Chapter Text
The afternoon sun streamed through the high stained glass windows of the guild hall, casting bright patches of colored light across the chaotic mess of the rowdy Fairy Tail mages. Like always, tables were thrown, barrels of beer were poured, and Cana was already three drinks deep in a poker game she was definitely cheating at.
It was a typical day for the guild. Except for the far corner of the hall.
Tucked away in the shadow of a large pillar was a worn oversized velvet couch. It was an old piece of furniture, missing a leg and propped on a stack of old spellbooks, but it was comfortable enough to spark debates. Today, though, no one wanted to approach it.
On that couch, Gray leaned back, casually nursing a cold drink. And on his lap, curled up like an oversized cat, was Natsu. Crazy, huh?
“Hey Lucy,” Levy whispered, leaning over the bar counter and nudging the celestial mage with her elbow. “Are they… seriously still doing that again?”
Lucy didn’t even look up from her drink. She only sighed, a deeply weary sound, and nodded. “They’ve been sitting like that for two hours now. Natsu complained that his feet hurt sooo bad from a mission, walked over, and just dropped himself right on top of Gray. Didnt even ask, didnt say hi first, no argument. Just sat himself there.”
Lucy didn’t even look up from her drink. She sighed, a tired sound, and nodded. “They’ve been sitting like that for two hours now. Natsu complained that his feet hurt from a mission, walked over, and just dropped right on top of Gray. Didn’t even ask, didn’t say hi first, no argument. Just sat there.” “And Gray didn’t ice-make a hammer to launch him through the floor?” Levy asked, her eyes wide as she adjusted her position, more interested now.
“Worse,” Lucy groaned, finally glancing over at the pair. “Look at his hand.”
Levy peered across the crowded hall. Sure enough, Natsu was fast asleep, his face pressed against the crook of Gray’s neck, snoring softly. Gray, meanwhile, engaged in a conversation with Wakaba, gestured briefly with his left hand. His right hand rested comfortably and subconsciously on Natsu’s hip, his fingers occasionally twitching as he traced light patterns against the fabric of Natsu’s clothes.
“They’re totally dating,” Levy declared, a pink blush creeping up her pale cheeks. “There’s absolutely no way they aren’t.”
“That’s what I said!” Lucy threw her hands up. “But I asked Natsu about it yesterday and he looked at me like I had two heads. He said, ‘Why would I date an icicle? I just need a pillow and he’s cold.’ He seriously doesn’t get it!”
“And Gray?”
“He threatened to freeze my mouth shut for asking stupid questions,” Lucy grumbled. “But right after he said it, he reached out and fixed Natsu’s scarf so he ‘wouldn’t catch a draft.’ They are completely oblivious.”
Across the hall, the clueless ice mage took a sip of his drink, ignoring the weight pressing down on his thighs. To Gray, this wasn’t a big deal. Natsu was an odd creature of impulse with zero boundaries. If Natsu was tired, he slept. If the closest comfortable surface was Gray, then Natsu would sit on him. It made perfect sense to Gray.
Besides, Natsu was like a personal heater. In the middle of spring, Gray’s body temperature gets sluggish, and having a human furnace next to him was actually efficient.
Natsu stirred, letting out a soft grunt. He shifted, burying his face deeper into the fabric of Gray’s shirt, letting out a soft purr, his unruly hair tickling Gray’s chin.
“Stop moving, flame-brain,” Gray muttered under his breath, tightening his hand on Natsu’s hip just a bit to anchor him in place. It was purely protective instinct, or so Gray told himself. If Natsu rolled off the couch, he would wake up cranky, and a cranky Natsu would mean a destroyed guild hall. Gray was only doing a public service.
“Mmm… shut up, droopy eyes,” Natsu mumbled into Gray’s chest, his voice thick with sleep. He gripped Gray’s shoulder with one hand, pulling himself impossibly closer until there was no space left between them.
Mirajane, walking past the couch with a tray of empty cups, paused. Her eyes gleamed with pure, terrifying matchmaking delight. “Oh, you two are just the sweetest. It’s so lovely to see you finally being honest about your feelings.”
Gray blinked up at her, genuinely confused. “What feelings? He’s just taking a nap. If he drools on me, I’ll freeze his face.”
Mira laughed behind her hand. “Oh, yes, of course, Gray. Whatever you say.” She walked away, practically radiating an aura of floating pink hearts.
“Matchmaking demon,” Gray grumbled, though he didn’t move his hand from Natsu’s hip. In fact, as Natsu let out another soft sigh, Gray’s thumb instinctively started to rub small, soothing circles into the fabric of Natsu’s pants again. He didn’t even notice what he was doing.
Three days later, the collective sanity of the guild was tested even further.
A massive brawl broke out in the center of the hall, initiated, as usual, by Elfman shouting about manhood. Tables flew, magic circles illuminated the room.
Natsu and Gray stood near the request board, entirely removed from the chaos for once. They argued over a flyer, their foreheads pressed together, teeth bared in their usual confrontational stance.
“I’m telling you, ice stripper! This monster is weak against fire! I should take it alone!” Natsu yelled, waving the paper in Gray’s face.
“Are you an idiot? It lives in a volcano, you brainless lizard! It eats fire!” Gray shouted back, stepping closer. “You need someone who can freeze it from the inside out. I’m going with you.”
“I don’t need your help!”
“You’d die without my help!”
As they yelled, Elfman came crashing through the air, somehow thrown by Erza for accidental disrespect. He flew directly toward Natsu’s blind spot.
Without breaking their shouting match, Gray’s left arm shot out. His hand gripped Natsu’s waist with practiced familiarity, yanked the fire mage flush against his side, and shifted them both out of the way. Elfman crashed into the request board, breaking it into splinters.
Gray didn’t let go.
With his arm wrapped tightly around Natsu’s waist, holding him securely against his hip, Gray continued right where he left off. “And another thing! Your directional sense is garbage; you’d end up in Hargeon instead of the mountains!”
Now resting comfortably against Gray’s side, Natsu didn’t even try to pull away. He crossed his arms, leaning into Gray’s hold as if it were a perfectly normal armrest. “I would not! Happy knows the way!”
From the sidelines, Lucy, Erxa, and Juvia were watching the entire exchange.
Juvia wept into a handkerchief, but surprisingly, it wasn’t tears of jealousy. “Juvia is torn! Juvia’s heart belongs to Gray-sama, but Gray-sama’s pure devotion to Natsu-san is... It is like a tragic masterpiece of unspoken love! Juvia cannot look away!"
Erza crossed her arms, her brow furrowing as she analyzed the scene. “They are completely synchronized. Their bodies move together without a second thought. It is teamwork of seasoned warriors... and yet, the domesticity is staggering.”
“They’re standing like a married couple at a grocery store,” Lucy sighed, rubbing her temples. “Look at them! Gray hasn’t let go of his waist for three minutes, and Natsu is resting his chin on Gray’s shoulder while they argue.”
Determined to end the madness, Lucy marched over to the bickering duo.
“Alright, that’s it,” Lucy said, planting her hands on her hips. “Guys. Cut it out.”
Natsu and Gray both stopped yelling and blinked down at her. “Cut what out?” Natsu asked, bling his large, green eyes innocently.
“The.. the this!” Lucy gestured wildly at Gray’s arm, which was still wrapped firmly around Natsu’s waist, pulling him so close their hips were glued together. “Are you two going to admit you’re a couple or are you going to keep torturing the entire guild with this weird, lovey-dovey routine?”
Gray’s jaw dropped. He finally looked down and noticed where his arm was. He pulled it back instantly, his face turning bright red. “W-what?! Lovey-dovey?! Are you blind, Lucy? I was stopping him from getting crushed!”
“Yeah, Luce, don’t be weird,” Natsu chimed in, scratching the back of his neck, completely unfazed. “Gray’s just holding me so I don’t fall over. I’m still dizzy from the train ride yesterday.”
“The train ride was yesterday, Natsu!” Lucy yelled. “And Gray, you’ve been rubbing his back for the last ten minutes!”
“I was not!” Gray shouted, his face turning red. “My hand was just resting! It was a resting place! It doesn’t mean anything! I hate this idiot!”
“Yeah! I hate him more!” Natsu barked, stepping into Gray’s space again, completely ignoring how close their faces were. “He’s cold and annoying!”
“Then stop sitting on me!” Gray yelled back.
“Make me, ice-cube!”
Lucy stared at them, feeling defeated. She threw her hands in the air and walked away. “I give up. I’m joining Cana at the bar. They are hopeless.”
As the night went on, the guild hall quieted down. Most of the mages had either gone home or passed out at tables. The lanterns were trimmed, casting a warm, golden glow over the quiet room.
Gray sat on the edge of the guild’s porch, looking out at the peaceful streets of Magnolia. The cold night air felt good against his skin, easing the lingering warmth in his cheeks from earlier.
Lovey dovey.
Lucy’s words kept echoing in his mind. It was ridiculous. He and Natsu were rivals. They fought constantly. They were fire and ice. They couldn’t be a couple.
A soft rustle of fabric came from behind him, followed by the heavy, rhythmic sound of footsteps. Gray didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The warm wave from the person was enough of a clue.
Natsu stepped out onto the porch, yawning loudly. He didn’t say anything. He walked right up to Gray, turned around, and sat down directly between Gray’s spread legs, leaning heavily against Gray’s chest.
Gray stiffened for a moment. His mind yelled at him to push the idiot off, to tell him to find his own seat. But Natsu let out a soft, contented sigh and leaned his head back against Gray’s shoulder.
“You’re late going home,” Natsu mumbled, his eyes already half closed.
Gray looked down at Natsu’s pink hair. Slowly, the tension left his body. He let out a quiet breath, and without thinking, his arms moved up, wrapping loosely around Natsu’s chest, pulling the fire mage closer to shield him from the cool night breeze.
“Just thinking,” Gray murmured, his chin resting lightly on top of Natsu’s head.
“Don’t think. It makes your head hurt,” Natsu replied, his hand reaching up to loosely grasp Gray’s forearm, keeping the embrace in place.
Gray closed his eyes, the warmth of Natsu seeping into him. He knew what the guild thought. He knew how it looked. But as he tightened his grip on Natsu, feeling the steady beat of the dragon slayer's heart, Gray decided he didn't care.
They weren't together; they were just Natsu and Gray. And for now, this was exactly where they were meant to be.