A/N This is the only One-Shot I have been able to complete successfully. Every time I think I'm going to write one it turns into a multi-chapter thing. I guess that must mean I have trouble letting go! This is the second Fairy Tail fanfiction I ever wrote. I hope you enjoy it.

WARNING: Some spoilers.

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

It had been at least a month since they'd returned from the S-Class Trials on Tenrou Island. The mages had been surprised to realize that seven years had passed in their absence. While they were more than happy to be back it had been a big adjustment to come to terms with all of the changes that had happened in their absence. Changes to the their guild, their city and especially their friends who had been left behind.

Romeo Conbolt was now a teenager and a capable fire wizard. Bisca and Alzack had gotten married and were now the parents to a little girl, Asuka. Droy had gotten fat. Lucy's father had passed away. The list went on and on. So many changes.

One thing however, had remained the same. Natsu and Gray. On this crisp autumn day they were up to their usual senseless bickering on their way to a heated fight. After pounding at each other mercilessly they had both collapsed exhaustedly on the grass. Too tired to move and with no serious injuries to speak of they lay next to each other, arms behind their heads and looked up at the sky.

These were the moments that truly defined their friendship. These were the times that they could talk to each other about anything without fear of ridicule and get an honest answer. They had followed this pattern since a very young age. Today was no different.

"Do you ever think about the future?", Gray asked Natsu cautiously. He had been giving this topic a lot of thought as of late.

"What do you mean? What about the future?"

"I don't know man. I look at Bisca and Alzack and I can't help but think that if we hadn't been stuck on Tenrou that's where we would be too."

"Oh, you mean like having a family and all that? No, I don't really think about that."

"Really? Why not?", Gray was surprised. He thought everyone thought about this stuff.

"Look at us. We run off on jobs sometimes for weeks at a time. We have to put our lives on the line just to make jewel. We are constantly getting seriously injured. What kind of life could we offer someone? I mean think about it, how many successful relationships have you seen in the time we have been a part of Fairy Tail? But more importantly, there are things that I still have to do before I give that any real thought.", Natsu said honestly.

"That's depressing, I don't want to be alone forever."

"Then don't be, marry Juvia. I'm sure she would be more than happy to have you and your...how many babies is it now?

"30. I don't really like her like that though. In all honesty, her behavior is a bit of a turn off. "

"I take it there is someone you do have in mind."

"Sort of. It's an old friend but it's complicated."

"Oh. You mean Cana, I could see that being complicated.", Natsu said knowingly, "I don't envy you. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell Gildarts that I lust after his daughter."

Natsu gave it some thought and started laughing. "Although I would really like to be there when you tell him."

"Jerk!", Gray said angrily, "I am not interested in Cana that way. I have to say I kind of thought you liked Lucy?"

Natsu was quiet for a minute.

"I like her well enough as a friend but I am not interested in dating her. I don't think we would be particularly compatible. If you like her don't stop yourself on my account."

Gray absorbed that information hungrily. He was rather surprised by Natsu's response. He was startled from his thoughts by the loud rumble coming from Natsu's stomach. He knew from experience that their time was up. There was no talking to the Flame Brain when his stomach was demanding attention. They both got up and walked towards the guild to have some lunch.

xxx

This time they were sitting in the forest near Natsu's house, a few months had passed. They'd had a particular vicious brawl over something that now seemed very stupid. They were tired but surprisingly content being in each other's company. This time it was Natsu that started the conversation.

"I thought you were going to ask Lucy out."

"I never said I was, I just said that I thought you liked her."

"I guess, so have you made any progress with your old friend who's complicated?

Gray snorted. "Not particularly, I don't think I'll pursue it."

For some reason that made Natsu a little happy. He was very possessive of his best friend and he did not like to think about how things would change between them once the ice mage had a girlfriend or as would eventually happen a wife and family.

"Is it Erza?", Natsu asked.

"What about Erza?"

"Is she the one you like?"

They looked at each other and burst into fits of laughter both trying to imagine Gray in a relationship with Erza. They had to stop when their ribs let them know in no uncertain terms that they were rather bruised.

"No. Just forget about it, I never should have told you anything."

"Well, whoever you pick, we'll still be friends.", Natsu said warmly and promptly decided to drop the subject.

Happy showed up then demanding to go fishing. Gray got up to leave but it seemed to Natsu like he had been about to say something.

xxx

After they defeated Tartaros there had been no chance to talk about anything. Natsu had been overwhelmed by the loss of Igneel and Gray had been equally overwhelmed by the loss of his own father, Silver. Exhausted though they were they both set off on their own journeys to get stronger. They now had very big things to prepare for, E.N.D. Zeref. Acnologia.

A year passed and Natsu finally found his way back home. Things had not gone as expected when he returned. Fairy Tail had disbanded, everyone had gone their separate ways. He and Lucy had set off to bring everyone back. Although he had missed everyone, he was anxious to see how Gray had fared during the year they had not seen each other. He wanted to show him how strong he had gotten and was curious to see how strong Gray had become. He was surprised to hear that Gray had been living with Juvia for six months. He was horrified to hear that Gray had joined a Dark Guild. There had been jokes over the years that the two of them were so destructive that they would one day be recruited by one but Natsu had never seriously considered the possibilty. What the hell was going on with his friend? There was a deep ache in his heart for what had become of his best friend in his absence. In the end things were not as they had originally appeared.

It was not until weeks later that they were able to sit down and talk alone. It was the first time they had tried this without having to beat each other up enough to listen to each other. It was new territory for them but perhaps they were mature enough to handle it.

"I'm sorry about your father.", Natsu began as tactfully as he could.

"Thanks, I'm sorry about Igneel as well."

Both of them sat next to each other , silent in their own sad thoughts about their fathers.

"What was it like being in a Dark Guild?", Natsu suddenly asked.

'It's not something I really like to talk about.", Gray shuddered trying to stop his brain from conjuring images of his time with Avatar.

Natsu nodded in understanding.

"You've gotten more powerful since I saw you last.", Gray said.

"I have to defeat Acnologia, for what he did to us, for what he did to Igneel.", Natsu said, steel in his voice.

Gray could certainly get behind that. He had to defeat E.N.D.

"I missed you, I'm glad you're back."

"I missed you too.", Natsu said simply. He tried to lighten the mood by referencing one of their previous conversations.

"You were living with Juvia. I guess your feelings changed after all."

"They didn't. She followed me and I didn't have the heart to send her away. She had no one else.", Gray explained.

"Natsu, have you given any more thought to the future?"

"Right now my future consists of defeating our enemies. I told you, there are things I need to do before I think about all that."

"I have been thinking about it a lot this past year. I know I might not survive what's coming so I want to make sure I have no regrets at the end."

Natsu nodded in understanding. He knew about regrets, he was pretty sure that he was not going to survive the upcoming battle either but he was determined to take the bastards with him.

"There's something I have been meaning to tell you for awhile. The reason why it's complicated with my old friend is because it's not a woman."

Gray looked at Natsu's face trying to judge his reaction.

"Oh.", Natsu said surprisedly then he grinned at him, "Did you think that I would be upset with you for it? I don't care that you like guys, you've always been my Ice Princess after all."

"So who's the lucky guy?", Natsu asked him as obliviously as only he could manage.

Gray blinked at him and laughed bitterly. He had been hoping he didn't have to spell it out for the Fire Dragon Slayer but he should have known better.

"You, dimwit. It's always been you."

Natsu considered his friend thoughtfully.

"Aren't you going to say anything?", Gray asked nervous and exasperated at the same time.

"Hang on, you kind of sprung this on me. I'm thinking."

They sat in silence for what felt to Gray like an eternity. Finally, Natsu started to speak.

"I wasn't lying when I said that I had never given any real thought to any of this stuff. I don't want to say no because I think I might feel something, but I can't really say yes either. I know that's a crap answer and that you deserve better but that's all I have at the moment. I'm sorry. Right now we need to focus on the enemies that are coming for us. If we beat them we'll have plenty of time to figure this out."

Gray looked at him in frustration. He knew he was being unfair but damn it he had been hoping for some kind of answer that did not leave him in limbo.

"Forget it.", Gray said moodily.

"Hey, that's not fair. You can't just throw something like this at me and then have a fit because you didn't get the answer you wanted. I didn't reject you. The timing just sucks. We can't afford to be distracted right now."

Gray started to walk away. Natsu wanted to go after him but decided he would only make things worse.

They did not have any more conversations in the next few months. Gray acted a bit colder towards Natsu but they still fought well together. They still spent time together with friends. Natsu would occasionally allow himself to think about Gray and what he meant to him. He didn't really want the distraction but there it was all the same. Now that Gray had said those words to him he couldn't just forget them. He didn't want to cause his friend any pain and he didn't want to regret not giving him a proper answer after all they had meant to each other over the years.

There was no denying that he craved Gray's attention more than anyone else in his life. He had just never stopped to think about why that was. Whether they were fighting together on a job, bickering or brawling for no reason, drinking or doing nothing he was happiest and most himself with the ice mage. Perhaps there was his answer, emotionally he could totally get on board with having a future with Gray. Physically, he had no idea. He had never been interested in pursuing anyone so he really had no experience in those matters. He would have to test those waters at some point.

'No time like the present', he thought to himself.

He went looking for Gray. He found him sitting outside the guild. Natsu sat down next to him.

"What do you want Fire Breath?"

"I want you to kiss me.", Natsu said evenly.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Why now?", he asked suspiciously.

"Because ever since you put the idea in my head I have not been able to let go of it. I need to understand what I feel for you. If you kiss me and I don't feel anything then I know we are just meant to be friends but if I feel something then we both have our answer. It turns out I don't want to die with regrets either.", Natsu said nervously.

Gray was suddenly nervous as hell, it was one thing to occasionally allow himself to fantasize about kissing his friend. Quite another to put it into action. He steeled himself as best he could and tried not to think about how much was riding on this one kiss.

He put one arm around his friend's shoulders and the other behind his head and pulled him closer. Natsu licked his lips lightly in anticipation or maybe it was nervousness, Gray could not tell. He willed his lips to communicate to Natsu all of the feelings he had been harboring for all these years. He tilted his head to the right and leaned in closer to Natsu's waiting lips. He pressed his lips to Natsu's in a passionate but chaste kiss and awaited his fate. After a few seconds Natsu let out a small moan and kissed him back. They remained like this for a while before Gray finally pulled away.

Natsu looked at him with eyes wide open, breathing ragged and cheeks flushed.

"You better not die on me you Ice Bastard."

Natsu leaned in for his own kiss. They had their answer after all.