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A gentle breeze was making the meadows dance under the golden sunlight.
Birds were flying in the sky, sometimes close, sometimes dark dots against the blue sky. Fluffy clouds strolled lazily in the sky and some had their edges blurred due to the wind.
Golden fields turned green and were sprinkled with purple flowers.
Birdsong filled the air and from the distance watery noises from a river flowed.
Natsu strolled resolutely through the meadow, a large picnic basket in his arm. Gray trailed slightly behind, yawning, hands plunged deep into his coat’s pockets.
“Come on!” Natsu turned to Gray in hopes the other would move faster. He didn’t. “You’re such a wet noodle in the morning.”
“You didn’t have to wake me up so early,” Gray stated before letting out another yawn.
“It was nearly noon?” Natsu was scandalized.
“I was up late.” was the simple reply.
“Fine. You can nap.” Natsu turned on his heel and kept walking. “But first we have to get there. It’s a perfect spot for a picnic!”
“Since when are you such a picnic adept?” Gray teased. “Have the girls been messing with you again?”
“I’d like to see you saying that to Erza.” Natsu cackled. “I would pay for that!”
Gray poked his tongue out. “Save your jewels. I’m not crazy.”
“Heeeehh… knowing you, I don’t think we can attest to that…” Natsu started by saying.
“Hey!” Gray started to run after Natsu who kept cackling. “You’re worse than me!”
“Shut up!” Natsu stopped and rested his hands on his hips. “We’re here.”
“Here? It’s just this?” Gray looked around.
Natsu had knelt on the ground and a blanket emerged from the depths of the basket. “Don’t shoot it down before experiencing it.” he looked up at Gray and started to set things up.
“Here, let me help,” Gray also knelt down and reached out towards the basket before his hand got slapped. “Hey!”
“No need,” Natsu said cheerfully as he started to take the food out. Several containers filled to the brim with finger foods and sandwiches as well as sweets for dessert were placed on the blanket. “And now…” Natsu pulled the bottle of golden mead, “the most important thing, of course.”
“Of course,” Gray echoed, smirking.
“Okay, let’s dig in!” Natsu all but shouted before following through.
Gray snorted and shook his head slightly but he also started to eat.
The sweet scent of the purple flowers reached them and got mixed with the pleasant smell of all the different kinds of food. It was delicious, as expected but the big mystery was how Natsu had managed to let it last until the place of the picnic. Gray snickered a bit and Natsu threw him a strange look but the ice mage grabbed the bottle of the mead instead and drank a healthy gulp.
“I want some too!” Natsu extended a hand and opened and closed it in the familiar “give me” signal.
The two kept eating, making a remark about the food here and there but mostly in content silence.
“So.” Gray said at long last. “What’s the meaning of this? Are we celebrating something?”
“You don’t remember?” Natsu asked.
“No. do you?” Gray shot back, knowing that this kind of thing didn’t stick around on Natsu’s brain for long.
“Well…” Natsu deflated and replied in an almost guilty tone,” I didn’t but the girls did.”
“Ah.” Gray nodded in understanding. He placed his hand to the side and hit fabric. Glancing down, ‘huh, when did I remove the coat?’ he wondered. “So, what is it?”
“Six months.” Natsu blushed slightly.
“Six months what?” Gray was confused.
Natsu blushed harder. “Six months since we started dating.”
“Wow.” the ice mage was surprised. “Wait… how did they know for sure?”
“Beats me…” Natsu shrugged. “So yeah, the picnic.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Gray was smiling. “Our girls are such romantics, aren’t they?”
“And annoying,” Natsu pouted. “They were on my case the whole past week!”
At that Gray could only laugh. “Because you’re a hopeless case, flame brain.”
“Hey!” The fire mage stood with a jump. “It’s not like you remembered.”
“Nope. But you’re not the only one the girls pestered.” Gray admitted, but had to add, “although less.”
The Salamander sat down and pouted. He stuffed one half of a sandwich in his mouth.
Gray took pity of him. He rummaged through his coat pocket and removed something from it. “Here.”
“What’s this?” Natsu held the thing in his hands, cautiously picking it and raising it for proper inspection.
“A little something I was experimenting with.” was the simple answer.
“It-it’s Happy!” Natsu let out a laugh. A small ice sculpture of Happy was in his hand.
“Yeah, it’s a bit silly but it’s Happy and that makes you happy.” Gray winced internally at his awkwardness.
“And you say you’re not a romantic,” Natsu chuckled. He stood and went to sit down on the other side of the blanket beside Gray. He pecked Gray’s cheek. “I love it.”
Gray didn’t say anything, just slung an arm over the other’s shoulders. He pressed his forehead against Natsu’s temple. “Good.”
“Have you noticed it?” Natsu said suddenly.
“Hm?” Gray straightened so he was looking at the fire mage.
“Being together has turned us into this mushy mess,” Natsu laughed. “I never imagined that.”
“Hey,” Gray curled both arms around Natsu and pulled him close to him. His lips were a hairsbreadth from Natsu’s cheek. When he spoke, was in a hushed murmur, “I can still kick your ass any day.”
Natsu went rigid for a beat before turning at the other, locking the arm across his chest with his two hands, and arched an eyebrow. “I’d like to see you try.”
Natsu pushed Gray so they fell and rolled on the grass. Laughing.