The next morning, Gray and Natsu woke up together, and the drama of the night before felt far, far away.

"Good morning, sweetie," Gray greeted, gazing down at Natsu's sleepy face.

Natsu looked pleased to hear those words. He closed his sleepy eyes. "This is what I wanted," he mumbled in a voice so soft, it sounding like he was still half-dreaming.

Gray petted the messy pink hair. "What is it that you want?"

"Waking up... like this... with you... always."

Gray sighed with a smile that was teasing and happy at the same time. "Like a married couple?"

Natsu said nothing. His eyes stayed closed as he smiled dreamily.

"You have no clue how to pace a relationship, you dork."

He watched silently as Natsu drifted back to sleep to the warm feeling of Gray petting his hair. Sure, it was just some roleplaying, but it made Gray feel odd.

On one hand, there was no way they were prepared to make this relationship lifelong. Gray had old classmates who dated for five years or longer before marrying, and here they had been a couple for only two months.

On the other hand, he really liked Natsu. He had never been so happy in a relationship. Never once, in all of his previous relationships, had he ever even entertained the idea of making that person his partner for life.

Now... he imagined it.

A life with Natsu would be wildly unpredictable, and Gray liked that. It was why he worked as a contract computer tech: he needed change. He needed new things. The repetition of working the same job for decades was nightmarish to him.

But that also made him wonder: would dating the same person for over a year make him bored?

That was the question that made him pull away from the dreamy bliss of this roleplaying idea of being a married couple on their honeymoon. Maybe he wouldn't be able to hold down a relationship, like how he refused to hold down a single job. Maybe he would get bored. Maybe he would turn his head to look at the next pretty person, with Natsu glaring at him, like that meme.

Maybe he just wasn't husband material.

Still, the thought was there—a honeymoon with Natsu—and it made him smile.

Natsu's alarm went off, and finally he really did need to wake up. As he brushed out his hair still slightly damp from their late-night shower and dress in his tailored suit, ready for another day of work, he gave the breakdown of his schedule to Gray. They had time for breakfast, then he had one last meeting, which should be done by noon. Gray was allowed to go back onto the laptop while Natsu was away, but as soon as he was done, the laptop had to be packed up. They would move to their new hotel in the heart of Paris and eat lunch there.

After they ate a casual breakfast together at the Hilton, Gray walked Natsu to the Dragon Enterprises building and kissed him goodbye at the elevator. He rather liked this simple, romantic gesture: seeing his boyfriend off to work. He knew, he would miss being able to do that when they returned to Magnolia and had to hide their relationship from the rest of the employees.

Gray returned to the hotel and pulled out the laptop. He was glad to see that Natsu leaving him logged into the dark web had not caused a serious problem. That really was foolish, but it was equally as foolish to stay on the computer for so long that he fell asleep at the keyboard.

He tried to think through what leads he got the day before. He began to visit sites until he saw some familiar users.

"Let's see if anyone knows how to defeat you, Black Wizard."

Natsu returned a few hours later. Gray saw a lightness to his step and a brightness in his eyes.

"Good day at work?"

Natsu nodded. "We sorted out some things. We won't have to lay off any workers, although the company will take a small hit. That's okay, Dragon Enterprises is tough, we can handle it, but these workers... they have families, they might be living paycheck-to-paycheck. They need this job."

Gray stood up and gave Natsu a hug. "You are such a caring CEO, you should win some sort of award. What other company would rather take a hit financially when they could simply fire a few workers and make a profit?"

"My dad didn't make this company to get rich. He made it to design stuff that will help people. How can we claim that we help people if we fire our own employees over a little bad profit margin?"

Gray squeezed him tighter. "If I was the sort who wanted to work a single job for life, this would be the perfect one."

Natsu frowned and squeezed him tighter. "But... you're not," he muttered.

"Working in the same place for the next forty years sounds like Hell."

"What if I let you go work somewhere else but keep bringing you back for other projects?"

Gray laughed and squeezed him. "That, I wouldn't mind. It'd be like coming back home, but I'd still need that vacation from time to time."

Natsu nodded with a smile. "That sounds like an amenable plan."

Gray pulled back from their embrace. "Amenable? Are you still in CEO boardroom mode?"

Natsu laughed with an embarrassed blush. "Perhaps a little."

"Well then, Mr. Dragneel, I have some amenable results to report," Gray said with flippant formality that made Natsu chuckle. "I tracked down a lead, someone who's dealt with the Black Wizard recently. I don't know if you heard in the news—Lyon briefly mentioned it just before the virus hit—but there was an EMP bomb in the middle of the capital of Alvarez. Apparently, that was the work of the Black Wizard."

Natsu's brow lowered. "I saw a headline about it but didn't read into it. That's Zeref again, huh?"

"My contact apparently worked with the government of Alvarez, trying to stop this from happening. Zeref used a similar virus to burn his way into their system and massacre the whole thing. Figuratively massacred, not literal, of course. They called it the Contradictory Virus. It's complicated, but the point is, this contact was really close to purging it."

"How close?" Natsu asked, his face looking serious again.

"Obviously, not close enough to save Alvarez from a meltdown. Still, he put his findings on the dark web to help anyone who came across something similar. E.N.D. isn't exactly the same, nowhere near that destructive, but I saw some similarities, and if his methods apply to this virus, that's something to help me figure out Zeref's methodology."

"Assuming he used the same methods," Natsu realized.

"Yeah, and that's a huge assumption," Gray admitted, "but I can also study this to see the way Zeref's mind works. Hackers have signatures. In our case, E.N.D. copies parts of itself to the root directories of systems, preventing its removal, then spreads seeds through all the system."

"Huh?"

"As I told my team, it's like like blowing a dandelion across a field. If you uproot one seed, it corrupts the program it's inside. Every time I try to root out the virus from ICEMAKE, the whole thing dies. This guy, in a sense, found a weed killer that targets the seed without killing the grass. If that makes sense."

"Kind of," Natsu muttered. "So, how soon can you have this anti-virus weed killer working?"

Gray sighed and shook his head. "I haven't even looked over his entire notes. I'd have to compare it to what I see is going on with E.N.D., evolve it from whatever Zeref did in Alvarez to what we're seeing, and use that as a potential template. This could be a dead end, but it's at least something. People out there have been trying to fight the Black Wizard for years, but few got as far as this guy."

"So it could still take a while," Natsu realized with a pinch to his brow. "ICEMAKE is supposed to make its debut next month. I think I'll tell Freed to announce a delay."

"No!" Gray shouted. "It was done, we were so close!"

Natsu put a hand on Gray's shoulder. "I know. Your whole team worked so hard, but these things happen, and its better to announce to investors that there will be a delay than to have the day of the release arrive and we have nothing to show. Leave this part of the business to me, Gray." He flashed a huge grin. "This is where my fight lies. Yours is fighting E.N.D. and getting ICEMAKE back up and running. One month delay isn't that unusual for a new product. Okay?" He shook Gray's shoulder. "Your boss is giving you one extra month to work this out. Your contract with us will also be updating."

"Contract?" Gray asked. "Oh. The six months."

"Yes, it will be expanded to seven. I expect you to fight hard," Natsu said with a light laugh.

Gray glared at him. "You're taking this really well. Your company is already taking a financial hit, and now you're going to have a late product because of me."

"No! Not because of you. Because of Zeref."

"It was a security breach. I'm the cyber security..."

"Gray!" Natsu scolded. "This isn't only on your shoulders. Do you really think you're the only security expert in my company? I'm not that sloppy. None of the tech caught this. This is not your burden."

Gray pouted and looked away. It still felt like it was his burden to bear. His job was to make ICEMAKE secure, and he obviously failed."

"Gray," Natsu whispered, shaking him out of his gloom. "Let's both put work to the side for the rest of the day. You have one month, got it? There's time. Let all you learned today percolate in the back of your mind, and when you come back to work on it tomorrow, you'll be able to think with a fresh approach."

Gray sighed and nodded. He knew that this was not something he could fix in a single day, and now they were off work, here in Paris, and they had barely had any time to go look around.

"Wanna go sightseeing?" he muttered, hoping to avoid another fight.

"Yes!" Natsu cheered. "Come on! I wanna get to the new hotel as soon as possible so we have time to walk around. There's something nearby that I really, really wanna show you!"

They did not even need to pack. Natsu explained, Freed would do that part. Gray still felt bad, so he packed away the laptop and placed the clothes Natsu bought for him into Natsu's suitcase, since he had nothing of his own. They went down to a waiting town car, and Natsu and Gray held hands in the back seat as they drove away from La Defense and toward downtown Paris.

Gray could hardly help but lean right up at the window, gawking at the sights. Paris was a strange, beautiful, alien landscape to him. There were buildings older than anything he had ever seen in his life and more statues in their short drive than in all of Magnolia. He saw places he recognized from movies. When he saw a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower he grew as excited as a child.

"Are we staying near the Eiffel Tower?" he asked.

Natsu bit back his smiles at Gray's reactions. "It's a bit close, but across the river. Sorry I couldn't get closer." He said that like this was an apology for something mediocre, when Natsu knew the truth about the hotel. If Gray was excited for this distant view of the tower, just wait until he saw their room!

They pulled up to a posh hotel, and Gray's mouth dropped. From the white columns and black wrought-iron gate, to the palm trees lining the entrance, the place looked like it should be used by ambassadors and national leaders, not some temp worker at a computer company.

The car pulled up under a glass awning, and a porter in a long black coat with gold buttons came up to open the door for them. Natsu walked on by like this was normal, but Gray muttered a "Merci" to the man, only to wonder if that was the right thing to do.

They walked into a vast lobby, with marble and stone floors designed like sunbursts, crystal chandeliers, golden sconces on the walls holding electric candlesticks, French portraits, and Asian inspired art. All around were fresh flowers inside porcelain vases that came up to his waist. Gray guessed that each vase was worth more than all of his furniture combined.

As Natsu walked up to the mahogany concierge desk to get the keys to their room, Gray struggled not to look around like a gawking tourist. Still, there was so much elegance in the hotel, he truly had never been to a place like it in his life.

Natsu turned around with an excited smile. "Ready to see the room?"

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly.

"It was a cancellation, so I apologize. If I had time to book this place like a proper vacation, I would have gotten a signature suite. Still," he said, gripping both of Gray's hands tightly, "for your first time in Paris, I hope it's okay."

Gray finally looked all around them. "This is already too much."

Natsu's face sank a little. Was he going overboard again?

Then Gray laughed and squeezed Natsu's hands. "And I love how impulsive you are."

That cheered Natsu right back up. "Come on! We'll take the stairs."

Natsu pulled Gray over to a grand staircase, marble steps with gold and black railings beside stained glass windows pouring light onto ebony statues, that surely was meant for royalty and not tourists.

Gray muttered, "Was this a palace?"

"Yup!" Natsu said, excited to go up the stairs. "This was the former home of Napoleon Bonaparte's grandnephew, Prince Roland Bonaparte."

"Bonaparte?" Gray whispered. He had studied about the French ruler in history class but admittedly could not remember much about him, besides that he was short. Obviously, the man also had good taste.

They went up and to a room. Gray was not sure what he had expected. Luxury, obviously, but the only hotels he really had known were the cheapest he could find online. He shivered to think how much this must have cost Natsu.

And yet he sounded really disappointed not to have a signature suite! This rich, crazy kid!

Natsu unlocked the door, and when Gray walked in, for a few seconds he thought it was pretty normal. There was a couch, a TV, some wood furniture, but it did not look massive.

That was, until he realized they were only on the top floor.

Gray began to run to a staircase leading down to what he could see what a bedroom below, but Natsu grabbed him before he could see anything.

"Play along," he said, in the same voice he had when he asked Gray to roleplay with him. "I don't want to blindfold you as you go down the stairs, but look at the wall. Don't look at the room until you're all the way down."

Gray arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just please," Natsu said, biting his lip and looking both anxious and giddy. "Play along."

Gray sighed. There was a surprise, definitely. He decided to give in to Natsu's eccentricities once again, and as the two of them went down a staircase to a lower terrace, Gray kept his face turned to the wall. Natsu also put his hand out, making sure Gray did not peek, but could still see the stairs. They reached the bottom and Natsu let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. Okay, you can look."

Gray turned. Definitely, the massive bed, gold accents, and dark wood furnishings were meant for nobility, but what caught his eye was the view out the window.

"Oh... my... God," he whispered.

Natsu ran forward, threw open some doors, and showed that they had a sprawling balcony all to themselves, with a table and chairs, and right in front of them, looming like a lacy iron beauty, was the Eiffel Tower.

Natsu watched, and the way Gray's jaw dropped as he slowly walked out onto the terrace made the whole stressful trip and frantic search for a hotel with a view worth it.

"Natsu," Gray whispered, the name barely a wisp on his lips.

Natsu walked up to him and wrapped an arm around Gray as he continued to stare at the tower and the view of the Seine River below. "Happy three-month anniversary."

Gray looked down in stunned silence.

"Well, technically it's in three days, but we'll be back to work by then, so we can celebrate our anniversary now. Also, it's the anniversary of when you joined the company, not when we actually hooked up, although I count that lunch we had together as a first date."

Gray was still so shocked, he could not speak.

Natsu held his hands, looking serious for a moment. "You put up with a lot from me. I can't always be around, I can't always tell you what I'm doing because it's a company secret, and now you're dealing with this security breech. I wasn't even in the country when it hit. You handled that all without me, and I've felt guilty ever sense that day you got drunk and told me how stressed you were, how much you missed me when I'm gone, and all of your insecurities. I know you were drugged and don't remember it, but I'll never forget. You were honest with me, and I realized just how much you hold back, all so I won't feel guilty. But I do! I always do. I can't be there for you every single day, so when I am, I want to spoil you, to make up for all the missed time. This..." He looked out at the Eiffel Tower. "This is all I can do."

Gray finally managed to compose himself, and he gave Natsu a hug. "You're crazy," he whispered with a shaky laugh. "You are the craziest, greatest, most wonderful thing to have ever happened in my life."

Tension loosened out of Natsu's shoulders. "Then, it's okay?"

"Okay? Fuck! This place has to be bigger than my loft, and this view sure beats an ice cream parlor's neon sign."

Natsu chuckled and snuggled against Gray's chest. "What do you feel like doing? We can order room service and eat here on the terrace, the hotel has a really nice restaurant, or we can eat out somewhere."

"I'm still trying to take this in," Gray admitted. "I haven't even sat on the bed."

"Oh, right!" Natsu raced back inside and leaped on the bed, just like he had done at the Hilton in La Defénse. "Oooh, this one is kinda cool. It, like, contours around you."

Gray walked back inside and laid himself back onto the bed. He stared up at the white and gold ceiling, then out the window at the Parisian skyline.

He rolled over to look at Natsu. He was having so much fun, and it helped to calm Gray down from this sensory overload.

Imagine living like this, but with no one to share it with. Even a view like that would be dull if you were all alone.

Sure, Natsu was used to staying in rooms like this, especially if he felt like he had to apologize that it was not a signature suite, but how often had he felt excited to spend the night with someone. Natsu had said, he very rarely dated and never took boyfriends on business trips. This was a first for him.

And he wanted to share this with Gray.

Although Natsu looked like he was a puppy at play, Gray reached over and caressed his cheek. The touch made Natsu stop and look over. His eyes softened, warmed up, and he rolled over to face Gray.

"I'm really happy you're here with me," Natsu said, his voice soft after his boisterousness.

Gray had no idea what he could possibly say. This was Natsu's way of spoiling him, but he wondered if Natsu was perhaps enjoying it far more than Gray. A boring business trip. A trip to Paris, but being all alone. Natsu had made this trip many times, he probably had seen all the sights before, but it would be different now.

He had someone to share this with.

Gray leaned in and gave him a kiss. Natsu happily surged in, and his arms grabbed Gray with possessiveness and joy. Gray felt the warmth of the sun shining through the terrace windows, he heard birds and traffic and somewhere a church bell was ringing the hour. Paris life was all around him, but his focus was purely on this man.

Natsu suddenly made his move. His leg swung over, and he pinned Gray down, kissing harder, deeper, with a soft growl that sent chills down Gray's spine.

Imagine Natsu as a nobleman, and I'm captured here in this palace, his prisoner.

Gray shuddered at the idea. How erotic!

Just as Gray thought that maybe they would simply spend the day in bed, Natsu raised up. His breathing was hard, his lips swollen, and his eyes like embers, burning with a fire inside.

"We should get lunch."

Gray nodded. If they did not get out of this room, they might end up ruining the fun to come that night.

As Gray sat up and straightened his clothes, he let his mind drift into thoughts of what was to come. Natsu had said he wanted to lose his virginity in Paris. Looking around at this room, this massive bed, and imagining the glorious city lights of Paris, Gray realized that Natsu truly could not have picked a better place for such a monumental occasion.

And he chose Gray to be the partner he trusted to share this experience together.

Gray drifted into the bathroom while Natsu fixed his scarf.

"Oh my God, this shower is huge. Two sinks! Why is the toilet in a different room?"

Natsu chuckled to himself. He really loved being able to treat Gray to these little luxuries. For how happy Gray made him, he wished he could give him even more.

Give him everything.

There was a knock on the door, and Natsu ran up the stairs to the top floor of the suite. A bus boy had their bags, and Natsu let him in to bring the suitcase of clothes down to the bedroom area.

Gray came out of the shower to see the neatly dressed bus boy, like something out of a 1940s movie, and Natsu watching him work. He was such an oddity. That pink hair made him look like a rebel, but those keen eyes and sharp wit tattled at just how savvy this CEO could be when it was time to get serious.

Once the bags were stowed, Natsu grabbed Gray's hand and led him out.

"I'm hungry, but there's something I wanna show you first. We can eat there."

Gray heard the excitement in Natsu's voice, like he was holding back a secret and ready to explode. They left the hotel and walked down the street lined with buildings that looked like former palaces—and likely were! Natsu hummed as he looked around. Streets shot off in all directions from a roundabout with a green-tinted statue of a man riding a horse.

"Who's that?" Gray wondered aloud.

Natsu still looked preoccupied, trying to reorient himself with the street layout. "Oh, that's George Washington."

Gray jolted. "Why is there a statue of America's first President in the middle of Paris?"

"Why not?" Natsu replied. "The two countries are allies. They helped America wins its independence. Guess they admired the guy. Here we go! This way!"

They continued on for many blocks. Gray was starting to get hungry, but he guessed Natsu knew where he was going.

Or not.

"Shoot, wrong way," he grumbled. Natsu pulled out his phone and dialed. "I'm at Statue équestre de Washington. Send me a cab."

Gray heard Freed's voice over the phone. "Are you lost again?"

"Hey, it's been a while!" Natsu hung up and grumbled, "It's still a walk and I'm hungry. Should've called for a cab at the hotel, but I really wanted to walk there with you."

Gray squeezed Natsu's hand. He was really trying hard to impress Gray, and yet the truth was, just being here with him was already enough.

After less than two minutes, a car pulled up. "Monsieur Dragneel?"

Natsu pulled Gray by the hand over to the car and spoke with the driver before getting in. Gray took a seat beside him. As soon as the door was shut, Natsu looked over at Gray with a serious expression

"Okay, this is a weird request, but it works out better this way. I want you to close your eyes."

"Huh?"

"Just trust me. I'm probably gonna get carsick, but no matter what happens, keep your eyes closed the whole way. It's a surprise."

Gray sighed and yanked Natsu over to him. "I'll close them if you lean into me and let me care for you."

Natsu felt his cheeks heat up, but he happily snuggled in close. As the car drove forward and Natsu's stomach felt like it was twisting, he leaned even heavier onto Gray, really struggling to keep from vomiting. Every time he glanced up at Gray, he saw his eyes closed and a serene look on his face.

Like he really enjoyed taking care of Natsu, and he did not need eyes to enjoy their time together.

The stop-and-go traffic was the worst for Natsu, but Gray rubbed his back to soothe the discomfort.

Gray was tempted to peek. He couldn't help but think that he was missing some amazing sights, but Natsu had some sort of plan. He would put up with it for now and see what his crazy CEO wanted.

They finally came to a stop, and Natsu made one last sound like all of breakfast was about to come up.

"Are we there?" Gray asked, still obediently keeping his eyes shut.

Natsu looked up, saw Gray's eyes were still closed, and smiled to himself. He gulped back the acid in the back of his throat. "Yeah, we're here, but keep your eyes closed. "I'll come around to your side."

Gray felt Natsu pull away. He spoke a little to the cab driver in French—Gray had to admit, Natsu's voice was even sexier in that language—and then he felt the door open. Natsu reached in and took his arm.

"Stand up, but keep your eyes closed."

Gray let Natsu guide him out of the car. He heard a busy area around them. A market? Natsu grumbled about there being too many tourists, but otherwise Gray still felt excitement radiating out of him.

"Okay walk a little ahead. Keep going, the ground is flat here."

He felt tiles or smooth stone under his feet and felt the clomping of his own heels. All around were noisy people, most speaking French, but Gray picked up a few languages that had a different musicality to it.

Finally, Natsu stopped him, still holding onto his arms, and whispered warmly in his ear, "Now, open your eyes."

Gray finally opened his eyelids, and instantly his mouth dropped.

They were in a square with marble tiles under him, grand palaces on either side with marble columns and golden statues, and right head, like a spire to the heavens declaring that this country had reached the pinnacle of elegant, the Eiffel Tower stood, mighty and elegant.

"Wow."

It was the only word he had for this.

It was the only word Natsu needed to hear. That look on Gray's face said it all.

Natsu squeezed his hand. "One day, I can show you what's inside Palais de Chaillot, but for today, let's walk up to that Iron Lady."

They strolled through Place du Trocadero, through a garden with fountains and more statues, filled with tourists busy taking pictures. Gray even saw a wedding photo shoot, with a bride in a massive white dress trying to get just the perfect pose in front of the Eiffel Tower.

They crossed over the Pont d'Elena bridge spanning the Seine River, and up ahead Gray saw what must have really been on Natsu's mind all along.

A carousel.

"I bet you want to ride it," he muttered.

"Yep!" Natsu said in excitement. "I rode it as a kid with my dad, but he never took me on it again after that."

Gray laughed and shook his head. Here was a guy who rode around on helicopters and private jets, but what he really wanted was to ride a carousel.

They stood in line for tickets, and Gray could already smell the sweet aroma of crepes. He heard his own stomach growl.

Natsu glanced over. "Do you want some crepes? I was debating if we should just get some here, or eat at one of the restaurants in the tower, but that might take a while."

"I'd rather eat now than wait," Gray admitted.

Natsu squeezed his arm, looking giddy with excitement. "Carousel and crepes!"

At last, it was their turn to climb onto the carousel. Natsu ran forward along with other children. However, Gray pulled out his phone and took a picture of Natsu sitting on a white stallion with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Natsu smiled wildly for the camera and help up a peace sign. Then Gray jumped on, sitting on the horse beside him.

"Gimme!" Natsu shouted as more tourists boarded. "I wanna take a picture of you."

Gray handed over the phone, and Natsu took a picture of Gray on his horse. Then the ride started up, and instantly, Natsu looked green in the face. He dropped Gray's camera and his hand flew to his mouth.

"Oh, this was a bad idea," he groaned.

Gray leaned off the horse just enough to grab his phone before it was broken, and then he watched as Natsu looked ill, while all around them children laughed, teens took photos, and parents cheered for their tiny horse riders.

When the ride finally stopped, Natsu collapsed off, and Gray hoisted him up to get him out of the way of the next riders.

"I swear! There's a two-year-old on here who can handle this better than you."

Natsu stumbled away from the ride. "I think... I remember... why my dad never took me on the carousel again."

Gray helped him over toward the river, where he hoped the sound of water and some fresh air would help. Natsu thankfully recovered right away.

"No more transportation for you, idiot," Gray said with a sigh.

"Food," Natsu muttered.

"Are you going to throw up?"

"No. I'm okay now."

"You still look green."

"I'll be okay if I eat."

Gray let the matter go. They had to wait in line for the food anyway. By the time they got up to the register, put in their order, and their hot crepes arrived, Natsu looked back to normal. He chomped into the crepe filled with strawberries, chocolate, and cream. Gray enjoyed his crepe with Nutella and bananas.

They walked around as they ate. Natsu pointed out restaurants he had been to. Gray really could not get over the size of the tower. Sure, he had seen it in millions of photos, but to actually walk under it and look up into the iron trellis was another experience entirely.

Suddenly, he saw a flash. Natsu had taken his phone out and took a picture of Gray looking up with his mouth gaping open. He had an impish look on his face.

"I didn't want you to notice," he said, turning his flash off. "Hey, do you wanna climb up to the top?"

"Hell yes!" Gray said.

They partially raced each other, but with lots of stops to look around as they climbed the 300 meters up to the top. They took more photos of each other, including selfies of them two of them overlooking the Seine and Palais de Chaillot. While Gray took one photo, Natsu quickly sneaked in a kiss on his cheek, causing Gray to almost drop his phone in shock.

At last, they reached the top, slightly winded and laughing. Natsu went to a champagne bar and immediately bought two glasses. Still flushed and a little sweaty, Gray held up his glass of champagne as Natsu took another selfie of the two of them and the breathtaking view of Paris.

Gray grinned at Natsu. "This has to be the best day of my life."

"And it's barely even noon," Natsu said, bursting with joy.

Just then, a little girl came up. "Excuse me. You... Americans, yes?"

Gray and Natsu looked down at the tiny girl with her long hair in pigtails and wearing a shirt of a white anime cat. Gray thought, with her strong French accent, that Natsu would talk to her in French. Instead, he knelt down and smiled.

"Yes, we're Americans. Are you French?" He said it so clearly, almost robotic, like he was in the middle of a language lesson. Gray was stunned to realize that Natsu was speaking simply so this little girl could understand.

"Yes. I'm from Paris," she said, speaking slowly to get the words right.

Natsu put his hand to his chest. "My name... is Natsu." He waved back up to his boyfriend. "His name... is Gray. What is... your name?"

Gray truly thought this was adorable. The girl obviously was excited to practice what little English she had learned in school, and Natsu was giving her that opportunity.

"My name... is Wendy," she replied. "I am happy to meet you." Then she pointed at the phone. "Camera. I take... I can take... a photograph... of you."

"Yes? Will you take a photo of us?" Natsu said, repeating it back so she could hear how it sounded naturally. "Thank you. That's very kind of you." He handed his phone over, got up to stand next to Gray, and posed with him with their champagne glasses.

Wendy aimed the phone. "Say, Paris!"

"Pah-reeeeeee!" they both said, grinning as she took the photo.

Wendy checked the image and smiled in satisfaction. "It looks good."

Natsu and Gray both came over to look at the photo of them. "Thank you," they both said.

She came a little curtsy. "Have a nice day. Welcome to France." Then she ran off to an elderly woman who was waiting for her.

"Well, that was cute," Natsu said with satisfaction. "And now we have a really good photo. You know, I was tempted to give you bunny ears."

"You're surprisingly good with kids," said Gray. Truly, before that day, he could not imagine Natsu handling children, besides being something like a crazy uncle who was a bad influence on his nieces and nephews.

"I like kids. I do volunteer work with orphanages and children's hospitals."

Gray chuckled to himself. Of course he did. Some CEOs horded their money, but Natsu was the sort to make hefty donations, funding something like an orphanage. Then something struck him. "Oh! Is that because you were orphaned?"

Natsu hummed and nodded to himself. "Something like that. Actually, it was Dad who started up the foundation, and how he eventually linked up with Zeref and adopted me. After he vanished, I carried on his work." Natsu smiled softly to himself. "Sometimes, I feel like much of my life is just trying to be as awesome as my dad." Then he looked up at Gray. "Except when I'm around you. Then I'm even better than my dad, because he was single his whole life, while I have an amazing boyfriend like you."

Gray's eyes went wide. Just then, Natsu leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Race you to the bottom!"

Natsu turned to go, but Gray reached out and grabbed his wrist. Natsu stopped and looked back in surprise. Gray also looked stunned by his action.

"Let's enjoy our champagne first," he said as an excuse.

Natsu took a moment, then gave him a gentle smile, understanding what Gray could not say.

He wanted to soak in how romantic all of this was and simply be together up here, above the bustling city.

They strolled around the fence that protected tourists from accidentally falling. Natsu put some money into one of the telescopes and they took turns getting closer views of the buildings. They both sipped their drinks, not wanting the moment to come to an end.

They found a nearby bistro for lunch and spent the day roaming around. Natsu zipped from one place to another, eager to show Gray every cool thing he knew about. Gray was sure they were covering a lot of ground, with Natsu pulling him along excitedly, pointing out buildings: from the Eiffel Tower to the Hôtel des Invalides, not going inside but looking around the gardens. From there, walking a few blocks to the Jardin du Luxembourg, and then back to the river to see Notre Dame Cathedral. They crossed the river and walked to the Louvre, but Natsu assured Gray that they could meet up with Laxus and Freed tomorrow to see that, if he wanted to. They walked through the gardens and down not too far to the Grand Palace. Once again, instead of going inside, Natsu walked around the outside and focused more on the garden.

Gray began to wonder if Natsu's father had kept him outside of these historic landmarks because of how destructive he was, exposing the child to the wonders of other cultures without risking an international incident, like accidentally setting fire to the Mona Lisa or breaking an ancient stained glass window in a cathedral.

They walked along the crowded Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and Gray got to see the iconic monument up close. At this point, they had walked over fourteen kilometers, according to Gray's phone, and they were both getting hungry. They walked back to the Shangri-La Hotel and went to their room to clean up the sweat of a long day walking.

Gray showered first, half expecting Natsu to come in after him, but nothing happened. Then while Natsu showered, Gray collapsed on the bed, resting his aching feet. He was not used to a lot of walking, spending most of his weekends on the computer.

He should probably get into shape if he wanted to keep up with Natsu.

Natsu exited the shower fully naked, and Gray's interest was piqued. He followed Natsu around with his eyes, waiting for a glance, a hint, anything, but instead Natsu went straight to a wardrobe someone—who, Gray wondered—had used to hang up Natsu's clothes.

"There's a good restaurant here. Freed set up reservations. I've eaten there, really awesome food. We'll eat, and then we can take our time tonight." Now, he finally glanced back. "Let's just enjoy the view."

"Oh, I am!" Gray muttered, gazing at Natsu's ass.

Natsu bit his lip and turned away quickly before he got too tempted to skip the reservations altogether.

They went down to a restaurant inside the hotel. The moment Natsu and Gray stepped through the doors of La Bauhinia, the warm, golden glow of chandeliers bathed them in soft light. The restaurant exuded effortless elegance—high ceilings adorned with delicate floral motifs, polished marble floors reflecting the flickering candlelight from each table, and the gentle hum of conversation blending seamlessly with the quiet melody of a grand piano.

Gray hesitated just inside the entrance, his fingers twitching slightly at his sides. "This place is... a lot." His voice was barely above a murmur, eyes darting from the pristine white tablecloths to the crystal wine glasses that probably cost more than his rent.

Natsu grinned, nudging him forward with an elbow. "Told ya it's good. You're gonna love it." There was an easy confidence in his step as he led them to their reserved table, a cozy spot near the window overlooking the softly illuminated courtyard.

Gray sat down stiffly, running a hand through his hair. "I feel like I should've worn a suit or something."

Natsu snorted. "Nah, you look fine. Fancy places don't mean you gotta be uncomfortable. Look around. Those dressed fancy, this is a big deal for them. Those dressed casual, it's just another Tuesday." He leaned in, whispering with a teasing voice. "Besides, you clean up nice."

A faint flush crept up Gray's neck as he focused intently on the menu in front of him. His brows furrowed as he scanned the intricate French dish names, most of which meant absolutely nothing to him.

Natsu smirked, watching him struggle. "Lost?"

Gray huffed. "You could say that. I have no clue what half this stuff is."

"Lucky for you, I've been here before." Natsu tapped a finger against the menu. "You'll like this one. Beef with this amazing sauce. And this soup over here? Dunno what's in it, but it's super good."

Gray sighed, relenting. "Fine. I'll trust you."

Natsu did the ordering. Wine and hors d'oeuvres were brought forward while they waited. Their conversation drifted from work to life to reminiscing about the day's adventures. Gray secretly enjoyed Natsu's endless enthusiasm, even when he pretended otherwise.

Gray shook his head with a small smile. "I still can't believe we're actually here."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"In Paris. Didn't really feel like it before, but now? Damn," he whispered, afraid to cuss in such an elegant place. "Feels like some kinda dream."

Natsu tilted his head, studying him with a soft expression. "You're really bad at letting yourself enjoy stuff, huh?"

Gray looked away, fingers tracing patterns on the tablecloth. "Maybe. Just not used to it. It feels like... like this kind of thing isn't for guys like me. Like I didn't do anything to earn this."

Natsu's brow tensed. "You are one of the hardest working people in my company, besides Freed and a few managers. I hope you realize, I'll be tracking how much time you spend on that laptop, and you will be paid for every minute you work on it, plus overtime."

Gray's jaw dropped. Was Natsu going to figure out just how long he was on the laptop yesterday? He felt embarrassed to admit how he spent all night and most of the morning working on hunting down Zeref.

"For all your hard work, you earned this." Natsu's foot nudged his under the table. "And if you think you're not good enough, I'll just have to prove you wrong."

Gray felt his heart skip a beat, and his foot rubbed up against Natsu's.

Dinner arrived, and as Gray hesitantly took his first bite, his eyes widened slightly. "Okay, damn. This is actually really good."

"Told ya," Natsu said smugly, popping a piece of bread into his mouth. "See? Fancy doesn't have to mean weird."

Gray chuckled, relaxing a little more as they ate, trading soft teases and quiet laughter between bites. By the time dessert rolled around, Natsu practically vibrated in his seat.

"Oh man, I love the desserts here."

Gray eyed the menu, utterly lost again. "I don't even know what half these words mean."

"Then I'll order for you." Natsu grinned widely. "Trust me."

Gray narrowed his eyes but gave a resigned nod. "Fine, but if it's something weird—"

"You'll love it," Natsu assured him, turning to the waiter.

When the desserts arrived—a delicate tarte au chocolat for Gray and a towering soufflé for Natsu—Gray stared at his plate, then at Natsu's overflowing enthusiasm.

"I don't even know how to eat this," Gray muttered, eyeing the intricate chocolate swirls.

Natsu reached over, scooped up a bite with his spoon, and held it out. "Like this."

Gray's face heated at Natsu tried to feed him. He hesitated before finally leaning forward, taking the offered bite. The rich chocolate melted on his tongue, and he groaned.

"Okay, yeah. That's stupidly good."

Natsu smirked. "Told ya. See, I know what you'll like."

Somehow, Gray got the hint that he meant more than just food.

At last, the plates were empty, the wine finished, and Gray felt like his stomach just experienced a slice of heaven. As they left the restaurant, stepping into the cool Parisian night, Natsu grabbed Gray's hand without hesitation.

"C'mon, there's something I wanna show you, and now I know which way to go."

Gray let himself be led through the winding streets until they reached Place du Trocadero, where they could see the Eiffel Tower rising in the distance, glittering against the night sky.

Natsu's eyes practically sparkled as he looked at it, then back at Gray. "Pretty romantic, huh?"

Gray swallowed, his fingers tightening around Natsu's. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

Natsu grinned, tugging him a little closer as they strolled through the city lights, hand in hand.

They went back down and walked over to the river, crossing to see the Eiffel Tower up close. Natsu took numerous selfies of them, capturing the glow of the lights reflecting off the Seine and Gray's half-exasperated, half-amused expressions.

As they passed the docks, they saw boats lined along the edges.

"I wanna take a cruise tomorrow!" Natsu shouted. "I've never done that."

"Because you'd throw up," Gray pointed out. "Didn't we already talk about this?"

Natsu slumped, looking dejected.

Gray glanced over as Natsu fell silent. He really was trying too hard, not realizing that Gray was overwhelmed. It wasn't about doing everything; just being here, together, was enough.

"Ya know what I really wanna do, way more than any cruise along the river?"

Natsu looked over with interest. Something better than a cruise? Anything to make Gray happy!

Gray gave him a sly smile. "We might get in trouble."

"Is it illegal?" Natsu asked warily.

"No. But it's reckless."

That made Natsu burst into a grin and a devious chuckle.

Two minutes later, Natsu was riding on Gray's back, whooping like a cowboy, while Gray raced down the riverwalk. Tourists leaped out of their way, gasping, staring, muttering about stupid Americans.

"I'mma charge into battle with Napoleon!" Natsu howled, holding his arm out like he held a sword, leading his men into battle. "Whoosh, whoosh, tally-ho!"

But the wild sword gestures threw off Natsu's balance. Gray tried to grip him harder to steady him, but his feet slipped. Natsu flew off, Gray tumbled to the ground, and they both collapsed onto the cool stone, laughter echoing along the river's edge.

Gray groaned as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. The world spun for a second before he focused on Natsu sprawled beside him, chest rising and falling with each breathless chuckle.

"Damn," Natsu wheezed, rubbing his shoulder. "Didn't see that coming."

Gray snorted, rolling onto his side to face him. "What, gravity?"

Natsu gave a halfhearted glare before chuckling again, looking up at the city lights above them. The Eiffel Tower glowed against the night sky, shimmering in golden brilliance. The river lapped gently nearby, the murmur of distant conversations and occasional laughter floating in the background. Yet, despite the liveliness of the city, it felt like they were in their own little world.

Gray hesitated for only a second before he moved, crawling over to check if Natsu was actually okay. Natsu sat up, still grinning, but when their eyes met, something in the air shifted. The laughter quieted, leaving only the pounding of their hearts and the distant hum of Paris at night.

Gray could see the reflection of the tower's lights in Natsu's eyes, the warmth of the moment melting away any hesitation. Without another thought, he surged forward, capturing Natsu's lips in a wild, breathless kiss.

Natsu made a muffled noise of surprise before relaxing into it, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. He hummed in a low, contented purr. His fingers tangled in Gray's jacket as if anchoring himself there.

A woman nearby let out a scandalized huff, but neither of them cared. Without breaking the kiss, they both raised middle fingers in perfect sync, a silent response to any unwelcome judgment.

Gray finally pulled back, his breath unsteady, his cheeks flushed, not just from the running, but from the sheer thrill of the moment. The night, the city, the lights—none of it compared to the feeling of being here, like this, with Natsu.

Natsu grinned, his lips still tingling. "So, what else do you wanna do?"

Gray smirked and kissed him again, slower this time, savoring it. "We still have tomorrow." He leaned in, his breath warm against Natsu's ear as he whispered, "Let's make different memories tonight."

Natsu's jaw dropped slightly, his wide eyes brimming with excitement. "Wait, are you saying...?"

Gray just smirked. He stood up and offered his hand.

Natsu did not need to be told twice. With a boyish grin, he took Gray's hand and yanked himself up. He did not let go, thrilled by the way Gray's strong fingers held him.

Together, they disappeared into the Parisian night.

Author's Notes:

Most images used in this chapter are from Google Maps. Additional images credited to: Shangri-La Paris website, Thalasseo, and www.toureiffel.paris.

Contradictory Virus = Contradictory Curse (矛盾の呪い Mujun no Noroi) also known in the manga as Ankhseram Black Magic, Zeref's black miasma that kills everything it touches.

Shangri-La Hotel Paris – Their room is based on the Duplex Terrace Eiffel View Suite. The images are from Shangri-La's website and captured on their virtual tour. The suite is 70sqm/750sqf, and the rate (with breakfast) costs up to EUR7,781 ($8,398USD) per night.

The room Natsu actually wanted goes for EUR16,415 ($17,717USD) per night. That's more than my rent for an entire year!

"Why is the toilet in a different room" – I didn't even realize this was an American oddity until I began to make friends with Europeans.

In Europe (at least traditionally, less common in post-WWII dwellings) toilets are in a separate room from the bath, sometimes completely separate, sometimes (like in this hotel) it's in its own little room past the bathtub and sinks, built beside the shower.

In America, that is extremely rare. I've seen it only twice: once was a man I knew who lived in a mansion, the other was a beachfront house owned by a friend.

This difference in architecture influenced American English, and now causes confusion with Europeans: why would Americans call a place where you pee a bathroom since you're not going in there to bathe? But you see, we do. My toilet is literally one inch (25 mm) away from my tub, just enough room for the curtain to slide, and smashed up next to the sink with barely room for a tiny wastebasket. (My apartment's bathroom is the tiniest I have ever seen outside of Japan.)

So while Europeans have a bathroom with the bathtub, and a toilet (or water closet in the UK) where they poop and pee, we shit in the same room where we bathe, but we don't wanna call it the "shit room," so we call it the "bathroom."

It also had to do with extremely conservative views in America influenced by Christian Revivalism and such, to the point where simply showing a toilet was profane up until the 1960s, let alone talking about it. So we don't name that room "the toilet" since that was a profane term in polite society.

As for why Americans call public lavatories "restrooms," in "ye olde days," women and men went to these rooms to poop or pee, but more importantly, it was where the genders could rest away from their partners. They had couches where men could loosen their ties and have a cigar away from the womenfolk. Ladies could kick off those painful high heels, rub out their feet, yank their stockings back up, adjust their bra, have a smoke away from the menfolk, breastfeed, gossip, fix their hair, and redo their makeup, all in a posh room with the sound of toilets flushing nearby. It was literally the REST room, where you went to REST.

Even today, many upscale women's restrooms (theaters, department stores, old buildings) have a lounge area with couches and lighted mirrors where ladies can do their makeup, as well as a darkened room for nursing mothers.

So rather than be crude and say "toilet," we called them "bathroom" in they are at home, and "restroom" if they are in public. Although many who don't get out too much just call all lavatories "bathroom."