Prompt: "But I'm sick of hiding my heart"
Pairing: Natsu x Gray

Natsu arrived at the guild early the next morning grabbing the first job he saw that sounded like it would be far away and would give him the biggest chance to fight monsters. He didn't bother to look at any of the details. His mind was still reeling from the events of the night before. He wanted to get away from any chance of possibly running into Gray for the foreseeable future. At least until he could get figure out what the hell was happening.

He showed Mira the request, waiting to be given approval and immediately scowling when it wasn't forthcoming.

"I can't let you take this job alone," Mira protested, "It's too dangerous, I'd feel more comfortable if you took someone like Gray with you."

"Hell no!" Natsu crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I don't need that stripper's help."

"Well if not him, then Lucy or Erza." Mira insisted.

"I'll go," Both mages jumped surprised to hear Loke offer to go on a job.

"Loke?" Mira studied the Celestial Spirit carefully, "Doesn't Lucy need you?"

"She'll be fine without me for a day or two," Loke waved away Mira's protests, "Besides, I'm still a Fairy Tail wizard and I haven't gone on a job in ages. So how about it, matchstick?"

Natsu couldn't really understand why Loke would want to come along, they'd never been particularly close but he was a good fighter and if he had an ulterior motive Natsu couldn't think of what it was. He relaxed and decided he didn't care as long as he could get out of Magnolia before Gray got to the guild. "Suit yourself."

"I guess it's alright as long as Natsu is fine with it," Mira agreed grudgingly, not entirely sure what Loke might be up to, but seeing no good reason to deny his request.

"Great!" Loke cheered and as they began to walk out of the guild he asked, "Isn't Happy coming along?"

"No, I'd been hoping to go alone."

"I see," Loke smiled internally, having a good idea what was bothering the dragon slayer but knowing better than to bring it up too soon, "Something on your mind?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Natsu snapped.

"Where are we going anyway?" Loke asked and Natsu showed him the job request.

They made their way towards the train station, Natsu itching for a fight and Loke being annoyingly agreeable.

Xxx

Gray woke up nursing the worst hangover he'd ever experienced in his life. All he'd done was move his head and now his stomach was rebelling and his mouth felt like it was covered in sand. But that was nothing compared to the feeling that someone was stabbing his head with a knife. He sat up slowly, cradling his head between his hands. He couldn't stop himself from groaning out loud.

"Not feeling so good, huh?" Cana shoved a glass in his face that smelled surprisingly of the thing that got him there.

"No more vodka," Gray groaned again as he shoved the glass away from his nose, "How can you be drinking already?"

"The best way to get over a hangover," Cana shrugged, drinking the contents of the glass when Gray refused it again.

"I need to go find Natsu," Gray moaned as he got up from his couch where it appeared he had passed out the previous night.

"I wasn't expecting you to be so eager," Cana mused, watching him with slight concern.

"I'm not, I just want him to knock me out so I don't have to feel like this any longer."

Cana chuckled, "Let's get you some food and then we can figure out what you should do."

"I already feel sick, don't you think it's cruel to feed me your gruel?"

"Oy! I know I should be insulted but you're probably right," Cana mused good-naturedly, "Are you up to going to the guild?"

Gray sighed, "I'm going to have to go there eventually. Let me just take a shower."

Twenty minutes later Cana and Gray left his apartment and headed for the Fairy Tail Guild.

Xxx

"So Gray kissed you last night, huh?" Loke had waited until the train had already started moving to bring up the topic, knowing Natsu would be at his most vulnerable.

The smirk on his face was enough to make Natsu want to punch him into next week but he was too weak from motion sickness to do so, so he attacked the only way he was able. He emptied the contents of his stomach all over Loke's impeccable suit, wiping the smirk off the Celestial Spirit's face and replacing it with a look of disgust.

"You could have just said you didn't want to talk about it you know," Loke complained, frustrated when Natsu remained silent, although he could have sworn the fire mage was smiling in between moans.

Xxx

"How are you feeling, Gray?" Mira asked as she watched the ice mage sit on a stool wearing sunglasses.

"I may never drink again," Gray replied seriously.

"Well here's some ice water, I'll go make you some breakfast."

Gray thanked her and looked around the guild to see who was around. He saw no sign of any of his teammates and as much as he didn't want to appear desperate he also really needed to know how Natsu was doing so when Mira returned with his food he had to ask.

"So, uhm, by any chance has Natsu been by this morning?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could manage.

"Natsu?" Mira grinned knowingly, "Oh yes, he went off on a job with Loke."

"That's a funny way to say Lucy, for a moment there I thought you said Loke," Gray laughed uncomfortably, hoping against hope that he'd heard Mira wrong.

"That's because I did say Loke," Mira smiled up at him, innocence in her smile but a devilish glint shining in her eyes.

"Huh. Hey Mira?" Gray lay his head down on the bar knowing that if things hadn't been bad before he was now truly and completely fucked, "Can I go ahead and have a drink now?"

Mira tried to stifle a laugh as she and Cana shared a knowing look. She poured Gray a drink and handed it over and he downed it quickly. He was about to order another when he heard the door burst open as Erza walked in screaming his name.

His headache protested but he knew better than to say anything, he just waved at his red-headed friend. She immediately charged in his direction.

"Did you defile Natsu in the guild last night?" Erza demanded loudly.

"What?! Of course not!" Gray yelled out in indignation, quickly looking to make sure no one was around before whimpering as his head throbbed, "Who the hell told you that?"

"It's all over Fairy Hills." Erza explained, "Juvia won't leave her room, I left Lucy with her to try to calm her down."

Oh yes, this day was just getting better and better.

"Well, then what did happen?" Erza stood over him, the intensity of her glare not even remotely dimmed through his sunglasses, her fingers twitched, itching to requip a weapon but attempting to exert self-control.

Gray looked down at the floor and mumbled nervously, "I may have kissed him, and told him I was in love with him while incredibly drunk."

Now Gray knew how protective Erza was of Natsu. She had taught him to read and write and since then she'd proclaimed herself his big sister much like Natsu had done to Wendy. Gray was fully expecting Erza to come at him when she learned he'd touched Natsu in any way that was not part of a fight, so he was surprised when she didn't immediately attack him after his confession.

He waited as she studied him seriously before suddenly and quite unexpectedly erupting into loud guffaws quite unlike anything he'd heard from her before. After a few minutes spent holding her belly and wiping away tears, she finally calmed down.

"Are you done?" Gray, who had not found her reaction amusing in any way, groused at his friend.

"I'm sorry," Erza replied not looking remorseful at all. "Well, how did he take it?"

"He turned away and ran out of the guild."

"Well, you didn't pick a great day for it, did you?," Erza pointed out while ordering a slice of strawberry cake and motioning for Gray to follow her to their team's table.

"I wasn't exactly planning on it," Gray snapped before softening his tone as he remembered who he was talking to, "It just sort of happened."

"Take off those ridiculous glasses, it's not that bright in here," Erza grabbed the sunglasses off the bridge of his nose and placed them on the table before smiling at him. "That's better."

Mira came by with Erza's cake and sat down next to Gray, while Cana sat on his other side, wine glass in hand. Gray found himself surrounded by three of the most terrifying women in the guild who seemed intent to either make fun of him or help him with his fledgling love life, he couldn't quite make out which.

"Now tell us all about it," Erza demanded, her tone bossy.

"You wouldn't understand," Gray muttered under his breath.

Mira put her hand over his and said kindly, "Try us, when did this start?"

"I don't know, a while ago, but after Galuna I was sure." Gray rubbed his temple trying to will his headache away. It was hard to have a serious conversation with the constant pounding in his head.

Erza smiled, "I guess I can see that, it was a very emotional time for the two of you. What are you planning to do about Juvia?"

"I can only handle one headache at a time, Erza."

Cana snorted, "I think the more important question is what are you going to do now? Natsu is not exactly the easiest person to talk to about anything serious."

Gray groaned, "Based on what Mira said he's avoiding me, which means he doesn't feel the same way."

"You don't know that for a fact," Erza reminded him, "Natsu has a hard time with feelings, and July 7th is a hard day for him. You literally couldn't have picked a worse day to hit him with this."

"I've already told you," Cana reminded him, "Give him time to figure it out, he might surprise you."

"And Loke is probably trying to help your case as we speak," Mira giggled into her hand.

"Loke?" Erza asked with interest.

"He went out on a job with Natsu," Mira informed her girlfriend.

Erza tried her best not to laugh, not wanting to make Gray feel any worse, but Cana had no such qualms. Her laughter rang out next to Gray's ear making him so annoyed you could see a vein bulging in his forehead.

"You know what? Fuck it," Gray decided, "I'm glad I told him, whatever happens, happens but I'm sick of hiding my heart from him."

"That's the Gray I know," Erza encouraged him proudly, "You'll have a fight and you'll sort it out."

"I'm surprised you're taking this so well," Gray puzzled, "I was sort of expecting you to be mad."

"Oh, we're not done by a long shot," Erza assured him, her aura once again turning dark, "If you start dating Natsu, we're going to have a talk."

Gray gulped, okay at least things were normal there. They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to help him come up with ways to talk to Natsu once he was ready. He was feeling a bit better when the door burst open and Loke entered carrying Natsu in his arms.

Both were bickering and Gray was able to see that Natsu was bleeding severely.

He and Erza both got up and rushed over to their teammate although they quickly moved back when they got a good whiff of Loke's clothes.

"What happened?" Erza barked at Loke who looked decidedly nervous.

"N-nothing," He stuttered, having been on the receiving end of Erza's anger several times before.

"Nothing, my ass," Natsu hollered, "He wouldn't stop talking about the Ice Prick, we got ambushed by the mages that were controlling the monsters we were sent to destroy."

Loke tried to meet Gray's eyes but the ice mage only looked away, angry that he'd been responsible for Natsu getting hurt unnecessarily.

Meanwhile, Natsu was trying to avoid his gaze which was not exactly giving him the warm fuzzies, even though he understood.

Gray figured it was best if he found an excuse to leave the guild so Natsu could be more comfortable. "Loke, take Natsu to the infirmary, I'll go find Wendy. And for Mavis sake, change your clothes, you reek."

Loke looked miserable but he did as he was told, carrying Natsu up the stairs with Mira and Erza following.

Gray walked over to Fairy Hills, looking for the youngest dragon slayer. He knocked on the door and waited for the dorm mother to answer, but to his chagrin, it was opened by none other than Juvia and Lucy, who were apparently on their way to the guild.

"Gray-sama," Juvia wailed, holding on to his arm and begging him to tell her that the rumors weren't true.

Fuck! He managed to ask Lucy to go find Wendy so she could take a look at Natsu before being forced to calm down Juvia.

This just wasn't his day.

To be continued...

A/N: It should finish up tomorrow.