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There was always a hint of gossip in the air at the Fairy Tail guild, and Natsu would be lying if he said that he didn’t take part in it now and then. He’d always thought it was harmless fun; a little teasing between friends.
But this time was different.
“I heard those two were living together? Is that true?”
“Yeah, they tied the knot.”
“And they have a kid.”
Every word felt like someone had hammered one of those nails Natsu had watched Juvia hand Gray earlier into his heart. To make matters worse, he couldn’t escape it no matter where he was at the building site. His enhanced hearing made sure of that.
When it wasn’t speculation about what had happened between Gray and Juvia, then it was Juvia telling anyone who would listen about her time living with her Gray-sama.
Her Gray-sama...
Those words made him want to tear something to shreds. Not Juvia, of course, Natsu didn’t blame her for what had happened. There was only one person to blame for his misfortune, and his name was Natsu Dragneel.
He doubled his efforts to help in the construction of their new guild building, needing to get some of his frustration out without attracting any unwanted attention. But Juvia’s high-pitched giggles as she prattled on to Gray were more than he could take, and he slunk away as soon as he thought Erza wouldn’t notice his absence.
Natsu walked around town, not really paying attention to where he was going, just wanting to put as much distance between himself and the never ending rumors as he could.
He’d been the one who’d left town without a word, too caught up in his grief to spare any thought to Gray’s. Stupidly thinking he would be there waiting when Natsu came back.
But no, Gray had run to Juvia for comfort. Why wouldn’t he? It’s not like they’d ever given a name to what existed between them. And of course Juvia had welcomed him with open arms.
Natsu had been woefully unprepared for what he’d discovered in that small house where they’d found Juvia. Her scent mixed in with Gray's, tainting it, had been enough to make his stomach flip in a way no train had ever done. And that was before Juvia had relayed how they’d spent their days together while living under one roof.
And in this very bed…
Even though she had gone on to explain that Gray had sent her away, it was too late. Those words had painted a picture in Natsu’s mind that he couldn’t unsee. And even if nothing had happened, he’d certainly never lived with Gray. What more proof did he need that Gray had moved on from him?
Natsu knew he needed to move on as well. Torturing himself wasn’t helping matters any, but it was so hard. The year he’d been gone had been the loneliest of his life. He’d spent countless nights berating himself for his weakness and training nonstop to make up for it. Thinking about his relationship with Gray and looking forward to seeing him again had been the one thing that had kept him sane after losing Igneel like that.
But that was then, and unfortunately for him, this was now. And as much as he didn’t want to give up, what right did he have to make things difficult for Juvia and Gray if they were happy together?
He needed to do as Igneel had always taught him. Look to the future... even if it seemed bleak at the moment.
0-0
“Juvia has already begun packing her things.”
“Oh? You going somewhere?” Gray replied absently, only half listening to her chatter as he watched Natsu flit around the guild, talking to everyone -well, everyone but him- and acting like everything was fine until Erza yelled at him to get back to work.
But everything was not fine.
Natsu could pretend all he wanted, but Gray knew him better than anyone. He could read all the little gestures that Natsu thought no one would notice. The tense shoulders, the strain that lay at the edge of his smile, all signs that he was holding himself together. But worse than that was the way he acted whenever he caught Gray looking at him. For the fleetest of seconds, an almost pleading expression crossed his features, right before his fists clenched at his sides and he looked away.
What Gray wasn’t entirely sure of was how much of Natsu’s behavior was caused by his grief and how much was in reaction to the situation they found themselves in.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Gray had missed him, damn it! He’d spent more nights than he could count fantasizing about Natsu’s return. About long nights and lazy mornings spent doing what they did best- laughing, loving, fighting, playing... The year they had spent apart from each other had left him feeling like a part of him was missing, and it had made him want things he’d never considered before. Things that his forced cohabitation with Juvia had brought to his attention.
As much as he’d resented the intrusion at first, it had opened his eyes to the idea of sharing his life with someone.
Just not Juvia.
Now those six months she’d stayed with him were at the heart of the problem. It was a situation made even more difficult by the guild’s constant gossip and ridiculous rumors.
Each one filled him with outrage. If there was one thing he hated more than being the center of attention, it was having his privacy invaded. Having both those things happen at the same time was more than he could stand, but while he was miserable, Juvia was having the time of her life. Every one of her exclamations and innuendos only fed the rumor mill, regardless of how many times he explained that none of it was true.
No one was interested in his side of the story.
He frowned, wincing as Natsu hammered a nail into a beam with so much force it was a miracle the thing didn’t split in half.
The sound of Juvia’s high-pitched giggles brought him back to attention real quick. Had he missed something?
“Gray-sama shouldn’t tease Juvia like that.”
Tease? What the heck was she going on about now?
“Juvia is getting ready to move her things into Gray-sama’s apartment.”
His what now? Oh, hell no!
He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, awaiting his response, but he didn’t care one bit. There was no way he was subjecting himself to that nightmare again.
“We never moved in together, Juvia. You moved into my house and refused to leave, remember?”
“How can Gray-sama say that when we ate, trained and went on jobs together every day?” Juvia chided him gently. “We were so happy!”
“No,” Gray was quick to point out. “ You were happy.”
“But Juvia-”
“Whatever fantasy you thought up, it never happened. We shared the same living space, that’s all. I told you from the beginning there was someone else.”
Gray instantly regretted saying that, because it shifted the rumor mill into its highest gear. The whispers soon began again, each one wilder than the one before it.
“According to what I've heard, Lucy is his mistress.”
“Mistress?”
“And there’s whispers that he’s seeing Erza on the side, too…”
For fuck’s sake, these people had known him most of his life. Was this really what they thought of him?
Gray clenched his jaw to keep himself from exploding while searching the room for Natsu, hoping that his outburst would at least make him understand that whatever Juvia had told him wasn’t real. But to his dismay, Natsu was nowhere to be found.
Oh, come on!
Not willing to put up with anymore of the guild’s nonsense, he decided to take care of a small errand, hoping a walk around town would help clear his mind.
How had everything gone so wrong?
If only he hadn’t gone to Isvan first, he might have avoided this entire mess. But Natsu had locked himself in his house with Happy and refused to see anyone, and Gray had wanted to give him some space to get a handle on his grief. He should have known the idiot couldn’t even do that like a normal person.
When he returned, he’d learned Natsu had taken off with Happy, leaving only the barest of notes to Lucy. Gray had tried to find him, knowing that being alone was the last thing Natsu needed, but for once, there had been no trail of destruction to follow.
That had scared him most of all.
All he could do was wait for him to return, so when Erza had turned up asking for his help, he’d jumped at the chance to infiltrate Avatar. It was the distraction he needed, and a welcome reprieve from Juvia’s antics.
More than once during his time in Avatar, he’d hoped Natsu would show up, wanting to kick his ass for doing something as stupid as joining a cult. Sure, it would derail his infiltration efforts and all of Erza’s plans, but Gray thought it would be worth it just to see Natsu and know that he was okay. To fight side by side again.
But when it finally happened, it was both exactly as he’d expected and nothing at all like he’d imagined.
Natsu had come barging in, yelling for him at the top of his lungs, just as Gray had known he would. It had taken all of his acting skills and self-restraint not to laugh out loud at that.
But then…
"You got people waitin’ for you! Like Juvia!!"
Of all the things he’d thought Natsu would yell at him when he saw him, he had to admit that one had never made the list, and he got a terrible feeling in his gut. Why would he even bring her up when they hadn’t seen each other in a year?
“And me!!” Natsu had immediately added, but it had felt almost like an afterthought, especially when he’d launched into what amounted to a Fairy Tail recruiting pitch right after. That and the near jaw breaking punch he’d received in greeting pointed to only one thing: Natsu and Lucy had found Juvia before coming to look for him.
Things had only gotten worse when Juvia had shown up to the fight with Wendy. A week had passed since that day without a proper chance for Gray to talk to Natsu, and he knew that when he did, he’d need to have more to show for himself than just empty words.
And he would; he already had a plan. Was it going to work? Gray desperately hoped so, but he wasn't sure, considering Natsu had seemingly decided that he and Juvia were a thing. And, okay, that part was totally his own fault. How would he have felt if he’d returned from a long absence to discover Natsu had been living with Lucy?
Gray could only imagine the picture Juvia had painted for them. He shuddered, remembering the number of times he’d kicked her out of his bed.
That he’d never flat out told Natsu how he felt about him probably didn’t help his case either. He’d just always assumed Natsu knew, although he realized now how unfair that had been on his part.
Igneel, the most important person -uhm, dragon- in the world to Natsu, was gone, and that must have left him feeling lost. What Natsu had needed after a year spent alone was to be reassured that Gray loved him, not be confronted with Juvia’s romanticized fantasies. And although neither one of them had ever been interested in letting others know about their relationship, given how nosy everyone at the guild was, maybe that was exactly what he needed to do. Make some public declaration of his love that let Natsu know he was the only one for him and hopefully put an end to the rumors once and for all.
Gray reached the small jewelry shop he’d discovered a few days earlier and stood at the door, working up the courage to go inside, knowing once he did so, there'd be no turning back.
What if he botched things up more, insulting Natsu rather than getting his feelings across and ending up in one of their fights? Granted, that would still feel like a step up from where they were now, but that did little to calm Gray's nerves.
Not that it mattered, since the shop owner had already seen him, and cheerfully gestured at him to come inside.
“Perfect timing,” she said. “I just finished engraving your order a few minutes ago. Let me go get it for you.”
Gray could only nod in response, feeling foolish for being so wound up. He tugged at his shirt collar, actively fighting the urge to strip.
Hearing a chuckle, he looked up to find the shopkeeper grinning at him.
“You look just like my Martin did right before he proposed.”
She placed a small black box on the counter between them. Her eyes twinkled as she opened it so that he could inspect the ring that was inside.
Gray had chosen a black metal band inlaid with orange and blue gemstones, meant to represent their elements, and in a fit of sentimentality that had surprised even him, he’d asked the shopkeeper to engrave his name on the inside of the band. He picked the ring up carefully, checking to ensure they’d spelled his name correctly before placing it on his finger.
It fit perfectly, which was one less worry because that meant it would fit Natsu as well. If he'd accept it, that is.
“Did he do anything, you know, special?” Gray asked, hoping for some advice, even though he realized whatever this Martin had done would likely not work on Natsu.
“Just speak from your heart, dear, that’s all you need to do.”
Gray nodded and put the ring back into the box, grabbing his wallet and handing the woman the Jewels he owed for his purchase.
"The best of luck!" The shopkeeper smiled reassuringly, “And be sure to bring him by if there are any issues with the ring.”
“Alright, thank you.”
He safely tucked the box away in the pocket of his coat and exited the store, already racking his brain, trying to figure out what to do next. Should he go find Natsu?
He decided that would probably be a waste of time. He didn’t know where Natsu had gone off to, and if he was upset, Gray doubted he’d be easy to find by anyone other than another dragon slayer.
Besides, he still didn’t know what he was going to say.
He peered at the store’s window absently, not really paying any attention to the items displayed within.
“Just speak from your heart…”
The shopkeeper had made it sound so simple, but after years spent doing the exact opposite, it was anything but.
Come on, Fullbuster, man up. You’re not a scared little boy any longer. You’ve faced your demons head on and come out on top. How can telling Natsu how you feel about him possibly be any scarier than that? It’s only three little words…
Gray leaned forward, studying his reflection in the glass.
“I… ”
That one was easy. He took a deep, calming breath, working up to the next one.
“I L-”
“I Lo-”
Oh, for fuck’s sake!!!
“I love yo-”
Gray was unable to finish his declaration, his eyes widening in stunned recognition once he noticed the person standing behind him.
0-0
Natsu had calmed down enough that he felt like he could brave the guild again. He hurried toward Fairy Tail, figuring if he didn’t return soon, Erza and Lucy would hound him with questions he wasn't keen on answering. He traveled along the side streets, hoping to avoid some of the more crowded areas, and ended up in a part of town he wasn’t very familiar with.
The street he was on had many small shops, including a candy shop he immediately knew he wanted to bring Happy, Asuka, Wendy, and Romeo to as soon as he had some extra Jewels. He continued to walk around, all thoughts of returning to the guild forgotten as the thrill of exploring took hold. He wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming smells wafting out of a shop that sold incense, peeked curiously at the window display of a store that sold trinkets, and gazed longingly at a noodle restaurant.
He turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks at the unexpected sight of Gray and Juvia standing in front of a store. Juvia pointed at something in the display window, her cheeks flushing prettily in excitement.
Natsu looked up and read the shop name off the sign. Heartgems Jewelry . Peering at the display window, he saw what Juvia was pointing at. They were looking at wedding bands. He didn’t have the heart to look at Gray’s face, couldn’t bear to witness the joyous expression he'd likely see there.
He told himself it was for the best. If the two of them were getting married, he’d have no choice but to accept that everything was over. He just hadn’t expected it to feel as devastating as losing Igneel- both times. It was like he was being abandoned all over again.
Natsu staggered back to the street he'd just come from. The pain in his heart overwhelmed him, and even though he fought to hold back his tears, it was a losing battle.
0-0
“Juvia likes that one!”
Gray could frankly care less which ring she favored. He was still reeling from having almost accidentally confessed his love to the wrong person. He thanked his lucky stars that she hadn’t heard him, because he’d be in a much different level of hell if she had. Not that the one he was currently in was anything to write home about.
“Gray-sama is so romantic to surprise Juvia with a ring.”
Seriously?! Had he not just told her there was someone else?
Gray couldn’t understand how one person could be so purposely dense, but he needed to set her straight once and for all.
This stupid drama was ending today.
There was only one thing he could think of that would make her understand. It felt a little cruel, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t warned her. He still hoped that telling her would be enough, but she never let him finish.
“I’ve already bought a ring, Juvia, and it’s not for y-”
“The answer is yes!”
Juvia’s eyes had already turned to hearts the moment he mentioned he’d bought the ring.
Damn it!
He hated this. Why couldn’t she ever listen to him? He was so tired of always being put in the position of breaking her heart. It wasn’t fair.
“I didn’t ask.” Gray steeled himself to see it through. “The ring isn’t for you.”
“But, Gray-sama-” Juvia swallowed, and sounding unsure, she asked, “Weren’t we happy?”
Gray’s hand wavered over his coat pocket as he debated showing her the ring. Fuck it . At this point, he was all in. He grabbed the small box, gripping it in his hand and opening it, revealing what was obviously a man’s ring.
Juvia stared at it in awe for a moment before frowning curiously, and Gray could tell she'd finally connected the dots when she looked up at him, eyes wide from shock. Tears pooled in their corners as she whispered, "Natsu?"
“Yes,” Gray said, admitting it out loud for the first time. “It’s always been him.”
“But, Gray-sama…” Juvia whimpered, her eyes returning to the ring, and miraculously, she quieted down.
“I’m sorry, Juvia.”
“But why didn’t Gray-sama and Natsu ever tell anyone?!”
“I did tell you there was someone.” Gray reminded her. “And as for everyone else, why should we have to? It’s nobody’s business but ours.”
“Because Juvia told Natsu she tried to sleep with Gray-sama!” Juvia wailed, looking horrified. “Juvia wouldn’t have done that if she had known! Juvia just wanted to brag to Love-Rival!”
“You told him what?!” Gray yelled. He’d sort of figured that might have been the case, but it still pissed him off. “Did you at least tell him I kicked you out?”
“Juvia thinks so?” She tapped her chin, pointedly avoiding his eyes.
“You think so?!”
“Juvia can’t be sure. Juvia was ill!” Her tears flowed down her cheeks now, but Gray had other things to worry about at the moment.
"Goddammit. Fuck my life!" He shoved the box back into his coat pocket and ran towards the guild, hoping that Natsu had returned, or at the very least was still planning to.
“Juvia is sorry!” She called out, chasing after him even as the sky opened up all around them.
0-0
Natsu watched from a distance as his friends got back to work now that the unexpected rain shower had finally ended. He’d decided against going home, even though he knew he looked a mess. He figured he could get away with making a brief appearance if he acted like he was sick, and maybe even get a few days of peace out of it.
All he had to do was congratulate Gray and Juvia, tell Erza he wasn’t feeling well, and then get the hell out. It should be easy enough to do.
Except it wasn’t.
A lump that felt large enough to prevent any air from traveling in or out of his lungs formed in his throat the moment he spotted Gray, and no matter how hard he swallowed, it didn't seem to make a difference. His leg muscles strained to bring him closer, but each step he took felt like he was wading through syrup. He soldiered on bravely, determined to just get it over with so he could retreat and deal with his heartbreak in private.
The walls he'd worked so hard to put up crumbled as soon as Gray and Juvia turned around and stared at him with matching shocked expressions.
“Congratulations, Gray,” Natsu managed to get out before his body betrayed him. It shook, even as a searing heat rushed to his cheeks. He closed his eyes and plastered Earthland’s fakest smile on his face, willing his tears to evaporate before Gray could notice them.
“Congratulations?” Gray repeated slowly and Natsu opened his eyes, confused by his puzzled tone. “Whatever for? It’s not my birthday.”
“You know what? Doesn’t matter.” Gray said, letting out a sharp breath. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We need to talk to you.”
“It’s okay, I already know.” Natsu said, still selling that fake smile for all he was worth. “I saw the two of you in front of Heartgems earlier. I wish you the best.”
Juvia gasped, her hands moving to cover her mouth, but Gray fell silent. Instead, he watched Natsu with wide eyes, his body as unmoving as any statue. The only sign of life to be seen was a thin trail of sweat that trickled down his face.
“Did Natsu say he saw Gray and Juvia in front of Heartgems?”
“Isn’t that the jewelry store on Honeydew Street?”
“They’re getting m-married?!”
That last one came courtesy of Erza, and it was loud enough to get everyone’s attention. Mira squealed at the news, and as more and more people chimed in, Natsu knew he only had a few precious minutes before the inevitable celebration kicked off.
Despite all the noise surrounding them, Gray, Natsu and Juvia remained in a sort of standoff, and as nothing but awkward silence passed between them, Natsu decided to make a hasty exit. He’d done what he set out to do.
But before he could even turn around and walk away, Gray had grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into a tight embrace. His head burrowed into Natsu’s neck, his body trembling slightly against him. Natsu’s arms hung in midair as he fought between the urge to struggle and the desire to keep holding on to Gray forever.
But he knew he couldn’t do that. Gray belonged to Juvia now.
“What’s going on over there?”
“Are they getting ready to fight?”
“They better not, we just got the frame up.”
“Don’t tell me Natsu’s in love with Juvia too… Poor Lucy!”
“Everyone be quiet!”
Gray let go of Natsu but grabbed on to his shoulders firmly, forcing him to look into his eyes. “It’s not what you think.” He pleaded, confusing Natsu with the underlying fear he could hear in his voice.
Their nakama quieted down, all eyes riveted on Natsu and Gray and the drama that was unfolding.
“Yes, we were at Heartgems, but I was there buying a ring for you , not her.” Gray pulled a small black box out of his coat pocket and opened it.
“Did he just say he bought a ring for Natsu?!”
“Quiet!”
Inside the box lay a black band with some sort of blue and orange gemstones all around it. Natsu gaped from the ring -an obvious nod to their opposing elements- to Gray.
“I love you.” Gray proclaimed loudly enough for the entire guild to hear and to hide Natsu’s astonished gasp. “I know I should have said it sooner. I just- well, you know.”
You suck at talking about your feelings…
It was something Natsu had always understood, and in all fairness he was only marginally better. In the years they’d been together, Gray had never once said those words to him, and Natsu had never needed them. He’d sensed it in Gray’s actions, and that had been more than enough for him. And yeah, Juvia had always been an issue, with her constant love confessions and demands on Gray’s time. But Natsu had never really seen her as a threat to their relationship until he and Lucy had found her waiting for Gray outside that house.
To hear Gray say those words to him now, in front of their family no less, was everything he hadn’t known he’d wanted. His eyes filled with tears again, but this time, he didn’t bother hiding them.
“Being apart for so long, I don’t want to do that again.” Gray got down on one knee, amid loud whispers and catcalls, but his eyes never left Natsu's as he placed the box in his hand.
“Let’s get married, Natsu.”
“Called it. Macao, you owe me ten thousand jewels!”
“Cana!”
“What? He does.”
Everyone commented at once, despite Erza’s continued warnings.
“Heaven’s Wheel”
There was a sudden burst of light as Erza requipped into her armor, along with enough swords for everyone present.
“Don’t think I won’t use these.” She glared at all of them, daring them to speak out of turn, but none of them did.
Normally, Natsu would have been annoyed by her interference, but as it was, he felt so far out of his depth that he welcomed the extra time she bought him, not that it helped him much.
“Married?” Natsu repeated, feeling like he was missing something. “But you were living with Juvia…”
Gray opened his mouth to explain, but Juvia spoke before he had the chance to.
“When the guild disbanded, Juvia didn't know where to go, so Juvia begged Gray-sama to let her stay with him,” Juvia admitted, wringing her hands together as she talked. “Gray-sama told Juvia there was someone else, but Juvia wouldn’t accept it.”
“Juvia thought she could win Gray-sama’s heart, but after trying her best for six months, Juvia must accept that Gray-sama’s heart belongs to Natsu.” She bowed her head. “Juvia is truly sorry she hurt Natsu.”
Natsu couldn’t decide which shocked him the most, Gray’s unexpected proposal or the sight of Juvia apologizing and encouraging the two of them with a smile.
“I-I don’t know what to say, I thought-” Natsu looked back down at the ring in wonder, as he fumbled to find words that expressed how he’d felt over the past week.
“Just say yes already. You know you love him!” Happy hollered, the words and Gray’s hopeful expression finally getting through to Natsu.
“Yes!” And refusing to let Happy steal his thunder, he exclaimed as loudly as he could manage, “I love you too, you droopy-eyed bastard!”
Natsu grabbed Gray’s hand and pulled him up straight into a hug, being careful of the box he was still holding. This time, he allowed himself to breathe Gray in. He smiled as he felt the soothing tingle of chilly lips against his and heard the familiar sizzling sound of their opposing temperatures coming together. He’d missed this.
Meanwhile, the rest of the guild was still so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone watched with wide eyes, slowly turning to Erza, who dispelled her swords and gave a nod.
The guild erupted into cheers, and Natsu and Gray soon found themselves surrounded by all their friends, yelling their congratulations and patting them effusively on their shoulders as, after a long year apart, they weren’t ready to let go of each other just yet.
“Welcome home.” Gray whispered in his ear, and Natsu touched their foreheads together in response.
After all the heartache and stress, Natsu did finally feel like he’d come home. And his fire, which had felt as though it had been waning this past year, blazed inside him once again.
