Smoke & Mirrors: Twenty-Four - Finally
Prologue | Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch10 | Ch 11 | Ch 12 | Ch 13 | Ch 14 | Ch 15 | Ch 16 | Ch 17 | Ch 18 | Ch 19 | Ch 20 | Ch 21 | Ch 22 | Ch 23 | Ch 24 |
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"So take a chance on me, and I'll take a chance on you before we're just what was. Oh, this could be love, it feels like it's something more than temporary."
- More Than Temporary, Tom Goss
When Natsu woke the next morning he felt an odd sense of calm. Slithers of light fell through the parted curtains, illuminating Gray's bare shoulders. Gray's bare shoulders…Gray? Natsu felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered the night before. Gray had needed him, and for what felt like the first time in a while, he had been there for him and able to help. He felt a blush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks as he realised the conclusion he'd come to while lying next to Gray that night. Natsu knew Gray felt the same but there was so much history between them, and so much set in place for their future – both good and bad – Natsu wondered if this was a good idea at all. He didn't have much more time to dwell on his dilemma though, as Gray rolled over to face Natsu, blinking slowly to wake himself up.
"Natsu?" His voice was barely a whisper, but it wasn't long before he remembered what he'd asked his friend to do the night before. No wonder I slept well. "Th- thank you." He offered Natsu a lopsided smile.
"Morning Snowflake." The two words were out of his mouth before Natsu even had time to think. He wasn't sure what made him say it in the first place. Yet now, in this moment, they didn't feel wrong, it was as if he'd been waking up next to Gray for weeks. It wasn't like them sharing a bed was anything out of the ordinary, Natsu knew that, but something felt different now. Natsu liked it.
"Morning." Gray smiled. The nickname didn't sound so strange to him now. That first time he'd heard it in the hospital he'd been already so confused it had almost annoyed him. It had made Gray ache for a time he didn't even know existed. Hearing it now, lying in bed next to Natsu, it was almost the best thing he'd heard in days.
Natsu rolled over to rest on his back. "Are you going training with Lyon today?"
"Uh huh."
"We better get going then, right? It's already nine o'clock."
Gray chuckled, "You have a point. Though you don't need to go anywhere."
"True." Natsu chuckled, "I'll walk over with you anyway."
With some degree of difficulty on account of his bandages Gray rolled back over to the other side of the bed. This, because of his friend's pride, Natsu made a conscious effort to ignore. It wasn't long though before Gray was out of bed and dressed. Natsu joined him in the kitchen a little while later to find Gray making coffee. A messy, hand written note sitting on the bench told them that Happy had already headed over to the guild.
"Coffee?"
"No thanks." Natsu grinned, "Coffee doesn't seem to work well with me at all. My fire gets all messy."
Noted. "Fair enough." Gray sat at the kitchen bench. He studied Natsu over the rim of his coffee mug, unable to keep the fondness from his gaze. They sat in companionable silence for a while longer before Gray spoke again. "I wanted to thank you, Natsu, for last night… I just, I probably had the best sleep I'd had in a while."
Natsu smiled. "You don't need to thank me. Honestly Gray, I had the best night sleep too."
"Yeah, cause I wasn't waking you up." Gray chuckled.
"No need to put it like that," Natsu tried to counter Gray's comment but the look his friend gave him was enough to make him laugh too. "I did want to ask you though, was it you who got me back to the couch the past couple of nights? I just don't remember going back myself."
"Huh?" Gray frowned, "Back to… Oh, of course it was me dumbass! Who else would it have been?"
"But you- You're not that strong right now…"
"I am going to pretend you didn't just say that to me." A grin broke the look of mock offence on Gray's face as he glanced at Natsu next to him.
Natsu snorted.
"Seriously though, Natsu, I'm stronger than you think. It's just my mind which is still a complete mess."
"Fine, fine!" Natsu raised his hands in defeat. He paused for a moment before speaking again. When he did so, though, Natsu wasn't entirely sure what had made him say it. "You really are amazing though, surviving all that. You're doing so well, I-" Natsu faltered, not entirely sure how to finish.
"You've changed your tone."
"I'm serious, Gray, I was so scared of losing you that when you first disappeared, I drove myself mad looking. Then when we found you, there was so little I could do. I just- I'm glad I can help you now."
"Oh Natsu," Gray bumped his shoulder gently to his. "You've done more than you can ever imagine. You are the reason I managed to stay alive, I know now that it was you. Don't ever think you haven't done anything for me. It was you who kept me alive."
"Then, I need to tell you something Gray. Back then, I think I did know why they had taken you, it had just been so long that I thought everything to do with E.N.D. was over now, all of that. So for you to disappear so suddenly I didn't make the connection, I thought you'd been taken because of my failure to stop it happening, not because of something I was. In that moment then, I thought it was only guilt which had made me so angry. Now though, I know it wasn't just guilt, I was scared. Scared that I had just lost the person I cared about the most."
Natsu slipped down from the seat at the bench, and without realising, he began to pace. Gray watched him carefully, not entirely sure how to react.
"You, Gray, you are the only person I have ever felt this way about, but when it mattered, to you, to both of us, I was blind. I realise it now, just how long it must have been for you. Galuna Island, that wall of ice you put between me and Racer, what you did for me during the fight with Mard Geer, and everything else in between… You loved me from the beginning didn't you?" Natsu stopped mid pace. "I was so oblivious to your feelings I let you slip through my fingers… You almost died to protect me then, and I feel this isn't the first time. I have been so stupid, Gray. I'm sorry."
"But you-" Gray stared at Natsu, mouth slightly parted, eyes wide. Though his true memories were still not back, he could remember all of what Natsu referred to, if not slightly altered. "You ran. When I told you how I thought He had felt for you, how I felt, you ran."
"Of course I did." Natsu replied quietly, guilt twisting his stomach. "When have I not?"
Gray stood from his chair, walking over so he stood opposite Natsu. "You're here now, Natsu, that's what matters."
"Gray I-" Natsu's breath caught in his throat, he held his friends dark blue gaze, his heart beating somewhere in his throat.
"I know."
With a nervous smile Gray gently pulled Natsu closer to him. He paused, glancing down at Natsu's lips, as if asking for permission. In answer, Natsu closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to Gray's in a tentative kiss. Once Gray knew for sure that this was what Natsu wanted, he deepened the kiss, pulling Natsu closer. As they finally broke apart, Gray couldn't help but smile. He pressed his forehead to Natsu's, letting the hand which had rested on Natsu's cheek drop to clasp his hand.
"It really is about time we left, Lyon will be getting impatient."
Gray chuckled in response, "He can wait, patience would improve his character greatly." With a small shrug, he did what Natsu said anyway. With a slight reluctance Gray lead the way out of his apartment. He couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest as Natsu kept his hand in his as they walked towards the guild.
As they set foot in the guild hall a scream of delight shook Gray and Natsu from their happy daze. They both jumped in shock before instinctively trying to stand protectively in front of the other, resulting in Natsu shouldering Gray while the latter managed to trip over Natsu's feet. They ended up tumbling to the ground, limbs tangled.
All the while Erza was almost doubled over with laughter, Lucy, and Cana joining her as they gazed on Natsu and Gray on the floor.
"The hell!?" Natsu spluttered. He still sat on the ground, his fingers – somehow – still locked with Gray's.
"Finally!"
"How long has it been, do you think Cana?"
"Ten years at least." Cana grinned at Erza, "cough up!"
"You bet on us?" Gray frowned.
"Are you even surprised?" Loke stepped forward having overheard the commotion. "Good to see you two have finally got there." He offered Gray a hand up, then Natsu.
Lucy looked like she was almost in tears she was so happy. "I can't believe it. Now of all times too."
"What did you expect?" Erza looked smug, "They've been sharing an apartment for a week, and according to Happy, Natsu slept in Gray's room last night."
Happy looked sheepish as he flew over to the group huddled in the doorway of the guild.
"We don't mind, Happy," Gray smiled, "it was going to get out anyway with these three on the loose."
Lyon wandered over, his gaze rested on where his adoptive brother's hand was clasped in Natsu's before he glanced back up. "You're late." There was a beat of silence before his pursed lips spread into a wide grin and he clapped Gray on the shoulder. "Congrats mate, it's about time!"
Gray couldn't help the blush which had begun to creep up his neck. "We better get going huh?"
"Yeah," Lyon replied, "I'd feel guilty about snatching you away but every minute counts at this point."
"I'll see you later, okay?" Gray pressed a tender kiss on Natsu's lips, smiled warmly, then followed Lyon out of the guild hall.
Natsu was left it somewhat of a daze as Gray left the room, the door clunking shut behind him. Lucy steered him into a seat. They waited until Mira had placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him before everyone started talking at once.
"Since when!?"
"You slept in his bed last night!"
"I can't believe it!"
"How did it happen?"
"Did you ask him?"
Natsu let the questions flow over his head as he took a long drink from the hot chocolate in front of him. I kissed Gray. He kissed me. A smile crept its way onto Natsu's lips as he remembered the feeling of Gray's soft lips on his own.
"Natsu!"
"Huh?"
"Please," Wendy gazed at him intently, "You can't just not tell us anything. That's just plain mean."
Natsu sighed, "fine..." Then with a grin, he recounted the mornings events to an audience much more enthralled than he'd expected them to be.
"I still can't believe it." Lucy repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"I can't believe that you can't believe it." Erza sat back, arms crossed. "I knew this would happen from the beginning."
"I doubt it," Natsu chuckled, "but I'll let it slide." He paused, "If I'm honest though, I can't quite believe it either. Gray. It's always been, Gray, but I just didn't realise it."
"I'm sorry to break up the moment Flame Breath," Gajeel sauntered over from the bar, "but there is something I think we need to bring up with you. It can't wait."
"Oh," Natsu felt like he'd been kicked in the gut, he could hear the concern in Gajeel's tone, "sure…"
"I just think we should be wary. I have a feeling the guild who took Gray might be close, and the closer they are, the closer we are to everything going wrong."
"Don't be so down Gajeel…" Levy trailed off.
"Don't say I didn't warn you, but I did have my fair share of time in a dark guild, and I can tell something's up. Plus I don't trust that Matt guy. Call it a gut feeling."
"He's not wrong." Erza chimed in, "I got a funny feeling when Matt was here last, I just thought it was safer to let him think he still had the upper hand."
"Matt?" Natsu frowned, "You mean, Nurse Matt, Matt who looked after Gray for a year, Matt who came back to check on Gray at the guild? You've got to be kidding me."
"Think about it Natsu," Loke reasoned, "How easy would it be for those responsible for Gray's abduction to monitor him than by posing as staff at a hospital? Then all they'd have to do is follow him back to his home town and wait."
"Wait for what though?"
"For their failsafe that you told us about to play out." Lucy continued, "They don't know we worked it out, so they'll think we're still trying to recover Gray's memories. In that case they'd be thinking that E.N.D. will be dead within the next few days and are waiting to confirm it."
"Ohh, I see." Natsu frowned, "That bastard! Gray is gonna be crushed. He trusted him with so much."
"Gray will be fine, Natsu," Wendy rested a hand on Natsu's, "he's got you now."
"Do you really think this is the best time to strike?" Fae voiced the thoughts of her fellow guild mates.
"We've been planning this for days now." Matt answered with a cocky finality, "Nothing could go wrong."
"Lexer, your brother is right. Fairy Tail have had the time to try and fix Fullbuster the best they can, but if they fix him too much, make him too strong, then we won't be able to take them if our failsafe hasn't already been triggered." Kain folded his arms against his chest, "They've had enough time."
"We'll storm the guild tomorrow." Matt grinned, they won't know what hit them.
"Finally, finally I can avenge my brother." Kain growled. You take my brother from me…Fairy Tail, Zeref, Fullbuster: I'll take one of your own.
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