up his shaft as his eyes sought Natsu's.
"I l-love you, Natsu." He choked out, hanging on by a thread, trapped in Natsu's gaze again. Natsu smiled and pressed harder against him.
"I know."
I told Natsu I love him. Gray's orgasm shot up his length, scorching and vicious. He jerked with a low moan-
Gray awoke, shooting up in bed with a gasp as he came in twitching spasms. Warm, thick fluid dripped under his boxers as he rolled to his side. Gray curled into himself, letting his hand drift to cup him cock as he shuddered out the last of his climax.
He was all alone. Natsu was not here. No fire and no heat. Just the mess of his clothes and a single overstimulated tear rolling down his face. His breath came in sharp pants. Gray fought back a sob, biting down on his knuckles and refusing to make a sound. He would not give voice to the sorrow inside, the black hole that lived in his chest. Not today. Not right now.
Just a dream.
You're so pathetic. Reduced to tears by a wet dream. How many times is it this week? You're unworthy to call yourself a wizard, let alone go after Natsu.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Gray jumped up at the sound. Someone was knocking on his door. Loudly. He threw his legs over the side of the bed so his feet touched the cold stone. Grounding himself in the here and now. A deep sigh escaped as he buried his face in his hands. Whoever was at the door had the worst timing in history. Gray did not make a sound, hoping they would think he wasn't home.
"Graaaaaay! I can smell you in there. Open the door."
Fuuuuuck. It was Natsu. What the hell is he even doing here? Panic shot through him as he looked at the wet spot on his boxers. He'd just come all over himself dreaming about the Dragonslayer and now he was at the door. Shit. Calm down, calm down. He won't know. Relax.
Gray threw open a drawer and quickly pulled on some pajamas. Patience was not Natsu's strong point. If he didn't open the door soon Natsu would probably knock it down and kick his ass for not answering fast enough.
Or maybe he would be worried about me. I am his guild mate. If I was here and not waking up something could be wrong. It wouldn't be weird to want to check on me.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Hey ice for brains, if you don't open up I'm going to kick this thing in and then smack you around for ignoring me!"
Gray rolled his eyes with another sigh as he pulled on a shirt. It was strange for him to wear one at home, but he felt guilty. As though covering his skin would better hide his feelings. Shield his flesh to protect his heart. Gray walked towards the door. He couldn't afford a new door. He needed to hurry.
"Hold on you bastard let me put on some clothes."
"Do you even own clothes?"
"I own more clothes than you, you flame brained moron."
"Ice princess!"
"Matchstick-"
Gray stopped short as he threw open the door and took in Natsu. It staggered him for the briefest instant, as always. That crazy pink hair, those dark eyes always glowing with amusement. That stupid cocky grin that made Gray's chest ache. The strong, muscled body that made him ache somewhere... lower. He shook himself, wondering what Natsu saw in his face. Gray knew what he himself looked like, face flushed, eyes red, a sheen of sweat on his skin. His breathing was almost evened out, but not quite.
"What do you want Natsu? I was asleep." Gray asked in a carefully exasperated tone.
Natsu's eyes took Gray in slowly. That dragons nose sniffed the air, then he broke out into an uncharacteristically sly smile.
"Did we have a good dream, snowflake?" He asked in a wry voice. Gray's eyes widened as his heart raced.
I'm burning just for you, Snowflake.
He had forgotten about Natsu's sense of smell in the panic. Of course Natsu could smell his latent arousal. He tried to fight the blush forming on his cheeks. Gray let out a frustrated breath as he threw his arms up in the air.
"Seriously, Natsu, what is it? I can't deal with you right now."
This was true, in its own way. Natsu just let out a bark of a laugh and smirked again.
"Gramps wants all the elemental mages at the guild. Some special job. Cana's gonna read her cards, figure out who needs to go. He sent me to come get you. I told him there's no way they'd need an ice princess, but he made me come anyway. Although..." Natsu glanced down briefly and grinned again. "Iron is technically an earth element, so Gajeel will be there, along with Wendy. With their noses? You might want to shower."
Gray's fist flew before he even thought, straight at Natsu's face. Natsu ducked out of the way with a smile before trying to take out Gray's legs with a kick. The ice mage caught himself and used his momentum to throw a kick while blocking Natsu's fiery right hook with his arm. Natsu pulled his stomach in quickly to avoid the kick. Gray rolled up to his feet in a fighting stance while Natsu spun away and faced him. Gray's stood higher, arms up near his chest. A soldier ready to strike, solid like ice. Natsu's stance was lower, arms to the side. An animal ready to pounce, fluid like fire. His eyes glittered with delight, but he shook himself and stood up.
"I really would like to knock you around a little but Gramps said hurry. Erza also said she would smash my head in if I picked a fight with you. So hurry up." Natsu turned and headed towards the guild. As he departed he looked back over his shoulder at Gray. "Plus I don't want to get all close combat with you right now, if you know what I mean."
His lips curled up again as he turned away and sped up to avoid the attack he knew was coming. That fucking smirk would be the end of him. He flung some ice at Natsu's retreating back. He blocked it without even looking, laughing as he ran toward Fairy Tail.
"Idiot!" Gray spat the word as he went back inside and closed the door. When he leaned against it, it was as though he weighed a thousand pounds.
Idiot. I am the idiot here, Gray thought, hating himself. Natsu's face filled his mind, his expression from moments ago. Eyes alight with joy, ready for a fight. Fists clenched, breathing steady. Natsu always looked the most beautiful with the promise of violence etched in his features. Gray's hands shook as he sank down to the floor and buried his face in his knees. He listened to the emptiness of his house, silent and hollow now that Natsu was gone and Gray was alone.
A sob was wrenched out from deep in Gray's throat.
Alone.
Only then did Gray let the tears fall.