#i look so gross here so dont comment okay i know i know I'm embarrassed too but still

[cowardlycowboys]

baby shark presented to u by a VERY professional preschool teacher

[pineappleciders]

hi! im not sure if you did this request already but could you do RW mari, aubrey, hero, and kel walking in on the reader doing SH? idk it will make me very happy since they are my comfort characters and i deal with that stuff and all, but its okay if not! dont sweat it!

CONTENT WARNING: self-harm, blood, suicide blades that kind of thing

A/N: hi anon, i've done similar requests with different characters that you can check out in my masterlist if you'd like!! this is also assuming the SH is cutting, i apologize if it's something else! im also sorry if kel or heros part seems rushed or short i was tired

RW MARI, AUBREY, HERO, and KEL walking in on reader s/hing

MARI

"I'm sorry, may I be excused?"

You were having dinner with MARI and her family. They considered you a close family friend, so often times you'd be spending time with MARI and SUNNY at their home.

Something was said at the dinner table that night.

Getting up and pushing your chair in, you rush up the stairs and close the bathroom door behind you.

Sitting on the toilet, you dig around your bag to find the blade you more often than not carried with you. Not like you planned to do this all the time, but it was helpful to have one on hand.

You hiss and exhale as you cut, and you use the rag in your backpack to slow the bleeding. After all, you wouldn't want to stain their towels or waste any paper.

You hear somewhat loud talking downstairs, and you can make out MARI's voice. She seemed upset, but nobody was yelling. You tear up as you realize she was probably upset with her father for the comment he made. You knew she cared too much. You know she sees right through you.

The talking stops, and footsteps come up the stairs and stop at the bathroom.

"Y/N, can I come in?"

In any other situation, this probably would've been strange for her to ask to come into the bathroom with you. But she knows you better than anyone. You cover up and put your things away.

"Yeah, come in.."

MARI creaks open the door, slides it, and locks it shut. She turns to you, and you stand up. "Y/N, are you alright?" She places her hands on your shoulders.

You blink to hold back your tears. "Yeah.. I'm okay." She sighs and hugs you.

"I'm.. I'm really sorry. He didn't mean to say that, he doesn't think before he speaks sometimes.." MARI wanted to be angry at her dad, but she knew it wasn't worth it.

Pushing your face into her shoulder, you sigh. "MARI, can.. can you help me?" Your eyes dart down to your arm. You didn't want to, but it was bleeding and you needed to stop it.

"Oh, dear.." She takes a cloth from the rack and asks you to roll up your sleeve, to which you comply. She presses it onto the wound gently and holds it.

"Here, hold this. Let me grab some sterile strips," she says, worry in her voice. As she rummages through the cabinet, you can't help but let a few tears fall. This is incredibly embarrassing.

You wanted to go home.

The bleeding stopped, and she bandaged your arm and put disinfectant gel on the wounds. After rolling your sleeve back down, she looked at you deeply in the eye.

"Y/N, I know I can't fix everything, but please talk to me next time instead of doing this. I really don't like seeing you sad."

You could tell MARI wanted to cry, but she kept herself strong for your sake. You've always felt you didn't deserve your friends, but right now you especially felt MARI was too good for you. She didn't deserve to witness this.

She hugged you tightly. "I love you a lot, Y/N. I don't want you to hurt yourself. I'll always be here for you, okay?"

You teared up more and nodded, squeezing her back. "Yeah.. thank you. I love you too."

AUBREY

You quickly open the door to the park bathroom, using the intersex/family one as it was often less crowded than the other ones.

Opening one of the blue stalls, you lock it and sit down on the toilet. Public restrooms were always gross, but you didn't really pay any mind to it. At least, not right now. As you reach into your sock, you examine the drawings and writings on the stall wall. Silly things, doodles, words in a language you didn't know, so on and so forth.

Refocused, you take the razor out of your sock. Today was a day you knew something would happen. Something would go wrong. Something always does. As you make the first swipe, the door opens and someone walks in, with light footsteps. You put your feet up on the toilet and hope they don't try your stall.

You don't hear anything in particular after that. You assume they left, or maybe they're distracted in the mirror. You let your feet down.

Thirty seconds later, you hear a voice you very clearly recognize.

"AUBREY! Come check this out!" The voice of KIM, one of AUBREY's hooligan friends, shouts out. At the sound of AUBREY's name, you freeze up. Did she notice you?

A few seconds pass, and you hear talking outside the bathroom door. It opens, and you don't think you could get sweatier.

"Look at this drawing!" KIM snickered, and AUBREY scoffed. You almost sigh in relief that they haven't seen you yet. You assume that the drawing they're looking at is something inappropriate. Classic KIM.

"Heh. Check out this one, it's really good." AUBREY seemed to point out another drawing, earning an 'oooo' from KIM.

"Well, I'm gonna piss. You can wait for me outside with ANGEL." AUBREY walks away, right into the stall besides you. You hear KIM leave the bathroom.

You thought you were nervous before. This is a whole new level.

What do you do? Do you continue? Do you leave? No, AUBREY's friends will most definitely see you. Do you say something? No way! You don't want to talk right now. You decide to wait it out.

Your shoes are still on the floor from your freeze-up earlier, and you consider putting them up, but AUBREY will sense your movement. Stay still, and she won't see you.

"Y/N?"

Fuck! She saw you!

"AUBREY? Hey.." You try your best to keep your voice composed, but you can't keep it up for long.

"Were you here the entire time?" She asks, and you chuckle. "Yeah.. didn't wanna interrupt."

A moment of silence passes.

"You okay?" She questions.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm chill." You play with the blade in your lap.

Another moment of silence.

"Okay, do you wanna come hang out with me and everyone else? We were gonna head to GINO's."

"Oh, no, I'm good. I have stuff to do, so.."

Yet another moment of silence. It breaks when you hear AUBREY flush, and open her stall door, her feet stopping at yours.

"Can I, uh... can I come in?"

You panic. "Uh, I'm, uhh.. shitting.."

"Your pants aren't down." You've been busted.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, you oblige and unlock the door for her. She steps in, her eyes somewhat averted in the case that you actually were pooping or something.

She looks at you, and you forget you're holding a blade, with a cut seeping blood on your arm. "Holy shit! Are you okay?!" AUBREY freaks out a little, getting closer to you.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Uh.." You fail to find an excuse as AUBREY connects the dots and takes hold of your wrist.

Her eyebrows furrow, and for a second you think she might yell at you. But, she doesn't.

"Fuck, okay, I have a band-aid on me- It won't do much but it's all I got, uh, here let's put some toilet paper on that," AUBREY stumbles to form sentences as she rips off a wad of paper and gently presses it to your wound, still having hold on your wrist with the other hand.

You awkwardly look to the side. "Y/N, I-.. You can talk to me, y'know that, right? We're-we're best friends, I've always.." She sighs, giving up on trying to say anything.

You notice that she seems frustrated, and you nearly break down. Why did you always make people take care of you? Can't you fend for yourself?

AUBREY seems to realize she's making you feel bad, so she regains her composure and leans down to hug you, keeping one hand pressing the paper onto your arm. "I'm sorry. I.. I understand. I don't.. understand everything but.. I understand the urge."

Your eyes burn and you can't help but lean in, taking a whiff of her. She smells surprisingly good. Not in a bad way or anything, but, usually delinquents don't smell like conditioner.

She sighs yet again and leans back up, removing the toilet paper and making sure the cut has stopped bleeding, before applying the band-aid vertically, as if it were a steri strip. She takes a moment to form her words before speaking, a habit MARI had taught her as to not fumble while talking.

"Listen. I know it's been so hard.. But, please, this isn't the right thing to do. It seems like it now, but, it'll only make it worse. Can.. can you tell me next time? If- If you need help, or something.. just call me. I'll be here ASAP." She places her hand on your shoulder while talking, a look of worry on her face.

You blink away any tears that formed, and nod. You want to thank her, but nothing comes out. But, she seems to understand. She seems to know what you want to say.

"Do you.. need some time? That, uh... GINO's offer still stands." She puts her hands in her pockets and looks away sheepishly. A light smile adorns your face, and you chuckle. "Hah, yeah, I'll come. Thank you."

You weren't necessarily saying thank you in response, but you think she knows that. She smiles and takes your hand. "Let's go."

HERO

A patterned knock at your bedroom door sounded throughout the room, filling you with panic.

"Hey, Y/N? Can I come in? I made some pancakes." HERO's voice rang and the door creaked open, as he peeked his head in.

HERO and KEL had decided to spend the night at your place, and they slept in your living room, as your room was far too small to house two people. Unbeknownst to them, you had unintentionally stayed up all night.

You weren't sure why, but you had a total breakdown. Maybe due to seeing your friends again, maybe something else. You're not sure, but it happened. And it just so happens that HERO walked into your room as you were taking care of it.

He stops when he sees you bleeding with a boxcutter in your hand. After hesitating, he quickly sets the breakfast tray down and runs to get presumably medical supplies. He comes back quickly, with a towel and a first-aid kit.

He rushes over to you, and you're still in a state of shock. How do you explain this to him? What if KEL walks in? What if your parents come home? What if he tells-

Your thoughts are interrupted by HERO placing the warm, wet washcloth to your wounds. He had taken the blade away while you were distracted. You're kind of pissed that he asked to come in but came in anyway, despite you not answering. Maybe he thought you were asleep.

The look on his face is sweaty and panicky.

"Hey, u-uh.." He tries to say something, but instead he removes the towel to see the bleeding has stopped, and immediately puts ointment on the wounds and bandages them with gauze.

Nothing can describe how HERO feels right now. This, this was his chance. His chance to help for once.

He.. he had been too late with MARI. But now that he knows you're hurting, maybe, just maybe, he can do better this time.

He sets down the kit and awkwardly sits next to you on the bed. He wants to hug you, but he isn't sure that he should. His eyes keep darting to your wrapped arm.

You avert your gaze, and for a moment an awkward silence fills the air.

When he was patching you up, he had been so hasty, so quickened and anxious. You can only assume why.

He wanted to save you. He wanted to help. You yourself had always blamed yourself for MARI's suicide, but you could only imagine how HERO felt.

"Listen, Y/N.." HERO tries to speak again, but tears prick his eyes. At this point, you feel like you should be comforting him. He takes a few deep breaths and gathers his thoughts.

"Y/N, I.. I know things have been rough these past few years. And, I'm sorry I left for college. I know you and the others have been going through a lot, and.. and I feel like I messed up. It was my responsibility to be there for you all." HERO is playing with his fingers and looking at his lap.

You feel awful. He was always one to blame himself when things went awry.

He sighs. "But.. I'm here now. I care for you and the others a lot.. So please know I'm here for you. Even.. even when I have to go back to school, you can phone me anytime. Or, you could talk to KEL, or-or.. maybe SUNNY. He's a great listener.. They-.. They care for you a lot. Even if they don't show it. We all do."

You feel yourself about to cry. You didn't want to subject anyone to anything that they didn't have to see. They didn't deserve you.

You can't help but reminisce of all the times HERO has been there for you. It wasn't often, but whenever you needed an ear, HERO was there. And you were there for him. He was almost like a big brother.

You wipe your eyes, and he finally pulls you into a hug, patting your head and rubbing it.

"I'm here, OK? We all are."

You cry into his shirt and grip it, and he holds you tight. It had been so long since you've had a HERO hug.

Eventually you pull away and he smiles at you. "You still want pancakes? I can re-heat the food if you'd like." He suggests, eyeing your plate. He was planning to bring you breakfast in bed.

You smile as well. "I'd like that."

KEL

You sit in your chair in your room, a razor blade in hand. You were really going to do this again, weren't you? You couldn't help it. Not under stress.

With each swipe, you hold a towel to ease the bleeding, then continue. You weren't sure how your parents hadn't noticed the blood stains all over your laundry. Maybe they did, but haven't brought it up yet.

Hearing a few voices downstairs, you grow uneasy, and your nervousness grows as you hear footsteps come up the stairs. If that was your father, you wouldn't hear the end of it. Your door was locked, though.

Or at least, you think it is.

A couple loud knocks at your door make you jump, and a sing-songy voice rings your ears.

"Oh, Y/N!! Guess what I have!!!" Your heart drops at the voice of your friend KEL. Oh dear.. now was not the time.

You don't respond. Maybe your best bet was to tell him to leave or say 'not right now', but your brain told you to freeze, and that's what you did.

"Y/N? Are you in there?" He says, his voice growing a but quieter. He tests the door, and you're fucked. A bright looking KEL stands in your doorway.

"There you are! Guess what I...." His voice trails off, and his grip on one of the older CAPT. SPACEBOY comics loosens in his grip. You turn to him and try to cover up.

"KEL? Hey, man.. Uh..." You try to say to come back another time, but he's already seen it.

His face grows with worry. "Are you okay?" He sounds genuinely concerned, and it tugs at your heart strings. You don't know what to say.

He very slowly walks into your room, setting the comic book on your dresser and approaching you in your chair, looking down at you.

His height is almost intimidating from this angle. Almost.

"Do.. do you need help?" KEL was a little unsure how to go about this situation. On one hand, he wanted to help you mentally, to talk it out and get you help. On the other, he wanted to run away. To leave you to your own. But he won't do that.

No, you need help.

You want to cry.

He skips away a bit, and starts running to your bathroom to grab stuff. "I'll be right back!" He shouts.

Returning with a couple Hello Kitty themed band-aids, and anti bacterial ointment, he kneels down.

"Can.. Can I touch you?"

You have to congratulate KEL for maturing. Although it might not seem like it from the outside, KEL's changed a lot. He's more aware of personal space now, you note.

You nod and try to avert your eyes as he applies the ointment and puts the band-aids over your wounds to close them up. He lingers on one knee after he's done, and starts chewing his cheek. You can see the gears turning in his head.

"I, um.. do you wanna talk about it?" KEL really wanted to know how you felt. He wanted to help, he wanted to know what was making you hurt yourself. But he just couldn't ask.

Your bottle bursts and you start to cry. He immediately wraps his arms around you once you fall into his chest, ranting and sobbing.

You really didn't care if he didn't get a word you said. You were so grateful to have someone like him in your life, and you couldn't express it enough.

He lets you talk, and doesn't say a word. Small, simple pats and rubs of your back and knowing he hears you is enough comfort. KEL never liked it when people cried.

You sit up and wipe your face, noticing the snot and tears on KEL's shirt. Oops..

"Hey.. I.. I know we're all struggling. These past few years have been rough, and I know.. I know you have your own problems. So anytime you want to, you can talk to me. Or just hang out. Or, I don't know, we can do.. whatever. But, um, when you wanna do this again, let me know, OK?" He takes a breath.

"I, uh.. I know I don't say it often, but I really care about you. A lot. So, please talk to me." He ends his sentence with a soft smile, and you can see his eyes full of hurt.

You tear up again and hug him. "Yeah, yeah. Okay. Thank you, KEL."

He gives a genuine smile, and you swear he lights up a room with his face. "Of course. Now, about that comic!"

[splendidlyimperfect]

For @oceanwaves-blog, because you are lovely person and sometimes life can be rough, but we always have people who care about us.

Summary: Gray's not feeling great, so Natsu comes up with a surprise to help him feel better. Rating: General Audiences Pairings: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Depression, Music, Inspired by Music, Family Feels, chosen family, sweet husbands, Best Friends, Fluff, minor hurt/comfort, Happy Ending, Gray's a bit depressed, but Natsu's a good husband

“You okay, Snowflake?”

Natsu slipped up behind Gray in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Gray’s waist and kissing the back of his neck. Gray sighed, leaning back into the embrace and putting his hand over Natsu’s on his stomach.

“I dunno,” he said quietly, waiting for the hiss of the Keurig to stop before grabbing his coffee mug. He didn’t turn around, just ran his thumb over the back of Natsu’s hand and stared at the tiles along the counter. “Just tired.”

“You always say that when you’re sad,” Natsu murmured against Gray’s neck. He pulled Gray tighter against him and kissed behind his ear. “I love you.”

“Love you too, mon coeur,” Gray said softly. “I dunno, I’ve just been... work is stressful and stupid things are getting to me.” He rubbed his face, then took a sip of his coffee. “My shoulder’s been hurting which is dumb cause it’s been seventeen years.”

“Not dumb,” Natsu said, taking Gray’s hand and placing it on his scarred left arm. “This still hurts sometimes too.” Gray ran his fingers gently down Natsu’s forearm and across his wrist. “I’m sorry you’re feeling shitty,” Natsu added. “Anything I can do?”

“Mm.” Gray set his coffee down and turned around slowly in the circle of Natsu’s arms. Natsu gave him a soft smile and leaned in for a kiss. “Kisses are good.”

“You guys are so sweet it’s disgusting.” They both looked up to see Sylvie standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a smile on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. Gray laughed, letting go of Natsu and moving over to hug Sylvie.

“That’s new,” Natsu commented, kissing Sylvie on the cheek and pointing to the ring in her septum. “What’s your mom think?”

“She thinks you’re a bad influence,” Sylvie said, rolling her eyes and gesturing to Natsu’s own piercings. Natsu laughed, leaning back against the counter. “It’s better now that I’m in the college dorms, though. We fight less.”

“Told you,” Natsu said. “You want a coffee before we head out, or you ready to rock?”

“Already stopped at Starbucks, your frappucino is in the car.” Sylvie grinned.

“You’re my favorite niece,” Natsu said. “Don’t tell Kiya or Ada.” Then he turned and pulled Gray into another quick hug. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Gray said, kissing Natsu’s forehead. “I’ve got a bunch of work stuff I’ve gotta get through. Go have fun with your music.”

“’kay.” Natsu waited until Sylvie was back at the front door before pressing another soft kiss to Gray’s lips. “Text me if you need anything, okay? Je t’aime.”

Gray sighed, pressing his face into Natsu’s hair before letting him go. “Je t’aime aussi.”

~*~*~*~

“Why do you have Uncle Gray’s meeting notes?”

Sylvie stood in the middle of Ryos and Sting’s basement, frowning at the sheaf of papers on Natsu’s chair. There were several crumpled pages, covered with Gray’s neat handwriting and various doodles in the margins.

“’cause I have an idea,” Natsu replied, grabbing another chair. He turned it around, straddling it and crossing his arms over the back. “But I need your help.”

Sylvie raised an eyebrow and Natsu grabbed one of the pages, pointing at the doodles - they were actually lines of music that Gray had written. “I wanna learn to play this,” Natsu said, “but I can’t read music, it’s almost as bad as reading books.” He made a face. “If you play it on the piano, I can pick it up by ear, though.”

Sylvie took the music from Natsu and glanced over it. Sting appeared behind her, peeking over her shoulder and shaking his head.

“This is why I play the drums,” he muttered. “No music.”

Sylvie started humming under her breath, fingers following the hand-drawn staffs and notes that Gray had scribbled down.

“C’mere,” she said, gesturing for Natsu to grab his guitar and come sit next to the piano. She sat down and hovered her fingers over the keys, tapping out a few wrong notes before falling into a rhythm. She played the first few lines twice, then turned to Natsu, who closed his eyes and started picking it out on the guitar.

“How do you do that?” Sting asked, leaning against the piano and watching Natsu’s fingers dance over the strings as he corrected himself.

Natsu shrugged. “It just sounds right,” he said. He plucked out the melody a few more times, then nodded for Sylvie to keep going.

Half an hour and some creative flourishes later, Natsu was able to play the song from memory. He switched over to the electric guitar, fiddling with the setting on the amp before running through it again.

“I’m pretty sure this was supposed to be a classical piece,” Sylvie said, kicking her feet up on a chair and twirling a strand of purple hair around her finger. Natsu grinned at her, running through a quick series of notes and ending on a loud chord.

“It’s more fun like this,” Natsu argued, looking up at Sylvie and Sting. “Now all it needs is some drums and bass.”

~*~*~ 

Gray sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. The comptuer screen was making his head hurt, and part of him desperately wanted a nap. He wished Natsu were home.

As if reading his thoughts, a text popped up on his phone.

hey snowflake, hows work? u wanna come for super? ryos is maknig that pasta u like. but if u dont wanna be with ppl i can come home. love u. <3

Gray smiled, tapping his fingers against the phone screen as he contemplated the question. He glanced out the window – it was still light out, and the drive to Ryos and Sting’s place would take him along the beach. And as much as he felt like curling up under the blankets right now, spending time with friends was probably a better idea.

The sun was just setting as Gray drove along the beach, soft layers of gold and pink slowly slipping behind the curve of the park behind him. It helped calm Gray’s nerves, and by the time he got to Ryos and Sting’s place, he was already feeling better.

“Hey, you,” Ryos said as he opened the door. He examined Gray’s face, then pulled him into a hug. “Bad day?”

Gray shrugged, returning the embrace and then leaning back to kick off his shoes. He resisted the urge to repeat the usual just tired, and instead said, “sorta.”

“Well, I made linguine,” Ryos said, motioning for Gray to follow him into the kitchen. “They’ve been downstairs all afternoon, I haven’t seen them since they got here. You want something to drink?” He opened the fridge and gestured to the bottles of beer in the door.

Gray shook his head. “Not supposed to drink with the new meds,” he said, settling down at the kitchen table and fiddling with the napkin on his plate.

“Are they helping at all?” Ryos asked, grabbing the water jug from the fridge and setting it on the table.

“I dunno.” Gray shrugged. “It’s only been a week, it’s hard to tell. I still feel weird about taking them, which is dumb because Natsu’s been on meds for forever.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryos said, sitting down across from Gray. “I hope they help.”

“Me too,” Gray said softly.

The door to the basement opened and Natsu popped his head out, smiling when he saw Gray.

“Hey, handsome,” he said, moving over and kissing Gray’s head. “I knew you wouldn’t say no to pasta.”

Dinner was comfortable and familiar, and Gray felt some of the melancholy slip away as they ate and traded stories back and forth. Sylvie talked animatedly about her mechanical engineering program, and Natsu teased her about the guy she was dating.

“You still think kissing is gross?” he asked, laughing. Sylvie rolled her eyes at him, sticking out her tongue.

“You know I do,” she said, grabbing another slice of garlic toast. “And so does he.”

“Have Ur and Xavier met him yet?” Gray asked around a mouthful of salad. Sylvie shook her head.

“I was actually thinking of bringing him for brunch on Sunday,” she said. “I just hope papa doesn’t embarrass me.” When Sting raised his eyebrows at her, she elaborated. “He wore socks with sandals to Félix’s graduation last week.”

“The horror,” Ryos mumbled from behind his wine glass.

“It was atrocious,” Sylvie muttered.

~*~*~

After dinner, Natsu grabbed Gray’s hand and pulled him toward the basement.

“C’mere,” he said, “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Gray frowned, but followed Natsu down the stairs into the practice space they’d set up. Natsu and Gray had spent a weekend helping Ryos and Sting soundproof and paint it, and they kept all of their instruments there.

“Go sit,” Natsu said, nudging Gray toward the couch. Ryos sat down as well, kicking his legs up over Gray’s lap and watching as Sting settled down behind the drums. Natsu grabbed his guitar and fiddled with the amp a bit, while Sylvie did the same with her bass.

“What song is it?” Gray asked, tipping his head back against the couch cushions.

“Surprise,” was all Natsu said. He did some quick tuning, then settled down on the stool and began to play.

Gray watched, fascinated, as Natsu’s fingers flew across the fret, dancing through a ridiculous progression of notes that ended in a loud chord. It was quickly followed by Sylvie and Sting joining in.

The song was bright, energy flowing through the notes, and Gray tapped his fingers against Ryos’ legs to the beat. They were almost thirty seconds into the song when Gray realized it was his music.

“I... wrote this,” he said softly, and Ryos raised an eyebrow at him. “H-how...”

Natsu’s eyes were closed now, and Gray knew he was playing from memory, fingers picking out each note. Natsu had described it to Gray once as colors, splashes of light that jumped out at him and dragged his fingers to the right places.

Gray’s face softened as he watched, memories surfacing of Natsu at seventeen, curled up in the corner of the youth center with his acoustic guitar, hair falling in his face while he played. He was always so gentle with his instruments, even when he was dancing riffs down the fret of the electric guitar. Gray thought of those hands on him, tracing circles on his arms, curling in his hair.

Natsu was gorgeous, and Gray was so, so lucky.

The song ended on a flourish, and Natsu bit his lip ring as he looked up at Gray while the final chord rang in the air. Gray realized his cheeks were wet and he wiped them quickly.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Natsu said softly as he set down the guitar and moved to the couch, crouching down in front of Gray and running his hands up and down Gray’s thighs. Ryos slipped out of the way, giving Gray and Natsu some space.

“You stole my notes,” Gray said softly, reaching out and brushing Natsu’s bangs out of his eyes.

“I did,” Natsu said, sliding onto the couch next to Gray. He kissed Gray’s cheek, then rested his head on Gray’s shoulder. “Did you like it?”

“Of course I did,” Gray whispered, sliding his fingers between Natsu’s and squeezing his hand tightly. “You’re amazing.” He sniffed, looking up at the other three, who were all pretending not to look. “Thank you,” he said, loud enough for Sting and Sylvie to know he was talking to them as well.

“It was fun,” Sylvie said, plopping down on Gray’s other side and snuggling up next to him. Gray sighed, leaning his head against hers and feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for the little girl who used to climb into his lap and demand he read to her. “But I told Uncle Natsu it was supposed to be a classical piece.”

Gray snorted. “I don’t think he’d play classical music if you paid him,” he said, and Natsu nodded in agreement. “And it sounded good.” Hearing Natsu’s interpretation of his notes was... Gray couldn’t think of a word to describe it.

“Well, you know what that means,” Natsu said, bringing Gray’s hand to his lips and kissing it. Gray raised an eyebrow at him, and Natsu smiled. “You’re just gonna have to write more music for us.”