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“Come on, don’t be such a worrywart, I can hold my own.”
Gray sighed, trying to explain for the hundredth time why it wasn’t a good idea for them to play fight, “I’ve told you before, it’s not about holding your own, I can seriously hurt you.”
“As if! I bet you can’t land even one hit,” Natsu crossed his arms in front of his chest, his mouth set in a pout that looked exactly like the ones Gray had seen on Atlas’ face. He told himself he absolutely did not find it adorable.
Gray could feel the combined weight of Erza and Mira’s gazes, making him even more nervous. Mira giggled at them, but Erza was eerily silent, feeding into Gray’s worry because he knew damn well she was more terrifying than Natsu could ever hope to be.
Atlas and Aki were already play wrestling on the grass while Hana supervised to make sure they didn’t get out of hand.
“You promised that if I passed the math test, you’d teach me,” Natsu reminded him.
“Ugh fine, but don’t complain if you get hurt doing this,” Gray rolled his eyes at Natsu’s cheers, wondering how he could have fallen for such a childish dork but then caught a glimpse of his boyfriend’s radiant grin. He couldn’t ignore the flutter in his chest or suppress his own smile in response.
It was a beautiful Spring day, breezy but warm, and the grass felt cool against his toes. Gray would much rather find a shady spot where they could sit and relax while watching the kids play, but he knew that once Natsu got an idea in his head, it was almost impossible to change his mind, and he supposed this could be fun too.
“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got,” Gray turned his body to the side, keeping his feet two shoulder widths apart and bending his knees slightly. He brought his hands up near his head to block whatever kick Natsu attacked with, c losing his fingers and flicking them towards himself in a 'come at me' gesture.
Natsu was quick to rise to the challenge, charging with more speed than Gray had been anticipating. His knee rose to his waist and his foot quickly extended up to Gray’s face in a decent attempt at a front kick, one of the most basic kicks in TaeKwonDo but also one of the more powerful. Gray was quick to block it with his hand, moving back slightly and out of the way in case of a follow-up punch.
“That wasn’t bad at all,” Gray praised, “a little sloppy, but it had a lot of force behind it.”
“Told ya I could hold my own,” Natsu boasted, looking a little smug.
“Well, you can definitely dish it out, but can you take it?” Gray raised an eyebrow in challenge, a smirk playing on his lips as he decided he wanted to take Natsu down a peg.
“Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?” Natsu invited, and Gray got ready to do just that, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to show off a little in front of his boyfriend. He hadn’t really stretched, but he decided he could probably manage a tornado kick without too much trouble.
Gray had already started his approach, making the turn and lifting his foot when Natsu called out, “ Master Gray ,” in a tone of voice that ran a shiver down his entire spine. It startled him mid-move, and as he lost his balance, the last thing he saw before tipping over was Natsu’s smug grin turning into a surprised gasp as he tried to catch him.
He failed. The momentum behind the move was too much for him to absorb. Under the sounds of their spectators’ yelps, they fell to the ground. Or, more accurately, Natsu fell to the ground while Gray’s fall was broken by his boyfriend’s body.
“Idiot! Are you alright?” Gray fretted, already lifting himself up so he could check Natsu for any injuries, but all Natsu did was laugh.
“Your face!” he managed to get out between snorts and giggles.
Gray breathed a sigh of relief, Natsu seemed fine. “That was a dirty move,” he muttered, his cheeks flashing warm again at the thought of Natsu’s words.
“Well, you did say I had to call you that,” Natsu’s attempt to look innocent failed miserably as his eyes shone with joyful mischief he couldn’t contain, and there was that flutter again.
“You know damn well I didn’t mean for you to say it like that .”
“Like what?” Natsu teased, wrapping his arms around Gray’s waist and pulling him back down on top of him.
“Just shut up,” Gray grumbled, embarrassed by how easily Natsu could rile him up.
“Make me,” Natsu challenged, “ Mast -,” and before he could complete the words, Gray did just that, capturing his lips in a swift kiss that was enthusiastically returned.
“Idiot,” Gray said fondly as he caressed Natsu’s cheek with the back of his hand, grinning happily when Natsu blushed at the touch. He was getting ready to kiss him again when he noticed Natsu’s expression switch to one of alarm.
“Incoming,” Natsu announced, and that was all the warning Gray got before finding himself at the bottom of an impromptu cuddle pile. Managing to turn himself over, he was confronted with a sight that took his breath away. Aki was grinning from ear to ear, looking happier than he’d ever seen him before.
“I guess that’s it for martial arts lessons today,” Natsu chuckled, lacing their fingers together and squeezing Gray’s hand, as Atlas bounced on his chest. “How do you feel about sword fighting?”
Gray could only groan in response.