When We Take Different Paths 2018

Brave Through Fear - Gray x Natsu

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

When We Take Different Paths- Week 2- MLM/Slash

Pairing: Natsu x Gray

Prompt: Tired

Brave Through Fear

Gray Fullbuster, Fairy Tail's resident ice mage was looking for his rival and sometimes boyfriend, Natsu Dragneel. It had been hours since he had last seen him and that was unusual. Lunch time had come and gone and he still hadn't made an appearance at the guild.

After searching for what seemed like hours he finally came upon him sitting on the edge of a ravine and staring out at the horizon. Natsu's face was unreadable and that in itself was strange. Natsu was usually a ray of sunshine so bright that Gray had no choice but to punch him just to avoid being blinded.

"Hey, Flame-Brain." Gray said, a slight edge to his voice making his words sound harsher than he intended. "Lucy's looking for you. She wants you to take her on a job so she can make rent."

"Why don't you take her?" Natsu replied in a monotone voice, his gaze never moving from whatever had captured his attention.

"It's unlike you to not go running when she calls."

"Did you come here just to try to pick a fight with me?" Natsu said in that same wooden voice. "Cause if you did, you can just go back to the guild. I'm not in the mood."

Gray was taken aback. Natsu Dragneel did not shy away from a fight - implied or otherwise.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Gray asked gruffly as he sat next to his off again boyfriend, giving himself enough space to brace in case Natsu tried to push him off.

Natsu's silence was louder than any yell Gray could have been expecting. It set him on edge, he wasn't good at the whole comforting bullshit, that was more of a Lucy -- Natsu thing. He and Erza were more of the effusive pat on the shoulder and keep a stiff upper lip philosophy. He certainly couldn't pat Natsu's shoulder here, not with the precarious way he was sitting and that left him with rather limited options. So he remained silent, waiting for Natsu to speak.

Natsu finally broke the silence. 'Why are you still here, Ice Block?"

"I told you, Lucy wants you to go on a job with her."

"Fine, you've told me. Now go away."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong." Gray said stubbornly, he hated to admit it but he was becoming a bit worried.

"Suit yourself." Natsu replied and went right back to staring at nothing.

Fine, two can play this game! Gray thought to himself, I can sit here and stare at nothing just as long as he can. Hell, I can probably do it for longer.

He smiled to himself as he got himself ready to out-sit Natsu, after all anything Natsu could do he could certainly do better. He drummed his fingers restlessly against his thigh. When that ceased to be entertaining, he thought of a song his mother had sung to him when he was young and began to hum it over and over, a small smile touching his lips as he saw Natsu begin to twitch in irritation.

"Can you please just go?" Natsu finally asked and this time some emotion crept in, but it wasn't annoyance. Gray wasn't really sure what it was, it was something new and it concerned him because he thought he knew everything there was to know about Natsu.

"No." Gray said softly, "I'm here aren't I? Talk to me."

Natsu turned to look at him and that's when Gray finally saw it. Natsu looked tired, but it wasn't your typical lack of sleep tired. No, this was soul weary to the bone tired and it shocked Gray more than he cared to admit. The only other person he'd seen look like this was Gramps after the Battle of Fairy Tail, when he expelled Laxus from the guild.