A Rivalry to Last || Natray / Gratsu

More Than a Rival

Word Count: 724

This is going to be the last chapter, with an epilogue to spice in some more cuddly fluff.

Gray shivered, waking suddenly and bolting upright. His breaths came in pants, and his gaze couldn't stop flitting around the room nervously. The silence of his surroundings only intensified his fear, wrapping a chilling blanket around his consciousness. As suddenly as he had woken, his door was gently pushed open.

"Gray?"

The ice mage quietly cleared his throat, responding in an even quieter voice, "What, flame-brain?"

"I just, well, you uh-"

Gray sighed. Those terrifying images wouldn't leave his mind, and that idiot's rambling would only serve to darken his mood. As he prepared to cut off Natsu with a shove out of his room, the dragon finally got his thoughts together.

"I knew that something was wrong with you. That's why I woke up and I barged in here."

"What? There's nothing wr-"

"Don't lie to me," Natsu demanded in a soft yet harsh voice, looking pouty. "Your scent was different. You smelled...  afraid. Upset." The pink-haired dragon looked bashful, eyes turned towards the floor rather than Gray's surprised expression.

"You can, uh, smell that kind of stuff?" the ice mage asked incredulously.

Natsu didn't return his gaze to Gray's face, beginning to wring his hands awkwardly. "Not always, it's just when I, um..." His signature grin had yet to make an appearance that night, and by the dragon's actions, Gray didn't expect to see it soon.

"Is it the same with the rest of the team?" the mage questioned, wanting to ease the dragon's stress without overthinking his desire to do so. The question seemed to do the opposite, Natsu's face flushing, visible even in the poorly lit room.

"This isn't about me, popsicle!" Natsu exclaimed, tone at odds with his blushing features. His brows furrowed as he sniffed at the air. He gave Gray a piercing look.

"I wasn't-"

"Don't lie, Gray."

The wizard sighed, running a hand across his face. "Nightmare." At the answer, Natsu pouted, moving towards Gray. "That wasn't an invitation, flame-brain."

"Why can't it be?" Natsu asked, laying down on the bed as if he belonged there. In whatever post-dream haze he was in, the ice mage didn't think that was far from the truth. "Cuddle time?"

"How can I say no?" Gray laughed, hearing the concern in Natsu's voice. The dragon was fine now, completely allowed to go home, but he continued to snuggle up in Gray's bed.

"Exactly. Now get over here," he demanded, although it sounded more like a whine.

As soon as he was close enough, the pink-haired male yanked him to the covers and tangled their limbs immediately, shoving his nose into the hollow of his neck in an affectionate manner. Gray raised a hand to play with Natsu's hair, the gesture no longer strange to either mages. His fingers brushed behind one of the dragon's ears, and Natsu released a low purr in response, nuzzling the underside of his jaw. Gray sighed, flashes of his nightmare slowly fading as he cuddled with the fire mage.

"I don't want you to be sad," Natsu whined quietly, clutching his ice princess tighter if that was even possible. As if to prove his point, the body hugging his began radiating a calming heat.

"Don't waste your energy, little lizard," Gray advised, smile curling his lips upwards. He rested his chin on top of pink locks, feeling Natsu's warmth seep into his weary muscles.

"Don't waste your energy scolding me, princess," Natsu answered playfully. How could Gray argue with that? He learned it wasn't worth it, as the stubborn dragon would win in the end. "Gray," Natsu began seriously, "you can tell me when something is wrong."

"You've had enough to worry about besides my nightmares, little flame."

"But you're special to me," the pink-haired male confessed, warming the ice-mage even further with his embarrassment. "I know we were just rivals..."

Gray couldn't help the intake of breath he made audible when Natsu used the past tense. "We're something more than that now," Gray finished confidently to cover his anxiety. Never had the mage been more grateful to have uttered words. Natsu's face had lit up in a beautifully silly grin, his eyes crinkling shut.

"I'm not letting you go now, snowflake," the dragon whispered before cuddling the ice mage closer. There was no place he'd rather be.