Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

Gray was so done with Juvia's bullshit. All he'd said was he wanted some time to himself, and she'd gone off the deep end, screaming about how he was cheating on her.

So Gray had packed all of his stuff into a bag and gotten the hell out. He'd left their apartment and started walking, his muscles relaxing with every step he put between himself and Juvia.

Even now, he knew if he turned around, he'd be able to spot her following him. She wasn't nearly as stealthy as she thought she was, and her blue hair was a dead giveaway.

Juvia was a nice girl, and maybe he'd loved her once, he wasn't even sure of that anymore. She was just too much of a hassle. She had to know what he was doing every minute of the day, became jealous of anyone he talked to for more than a minute. In the two years they'd been together, she'd managed to scare away every single one of his friends, save one. Natsu.

Natsu was the only one of his friends that would put up with her nonsense, although they would invariably clash he was too stubborn to allow himself to be run off. If Gray was honest with himself, Natsu was the one he always ran to, his last remaining haven. Every few months Gray wouldn't be able to put up with Juvia's shit anymore, and he'd go crash with Natsu.

They'd have a great time, ordering ridiculous amounts of takeout and chasing it down with even more beer. They'd play video games or watch movies till all hours, and though they would both pay for it at work the next day, it never stopped them from doing it again the following night. Sometimes they'd even wrestle like they did back when they were in high school. He loved these times. Gray smiled, happiness swelling in his chest as he thought of his best friend.

He saw Natsu's house in the distance and sped up, already looking forward to the fun they were sure to have.

He knocked on the door, a big smile already on his face, the insult he'd come up with on the way there on the tip of his tongue when the door opened and Zeref, Natsu's brother, took one look at him and slammed the door in his face.

Well, that was unexpected.

"Who was it, Zeref?" Gray could hear Natsu asking from inside.

"No one," Zeref replied.

"Why don't I believe you?" Natsu replied dryly, and Gray could almost see Natsu rolling his eyes at his older brother. He heard steps getting closer, and the door opened again, this time it was Natsu.

"Oh hey, Gray" Natsu appeared happy to see him, but Gray could quickly tell something was off by the way Natsu was running his fingers through his hair, something he only did when he was nervous.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Gray grumbled crankily, "He slammed the door in my face."

Natsu shrugged, the message clear, It's Zeref, who the hell knows what goes through his mind.

Gray looked at his friend, something was different. What was it? He was wearing a pair of nice jeans, along with a long sleeved button down shirt underneath an apron, his pink hair was tamed with some sort of hair product,

"Why are you dressed up?" Gray furrowed his brow as he took in the whole look and realized he might be intruding.

"Oh, uhm yeah. We're having guests for dinner." Natsu replied noncommittally, "Hey, come in." He moved out of the way and urged Gray inside.

"I should go, I didn't mean to impose," Gray was disappointed, he'd been looking forward to spending time with his friend, but of course he should've called first. It was kind of a dick move on his part to just assume that Natsu would have nothing going on.

"Did you have another fight with Juvia?" Natsu eyed him knowingly, giving Gray one of the blinding grins that always went through him like rays of sunshine, leaving him warm and hungry for more.

"Yeah," Gray agreed sheepishly, "I think this time I'm done though, I can't take much more."

"You always say that," Natsu rolled his eyes, "And you always go back."

"Not this time."

"Mhm," Natsu conceded, "Well you're welcome to stay, of course. Dinner should be ready in about an hour."

Once Natsu said that Gray started to pay attention to the smells that were coming out of the kitchen. It smelled heavenly. When did Natsu learn how to cook like that?

"Natsu, can I talk to you for a moment?" Zeref's voice was tight, and he sounded angry, as he called his brother from the kitchen.

"I'll be right there," Natsu's shoulders sagged a bit, but he kept his smile on and told Gray to make himself at home. "I'll be back in a bit."

Gray went upstairs to leave his bag in the room he usually stayed in when he crashed at Natsu's, wondering why Zeref was acting so uptight with him. It wasn't just that day either, his behavior towards him had been deteriorating for the last few years.

Gray really wanted to know what Zeref was talking to Natsu about, but he knew better than to eavesdrop. He looked out the window and to his great annoyance noticed Juvia hiding behind the bushes across the street.

He hadn't been kidding, he was done. As far as he was concerned, they were over. He wondered how long it would take for Juvia to give up on him. He groaned before making his way back downstairs.

Gray walked into the living room, turning on the TV and sitting down on Natsu's sectional. Zeref walked in from the kitchen, an angry glare on his face.

He stopped and scowled at Gray, "If I give you twenty bucks will you go watch a movie or something?"

"When was the last time you went to a movie?" Gray snorted, "That would barely pay for the ticket. Why are you so uptight anyway?"

"Look, tonight is really important, and I don't want you here ruining it." Zeref hissed.

"Dude, chillax," Gray raised his arms up in surrender, "Juvia is hiding behind your neighbor's bush, once she gives up and goes home I'll take off and come back later. Happy?"

Zeref looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it. Instead, he stormed towards the front door, leaving Gray staring after him as he opened it and slammed it shut.

"Where's Zeref going?" A voice behind him made Gray jump.

"Warn a guy, will ya?" Gray groused, ignoring Natsu's laughs, "I have no idea, why is he acting so weird anyway?"

Natsu bit his lip but didn't say anything. His eyes widened as he looked out the window, "What the hell?"

Gray followed Natsu's gaze only to see Zeref marching towards Juvia, his steps determined. Both of them ran towards the window and shoved their faces against it.

"Holy Shit!" Gray exclaimed as Zeref grabbed Juvia by the arm and dragged her back towards the house. "What's he doing?"

Juvia struggled, screaming at Zeref to let her go. Natsu's disbelief turned to amusement as Juvia began to pelt Zeref on the head with the pink umbrella she always carried with her. His laughs came out in deep rumbles that made Gray stop and look at him, a smile playing on his lips as he saw how cute his best friend looked.

"Dude, that's your girlfriend, aren't you going to go stop him?" Natsu urged him.

"Ex-girlfriend, " Gray reminded Natsu as he grabbed the remote and sat back on the sofa to channel surf, "I told you, I'm done for good this time. She got herself in this mess, she can get herself out."

Natsu continued to watch the spectacle that was happening outside his house, considering Gray's words carefully. It felt like the universe was sending him a sign, although he already knew what Zeref would say to that.

"Oh crap, Mavis just got here," Natsu reported, and that at least was enough to make Gray curious enough to return to the window.

They watched as Mavis, dressed in a long flowy dress and heels tried to stop Juvia from hitting Zeref, who was still yelling and threatening to call the police on Juvia if she didn't leave his property immediately. To his great embarrassment, Natsu could see all his neighbors were now outside, watching shamelessly, some even taking videos with their phones.

Mavis gave up and turned to the house, frowning when she noticed the two boys watching from inside. Natsu and Gray glanced at each other quickly before lunging towards the sofa, pretending to watch TV before Mavis came inside. For such a short person, Mavis could be downright terrifying, and she'd known both of them long enough to have no qualms about speaking her mind.

"Don't even try it you two," Mavis stood in front of them, all five feet of her glowering at them. "What is going on?"

Natsu and Gray communicated silently, each willing the other to speak but both remaining quiet.

"That's Juvia out there," Mavis pointed out, "Gray, explain."

"Uhm, I broke up with her, and she followed me here."

"You broke up?"

"Yeah, he's going to crash with me for a while," Natsu offered his sister-in-law a wan smile and quickly looked away.

Gray couldn't be sure, but he thought that Mavis was looking at Natsu with something akin to pity. What was that about?

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, I guess?" Mavis remarked, "But could you please get your psychotic girlfriend off Zeref before the police actually do show up?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Gray insisted. Mavis waved him off and pointed him to the door. Gray tried to whine his way out of it, but Mavis fixed him with a glare that had him moving instantly.

Natsu tried to pretend he was interested in the TV, but Mavis wasn't fooled. She grabbed the remote and turned the big screen off.

"Natsu honey, you can't do this to yourself again," Mavis started, "We've talked about this. This isn't healthy for you."

"He broke up with her for good this time," Natsu pointed out, knowing how hollow the words sounded.

"He says that every single time," Mavis reminded him, "You know that. He might have the best intentions now, but as soon as he gets tired of playing house with you, he'll go back to her."

Natsu felt as if he'd been slapped, he knew what Mavis was saying was right but he hadn't expected her to be quite so blunt about it.

"It's never going to happen, Natsu," Mavis insisted, "All you're doing is opening yourself up to get hurt again."

"You don't know that," Natsu protested.

Natsu's fists were clenching and unclenching as he tried to keep his emotions under control, but it wasn't helping. He knew Mavis was only trying to protect him, but what if there was a chance? Gray was the only person he'd ever been in love with, even back when they were younger. What if he gave up right when the only thing he'd ever wanted was just within his reach?

"Yes I do, Natsu" Mavis pressed firmly, "And so do you."

At those words all the fight went out of him, he wrapped his arms around himself and fought back the tears. He couldn't be in the house anymore, he needed to get out. Needed to breathe some fresh air and get away from all this. He took his apron off with trembling fingers and threw it on the sofa.

"The roast will be ready in about twenty minutes," Natsu informed Mavis before turning on his heel and exiting out the back door slamming it shut behind him.

"Natsu! Natsu, I'm sorry," He could hear Mavis calling after him, he could also hear Gray and Zeref yelling, and Juvia sobbing. He tuned all of it out as best he could and walked briskly, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the chaos.

Natsu had known he was gay since middle school, but back then it wasn't exactly safe to come out, and since he'd only ever been interested in Gray, dating hadn't been something that he'd been overly concerned with.

Over the years he'd watched Gray date several girls. Some didn't last very long, and some like Juvia, had lasted for years, and even though it did hurt to watch him with others, he couldn't help but notice that Gray looked the happiest when he was with him. It was both his salvation and his curse.

The thing was, he knew Gray was attracted to him on some level. Every time he stayed with him after one of his fights with Juvia, he was very flirtatious and had even gone as far as holding his hand and cuddling with him on several occasions. But usually, there was alcohol involved.

The way Natsu saw it, the biggest obstacle to them dating was Gray accepting that he might have feelings for a guy. It was the biggest reason why he'd never told Gray he was gay, Natsu thought it would scare him off before he could come to that realization for himself. Natsu wasn't ashamed of who he was, he just didn't want to lose the little he did have.

Zeref and Mavis didn't see it that way, they felt Gray was aware of his feelings and was only playing with him, stringing him along until he got bored. They worried over how it affected Natsu, and he had to admit he did get depressed when Gray invariably returned to Juvia after spending weeks living with him.

Zeref had been nagging him for a long time to step back and give somebody else a chance. He'd planned this whole stupid double date to try to get Natsu to move on from what he considered to be his unhealthy obsession with Gray.

Natsu wanted to give it a chance, but he just wasn't interested in trying to build a relationship with some random person. It wasn't like he was lonely. He had friends and a job he enjoyed that paid reasonably well. He went out and did stuff. It wasn't like he spent his entire life pining and waiting for Gray to come to him, and honestly, he'd rather be alone than with someone just because.

Xxx

"But Gray darling, surely you don't mean it!" Juvia repeated for the umpteenth time as the tears continued to pour out of her blue eyes.

"I told you before I left, Juvia," Gray reminded her, not able to keep the annoyance out of his voice, "It's over, through, finished. You don't trust me, and you're suffocating me, I don't want to live like that anymore."

"Juvia can change for you," Juvia pleaded, she had moved into a kneeling position her hands clasping his. "We can have fun with Natsu, Juvia's sorry she accused you of cheating."

There was something about the way she said Natsu's name that gave him pause. It almost sounded like Juvia was jealous of Natsu. Literally, the only friend he had left. Yep, he was done with all this bullshit.

"Just go home Juvia, you're embarrassing yourself." Gray pulled his hands away roughly, disgusted by her antics. "And no one wants you here."

He resented that she was trying to force herself into his safe space and he didn't particularly like to have Natsu and her together. It always worried him that she might somehow drive him away. Gray massaged his temples, already feeling a headache coming on from the stress.

He could feel the weight of Zeref's disapproving stare without even turning around. He wanted to scream in frustration. He knew he sounded cruel but what was he supposed to do? She didn't listen, she never did. If he were any nicer, she'd never leave.

Gray saw a white-haired man, he vaguely recognized as one of Natsu's neighbors, peer at him disapprovingly before walking over to Juvia and offering her a handkerchief. Juvia took it and blew into it thanking the man for his kindness. He offered Juvia some tea, and when she accepted, Gray looked back at Zeref trying to determine whether it was safe to let her go with him. Zeref gave him a nod, and they went back inside in search of Natsu.

Except he was nowhere to be found and Mavis sat in the living room sniffling. Zeref walked over to his wife and put his arms around her comfortingly.

"Mavis, what's wrong?" Zeref asked with concern, immediately noticing the apron on the sofa. "Where's Natsu?"

Mavis wiped her eyes, "He - he left."

"What do you mean he left?" Zeref and Gray asked in unison.

Mavis began to cry again, "Oh Zeref, I was so cruel! I'm so sorry," she wailed.

"You could never be cruel, " Zeref murmured softly as he held her close, kissing the top of her head before petting her hair gently, "Do you think you could tell us what happened?"

"I just kept to what we'd talked about," Mavis told Zeref, "But he was so upset, his face I've never seen him look like that before. He just... left."

Gray watched the couple, he was confused and still annoyed with Mavis for making him deal with Juvia when he didn't want to. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Zeref's eyes narrowed as he glowered at him from above Mavis' head, "You," Zeref spat the word out with venom, "This is all your fault."

"How in the hell is any of this my fault?" Gray snapped, tired of Zeref's attitude. "I literally just got here less than an hour ago. Are you ever going to tell me what your problem is with me? We used to be friends, man."

And it was true they had been, and then they weren't, and Gray had no idea what had changed. He hadn't done anything differently so why was it that all of a sudden Zeref couldn't stand him?

"You really want to know?" Zeref roared, "Fine, I'll tell you."

"Zeref," Mavis warned, "Natsu will never forgive you."

"I don't care," Zeref replied, "He deserves better than this fucking half-life he's been living."

"You want to know why he was so dressed up?" Zeref snapped, "He was going on a date, his first date. Ever. A date it took me months to talk him into."

"Well, why didn't you just tell me he was having a girl over, I would have left and come back later," Gray answered testily, ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that was trying to get his attention. "You didn't have to be such a goddamned drama queen about it."

"Girl?" Zeref chuckled mirthlessly, "Girl?! Do you even fucking know my brother, you moron? Natsu's gay."

"Natsu's gay?" Gray repeated slowly, "What are you talking about, he's dated lots of girls. Let me think...uhm Lucy for sure."

Zeref shook his head at him, "He never dated Lucy, that was all her. He finally had to tell her, so she didn't make the same mistake he did."

Gray felt like the room was closing in on him as his brain tried to make sense of Zeref's words, applying a new filter to everything he'd ever known about his friend. His tongue dried up, and he desperately wanted some water, but he got up his courage and asked the question that seemed to be the answer to the mystery of Zeref's dislike.

"What mistake was that?"

"Falling in love with someone who was never going to love him back," Zeref spat as he looked at him markedly and there was no mistaking the meaning behind his words.

That was too much for Gray, he collapsed on the sofa and stared at his hands. His best friend was in love with him.

Natsu was in love with him.

The second time he thought the words they grew concrete in his mind, and he didn't know how to feel. There was a tremendous amount of guilt as he remembered all the times they'd spent together in this house, sometimes for weeks at a time. What had he done?

He would never knowingly hurt Natsu. Sure they fought almost all the time, and they traded insults like other people exchanged greetings, but that's just how they'd always been. They respected each other and knew each other's boundaries, and he was disgusted at himself for not realizing something so important, so intrinsic to who Natsu was. What kind of friend was he?

"How-- how long?" Gray was still shellshocked, but he had to know.

Zeref refused to even look at him, the enormity of betraying Natsu's trust weighing him down. Mavis was the one to answer his question while looking at both of them worriedly. "About ten years."

The oven timer went off, and Mavis hurried to the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with two bottles of water. She handed one to Gray, and he accepted it thankfully.

Ten years?! He couldn't get that thought out of his mind. He really was blind. And suddenly he was consumed with a strange mix of sadness and anger. Why hadn't Natsu told him?

That thought decided him, he needed to talk to him, to hear the words from his mouth. Gray got up, and Mavis startled at the movement. He made his way to the back door, knowing Natsu had left that way.

"Where are you going?" Mavis asked.

"To find a gay idiot and beat the crap out of him for hiding this from me for so long."

"Good luck," Mavis muttered under her breath as the door slammed closed for the second time that evening. She took out her phone and dialed Zeref's friend to warn him not to come.

xxx

Natsu wasn't sure how long he'd been walking for, but he found he'd once again headed to the stone bridge he and Gray used to play Pooh sticks on when they were little. He smiled remembering how many fights they'd gotten into over the game, each claiming their stick had won. He grabbed a twig from the ground and threw it into the river, waiting for it to appear on the other side of the bridge.

"That's not bad, but I bet I can still beat you, " Natsu heard a voice from behind him, and he instantly recognized it.

He turned to see Gray looking for a good twig amongst the rubble on the bridge.

"Gray?" Natsu blinked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Gray rolled his eyes at his friend, "You always come here when you're upset."

Natsu considered that and realized Gray was right.

"Well go on, get a stick. How can I kick your ass if you don't play?"

Natsu's eyes immediately flashed at the challenge, and he began to inspect the available game pieces, picking a stick he thought had a good chance. He went to throw it in the river when Gray stopped him.

"When I win, I want you to tell me the truth," Gray demanded, still upset that Natsu had chosen to withhold such an essential part of himself from him.

Natsu looked confused by his words, but he nodded in agreement. "Fine, but when I win, you'll have to prank call Erza." He grinned, but Gray could tell it was fake.

Both boys walked over to the spot where they knew from years of experience the river's current flowed the fastest.

They counted to three together, letting their sticks go at the same time and rushing to the other side to see who won. Gray gloated as his stick floated by first, smirking at Natsu just as he did when they were kids. That's when he noticed it, the way Natsu's features visibly softened at the sight of his smile.

How the fuck had he never noticed that before? On his walk over he'd calmed down enough to be able to reason.

"Damn, I had a great prank thought up too!" Natsu complained before asking hopefully, "Best two out of three?"

Gray shook his head, playing Pooh sticks had been an excellent way to get Natsu to relax, but it wasn't the time for games. They had a lot of talking to do.

"Let's go get some coffee or something," Gray suggested grabbing Natsu by the arm and nudging him to walk with him. Natsu nodded and followed.

"I'm supposed to be doing the dinner thing, " Natsu flushed guiltily, remembering how he'd walked out from his promise.

"Things happen, I'm sure you're date will understand," Gray shrugged making sure not to mention any pronouns, "You can always reschedule if you want to."

Natsu had been about to go on a date. Gray was confused to find that bothered him, not because it was with a man but because it was with anyone at all. What did that say about him? Did he want to go on a date with Natsu? While the idea didn't bother him, he was still bewildered about all of this.

He kept thinking as he led them towards the Starbucks they favored. There were a few absolute truths that Gray couldn't overlook. He hadn't been happy with Juvia for a long time. He could never be himself when he was with her.

In truth, the times he crashed at Natsu's were the happiest he'd ever been. It felt like a vacation where he could be himself and know he would be accepted unconditionally. And he'd been in enough relationships to know that was a rare thing.

The only reason he returned to Juvia was that she wore him down, guilting him with her emotions. And he could only endure it for so long before he had to escape to Natsu's to recharge. The time he spent there allowed him to put up with Juvia. To try his best to make her happy by living up to the idea of him she'd dreamed up.

But he wasn't happy, and that was a fact he couldn't deny. He was caught in a vicious cycle, and he hadn't even realized it, sacrificing his happiness for hers and he didn't want to do it anymore. He deserved to be happy too.

They entered the Starbucks and got in line, remaining quiet as they waited. When it was their turn, Gray ordered their drinks, "Give me a Venti Chile Mocha with an extra shot of pepper and a Venti Espresso Macchiato. Thanks!"

He got his wallet out and paid for their drinks, once they were ready he led them back outside.

"Where are we going?" Natsu puzzled as they walked past the well-lit park and continued walking. He sipped his drink, closing his eyes and moaning childishly at the taste.

Gray tried to conceal his smile behind his own coffee as he replied, "Riverbank."

Natsu bit his lip but continued to walk towards the place they usually fought. Once they arrived, he sat down and stared out at the water. Gray sat next to him, letting the calming sound of the water steady his nerves.

"Why did you leave?" Gray asked before he could lose his courage.

Natsu turned and looked at him, "Mavis upset me."

"That's not really an answer," Gray pointed out, "And you know it."

When Natsu remained silent, he prodded, "You promised to tell me the truth."

"Ask me any other question," Natsu pleaded as he bowed his head, not wanting to meet Gray's gaze.

"Look, I don't want to torture you," Gray leaned back and looked at the moon as he confessed, "Zeref already told me everything."

He could almost feel Natsu coiling up next to him, and he felt sympathy, he couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be confronted with something you'd been trying to conceal for so long, by the very person you'd been hiding it from.

He was surprised to feel himself tearing up, he wasn't a sentimental man by nature. "Why? Why would you feel the need to hide something like that from me, Natsu? It's part of who you are."

He felt Natsu get up and panicked, thinking his friend was going to run away from him, but Natsu only began to pace, looking at the ground until he found some stones. He started throwing them into the water, watching as they skipped in the moonlight and Gray let him have some space. When the last stone had been hurled he walked back and sat next to Gray again.

"I couldn't risk losing you," Natsu admitted, looking down at the rocky sand, "You're my best friend, even if that's all we're meant to be," He looked up, and Gray saw the tears that shone in his eyes as he declared in a trembling voice, "I need you."

"Idiot! Did you really think you'd get rid of me that easily?" Gray scoffed, wrapping his arms around his friend in a loving embrace. He could feel Natsu tensing up in his arms.

"Easy," Gray mumbled. He wasn't used to giving comfort, but it felt oddly right to be doing this now, he rubbed circles on Natsu's back until he felt him relax.

"I love you, Natsu," Gray added after some hesitation, but he thought it was important for Natsu to know how important he was to him, "I don't know if it's the same way you love me, but I need for you to be a part of my life."

Natsu started to sob at his words, and Gray held him tighter, almost missing the "I'm sorry," that Natsu whispered.

Gray found himself crying a little as well, as he felt the sobs wrack through Natsu's body.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Gray hushed him, "I mean, I can't blame you, I'm pretty amazing."

He heard Natsu choke on his sob as he started to laugh. "Bastard!"

Gray found himself smiling at Natsu's reaction, and he released Natsu from his embrace. "That's better."

Natsu wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"How long have you known you were gay?" Gray asked curiously, still bothered that he'd never noticed.

"Sixth-grade gym class," Natsu admitted, refusing to meet his gaze, "You had the locker next to mine."

Gray's face flushed as he realized what Natsu was saying, "Okay, that's definitely going to be weird for a while. Has it really always been me?"

Natsu face matched Gray's as he nodded.

Gray chuckled, seeing Natsu as embarrassed as he made it seem somehow more comfortable to talk about, "That's kind of sweet, I never pegged you for a romantic."

Natsu punched him in the shoulder and Gray teased him by calling him feisty and blowing him a kiss as Natsu flipped him off. For a few moments things almost felt back to normal.

They sat in peaceful silence until Natsu asked the million dollar question. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know," Gray's eyes were wide as he stared off into space, "This is a lot to take in."

"Nothing has to change," Natsu spoke in a monotone, "I'd already promised Zeref and Mavis that I'd give up on you. At least now I have my answer."

"Fuck that! I meant what I said earlier. I'm not going back to Juvia this time, but I'm really mixed up right now." Gray confessed, debating whether to reveal some of the thoughts he'd been having, but one look at Natsu and thinking of how long he'd kept his feelings to himself decided Gray.

"Look, I'll admit, I do have some feelings for you that I'm kind of confused about, but I've never considered being with a man before, and you're too important to me. I don't want to start something unless I 'm sure."

"I understand," Natsu looked frustrated, but he didn't try to change his mind.

"Natsu," Gray sighed discontentedly. He didn't like to see his friend like this, not when he knew it was his fault. He was taken over by an urge, and before he could chicken out, he planted a soft kiss on the corner of Natsu's lips, reveling at the way it made him feel.

"Don't," Natsu yelled as he pushed him away roughly, "Don't play with me!"

"I'm s-s-sorry, you're right," Gray stammered and covered his face with his hands, not believing he'd just done that. "I hate seeing you like this, I just thought if I could feel what it felt like it might speed things along."

Natsu's lips tightened as he considered his answer and Gray found himself following them with his gaze, hypnotized by their movement and already thinking about how much he wanted to kiss them again, this time for real.

He was so confused, he had a lot to think about. Now that he knew how Natsu felt about him he found himself looking back at all their interactions and analyzing why he felt such happiness around Natsu and if it could possibly be love. It was an answer he couldn't possibly come up with in one night.

"We should head back, Mavis was pretty upset, and Zeref wasn't doing much better," Gray informed him as he stood up and shook off his clothes, "Not to mention, that food smelled great. I can't believe you made us get takeout when you could make food like that."

"I have a lot of spare time," Natsu smiled shyly, standing up as well, "I took some classes."

"You're going to make someone a great wife someday," Gray teased, already grinning at the expected response. Natsu was so easy to rile up.

"Fuck you!" Natsu growled in protest, but the melodious sound of Gray's laugh took all the fight out of him.

"Maybe, someday," Gray retorted agreeably, "But for now, let's go home," He grabbed Natsu's hand in his, and they began the long walk back to the house, neither one commenting on the gesture.

Gray's words were simple but full of a promise that Natsu had never quite dared hope for. He was willing to consider a relationship between them, and it was more than Natsu had expected. It wouldn't happen right away, but Natsu let himself hold onto it all the same. Turns out, he was a romantic after all.

A/N: This was sort of an unplanned fic, but it kept nagging at me. demanding to get written so here it is. I hope you like it!