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fairiesnova · 4 years ago

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Fun in the Sun

Late entry for the Gratsu Summer Solstice Event run by @fuckyeahgratsu for the prompt: fun in the sun

Note: The kids in this fic are apart of my Erzajane Home is Where They Are series but this fic can be read as a stand alone.

Read on Ao3

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Erza asked shifting from one foot to the other. It was a nervous tick. One that years of staring down enemy after enemy should have gotten rid of. But Erza did not stand before him as guild master of Fairy Tail. No, Erza stood before him as a nervous parent hesitating at the thought of separating from her children despite them both knowing she needed the break. The tell-tale signs of pure exhaustion were written all over Erza’s face weighing down her body. It wasn’t too obvious of course, this was Erza, she still keep that level of grace in her movements and a blank stare to ward off any prying questions. But he knew Erza and so did Gray.

Natsu looks over to his husband to find him staring worriedly at Erza. Gray’s teeth sunk into his lower lip in a way that made Natsu’s eye linger before traveling up to the eyebrow scrunched high on his face. He too could see what Natsu saw and knew they needed to do this.

With practiced ease, Natsu called a wide cocky grin onto his face. “Oh, come on Erza, we’ve babysitter for you a bunch of times remember?”

But as Gray and Natsu could see though Erza’s facade, she could see through theirs. She narrowed her eyes at them. “Rhea. You babysat Rhea alone. I’m warning you now that this is not the same. Rhea has always been self-sufficient even when she was younger. Andre can be…difficult sometimes. Toddlers are a lot of work.”

Gray interrupted this time moving closer to the mother. “Stop trying to scare us off Erza, you know that only gets us fired up.” Natsu’s grin turns into a smirk as he redirects his attention to Gray. “Stealing my lines now Snowflake.” Gray gives him a challenging stare back but says nothing. The two just smirk at each other like idiots in the Scarlet-Strauss yard speaking a thousand words without a sound. Erza always held strong for their guild, for Gray and Natsu, no matter the cost to her. That type of behavior had led to her self-destruction more than once, and each time the boys were there catch her before she fit the ground.

There was no way they were going to leave without the kids.

At that moment, the door opened again, and Rhea walked out. Heading their instructions, she brought along with her a bathing suit and towel carried on her cake-shaped backpack. The eleven-year old looks between her two rowdy uncles and her tired mom. Secretly, she had noticed that both her mothers had looked more down the last few weeks. Between issues at the guild and Andre tearing through whatever he could get his hands and/or teeth on, her mothers were always fixing problem after problem. Rhea tried to make up for it by being extra good. She cleaned up after herself and did her chores without her mother’s asking. She even tried to talk to Andre about being good too, but he just stared and giggled at her as if she were telling a joke. Rhea wasn’t anymore immune to that cute giggly face than her parents and ended up on the floor reading him stories.

Still. She was going to keep being good for her uncles as well. Especially since they seemed blissfully unaware how much of a little terror her brother has been for the past few weeks.

Mirajane smiled at Gray and Natsu and so did the little person slobbering on her dress. Andre giggled as Gray made silly faces and went willingly into his arms. Her turned to shoot a I-told-you-we-could-handle-it look at Erza only to be stopped by the same look of hesitance that flashed over Mirajane’s face.

At this rate, they’d never leave. Gray and Natsu exchanged looks again and subtly nodded to each other. It’s game time.

Gray started down the pathway with Andre in his arms and Rhea following right behind them. Natsu waited for them to move further down the road before stepping forward to grasp both women’s shoulders. “Listen, you two deserve this break. We all know how hard you’ve been working both at the guild and at home. Me and Gray handle the kids for a few days, just trust us alright?” Without waiting for an answer, he kissed both women on the cheeks and grabbed the baby bag Mirajane had brought along with her. With another reassuring grin, he headed to meet his lover.

“Natsu wait-” He turned to see Mirajane and Erza’s hands intertwined. A look of sincerity on their faces as they whispered, “thank you.”

This time, the smile that came onto his lips was genuine.

He and Gray had spent hours arguing over where the best place to spend a week with little kids was. They had come to a standstill glaring from opposite sides of their kitchen table when Happy’s fish went sailing through the room and ended up dropping between them. When Natsu turned to yell what the hell was that for! Gray’s eyes had lit up in the mesmerizing way.

Now here they were in a 5-way race across the beach. Happy won of course, the cheater, but Natsu gladly headbutted Gray out of the way allowing for Rhea to race past him. In retaliation, Gray picked Natsu up off the ground and swung him around under the eyes of a giggling Andre. Andre had given up on trying to race on his short unsteady legs pretty early and instead seemed content to run his fingers through the sand and watch his uncles wrestle. Rhea was celebrating her victory with Happy by trying to bob for fish underwater. At the sound of a scuffle, she raises her head and turns to the fighting men fight men on the beach. She jolts up out of the water when recognizes her uncles. “Are they okay?!” She askes Happy worried. The blue cat just rolled his eyes. “Yeah they’re fine. That’s just their version of fun. Come on, the fish aren’t going to catch themselves!” Rhea hesitates, but as she looks back she could see the little details she missed before. The light tone in their voices as they called insults back and forth, the smiles they exchanged when one managed to pin the other, the way the hands lingered and caressed the other in between moves. In that moment, they reminded Rhea so much of her own mothers when they bickered back and forth just to have an excuse to get closer to each other. With a smile she decided that Happy was right and they continued their dives.

The rest of the day passed by in a splash.

Natsu tried to teach Rhea how to swim while Gray wadded around the shallow end with Andre on his hip. Then they broke for lunch and devoured the triangle sandwiches Mirajane had packed. Shortly after eating, Andre fell asleep on Natsu’s chest while the rest of the gang built sandcastles. They spent some more time in the water until the sun started to set and both kids movements began to slow. They were in the process of packing up their stuff when Gray placed his hand gently over Natsu’s, “so, kids hun?”

Natsu squeezed his hand back. He didn’t need to respond to the question verbally. The look exchanged between the two lovers spoke a thousand words.

#gratsusummer2020 #gratsu #gray x natsu #erzajane #erza x mirajane #ftlgbtales #ftlgbtfics #femslash fairies #minerza #fuckyeahgratsu #fuckyeaherzaxmirajane #my writing

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mdelpin · 4 years ago

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Two Hearts

Gratsu Summer Solstice 2020 Prompt: Fun in the Sun AO3

Summary: After the scare they had on Tenrou Island, Natsu and Gray promise to make the most of every moment.

Tenrou Island x-791

“Gray?!” Natsu yelled as soon as Bisca and Alzack found him in the rubble. He didn’t even stop to thank his friends before running off, barely managing to notice that they looked a little different.

His senses were going into overdrive as he tried to pick out Gray’s scent amidst all the others. The last time he’d seen him, they had all been standing together in a circle, death imminent.

How had they all gotten so separated? Had everyone survived? He ran towards where most of the scents were, ignoring the cries from Bisca and Alzack, who soon gave up on keeping up with him.

One by one, he located their scents, Erza, Juvia, Lucy, Wendy, Mira. They all seemed alright. He changed direction, still calling out Gray’s name and receiving every response but the one he wanted.

He found Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Lisanna and Elfman to the east and stopped only long enough to ask if they had seen the ice mage.

His anxiety mounted with every passing moment. Where was he?

Please let him be okay. There’s so much we never got to do.

“Salamander!”

Natsu froze in his tracks, feeling more terrified than he’d ever been as he watched Gajeel run towards him. “He’s over here.”

He swallowed and nodded, not sure what to expect.

“He’s fine,” Gajeel attempted to reassure him, but Natsu could tell that he wasn’t telling him everything.

Natsu followed Gajeel to the beach, where Gray sat looking out at the ocean. Something in his expression worried him, but it changed as soon as Gray saw him.

“You’re alive?” The words were said in a disbelieving whisper that was heartbreaking, and Natsu soon understood what had been going through his boyfriend’s mind. Gray had endured so many of these impossible situations, and every time he had come out of it losing the person he cared about the most.

“I’m alive,” Natsu agreed with a tired grin, collapsing in front of his boyfriend in relief. He grabbed Gray’s hand, moving it up towards his face, letting the ice mage touch him to reassure him that he was real. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

“I thought-”

“I know what you thought, Ice Block, but I’m incredibly hard to kill, ask the Metal Bucket over there.”

Gajeel snorted at his words, “It’s not from lack of trying on my part, that’s for sure. You guys stay here, I’ll go tell the others you’re okay.” He walked off in the direction of the camp, giving them some privacy.

“What happened?” Gray asked, still sounding lost, his hand gripping Natsu’s tightly.

“I don’t know, but it looks like we managed to cheat death again,” Natsu shrugged, no longer interested in the how now that he knew that Gray was alright. He pressed their foreheads together and closed his eyes, inhaling the scent he had grown to love more than any other. He barely noticed when Gray moved, tilting his head so he could capture Natsu’s lips with his own.

It was surprising. Gray had always wanted to keep their relationship a secret from the others. Natsu had never questioned it, had never really cared as long as he knew that Gray was his.

“Are you okay?” Natsu asked once they’d separated.

“I don’t want to waste another minute,” was all he said before standing up and pulling Natsu along with him.

0-0

3 weeks later

“Ocean!” Natsu and Gray exclaimed, making a beeline for the vast body of water that called to them, plowing through Jet and Droy and racing to be the first to plunge into its depths.

They were there to train for the Grand Magic Games to try to restore honor to their guild after making them wait so long for their return, but at the moment none of that mattered. Not when there was so much for them to do.

“Swimming contest!”

Their toes touched the water at the same time, and they kept running, jumping in as soon as the water was up to their knees. They swam their hardest, matching stroke for stroke until they found a small cove where they could lose themselves in each other for a few hours.

“Where were you two?” Erza asked on their return, snorting when they both avoided her gaze.

Their eyes lit up as soon as they saw Wendy making sandcastles with Happy and Carla, both yelling, “Sandcastle contest!” as one.

“Those two are never going to grow up,” Lucy giggled, watching as the two boys attempted to outdo the other, bickering the whole time yet somehow ending up working together to build an enormous castle in the end.

“Tomcats never do,” Carla shrugged, crossing her arms in judgment.

Natsu’s stomach rumbled from all the exercise, and Gray laughed at him. “Eating contest?”

“You’re on!”

They ran off in search of the restaurant they had eaten dinner at the night before.

“Do they seem different to you since we came back from Tenrou?” Levy asked the others as they watched Natsu and Gray run off.

“They do seem to be getting along better,” Wendy added, “It’s nice.”

“They’re in loooooooooooooooove!” Happy chimed in, but the girls only laughed at him. The idea of Natsu and Gray being in love with each other too ridiculous for them to entertain.

Erza and Mira started up a volleyball game, and they all split up into teams. When Natsu and Gray returned an hour later, no one paid them any mind until Gray complained about how Natsu had gotten them kicked out of the restaurant.

“What should we do now?” Natsu asked, keeping an eye on the volleyball game.

“Ugh, I’m too stuffed to do anything but lay in the sun,” Gray burped loudly, laughing when everyone yelled at Natsu for being disgusting.

“I guess we could have a suntanning contest,” Natsu scratched his head.

“For Mavis sake, does everything have to be a contest between you two?” Jet muttered, “How does one even have a suntan contest?”

“You can turn anything into a contest if you try hard enough,” Natsu laughed good-naturedly as he stretched his towel out next to Gray’s and lay down, enjoying the feeling of the sun’s rays caressing his skin.

The truth was they had made a contest out of everything they did for so long they didn’t know any different. It had never been about the results anyway.

He stretched out his pinky finger, letting it subtly touch Gray’s, smiling contentedly when he felt the slight pressure of Gray’s finger returning the gesture.

“Sleeping contest?” Gray suggested, the glint in his eyes letting Natsu know what he was really asking.

Natsu grabbed the hand that Gray offered him and stood up, grinning mischievously, “I thought you’d never ask.” He took off towards the hotel room they shared with Gray right behind him.

On Tenrou, they had promised each other that they wouldn’t waste a single minute of the time they’d been gifted, and that is precisely what they intended to do. For however long they had left on this Earthland, they would live, fight, and love together. Their two hearts beating as one.

A/N: Couldn’t resist adding the pictures, I just watched that episode last night. I forgot how much I loved it so I wrote this drabble to kind of commemorate it!

#fairy tail #gratsu #gratsusummer2020 #ftlgbtales #gray x natsu #prompt: fun in the sun #drabble #ftfanfics

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entomjinx · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Fairy Tail Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster Characters: Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlet, Fairy Tail Guild Additional Tags: Water Balloon Fights, Dorks in Love, Secret Relationship, Well - Freeform, "secret" relationship, it's not so secret Series: Part 1 of Gratsu Solstice Events Summary:

Magolia summers get really fucking hot sometimes, and Natsu's more than willing to set up water baloons for his friends and boyfriend.

(it took me 20 minutes to think of a title, but does anyone ever read the titles anymore?)

#Gratsusummer2020 #ftlgbtpride2020 #ftlgbtales #fairy tail #gratsu #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel

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sunsofmars-moved · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/3 Fandom: Fairy Tail Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, background characters Additional Tags: gratsusummer2020, Idiots in Love, Established Relationship, Beaches, Vacation Summary:

my three entries for the gratsu summer solstice event!!!!

#my fics #mars writes #fairy tail #gratsu #natsu dragneel #gray fullbuster #gratsusummer2020

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ao3feed-gratsu · 4 years ago

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The Perfect Rock

by jules828

Team Natsu spends the day at the beach.

Words: 882, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Gratsu Summer Solstice 2020

Fandoms: Fairy Tail

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Wendy Marvell

Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster

Additional Tags: Day At The Beach, Fluff, Boys Kissing, Boys In Love, this is so adorable and i love it so much, gratsusummer2020

Source:https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808279

#gratsu #ao3feed gratsu #fanfiction #fairy tail #graysu #gray x natsu #natsu x gray #mlm #slash

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ft-dads-au · 4 years ago

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Turn the Tide

Gratsu Summer Solstice 2020 - Prompt: Fun in the Sun Gratsu Week 2020 - Prompt: “What’s with all the noise? I’m sleepy” Pairing: Gray x Natsu

A Collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404

AO3 | FF.Net

Summary: Natsu has hated his birthday for years. It served only as a a painful reminder of the day his father abandoned him and Erza. All he wants is to get through the day with the least amount of fuss possible, but Gray has other plans. 0-0

July 7th, 2021

What’s with all the damn noise? I’m still sleepy…

Natsu groaned as the annoying beeping noise that had woken him up refused to stop, and he soon realized it was coming from his phone. He glared at the device, but as expected, it did nothing, the beeps continued as text after text came in.

What the hell is going on?

He stretched his arm and grabbed his phone from his nightstand, fighting the urge to throw it across the room...

Happy Birthday, Bro! 🎈🎉✨🎁 Where the party at? 👀🧁🎂 Gotta do rounds, but I’ll call you later!

Happy Birthday, Natsu!

cat_birthday.gif

Another year older, Firefly! I’ll stop by Sorciere and buy you a drink tonight...

Happy Birthday, dude! Get Gray to blow your 🕯️!!! 😂😏

Natsu scrolled through the texts that kept coming in from his friends and family, rolling his eyes at the last one, not even having to look at the sender info to know it was Loke’s contribution.

As nice as it was to receive well wishes, rather than cheer him up, all they accomplished was to envelop him in a cloud of gloom that was very familiar. Still, he replied to all the messages and got up to start his day.

At least it was a Wednesday, which meant that Gray would soon arrive with Aki for one of their study sessions. It was the first time in a while that he was impatient for Gray to visit, not because he wanted to see him, but because of the distraction that studying for the GED would provide.

What he really wanted was to get out of the house. To escape the memories that refused to let go.

The previous year he’d been too numb from everything else that had happened in his life for it to sink in that he was back in his childhood home, sleeping in the very room his father used to call his. The last place he’d seen him before he’d disappeared from his life, leaving him and Erza behind without any warning or explanation. For so long, he’d held on to the belief that his father was coming back, but no matter how many nights he’d waited for him, he never did. And so his birthday became a day Natsu resented, a painful reminder of his abandonment.

The doorbell rang, startling Natsu out of his gloomy thoughts. Atlas raced towards the door at the noise, chanting the name Aki over and over in joyful anticipation.

Natsu ran down the stairs to head him off, knowing from experience Atlas would open the door regardless of who might be on the other side. It was much too early for Gray to arrive for their study session, and given that it was his birthday, the idea of an unexpected visitor set him on edge.

He got to the door just as Atlas opened it and was surprised to see his boyfriend was indeed standing on the other side of the door.

“Hey,” he greeted, feeling slightly puzzled but no less pleased, “Are we starting early today?”

“Nope,” Gray smirked, “You’ve been working pretty hard for the past few weeks. Today you get the day off. We’re going to the beach!”

“Beach!” Aki repeated, and now that Natsu looked at him, he noticed he was dressed in a swimsuit and holding a colorful bucket and shovel like the ones sold at the grocery store.

“Beach?” Natsu parroted in disbelief, “With three kids? Are you insane?”

“Four, you forgot to count yourself,” Gray teased, entering the house and closing the door behind him. He pulled Natsu to him for a quick kiss, “Hey.”

“I don’t know, I’d have to pack stuff for the kids and get them ready,” Natsu hedged, not feeling up to such an involved outing.

“Nice try, Sunshine,” Gray turned him around and nudged him towards the stairs. “All you have to do is get yourself ready; Erza already took care of the rest.” Gray walked over to the small closet that sat at the foot of the stairs and opened it to show that indeed there were two bags packed along with Atlas’ car seat.

“We’re going to the beach?!” Hana squealed behind them, and at that point, Natsu realized he’d already lost. Hana had always loved the beach even though her skin was so fair she had to be slathered in sunblock constantly, but she hadn’t voiced any interest in it since her mother had died. Knowing that, he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“Looks like it,” he replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster at the idea. It might even be a good thing. If he were chasing after the kids, he wouldn't have time to think about anything else.

“That’s the spirit,” Gray remarked, his words dripping with sarcasm, “Go get ready, and I’ll start putting stuff in the car.”

Now that the decision had been made, Natsu went along with it. He’d wanted to get out of the house, after all. Changing into swim trunks and a t-shirt, he quickly tossed a change of clothes and a towel into a bag. He searched around for his sunglasses and sunblock, and when he heard Gray yelling for him, he hurried down the stairs to find everything had already been packed up, including the kids.

“Why today?” he asked, gazing at his boyfriend with suspicion.

“Because it’s going to get super hot, and you’re too cheap to install an air conditioner.” Gray retorted, “Since nothing’s getting into your little brain today, we might as well have fun. Now come on.”

He grabbed the bag from Natsu’s hand and led him to his car, making no mention of Natsu’s mood. Natsu relaxed, he’d never told Gray when his birthday was, and he hadn’t gotten a text from Lyon, so it was possible he didn’t know. The people in his life always wanted to make a big deal about his birthday, but all Natsu wanted was to forget it, let it pass quickly and quietly. And who knew? A day of fun in the sun might just do the trick.

0-0

“Beach!” Hana ran off towards the sand the moment they stepped outside the air-conditioned train station and into the summer heat.

“Hana, wait!” Natsu ran after her, terrified of losing her in the crowd of people. He glanced back to see Gray trying to handle the boys and the remaining bags, and he flashed him an apologetic smile.

Gray hadn’t been exaggerating. It was a hot day. Thankfully the beach wasn’t too packed yet, and once he’d gotten Hana to stop, he rented a large umbrella for them to sit under, knowing the heat was going to be too much for the younger kids and for Gray, who was as fair as Hana.

He was already applying sunblock on Hana when Gray finally arrived with Atlas and Aki, dumping all their bags on the sand. “A little help would have been nice,” he grumbled.

Natsu glanced up to see his boyfriend was already flushed. “Go sit,” he ordered, pointing towards the shade the umbrella provided and handing him a bottle of water from one of the bags Erza had packed. He managed to get all three kids ready and sent them off to play in the area in front of them.

Natsu grabbed a new bottle of sunblock and knelt behind his boyfriend, who had already taken off his shirt, “Are you feeling better?” he asked as he spurted some of the contents of the bottle into his hand and began to apply it on Gray’s shoulders.

“Mhmm,” Gray groaned in appreciation, “That feels nice. Thanks for getting the umbrella, that was a good idea.”

“Well then, it seems my little brain is good for something after all,” Natsu retorted.

“Your hands aren’t bad either,” Gray observed, leaning forward so that Natsu could apply sunblock on his back. “Hana really likes the beach, huh?”

“Yeah, back when we lived in Edolas, Lis used to take her to the beach all the time,” he explained, watching as Hana examined some seashells she’d found. “It’s nice to see her excited about it again.”

“What on Earth is Atlas doing?”

Natsu turned his attention to his son and had to laugh, “He’s digging a hole, obviously.” One that only seemed to get bigger by the minute now that Aki had caught on to what his friend was doing and had begun to help.

“Shouldn’t we stop them?” Gray asked worriedly.

“Why? They’re not hurting anything,” Natsu shrugged, “or are you worried they’ll end up upside down on the other side of the world?”

“Smart and funny, how lucky am I?” Gray answered drily.

“I used to like to do that too,” Natsu muttered, ignoring the barb as he remembered beach trips with his own family.

He used to dig holes deep enough that he could hide in them and startle his mom as she walked by. Sometimes Igneel would even help him, laughing just as hard as Natsu when his wife squealed in fright as Natsu grabbed her leg. He hadn’t thought about that in years. A lump lodged in his throat at the thought of his mom, and he couldn’t help but reflect on how much Erza resembled her these days.

“Here, let me put some on you,” Natsu felt Gray’s hands on his back as he rubbed the cooling lotion on his warm skin, interrupting his train of thought. He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the glorious sensation of those fingers kneading his muscles.

It was much better to focus on what he had. There was no reclaiming what he’d already lost.

“You know,” Gray declared as he continued to cover Natsu in sunblock, “there wasn’t an amusement park the last time I came here, it’s too bad the kids are too little. That could’ve been fun.”

“Well, maybe we can come back another time,” Natsu suggested, shading his eyes with his hand as he tried to locate Hana amidst the growing crowd.

“You mean like on a date?”

“Why not? I bet Sting and Rogue would love to come too.” He found his daughter talking to another little girl, not too far from where they were sitting and relaxed.

“Maybe,” Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu’s waist and pulled him closer to his chest, “I don’t get you to myself often enough, though.”

Natsu rested his hands on Gray’s and smiled, “You, my love, get most of my spare time. You’re just greedy.”

Gray chuckled, “True enough. Want to go check out the water? The kids look like they’re getting restless.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Natsu agreed, stealing a quick kiss before grabbing Atlas under one arm and racing towards Hana at full speed as Atlas yelled her name out joyfully. She squealed at their approach, running away from them and towards the water.

He could hear Gray grumbling behind him and grinned.

“Daddy, no!” Hana shrieked as he put Atlas down so he could join the chase and continued to charge after her.

“Don’t worry, Hana, I’ll get him for you,” was all he heard before being picked up from behind and tossed over Gray’s shoulder.

“What are you gonna do now, Sunshine?” Gray snickered, holding on tighter as Natsu did his best to get loose, “What do you think, Hana? Should I throw him in?”

“Yeah!” Hana giggled, “Throw Daddy in the ocean!”

“You heard the lady; you’re going down!” Gray turned them around, and Natsu could see that Hana looked positively gleeful at his predicament. All three kids cheered as they egged Gray on.

“Traitors!” He called out in mock dismay, as he flailed around, trying to mess up Gray’s balance. His efforts proved pointless, however, as the next thing he knew, he was falling, but only for a short second until he landed face-first into the cold water. Moving quickly, he turned himself around, snaking his arms out and grabbing Gray’s legs while he was busy laughing at him.

Using Gray’s distraction to his advantage, Natsu pulled, taking Gray down with him.

“Come on in, the water’s fine!” Natsu couldn’t help but cackle at the surprised expression on his boyfriend’s face.

“That’s it, Dragneel, you asked for it,” Gray announced before splashing water at Natsu’s face.

They wrestled in the water, both laughing too hard to be able to gain any advantage over the other. Soon they were joined by the kids who were more than happy to enter the fray.

After a few minutes, they each grabbed one of the boys and placed them on their shoulders so they could wade deeper while keeping an eye on Hana, who swam beside them. Both boys were overjoyed to be up so high. They eagerly called out every wave that rushed towards them.

Natsu was having such a great time that he completely forgot to keep track of Hana’s skin, and when he noticed the telltale redness on her nose and the back of her neck, he decided it was time to get back to their umbrella. Gray wasn’t doing much better, which made Natsu smile. The guy might be thirty, but he was still young in all the best ways.

Gray treated them to lunch, and they all sat together under the umbrella munching happily on pizza and chicken nuggets.

“Are you having fun?” Gray asked while helping Aki eat a slice of cheese pizza.

“Yeah,” Natsu answered honestly, “I have to admit, you had a good idea for once.”

Gray rolled his eyes at his response but chose not to protest. They shared a fun afternoon building sandcastles with the kids, collecting shells, and helping Atlas dig ever deeper holes, which Natsu made sure to refill once his son had moved on to the next one. Much too soon, it was time to get on a train as Natsu had to return to Magnolia in time for his evening shift at Crime Sorciere.

Natsu sat on the train, feeling content as Hana leaned against him, and Atlas snored in his lap. On the opposite bench, Aki was also K.O. in Gray’s arms, while Gray gazed out the window with a serene smile. Natsu watched him for a while, mesmerized by how breathtaking Gray looked when he was at peace. It didn’t happen nearly often enough for his liking, and that always saddened him. Gray deserved the world, and Natsu was determined to get it for him. Someday.

They made it home with enough time for Natsu to take a shower before leaving for work. He noticed a notification on his phone as he was getting dressed, and seeing that it was a text from Gray, he scanned it immediately.

Happy Birthday, Natsu! 😉

Natsu realized then that he hadn’t thought about his birthday once since they’d arrived at the beach. He was touched to learn that Gray had been aware all along, choosing not to treat the day any differently because he’d remembered how Natsu felt about it.

Just like that, Gray had understood what he’d needed, something Erza and Lisanna had struggled with for years.

For the first time since Natsu was nine years old, he’d had a birthday he could look back on with a smile. And that was the best present he could have ever asked for.

A/N: We had started this one for Summer Solstice but ran out of time, luckily Gratsu Week gave us the motivation to finish it! This fic marks 200K words in our AU!

#fairy tail #ftdadsau #gratsu #gratsusummer2020 #gratsuweek2k20 #ftlgbtales #prompt: fun in the sun #prompt: what's with all the noise? I'm sleepy #fics #gray x natsu #Gratsu Summer Solstice 2020 #Gratsu Week 2020

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ft-dads-au · 4 years ago

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Come Undone

Gratsu Summer Solstice 2020, Prompt: Is it Hot In Here or is it Just Me? I Take Pride In What I Am 2020, Prompt: Growth Pairing: Gray x Natsu Rating: M

A Collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404

AO3 | FF.Net

Summary: With Aki staying at his grandparents' place for the weekend, and Lyon out of town for work, Gray finds himself home alone on a Saturday night. He asks Natsu to spend the night with him, hoping to get the chance to really be alone together for the first time.

July 24, 2021

Gray grinned, noticing the slight flush on Natsu’s cheeks as he returned from the stockroom to find him sitting at the bar. He lifted the beer he’d gotten from Mira a few minutes earlier in greeting.

“Hey!” Natsu welcomed him cheerfully, shaking his hand vigorously and squeezing it gently before letting go. “You don’t usually come here on Saturdays. Meeting someone?”

Natsu attended to his customers while trying to hold a conversation, never straying too far from where Gray was sitting.

“I have no doubt Loke will track me down eventually,” Gray snorted, knowing how much his friend hated to be alone these days. “My parents took Aki and the twins for the weekend to give us ’kids’ some alone time. Rogue is holed up somewhere with Sting, but you are sadly working, so I came to visit, and eat.”

No sooner had he uttered the words than a menu had been placed in front of him.

“I’ll be right back,” Natsu said before moving further away to take some drink orders.

Gray flipped through the menu listlessly, not really feeling hungry but well aware there was nothing for him to go home to. Lyon was gone on some work-related thing and wouldn’t be returning until late that night.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to thank you.”

Gray looked up, startled, even more so when he realized it was Mira who was talking. “What?”

Mira giggled into her hand, her eyes twinkling with mirth, “I know we didn’t exactly hit it off the first time we met, but to see Natsu smile again, it means a lot to all of us. So, yeah, thank you.”

He had no idea what to say to that, so he just kind of nodded and hid in his menu, ignoring the sound of Mira’s laughter at his reaction.

“So, have you decided what you want?” Natsu appeared in front of him once again, reminding Gray why he didn’t like visiting him when he was working at Fairy Tail, especially on a busy night like this one. Fairy Tail was located near the college campus. It was a much more popular bar than Crime Sorciere, making it difficult to hold a conversation since Natsu had to flit around constantly.

“I’ll just have a burger,” he muttered moodily.

“Everything okay?” Natsu raised an eyebrow in concern.

“Natsu, it’s already getting pretty busy, why don’t you take your dinner break now, you might not get a chance later,” Mira suggested, “I’ll have them bring both your orders to the break room.”

“Sure, thanks!” Natsu grabbed the menu from Gray’s hands, put it underneath the bar with the others, entered Gray’s order in the computer, and added his own. He gestured for Gray to come with him, grabbing his hand as soon as they were out of view from any prying eyes.

They entered a small, dimly lit lounge with two love seats and a rectangular table with several chairs.

“This is the break room, huh?” Gray remarked, glancing around the room. He was about to say something else when he felt Natsu’s warm lips on his. He hummed contentedly, kissing back and moving his hands down to Natsu’s waist, pulling him flush against him until Natsu broke away.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the second I noticed you were here,” Natsu beamed, licking his lips slowly before leading him to one of the loveseats.

“Not gonna lie, me too,” Gray chuckled, leaning in for another kiss and feeling his lousy mood melt away when Natsu returned it. “I wish you didn’t have to work so much.”

“Yeah, well, bills don’t pay themselves so,” he shrugged, “This place isn’t so bad.”

One of the waitresses came in with their orders and two sodas, setting them on the table. “Here you go, guys!”

“Thanks, Laki!”

The waitress smiled at Natsu and Gray, leaving quickly to get back to her tables.

“And hey, free food!” Natsu cheered, moving to the table and sitting down to eat. “Gotta eat quickly though, I only get thirty minutes,” he explained, shoving a french fry in his mouth. “So what’s going on with you? You looked upset earlier.”

“It’s nothing, I’m just not used to being alone,” Gray shrugged, taking his seat and adding some ketchup to his burger. “It’s fine, Lyon will be home in a couple of hours.”

“Ah, the wife,” Natsu retorted, his mouth widening into a teasing smirk. “Where is he anyway?”

“He left this morning to go do some deposition or something in Oak Town,” Gray explained, taking a bite from his burger and washing it down with the soda. He glanced down at his watch to see how much time they had left before Natsu had to go back to work, frowning when he saw half their time was already up.

Gray knew he should be happy Mira had given them a chance to have dinner together, but it didn’t feel like enough.

He watched Natsu eat, smiling at how messy he was. It was really kind of cute. He continued to eat his own meal, grabbing his phone when a vibration in his pocket alerted him to a text. Reading it did not improve his mood in the slightest. It looked like Lyon wasn’t going to make it home after all.

“Bad news?” Natsu immediately asked, no doubt noticing the change in his expression.

“Lyon isn’t coming home tonight. I guess I’ll have the apartment to myself.”

“I wish I could come over for a bit, but I’m on the clock til 2,” Natsu lamented. “Still got a few minutes though, are you done eating?”

Gray looked down at the plate of food and nodded. He didn’t think he’d be able to eat any more.

“Well, let’s make the most of it then,” Natsu got up from the table, and after bussing their plates, he sat on one of the sofas and patted the seat next to him invitingly.

Gray watched him for a moment, the beginnings of an idea playing in his mind. He’d stayed over at Natsu’s place several times now, why couldn’t Natsu stay with him? With Erza and the kids always sleeping in rooms all around them, they’d never had the chance to really be alone.

He moved over to the sofa, purposefully ignoring the seat Natsu had indicated and choosing to straddle his boyfriend instead. Natsu’s eyes widened in surprise and his entire face, all the way to the tips of his ears, crimsoned at Gray’s proximity.

Gray leaned ever closer, his lips barely brushing Natsu’s before moving to kiss down his earlobe, blowing softly into his ear before whispering, “Stay with me tonight.”

He let his tongue slowly trace the back of the ear, smirking in victory as he felt Natsu squirming underneath him, his quiet moans making Gray forget where they were.

He continued to give small kisses along Natsu’s jaw until he reached those luscious lips. Working his fingers into the pink locks he loved, Gray tugged them roughly, and then he was kissing him hungrily, tasting the burger and fries on Natsu’s tongue as he sucked on it gently. Gray felt a twitch against his cock and backed away, realizing he’d gone too far.

Natsu was panting, his face still red as he stared up at him with eyes as wide as saucers. Gray scrambled off him, sitting in the spot Natsu had offered earlier.

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” Gray quickly apologized, “I got carried away, I just wanted to give you some incentive.”

Natsu waved his apology away, closing his eyes tightly as he struggled to get his breathing under control.

“Incentive, huh?” Natsu repeated suddenly, bursting into amused laughs, “Is that what you call that? How am I supposed to go out there like this?”

“At least your color’s returning to normal,” Gray informed him helpfully, earning himself a playful slap on the shoulder. “So, what do you say? Stay with me tonight?”

He wrapped his arms around himself, tensely awaiting Natsu’s answer, and when it didn’t come right away, he worried that he’d somehow pushed too far.

“I need to talk to Erza first,” Natsu finally responded, and although Gray wished he could have a more definite answer, he knew it was the best one he could expect. Neither one of them could really take off on a whim anymore.

“Okay, text me later?”

“Yeah,” Natsu agreed, closing his eyes again, “Can you let Mira know I’ll be out in a few minutes?”

“Sure,” Gray replied, still feeling a little guilty but not enough to really feel bad. He kissed Natsu as chastely as he could manage and made his way back to the bar.

0-0

It had been hours since Gray had received Natsu’s text, but it felt much longer, almost as if time had stopped entirely. He’d tidied the apartment, changed his sheets, vacuumed, took a shower, and even did a laundry load, yet somehow it was still only midnight.

He was getting more impatient by the minute, and finally, he’d had enough of waiting. He went into his closet, changing into a shirt Natsu had once mentioned made his eyes look less droopy, which was about as close to a compliment as the jerk ever gave, and a pair of tight jeans. After examining himself in the mirror, Gray went downstairs to wait for the cab he’d called.

He looked up sexy drink names on his phone to pass the time until he arrived at Fairy Tail, laughing at how ridiculous some of them sounded and knowing the only bartender he’d ever be brazen enough to ask them of was his boyfriend.

Gray entered the bar, relieved to see the band dismantling their instruments. It was already one o’clock, and the bar was mostly empty. Employees were sweeping the floors and cleaning up the tables.

Natsu was laughing with the few customers that remained, and Gray’s heart skipped a beat at the sound. He made his way to the opposite side of the bar and waited for Natsu to notice him.

He kept his head down, continuing to look through drink names and deciding which one he was going to ask for.

“What can I get you?”

“I’d like some sex with the bartender,” Gray snickered, unable to keep a straight face.

“You’re hilarious,” Natsu rolled his eyes, “And here I thought you were going to ask for something classy like a Dick Sucker.”

Gray giggled again, “How do people order these?”

“You’d be surprised,” Natsu shrugged, “Unlike most of the people who ask for it though, you might actually get it.” He winked and mixed some sort of colorful drink, handing it to him. “Here, try this.”

Gray sipped it and hummed in approval.” What is this? It’s delicious!”

“Just a little something I like to call, my boyfriend got me all fired up at work and then left me to deal with a boner.”

“That’s kind of long, and oddly specific. I doubt it will catch on,” Gray quipped, snickering as Natsu flipped him off.

“I thought I was meeting you at your place,” Natsu remarked, “Didn’t want to be alone? or…. Couldn’t wait to see me?”

“Couldn’t wait to see you,” Gray admitted sheepishly, “Plus, if I cleaned anything else, Lyon might start leaving every weekend.”

Natsu laughed, “Considering your stuff is usually a mess, you’re probably right. I gotta go get started with clean up, but it should only be another thirty minutes or so.” He leaned over the bar, kissing Gray on the cheek and murmuring, “I missed you too.” before hurrying away.

Gray waited as patiently as he could manage, sipping his drink and playing a game on his phone until Natsu was finally done. He glanced around only to realize that the bar had emptied out of everyone but the employees.

“Come on, Mr. Incentive, let’s get out of here,” Natsu prodded, grabbing him by the hand once he stood up and pulling him towards the rear exit, calling out goodbyes to his coworkers on his way out.

“Where’s your car? Mine’s this way,” he asked once they were outside.

“No car, I took a cab.”

“Did you now?” Natsu’s eyes glinted with mischief right before pinning him against the wall of the building adjacent to Fairy Tail.

Gray didn’t fight, curious to see what his boyfriend would do, but he hadn’t expected Natsu to imitate his earlier actions, and before he knew it, he was the one squirming as a warm tongue swirled against his ear. Before he had a chance to get used to the sensation, Natsu had already moved to nibble and suck on his earlobe, his hand moving to caress the base of his neck, making Gray shiver with pleasure.

“Unngh, Natsu,” Gray groaned, feeling his cock respond to Natsu playing with his body.

As soon as it started, Natsu had stopped, and Gray could only stare at him in disbelief.

“Now, we’re even.” He smirked, continuing to walk towards his car, leaving Gray to rearrange himself and navigate his way to the car uncomfortably.

0-0

The streets were empty as Natsu drove them to Lyon’s apartment. Gray wanted nothing more but to pay him back for his little stunt earlier, but they were in Erza’s car, and he didn’t have a death wish.

He waited impatiently for security to be done with them, for the first time since he’d arrived in Magnolia wishing that he lived in a typical building. One where he could do what he wanted in the elevator without it being transmitted to cameras downstairs. He contented himself with holding Natsu’s hand and massaging his knuckles, instantly forgiving him for earlier when he received a pleased but tired smile at his caresses.

Gray had no idea what to expect from tonight, and he told himself that even if they did nothing but sleep as always, he would be content. But they had been dating for about three months now, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping for something a little more physical now that they were alone.

He wanted to discover Natsu’s sounds when he was coming undone, see his face as he lost himself in pleasure and more than anything he wanted to be the one that made him feel that way. There were plenty of ways to do that without delving into areas that would make his boyfriend uncomfortable. At least that’s what Gray hoped. He didn’t really know how Natsu felt about it, which he knew was probably a bad thing.

Gray had never initiated the preferences talk, mostly because he was terrified of the answers. The way he saw it, the fact that Natsu somehow seemed to return his feelings was a miracle in and of itself, and he had no desire to push his luck.

They exited the elevator, and he took out his keys, fumbling to get them in the lock as his hand began to tremble. Natsu put his hand over his and helped him guide it into the lock.

Gray turned to smile at him gratefully, relaxing when Natsu said, “I’m nervous too.”

They entered the apartment, removed their shoes, placed them on the rack Lyon kept by the door and closed the door behind them.

Natsu whistled as he took in Gray’s efforts, “You weren’t kidding, this place looks great!”

Not as great as you...

Gray thought the words but kept them to himself, embarrassed by how childish they sounded even if they were true.

“Can I get you anything?”

Natsu shook his head, and Gray once again noticed how tired he seemed.

“You look beat, come on,” Gray grabbed him by the hand and led him to his bedroom, sitting him on his bed while he rummaged through his drawers for some pajama pants he could lend him. Finding a pair he thought would fit, he offered them to his boyfriend.

Natsu laughed, “That’s sweet, but I don’t need them. I only wear them at home because of Hana and Erza.”

“Oh,” Gray put them back in the drawer, and when he turned to join Natsu on the bed, he startled to find him standing behind him instead, wearing nothing but a pair of snug-fitting black boxer briefs.

Gray’s eyes traveled over Natsu’s body, taking in the toned muscles of his stomach and chest, his broad shoulders and the strong line of his jaw until he’d reached his face again, where a smile was waiting for him that made his knees weak.

“See something you like?” Natsu smirked at his reaction, looking way too pleased with himself, and as much as Gray wanted to come up with a snappy response to shut him up, he found his tongue was tied. However, other parts of his body were waking up, and they were quite interested in the display.

Gray closed the distance between them swiftly, realizing there was more than one way to shut his boyfriend up. His arms snaked around Natsu’s hips, pulling the slightly shorter male against him as his mouth quickly found its way to Natsu’s lips.

He heard Natsu’s breath hitch as his mouth was invaded, and as they kissed, Gray let his hands roam along Natsu’s naked back until finally settling on an area he hadn’t dared explore yet. At first, he was content to let them rest there, but when Natsu didn’t complain, he became more adventurous, squeezing and kneading the firm butt cheeks. Natsu’s groan excited him, and he gave an enthusiastic thrust, surprised when Natsu ground against him as well.

Gray could feel Natsu’s fingers fumbling with his shirt buttons, undoing them one by one until his chest was exposed. Natsu wasted no time pulling his shirt off, his hands exploring Gray’s chest, sending jolts of pleasure that soon had him feeling a welcome tightness in his pants. He moaned, and Natsu took the opportunity to interrupt their kiss and nibble at his collarbone.

“Natsssu,” Gray shuddered. He’d never realized his neck was so sensitive.

“I thought about you all night,” Natsu whispered breathily into his ear while gently running his fingernails across Gray’s scalp, sending shivers across his entire body.

“Me too.” Gray had never seen Natsu this turned on before, so eager to tease and touch, and it was making it incredibly hard to think about anything other than tossing him on his bed and ravaging him. Gray desperately wanted to drive him crazy with his mouth, hands, and anything else he could think of.

So he did just that. He picked Natsu up, tossed him on his bed, unbuttoning his pants, and undoing the zipper carefully before pulling them off. He glanced up to find Natsu watching his every move with an expression that seemed almost hungry. There was no hiding the tent in his underwear.

“Someone’s eager,” Gray teased as he neared the bed, his own arousal in full view.

Natsu chuckled but didn’t argue the point.

Gray climbed on his bed, crawling over to where Natsu lay and straddling him. He took a second to admire the man that lay beneath him before kissing him again, so deeply he could barely breathe.

“I love the way you kiss me,” Natsu breathed into his mouth, wrapping his arms around him and letting his hands slide down his spine, finally resting them at the small of his back.

It was such a simple gesture, yet Gray felt it echo throughout his entire body. He could only stare in shock, not accustomed to anything remotely like this. He fumbled for words, but nothing came close to expressing how those words affected him, so he settled for, “I love the way you make me feel.”

Natsu’s whole face lit up at his words, and Gray once again felt lost but also elated. He peppered Natsu’s jaw with kisses working his way down his neck. He felt Natsu’s fingers threading through his hair, tugging at it, letting Gray know he wanted more.

Gray worked his way back up, nibbling and kissing every spot he could, chuckling when Natsu captured his lips impatiently, his hands holding Gray’s head in place.

“You’re so beautiful,” Gray’s thumb caressed Natsu’s cheek gently, smiling as he wrinkled his nose at the compliment. “I want to make you feel good.”

“You already are, dummy,” Natsu replied, giving a quick ruffle through Gray’s already messy hair, “thought that was pretty obvious.”

“I can do so much better, though,” Gray promised, moving down to his throat and gently sucking on his boyfriend’s Adam’s apple, reveling in the vibrations he could feel against his lips as Natsu groaned softly.

Gray left a trail of kisses as he worked his way down Natsu’s chest until he reached his next destination. He blew gently on the perky bud, using his tongue to slowly lick his way up the areola, getting closer and closer but always stopping just shy of the nipple.

“Graaaaay!”

“Hmmm,” Gray agreed, finally flicking the nipple with his tongue and giving it a gentle bite.

“Fuck!” Natsu moaned, his fingers clenching around Gray’s hair and his hips thrusting upwards in a reflexive response, sending a shudder of pleasure through his body that drew out the moan.

The feel of Natsu’s cock rubbing against his, even through the fabric of their underwear, was enough to distract Gray from what he’d been doing. He ground against Natsu, using all the restraint he had in him to keep his movements slow. He glanced at Natsu’s face, wanting to make sure he was okay with this. But before he could ask, he felt Natsu thrust his hips up again.

“Natsu?” Gray hesitated, still worried until he saw the warm smile on Natsu’s face, and that was all the encouragement he needed to continue. He rolled his hips, watching that smile evolve into an expression he’d only seen in his fantasies until that moment, but none of them had been as satisfying as the real thing.

Natsu met his every thrust with fervor, the sounds of their moans filling the room, getting louder and more urgent as they got closer to their climax. Gray’s eyes hadn’t wandered from Natsu’s face since they had begun frotting, enraptured by the emotions playing out on his features, the trust reflected in his eyes. He fretted that maybe the constant weight of his gaze would make Natsu self-conscious, but then he realized his boyfriend had never looked away either.

Gray couldn’t remember the last time sex had felt this good. The movements in itself weren’t really any different, the familiar pressure building up inside him nothing new. But the feeling of warmth blooming in his chest as their gazes lingered somehow heightened his pleasure to an entirely new level.

Even after all those years of admiration Gray had experienced as a model, he’d never felt more wanted than he did now. There wasn’t a spotlight in the world he’d rather be in than that of those gorgeous green eyes, and it was an incredible turn-on.

“I’m close,” Gray panted, his thrusts speeding up now that he felt the telltale tightening that heralded his release.

“Me too,” Natsu gasped, his hands moving to Gray’s ass, pulling his hips down harder as he drove up.

“GRAAAAAY!” Natsu yelled, his body jerking as he came. The warm wetness of his release seeped through the fabric of their underwear, followed by Gray’s own only a few frantic thrusts later. They slowed down, continuing to grind together as they worked each other through their orgasms, making a mess on their stomachs.

“That felt so good,” Gray sighed, leaning down to kiss Natsu before collapsing on top of him, his arms burning from holding himself up as their thrusting had become more intense. He could still hear Natsu yelling out his name as he climaxed in his mind, and it filled him with a joy he hadn’t felt in years. He wanted nothing more than to hold him in his arms, whisper sweet nothings into his ear, and bask in the intimacy of the moment they had just shared.

He rolled off his boyfriend, lying down next to him and ignoring the mess they’d made for the moment. The sound of Natsu’s uneven breathing reached Gray’s ears, and he could only chuckle. He grabbed Natsu’s hand and brought it up to his lips for a kiss.

He’d loved the way Natsu’s eyes had never left his as they moved together, had felt connected to him at every kiss, every touch, every moan. It had filled him with a confidence he’d lost during his time with Siegrain, where it had always been more about the act than any feelings between them.

It surprised him a little that Natsu had yet to say anything, but he wasn’t too troubled. This was new, after all. They’d both need some time to adjust, it was only natural. He contented himself with visions of what their future could be, the dream he’d begun to build in his mind the first time he’d stayed at Natsu’s house growing bigger by the second.

They’d keep working hard so that Natsu could pass the rest of his tests, get a job with more regular hours, and free up his time to spend with friends and family. They’d be able to indulge in many more nights like this, moving their relationship forward slowly until Natsu was ready for more.

The silence continued to build, and now it was making Gray nervous. He snuck a glance at Natsu’s face, a weight settling on his chest as he noticed the arm covering Natsu’s eyes, which had been so open and welcoming just a few minutes ago.

He wracked his brain, trying to think of anything he might have done wrong, but everything had been so wonderful. What had happened? Did Natsu regret it now that it was over? Had he not been good enough?

Gray knew he couldn’t give in to those thoughts, not when he’d worked so hard to move away from them. No, he should just ask.

“Natsu?” he winced at how shaky his voice sounded, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

He received no answer, feeding into his fears and filling him with the urge to get up and hide in his shower until he could think of a way to fix whatever he’d managed to do wrong.

He thought he heard sniffles and decided to try one more time, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Natsu replied, and now Gray was sure of it, Natsu was crying. He had no idea why, but it didn’t stop him from feeling miserable. Had he misunderstood?

“No, you’re not.” Gray sat up to get a good look at his boyfriend, “Please tell me what’s wrong, did I- did I do something?”

Natsu shook his head, still refusing to look at him. That connection Gray had felt between them just moments earlier seemed to evaporate, creating a distance between them that he was all too familiar with.

“I need you to talk to me,” Gray pleaded, “I can’t do this again.”

This time Natsu moved his arm away from his face, his expression puzzled, “Do what again?”

“I just... If I did something wrong, you need to tell me, don’t distance yourself from me and leave me to figure it out on my own.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Gray, it’s me,” Natsu admitted, wiping his eyes with his hand, staring down at the wedding band he still wore.

That was all Gray needed to understand what was happening, “Oh God, you weren’t ready for this, were you? I should’ve realized when you didn’t say yes right away.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Natsu cut in, but Gray was so caught up in his guilt, he didn’t fully register the words and continued to rush out his apology.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed-”

“What?! No, will you just listen to me?”

Natsu sat up and paused for a few seconds before he explained, “You didn’t push me to do anything I didn’t want to. I’m not upset because I wasn’t ready, I’m upset because I was.”

“I don’t understand,” Gray ran a hand through his hair, confused and still anxious because even though it seemed like he hadn’t done anything wrong, Natsu was still upset about something.

“It’s difficult to explain,” Natsu sighed, offering him a small smile.

“I really like what you and I have,” he grabbed Gray’s hand in his and held his gaze once more, “but every time we do something I’d only done with her, it’s like I’m leaving more of her behind, and it’s hard. She’s all I knew.”

“Oh...” Gray let go of Natsu’s hand, and unable to contain his disappointment, he hid his head in his hands, not wanting his boyfriend to see.

“Ugh, I said that all wrong,” Natsu groaned. “Please look at me?”

Gray hesitated, but he knew he couldn’t hide from this, not if he wanted their relationship to work. He’d known from the beginning that it wasn’t going to be easy, but he was determined to fight for it.

What Natsu had said wasn’t unreasonable, Gray knew that. Their previous relationships had been very different. It was natural for Natsu to want to cling to his happy memories, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to make new ones with him. He’d said as much. Gray just needed to accept that Lisanna would always be a part of Natsu and let go of the insecurities that tried to tell him that he wasn’t good enough for someone like Natsu, and he never would be.

He took a deep breath and tried to put his feelings into words.

“I get what you’re saying,” Gray offered his hand and waited for Natsu to take it, “You’re not ready to let go of Lisanna, and that’s okay, I don’t expect you to, but I don’t want to be a replacement either.”

“I’ve never thought of you as a replacement for her, Princess,” Natsu protested, “But I can’t just pretend those ten years of my life didn’t happen, either. Every day she gets further away, and I can’t help but feel guilty for letting that happen.”

“I guess I have the opposite problem, I want to forget the last ten years happened, but I can’t,” Gray lamented.

“Forgetting isn’t the answer, Gray.”

“I know, I just don’t know what is,” he answered honestly, hoping that Natsu would let it go but knowing it wasn’t likely.

“What did you mean when you said you can’t do this again?” Natsu asked, latching on to the words he’d blurted out in his panic.

Gray peered at Natsu, unsure of how much he wanted to share of his time with Siegrain, still concerned that Natsu would think less of him for some of the things he’d done. But if he was asking Natsu to be open and honest with him, he figured he should do the same.

“Siegrain had this thing he did where he’d act like I’d done something wrong, but he’d never tell me what. He’d just take off and leave me alone to figure it out, or even worse, he’d stick around and act distant.” Gray tried to keep all emotion out of his voice, but it was difficult. Just thinking about how that had made him feel was enough to put him back there.

“That’s awful! And you thought I was doing the same thing?” Natsu murmured in sudden understanding, “God, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention at all, no wonder you freaked out.”

Gray found himself enveloped by one of Natsu’s hugs, and he melted into it.

“You mean so much to me, and what we just did...it was amazing. I’m so sorry I ruined it.”

The words reassured Gray, reminding him that Natsu was a very different man from his soon to be ex-husband. It gave him hope that if they both kept trying, one day, they would both rise above the things that still held them back, together.

“You didn’t ruin it,” Gray objected.

“Gray,” Natsu declared, his features settling into a stubborn pout, “I ruined it.”

“Fine, maybe a little,” Gray reluctantly gave in, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s expression.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Natsu promised, “Next time it’ll be even better. I mean, I had no fucking clue what I was doing, and it was awesome, just imagine what it’ll be like now that I have some experience!”

“I’m gonna be honest, all I heard was next time,” Gray couldn’t help but tease, laughing at his boyfriend’s outrage.

He was glad they’d been able to discuss what had happened, and he did feel better knowing he hadn’t messed anything up.

Gray glanced down at his watch, groaning when he saw it was already close to four o’clock. It was so late, but he couldn’t really fall asleep like this, sticky with sweat and come.

“Hey, Mr. Experience, I’m going to jump in the shower to rinse off, you coming?”

Gray had to keep himself from laughing at the sheer panic on Natsu’s face, deciding to offer him a way out instead. “You can take your own shower if you want, but it’s late, and it might be nice to fall asleep together.”

He held his hand out, waiting for Natsu to make his decision. It took him a minute, but he grabbed it eventually, following Gray into the bathroom. They bickered about the water temperature as they removed their underwear and threw them into the hamper. Not that that was unexpected, but it took the edge off the awkwardness of being naked in front of the other for the first time, bringing back a sense of familiarity that they both needed after such an eventful night.

Once inside the shower, Gray grabbed his bodywash and poured a large amount onto a pouf, scrubbing himself quickly. He was about to wash his back when Natsu finally made his entrance. He grabbed the pouf out of Gray’s hand and took over, scrubbing his backside all the way down to his feet. Gray grabbed the shampoo and washed his hair quickly, rinsing off once Natsu was done.

Gray turned to face his boyfriend, watching as he scrubbed himself before handing him the pouf and turning around. He returned the favor, amused at Natsu’s behavior, but respecting the boundaries he had set. All of this was still new to him, and Gray knew he had to be patient. Besides, if things went well, there would be plenty of steamy showers in their future.

They dried off and got ready for bed. Gray grabbed two pairs of underwear from his dresser, tossing one to Natsu, who quickly put it on. They climbed into bed, completely exhausted from the long day. Gray pulled the covers over them, and soon they settled into their usual sleeping position of Gray lying on his back while Natsu rested his head on his chest, arm draped casually over his middle.

“Thanks for staying over,” Gray murmured, putting his arm around Natsu and pulling him closer.

But the only response he got was the sound of Natsu’s snores. Gray kissed Natsu’s head, pink hair still damp from the shower, and carrying the scent of his shampoo.

“Good night, my love. Sleep well,” he whispered, a fond smile tugging at his lips.

He closed his eyes, drifting off in no time at all.

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