A Fairy Tail Gratsu.

Narrators PoV

Once he'd declined Porlyusica's offer of a hot drink, Natsu rushed to Gray's side, wincing as the pain of his heat hit him full force again. This room was specially reserved for those few lucky wizards Porlyusica deemed 'decent enough to deserve her talent'. Gray was lying on the only bed, unconscious. His breathing sounded weak and ragged, and a strange collection of scents lingered on the ice-make wizard's skin.

At least four other people, middle aged men by the scent of them, a lingering fear scent from Gray, and two particular scents that Natsu never, ever wanted to smell on his friend again. Ever. Just by the smell, Natsu could tell exactly what had happened to the Ice Devil Slayer, but like hell was he going to say anything out loud, that was up to Gray. If and when Gray woke up, if Gray decided to tell Natsu what happened, it would be on His own terms, not Natsu's.

     Natsu could hear Porlyusica telling the two girls and happy the details of Gray's condition, but he wasn't really listening. He was deep in his thoughts. The effects of his heat had significantly lessened when he'd been in his Etherious Form, but in his human shape, it came back as agonisingly as before. Fighting back the crippling pain, he placed a gentle hand on Gray's face, a silent tear sliding down his cheek.

    "Hey Natsu." Lucy says to her best friend softly, pulling up a chair to sit next to Natsu beside Gray's bed. Natsu tilts his head in acknowledgment, refusing to tear his eyes from his rival's face. Gray looked so peaceful when he was asleep, but right know, all Natsu wanted was for Gray to wake up and punch him or hug him, or maybe both. Yeah, both...

    "Natsu....." Lucy whispered gently, placing a worried hand on his shoulder. The fire wizard shook his head softly, speaking so quietly, Lucy could barely hear him.

     "By rights, he shouldn't be here, Luce." Natsu paused, gulping back the fear in his voice. "I can smell everything on him. But I can't smell food, or water. They... they starved him Luce..." Natsu paused again, flames flickering over his skin as he allowed his rage to show. "I heard Porlyusica, he's badly dehydrated. And sealing himself in ice nearly... nearly... he couldn't breath Luce." Natsu's voice cracked as he let Lucy see just how scared he was for his friend.

   "Natsu...." Lucy whispered back, wrapping her arms around him gently. "She said the bruises and cuts are suspicious. She thinks whoever captured Gray tried to kill him. Slowly." Lucy's voice shook with emotion. She had a bad feeling that if Natsu caught a scent of these criminals, they would be lucky to receive swift ends. She could see the fire in Natsu's eyes. He was furious. Wendy appears beside the two, ignoring them as she uses her sky Dragon Slayer magic to heal the weakened Ice Mage as much as she can.

   An eternity passed as the warm blue glow surrounded Gray's weak body. Wendy starts going pale, as she works stronger enchantments over the Ice Wizard. Eventually, she sits back, eating the air around her to restore her magic. Another ten minutes pass, Wendy continuing with her healing after regaining her magic, until she stops abruptly. Natsu jumps out of his seat, pushing Lucy away, glaring at Wendy.

    "Why'd you stop Wendy? Is he ok? What's with that face?" Natsu panicked, glancing from Wendy to Gray and back. Happy decided then was the best time to land on Natsu's head, which made Natsu jump violently and nearly fall over.

    "He's very weak, Natsu. I've done my best, but it might be a while before he recovers. The lack of air might have done something permanent, but we won't know until he's fully recovered. He probably won't be able to walk that well either, his body is still really weak..." Wendy explains, backing away from Natsu as his skin lights itself on fire again.

    "Uh Natsu? That's not your magic is it?" Wendy stuttered, surprised her friend was able to use his curses in human form. She hadn't realised he could do that. The flames instantly died down, Natsu apologising. The fire wizard turns away and busies himself with making up a watery solution using vegetables that he pilfers from Porlyusica's cupboard. Using his fire curses to boil the solution until it's soft enough to pass as watery soup, he gently drips the solution into Gray's mouth, massaging the neck to encourage swallowing rather than choking.

    Porlyusica, Wendy and Lucy watch with mild shock and curiosity as Natsu nurses the unconscious young man, giving the ice Mage the tiniest drops of the nutritious liquid each time to prevent choking. It was almost as if the fire wizard had done this before, but all three were sure he hadn't. At least, not whilst any of them had been around. Maybe it had something to do with his seemingly instinctively caring behaviour?

    "Wow Natsu! Who knew you could be so... so...." Lucy commented, not wanting to insult Natsu by saying the word she was actually thinking. Wendy giggled, seeing Natsu behave like her Grandeeney was cute and funny. She also realised that if this... nurturing side to Natsu was revealed to the guild, he'd never live it down, especially as it was Gray he was currently tending to.

   "You're acting like a worried mother Natsu!" Wendy tittered, blue eyes gleaming mischievously. Her rut was mild, considering she was so young. Most Dragon slayers started getting effected by mating season either four years after learning their magic, or at thirteen, whichever took longer. Her first real rut would be next mating season, so it was safe for her to be around Natsu for now. Although picking a fight with Gajeel had been fun...

     Wendy left, heading back home to Fairy Hills, and Lucy also left, feeling Natsu needed to be left alone for a while. Porlyusica placed a hand on the Dragon Slayers shoulder once the girls had left, silently letting him know she was there if she needed him. Then she spoke, quietly, in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.

      "He'll be ok, you know that, right? Natsu?" The Demon ignored her, choosing to gaze at the Ice Wizards sleeping face instead. For all the times Natsu had fought Gray, he'd never looked too closely, knowing damned well, even before his first heat, that he was as straight as a damned circle. He'd feared his own emotions, so bottled them away and suffered in silence, terrified of scaring away the only close friend he had. Not that you could tell by looking at him and Gray, heck, they spent more time destroying the guild fighting each other than going on jobs.

         "Natsu, are you even listening? Do I have to hit you with my broom?"

        "Witch" Natsu mumbled in response, before gazing at Gray again. Porlyusica continued to talk, though she was almost certain the idiot Fire Dragon Slayer wasn't listening.

     "His body will heal, but I can smell others on him. His mind may be hurt too." She warned, half expecting Natsu to confirm the scents, but getting nothing but silence from him. She shrugged. For how much she hated humans altogether, she was scarily fond of these two. They reminded her of herself when she was still a teenager back in Edolas.

"Hey, are you even listening?" Porlyusica scolded, noticing the blank expression on Natsu's face. She sighed, got up from her chair, and left the room, only to return moments later with her yard broom. She swung it with practiced ease and accuracy, hitting Natsu on the head...

.....or at least, it would have, if Natsu hadn't caught the broom in his left hand, his right hand still caressing Gray's face gently. Sharp, narrow green eyes focused on Porlyusica suddenly, daring her to try that again.

"I was listening, I just... don't feel like talking right.... ow... now." Natsu told her snatching the broom off of the old healer and placing beside Gray's bed, watching her wearily as he winced in pain. His heat hurt him, so much! He needed Gray, so much! But he couldn't have him, not now. All Natsu could do was make sure the popsicle got better.