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Gray sits grumpily at one of the many tables in the guild hall, sipping on a drink Mira brought him from the bar. Across from him sat the dreadful fire wizard known as Natsu Dragneel, the bane of Gray’s existence. He was currently shoveling heaps of food into his mouth, slinging bits of half-chewed meat on the table next to his plate. Unfortunately, Wendy and Lucy are too busy looking for jobs on the request board to help him. Erza hasn’t even shown up to the guild yet either.
They were all about to regret leaving Gray and Natsu to themselves. Whoever thought that was a good idea must’ve been drinking too much. “Could you please close your damn mouth while you chew?! You’re getting food everywhere!” Gray berates angrily, slamming his mug onto the table for emphasis.
Natsu stops abruptly and sends a fiery glare his way, threatening him without words. The look sends shivers up Gray’s spine, and that only serves to piss him off even more. He’s been getting a lot of those feelings lately… Gray’s emotions are like a set of scales that he’s trained to remain perfectly even. Nothing can outweigh his resolve. Nothing except for Natsu, and it’s infuriating. The guy likes to take his nerves and strum them like a guitar that’s out of tune, yet Gray still gets butterflies when the mage levels him with that ferocious stare.
“If you have a problem with it, maybe you should do something about it, punk!” Natsu retorts through a mouthful of chicken, sticking his tongue out to reveal the half chewed meat, practically begging Gray to beat his face in.
“Maybe I will do something about it!” The ice wizard exclaims, standing up and leaning across the table to look down at the other menacingly.
“Bring it on, popsicle! I hope you like your meat well done because I’m about to burn you to a crisp!” Natsu retaliates, standing up to lean over the table as well.
It’s just their luck that Erza decides to choose that moment to burst through the doors. She stomps towards the two of them in strides, eyes narrowed in on the two of them like a hawk that’s spotted its prey. Natsu and Gray barely had time to react before their heads were slammed together, meeting in the middle of the table.
Gray can’t count how many times the two of them have been in this exact situation. For some reason, Erza finds brute force the best way to handle the bickering wizards, and this case is no different… except for the fact that it became very different. The two of them were facing each other, so when she brought their heads together, their lips touched. It was a far cry from a kiss, more like their faces were smooshed together painfully, but their lips touched.
When they’re both released, there’s a grace period where they both sit back in their seats, stunned into silence. Gray slowly brought his hand to his lips, holding it there as if he could use his magic to freeze away the tingling feeling Natsu left behind. His face flushes with embarrassment, making him feel hot all over. His heart is hammering angrily against his chest as if it were trying to escape his body. Gray doesn’t blame it one bit. He would give just about anything to be able to sink into the floor right now.
“Quit your bickering! I only just got here and you two have already caused a ruckus!” Erza berates them, oblivious to their inner turmoil.
The sound of Erza’s voice seems to be what breaks Natsu from his trance. He’s standing back up in an instant, an angry fire shooting up his right arm as he turns to look at their red-headed comrade. A low growl creeps it’s way from the depths of his throat, eyes lit like a raging bonfire. Even Gray would be intimidated if he weren’t still trapped in his stupor.
“What the hell, Erza?! Did you really have to do that?!” The fire wizard shouts, an unfamiliar venom lacing his words.
Apparently, Gray is the only one that can sense the added hostility because Erza acts none the wiser. She simply puts her hands on her hips, armor rattling with the movement, “Yes, I did because violence seems to be the only language you two understand.”
The flames on Natsu’s arm grow brighter, illuminating his face. His muscles tense from the clenching of his fist and Gray could swear that he saw a hint of fear in Erza’s eyes before Wendy and Lucy came skipping towards their table wielding a piece of paper.
“Hey guys! I think we found a job you guys might be interested in!” Wendy chirps happily, unphased by the argument as she raises the flier for all of them to see.
Missing Wizards!
Mages from all over town have been coming up missing for weeks and no one has been able to figure out why! Please help us find our friends and bring whoever is behind this to justice! For more information, please come to Nakamura’s Sushi and Grill in Port City Hargeon and ask for Kapono Nakamura.
Reward: 100,000 Jewel
“Missing wizards, huh? The reward is small for five people, but the cause is a noble one. We will leave in the morning, I expect all of you to be here at eight o’clock sharp,” Erza states with a finality to her voice.
“Since when do you get the final say in what jobs we take,” Natsu grumbles under his breath, however one look from Erza had him obediently sitting back in his seat with his hands in his lap.
Happy giggles at his friend’s expense, floating happily above Natsu’s shoulder before Erza levels him with the same stare she gave the fire mage. The Exceed promptly shut his mouth and sat next to Natsu, paws resting in his lap.
Wendy smiles at the four of them and clutches the poster to her chest, happily making her way over to Carla so she could tell her the news. For some reason, the blue and white Exceed aren’t on speaking terms at the moment—much to Happy’s dismay—so Carla has taken to giving him the cold shoulder.
Gray lets out an exasperated sigh and drops his hand to his side, leaning back so his head is tilted up towards the ceiling. He has a feeling this job is going to be a painful one.
—————
A day later, the five wizards arrive at the Hargeon Port City. Naturally, most of them were exhausted after the long trip, so after they were debriefed by their client, they all disappeared into their assigned rooms for the night. The only ones that seem to be awake at the moment are none other than Natsu and Gray.
The two had been made to share a room for the night seeing as though they could only afford to rent out two, two bedroom suites. The girls stayed in one room while the boys were left with the other—however Happy ditched them in favor of sleeping with the girls seeing as though Natsu and Gray’s snoring combined was a bit too much for the feline.
Currently, Gray is sitting on the edge of his bed watching Natsu pace back and forth in front of him. His eyebrows seem to be knitted together in frustration, nose twitching occasionally as it usually does when he loses himself in thought. Gray brushes it off to be concern for the job.
What Mr. Nakamura told them was, for lack of a better word, shocking. Apparently Hargeon is harboring an illegal wizard trafficking ring. No one knows if it’s the work of a dark guild or an underground organization, but what they do know is that it needs to be stopped immediately. Wizards from all over the city have been coming up missing, occasionally popping up in different countries either dead or nearly so. Natsu has always had a strong moral compass, so it makes sense that this would bother him so much.
However, Natsu suddenly stops pacing. The fire wizard’s face goes blank, save for one important feature—his eyes. The look in Natsu’s eyes is something Gray hasn’t seen before. The outer rings are ablaze with emotion, fiery red and piercing as they look directly through Gray’s soul. The color fades into an ashy grey as it gets closer to the pupil, displaying his solid resolve and determination. It was beautiful, just like Natsu—which is a weird thought. When has he ever thought Natsu to be beautiful? The guy is a loose canon. A match in a room filled with gasoline. Everything about him screams destruction and chaos, but Gray still can’t help the stutter in his heart beat and the heat in his cheeks.
It’s already too late when Gray realizes the fire mage had approached him. Their faces were merely inches apart, their breath mingling together as they sit there, unmoving until Natsu takes the final step. The leap that sends Gray’s balanced resolve rocking like a teeter totter. Natsu takes a fistful of Gray’s shirt and tugs, causing their lips to collide.
His breath hitches as Natsu takes the reins, placing delicate kisses on the ice wizards frozen lips. It’s oddly… innocent. Nothing like Gray would have ever expected from the other. He assumed Natsu would be more aggressive and reckless like he is when he fights, however Gray figures that romance is a completely different battlefield altogether for the fire wizard.
Natsu lets go and leans back all too soon, shifting on his feet and averting his eyes. The mage looks nervous and uncertain, which is a very unfamiliar look for him. He was so determined a minute ago, so what’s caused him to falter so drastically?
“N-Natsu… What was that for?” Gray questions once he’s finally found his voice, frantically searching the other’s eyes for any sign of the fire that was once there.
“I-...” Natsu draws out, fiddling with his thumbs anxiously, “I wanted a do over.”
“A… what? A do over? What do you mean?”
“Well, yesterday we kinda kissed, but it was nothing like I’d hoped it would be. Erza ruined that, so I decided I wanted a do over.”
Gray was left speechless as he stared the other down, looking for any signs of deception in his words. He found none, which he couldn’t tell if that was good or bad. Natsu seriously looks like he wants to jump out of his own skin, so why isn’t Gray breaking the silence? Why hasn’t he told the fire wizard that he was glad to have gotten a do over? Maybe Gray just needs some time to think it over himself first before he can admit it out loud.
“I’m gonna… I’m gonna go for a walk,” Natsu states, quickly turning around and heading towards the door, “I’ll be back later tonight. Try to get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
Gray’s heart stops and he jumps up from his spot on the bed, intending to chase after the fire mage. “Wait! Natsu!” He calls out, but the door is shut and the other’s footsteps can be heard running away.
Gray lets out a large sigh and flops back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling in thought. Maybe Natsu just needs some time too? He just needs to get some fresh air and clear his head. When he comes back, they can talk about what just happened.
—————
Morning comes and Natsu is nowhere to be found. Gray has laid awake all night waiting for the bastard to get his shit together and come back, but there was never a knock at the door. No note telling them that he wouldn’t be back. Nothing.
Gray anxiously paces in an alleyway on the east side of the city, similarly to how Natsu had the night before. He growls at the thought, smacking the side of his head a few times to knock some sense into himself. This is not the time to be thinking about that right now, Natsu could be in trouble! Or he could be avoiding him…
Did Gray really react so poorly that the Salamander didn’t want to see him again? Yeah, he was surprised, but who wouldn’t be? What happened last night was unexpected and Gray had still been sorting through his own feelings when it happened.
Today, however, Gray knew exactly how he felt. He had a lot of time to think it over last night, and now he can’t for the life of him figure out how he never realized it sooner. That weird tingle in his chest when Natsu looks at him isn’t as complicated as he once thought. It’s actually quite simple. Gray has feelings for Natsu. It’s as plain as day. He’s danced around that fact for a long time, but now that it’s out in the open, he feels like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders.
Coming to terms with it is only the first step though. Now Gray has to figure out where the hell Natsu ran off to. He wants to think that the mage would never tell him that he would come back if he didn’t actually intend to, but Natsu has done a lot of unexpected things lately, so it’s really hard to tell.
The morning sun beats down on him angrily, as if taunting him, knowing that Natsu should’ve shown up before its arrival. He had already informed the team, and they all decided to split up with communication lacrimas to search for the missing fire mage. With a few parting words, the four remaining wizards separated themselves into each corner of the town.
Now, Gray leans against a rough brick wall in one of the shadier parts of the neighborhood, hoping to find clues to Natsu’s whereabouts. It’s boring and frustrating and Gray would give just about anything for a lead at this point. He’s desperate, not only because his friend is missing, but because there were too many things left unsaid last night.
He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, allowing the wall to support more of his weight. Gray is exhausted, but he can’t sleep—not until he finds Natsu and brings him back. His mind is running with too many questions for him to be able to truly rest. Briefly, he wonders if he could actually be going crazy.
He almost misses a very important lead. Just around the corner from the wall he’s leaning against is a conversation between two males. They had been there for a few minutes, but Gray didn’t hold any suspicion towards them until now.
“I heard they caught a big one last night.”
“Oh, really? What did they find?”
“The boys say he’s a fire wizard—a hot headed one too. He nearly woke up the whole neighborhood, shoutin’ and cussin’.”
The conversation continued, but Gray heard everything he needed to. He quickly ducks around the corner into the alleyway, the air turning frigid as his emotions begin to overthrow his control.
The two men look up at him, startled by his sudden appearance. They both reached for something on their waists, however they faltered whenever Gray leveled them with his icy stare. He didn’t even have to use magic to freeze them in their place.
“I’m only gonna ask this once before I start getting serious,” Gray snaps, grabbing the one to his right by the collar and slamming him against the wall.
His friend tries to attack Gray from behind, but he throws his hand back and blasts the thug with magic energy, freezing him to the adjacent wall. He redirects his attention back to the other, fist curled around the man’s shirt like a vice.
“Where is Natsu Dragneel?! Where did you take him?!” He shouts into the thug’s ear, pulling him forward only to slam him back against the wall violently.
“What?! Come on, man! I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about! My buddy and I just came back here for a quick smoke!”
“Don’t lie to me!” Gray exclaims, letting go of his shirt to wrap his fingers around the man’s throat. He squeezes tightly, only loosening his grip when a vein begins to pop out of the man’s forehead, “Tell me where he is or I’ll kill you and start asking your friend instead!”
The stranger greedily takes in a gulp of air and begins to cough violently, wet spit spattering on Gray’s cheek. Normally, he would be exceptionally grossed out, but nothing was normal about his demeanor right now. Gray looks vicious in his current state—almost as if he was another person altogether.
“Okay! Okay! Please, just don’t kill us!” The man begs, eyes watering from when Gray nearly strangled him.
“Alright, spill it. Don’t make me wait much longer or I might decide to kill you anyways.”
“I’m talkin’! I’m talkin’! L-Last night, our recruitment team found a guild wizard mopin’ around the streets. They picked em up and took em to the docks to be sold to the highest bidder. The auction is gonna start in around three hours!” The man explains fearfully, hands trembling as they raised in surrender.
Gray grits his teeth together and clenches his eyes shut, trying to block out all the thoughts of what he could do to make this man suffer. He told them the information he needed to know. He can save Natsu now. There’s no need to kill either of these idiots.
“I want you and your little friend here to leave the country. If I see either of your ugly mugs again I’m gonna turn you into living ice sculptures, do you understand?” Gray threatens, tightening his fingers around the man’s throat for emphasis.
“Y-Yes, sir! We’ll leave right away, sir!”
“Good.”
Gray releases his hold on the man’s neck and freezes him to the wall so he can’t run off and warn his friends. He doesn’t doubt that the two thugs will leave the country once his ice thaws out. Now, all he has to do is get in touch with the others and save Natsu. He taps the communication lacrima, causing it to light up. A few seconds pass and each of his friend’s faces appear in the glowing crystal.
“Did you find him, Gray?” Wendy asks worriedly, concern evident in her features.
Gray sighs and runs a hand through his hair, “Not yet, but I know where he is. I’m heading there now.”
“That’s good. Tell us where he is and we’ll meet you there,” Erza responds with an air of relief.
Gray opens his mouth to answer, but he hesitates. He needs to do this by himself. He knows his friends are worried about Natsu too, but the two of them have some personal matters to discuss and he’s afraid the fire wizard will clam up if the others are around.
“I’m going alone,” Gray states in a tone that doesn’t allow any arguments, “We’ll meet you guys back at the hotel.”
Erza bristles and puts on a demanding voice, “Gray, don’t be reckless! You heard what Mr. Nakamura said! What happens if you get caught?! How will we know where to find you?!”
“Well, I guess I just won’t get caught then,” Gray replies easily before narrowing his eyes at the crystal, “I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”
And with that… Gray slams the communication lacrima into the ground, shattering it into tiny, useless pieces. Erza is gonna have his head for this, but that’s a risk he’s going to have to take. He’s going to get his friend back and he’s going to do it alone.
“Hang on, sulfur breath. I’m on my way.”
“LET ME OUT OF HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASSES!” Natsu exclaims from behind the bars of a cage.
Currently, he is situated in a dimly lit storage container with two men in masks standing guard. They haven’t spoken a word to him since he got here and it’s been pissing him off. He’s tried several times to break out, but he thinks the cage is concealing his magic and every time he tries to physically break out, the cage moves. Either they knew about his weakness to vehicles, or they planned on moving him. All he can do is stand around and wait. He’s tired, hungry, bored, and just a little bummed out.
He kissed Gray! Gray Fullbuster! Fairy Tail’s resident jackass with a stripping problem! What the hell was he thinking?! He was just… he was so angry when Erza took his and Gray’s first kiss from him! He wanted it to be something special because he knew that it would likely never happen again. Natsu wanted to make it memorable and romantic, but the temptation mixed with the disappointment from the day before made him snap.
Natsu lets out an angry puff of air and flops down onto the floor, quickly gripping the bars for leverage as the action causes the cage to move a little. Once it has settled back down, Natsu sighs and lets go of the bars, slowly leaning back so his back can rest against the side without jostling the cage again.
The look on Gray’s face after Natsu kissed him… He seemed so confused. The thought of it makes the fire wizards heart ache. Gray probably hates him now, and it’s all Natsu’s fault. Maybe if he was a little more patient? Maybe if he had said something first before going in for the kiss? Would Gray have reacted differently?
Truth be told, Natsu has known about his feelings for Gray for about a month now. It’s stupid, really. How could he feel such strong attraction to someone he can hardly stand? They can never seem to get along, yet Natsu’s face still heats up when he looks into the ice wizard’s eyes.
He can’t get enough of the asshole! His scents, his body, his stupidly attractive face—Natsu is a sucker for it. Smelling Gray is like sucking on a mint and taking a long sip of cold water afterwards. It’s cold and fresh and undeniably Gray. His pale skin almost shimmers in the sunlight and despite all of the time he spends shirtless outside, Natsu has never seen him burn or tan. And then there’s his dumbass face… that stupid cocky grin he gets whenever they’re about to fight. The way his eyes sparkle mischievously when he knows he’s struck one of Natsu’s nerves. Those damn eyes… When the fire mage looks into them, it’s like walking through an evergreen forest in the middle of winter.
To sum it all up, Natsu is hopelessly in love with Gray and he’s probably ruined every chance he’s ever had at calling the ice wizard his own. That one reckless kiss is what got him into this situation in the first place. The funny thing is, Natsu isn’t entirely sure he wants to take it back...
Suddenly, light floods the storage container and two more men in masks appear outside. Natsu squints and shields his eyes with his arm, trying to adjust to the sudden change.
“We need to get the piece to the assembly. The auction is going to start soon,” The man on the left explains.
Natsu bristles at that. He’s not something to be bought and sold! He’s a human being! These guys are about to get a piece of his mind and fist once he gets out of here! He was about to voice just that when the cage began to move, stopping him in his tracks and turning him into a miserable lump.
“Can I please just walk? I’ll be good, I promise,” Natsu begs as the cage jumps and jostles down a ramp towards a separate building.
He slumps to the floor, trying his best to hold back the vomit that’s threatening to come up. He presses his face against the cold metal, allowing it to ease some of his suffering. However, it does nothing to quell the churning in his stomach, so Natsu can only hope that they get to their destination soon so he won’t have to sit here and stew in his own puke.
It seems that the guards have noticed this and began to push the cage faster. They probably want to avoid getting Natsu’s dinner on their shoes, so it only takes them a few more minutes before they’re going up another ramp and entering a large building.
Natsu can tell from the strong smell of salt water that they’re right next to the port. The whole city of Hargeon smells similar, but it’s not nearly as strong in the city as it is here. Briefly, the fire mage smirks. He found out the location of the wizard trafficking ring all by himself! Once Natsu figures out a way to get out of here, he’s totally gonna rub it in Gray and Ezra’s faces! Of course, he’ll probably leave out the part where he was ambushed and totally did not find this place on his own.
They hit a bump as they push Natsu through a doorway and all of his triumphant thoughts are brought to a sickening halt. He groans pitifully, drool beginning to dribble down the side of his face. It pools on the bottom of the cage, making his cheek sticky and wet, but he doesn’t have the strength or willpower to push himself out of it.
In the midst of his misery, Natsu can hear the sound of someone shouting behind the next door, “Alright, ladies and gents! Last week's prize was a bit of a let down, but today we’ve brought in a special treat!”
Natsu snarls angrily at that, fists clenching against the metal as he forces himself off of the ground. He wipes the spit off of his cheek with his sleeve and takes a moment to gather himself. They had come to a stop in front of the next door, allowing Natsu’s stomach to settle.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that they’re talking about Natsu in there, and it really pisses him off. He isn’t some prize or treat that can be auctioned off! No human being is! He can’t wait to get out of this cage so he can give these people the thrashing they deserve.
“Allow me to introduce to you all, the infamous Salamander! Fairy Tail’s most infamous dragon slayer!”
So these bastards do know who he is! That must mean these guys are real idiots. Who in their right mind would think messing with Fairy Tail was a good idea? All who dare challenge the guild has fallen and these punks will be no different than the rest.
His angry thoughts are cut off once again as the cage lurches forward, sending Natsu scrambling for purchase on the bars. The guards open the door and push him through, leading him out onto a makeshift stage where he’s faced with a decently sized mass of people.
He’s pushed to the center of the stage next to the microphone where a strange man wearing a tall hat stands proudly. Natsu recognizes the man as one of the goons that ambushed him and growls angrily, his fighting spirit steadily beginning to return now that the cage has come to a complete stop. The man has some sort of weird plant magic, which normally wouldn’t have been that hard for Natsu to overcome if he wasn’t so off his game last night.
“Each bid will count for half a million jewel and the winner will pay us upfront before we pass off the merchandise!” The announcer informs excitedly, “Now that all of the formalities are out of the way, let's start this auction off at one million jewel! Don’t be stingy now, folks! This one is a real fire cracker!”
Numbered signs immediately began flying into the air as the auction began, raising the price on Natsu’s head. He shouts in frustration as he scans the crowd of people trying to buy his rights. Most of them were dressed in fancy gowns and sharp tuxedos and barely any of them had a lick of magic! These people are probably just too lazy to learn it themselves, so they’re buying wizards to do the dirty work for them!
Suddenly, his nose caught a whiff of something familiar. Someone familiar. Natsu sniffs wildly at the air like a wild animal, scanning the crowd for its source. Fresh mint filters through his nostrils as his eyes lock onto a man wearing a hat, the bill tucked down to cover his eyes. The dragon slayer doesn’t have to see the dumbass’ eyes to know that it’s Gray.
Natsu smiles wide, although it falters slightly as Gray raises a numbered sign. Did that jackass just place a bet on him? What the hell is he doing?! Is he trying to be stealthy? No, that’s stupid. Why would he try to sneak in when he could just free Natsu and fight their way out together? Like the genius he is, Natsu decides to ask the ice wizard just that.
“Hey! Hey, Gray! What the hell are you doing, man! Hurry up and break me out so we can kick some ass and blow this joint!”
The crowd and the auctioneer go silent, staring at Natsu in confusion while Gray slowly sinks down in his seat, hiding behind his stupid looking hat. That just won’t do. The fire wizard is itching for a fight and will not stand by idly while Gray steals all of his fun. That dumb ice block is going to let him out of this cage so he can scorch these fools!
“Gray! Come on! Just break me out already! You’re not fooling anyone with that stupid looking hat of yours! Just give it up so we can fight!” Natsu exclaims, pointing an accusing finger at the ice wizard.
A few moments pass as all eyes in the room turn to Gray. Natsu can see from here where the ice wizard is clenching the numbered sign so hard his knuckles are turning white. What’s his deal? Natsu is just trying to help the guy! Being stealthy is not a good look on Gray. He much rather watch the ice wizard fight than sit around placing bets all night. Truly, this is for the best.
Gray suddenly stands up from his seat, snapping the sign over his leg and throwing the horrendous looking hat onto the ground before pointing an accusing finger right back at Natsu.
“You idiot! Why did you do that?!” Gray exclaims angrily over the crowd of people, finally allowing Natsu to see his evergreen eyes.
“Because your plan was stupid! My plan is way better! Now hurry your ass up and get over here! I’ve been locked in this stupid cage all night!”
“Fine, we’ll do it your way then, you stupid fire hazard,” Gray growls lowly as he tosses his shirt to the side, allowing his magic to flow through his body and into his hands.
The buyers quickly scramble to escape the building, sensing the incoming battle. Without magic, they didn’t have much else they could do except get to safety. Fairy Tail is known for destroying everything they touch, after all, so running is probably their best bet.
The auctioneer, however, stands right where he is, not looking a bit intimidated by Gray’s presence. The man barks out a maniacal laugh, and that’s when Gray senses the magic energy around him. This guy is a wizard too.
“The infamous Gray Fullbuster of Fairy Tail! What a lovely surprise this is! I can practically smell the money you’ll make me!” The auctioneer cheers excitedly, eyes sparkling like an earthy gem.
“Oh, is that so? Are you sure because I think that’s just your body odor. Or maybe it’s Natsu’s. There’s no telling when the last time that guy took a bath was,” Gray responds harshly, shooting Natsu a teasing glance.
Both the auctioneer and Natsu bristle at that, but the fire wizard can’t do anything about it. The other wizard, however, very much can.
“We’ll see how confident you are once my vines have gotten ahold of you!” The man exclaims as he holds his hands out in front of him and summons his magic power, “Plant Magic: Piercing Stems!”
A green magic circle forms underneath the auctioneer’s feet and before Gray knew it, large vines began to sprout from the ground, breaking through the wooden floor beneath them. They continue to grow in size before they’re as thick as a bar table and as long as the ceiling would allow. The stems hone in on his location, seemingly eyeing him like a snake ready to pounce before rocketing in his direction.
Gray keeps his cool, jumping and dodging as the vines slam into the floor where he was last standing. Once they’ve struck the ground, they stay there, making the terrain harder for Gray to maneuver through.
“Alright, asshole! Ice-Make: Lance!” Gray exclaims, slamming a fist into his open palm before summoning a round of magic energy.
Several projectiles of ice form in the air before they barrel towards their target at high speeds. The cocky bastard quickly throws up a wall of wood and tree bark, but he underestimated Gray’s timing because several shards of ice pierced his left side. The auctioneer lets out a cry of pain and drops the wall to tend to his wound, giving Gray the opportunity he needed to get around him and bust Natsu out.
Gray leaps over tables and chairs to get up to the stage where Natsu is being held captive. The fire wizard is sitting cross legged inside the cage, arms crossed over his chest with a pout. He’s probably pissed that Gray is getting all of the action while he has to sit and wait.
Patience was never the dragon slayer’s strong suit, and the thought makes him smile. Gray takes a moment to bask in how childish the full grown fire mage is acting. It seems like Natsu is never going to grow out of his childishness, which doesn’t bother Gray one bit. It’s actually quite endearing.
“Enjoying the show?” Gray questions as he finally makes it over to the grumpy fire wizard, earning nothing but a frustrated huff and unintelligible insults, “That’s good to hear. Now sit tight while I get you out of here.”
The ice wizard leans forward, reaching out to grab the lock and freeze it when he feels something tickle his ankle. Confused, Gray looks down to see a small vine wrapping around his leg. In a panic, Gray looks over to where he last left the auctioneer, only to see that the space is empty.
“Gray! Look out!” Natsu warns just as the vine around his ankle tightens and yanks back.
The poor mage is sent face first into the ground, his nose cracking against the wooden stage painfully. A broken nose is the least of his worries though as another vine wraps around his other ankle.
“Plant Magic: Twisting Vines!” The auctioneer exclaims, causing the vines to creep further up his legs towards his torso.
They completely encase his body, making it impossible to move. The strange man cackles maniacally from behind him as the vines make their way up to his neck, wrapping around and slowly beginning to tighten. Gray lets out a strangled noise as the grip on his throat closes up his airways. His vision begins to grow spotty and his ears start to ring loudly in his head. With the last bit of consciousness he has left, he twists his hand uncomfortably in the magic’s hold, shooting a blast of magic energy towards Natsu’s cage in hopes of giving the fire user a means of escape.
The once struggling ice wizard slowly goes limp, and Natsu is furious. The blast of ice freezing the lock was just what Natsu needed to get out of his mobile prison, using brute force to shatter the ice and allow him to break free from the cage.
“You’re going to pay for that!” Natsu exclaims, eyes ablaze with pure fury as flames shoot from his feet, propelling him towards the offensive plant mage.
The poor guy didn’t know what he was doing when he hurt Natsu’s ice wizard. His magic is burning twice as bright and the fire in his belly feels more like hunger pains, except he isn’t hungry for food. He’s hungry for revenge.
The auctioneer’s concentration breaks as he’s sent hurtling through the air, slamming into the wall across the room. The spell is broken and the vines encasing Gray unravel and retreat back into the ground, leaving the ice mage’s unconscious body to drop on the floor like a sack of potatoes.
“Gray!” Natsu calls out, running to the wizard’s side.
His breathing, although strained, is still somewhat steady. Natsu breathes out a sigh of relief, pulling the jackass into his lap so he could cradle him into his chest. What an idiot! He should’ve freed Natsu while he had the chance, but no! He just had to try to hog all of the fun and managed to get himself hurt.
The fire wizard sighs and spares a quick glance towards his captor, only to find that Natsu’s blow had rendered the man unconscious. Jeez, he’s almost embarrassed at how quickly the man went down. That guy got the best of Natsu? Damn, he really must have been off his game if he let a wimp like that catch him off guard.
Natsu shrugs and lifts Gray up in a bridal carry, careful not to jostle him too much as he makes his way out of the building and back to their hotel.
Gray’s lungs hurt. Actually, Gray’s everything hurts. What even happened? Where is he? Why is there a weird pressure on his hand?
Slowly, the ice wizard opens his eyes to find himself staring up at the ceiling of their hotel room. The pressure on his hand immediately disappears, leaving behind a warm imprint that quickly grows cold again. Briefly, Gray wishes for that unknown pressure to return, but his thoughts are interrupted when a head of pink hair fills his view.
“Hey, sleepy head! I was gettin’ worried for a second there! How ya holding up?” Natsu questions boisterously, making his head throb.
It seems Natsu notices because next time he speaks, it’s much quieter and less energetic.
“Erza, Lucy, and Wendy all went to handle that wizard trafficking ring, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Oh, yeah. That’s right. Natsu ran off after their kiss and got himself caught by that weird plant guy. What a dumbass! Wait, they kissed! Well, more like Natsu kissed Gray and they both panicked, but it happened! It happened and Gray messed it all up.
“I’m- I’m sorry…” Gray draws out, his voice hoarse from his throat's previous abuse.
The Salamander cocks his head to the side in confusion, looking the other up and down, “The hell are you sorry for? You’re the one that got your ass handed to you. You’re welcome, by the way. You owe me lunch.”
“Not that, you dumbass!” Gray barks, although the intensity of it was thrown off by the voice crack in the middle, “I mean for before. You know, before all of that happened.”
It takes a moment for the words to register, but once they do, it seems that Natsu’s happy demeanor completely plummets. His shoulders slouch glumly and he casts his head downward, averting his eyes from the ice wizard.
“It’s whatever… I get it. I got caught in the moment and I acted before I thought about it, just like always,” He replies, his voice sounding just as pitiful as he looks.
“Shut up for a second and let me talk!” Gray snaps, taking a deep breath through his nose as Natsu stares at him like a kicked puppy.
Without another word, Gray grabs the dumbass by the edge of his scarf and yanks him towards the bed, leaning up to meet him halfway there. Unlike Natsu’s kiss from before, Gray’s lips were anything but gentle. He tried to push every bit of what he was feeling into the one gesture, their hearts drumming against their chests to their own tunes.
After a moment, the two part ways just enough to breathe, soaking in the new feelings that were finally allowed to come to the surface. Gray looks absolutely wrecked while Natsu stares on in shock. The fire wizard opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying and failing to form words, so Gray decides to speak instead.
“I- I wanted a do over…” he explains, repeating the words Natsu had said to him before, “I just... You caught me off guard last night. I was still trying to process what happened, but you stormed out before I could say anything.”
Another beat passes before Natsu finally manages to speak up, “So you’re telling me that you didn’t hate it? And you don’t hate me?”
“Do you think I’d do it again if I hated it? Jeez, you’re dense.”
“So all of this happened because you took too long to process what happened?”
“Well, I wouldn’t word it like that. I would say that all of this happened because you ran out before I could actually process what happened.”
Another beat passes as the two stare at each other, taking yet another moment to soak everything in. It doesn’t last very long because Natsu ends up breaking the silence with a laugh. It isn’t self deprecating or disbelieving… It's joyous and happy and everything Gray has come to associate with Natsu. It doesn’t take long before the both of them are laughing together. Two hearts finally coming together as one.