Gratsu Week 2018

Caught

Natsu's heart pounded in his chest as he hid. The forest might be his playground, but this was unlike anything he'd ever faced. He couldn't smell them, couldn't hear them, and if he could see them, then they were too close.

Several places across his body were bleeding, but they were all too shallow to be more than a minor annoyance.

He trembled slightly as he struggled to control his breathing, the ragged sound much quieter than a normal person's would be. "It's still too loud." He immediately switched to breathing through his mouth. It wasn't much quieter, but it was something. "Everything is something."

The tree he was sitting in didn't so much as a creak as he sat in one of its highest branches, and the foliage was thick enough to hide his obnoxious pink hair. He closed his eyes and listened to the world around him uselessly. The silence and smell charms had done their job well.

He only had his instincts to rely on now.

He climbed back down the tree carefully and silently, just as Igneel taught him. Once he was on the ground, he dropped onto all fours. Igneel's instructions echoed in his head, "Spread your weight out, Natsu. You'll make less noise that way. Use only your fingers and toes if you can." His steps were slow and quiet, just like the predator Igneel had raised him to be.

Eventually he made it back to the edge of the forest, and the open field seemed to glare right back at him. The town was on the other side, but to get there he'd have to run through it. "There's no cover if I go through there. If I'm hit, I'm down, and they're fast enough that I won't have a chance to get back up."

Unfortunately, this was his only option.

The slayer took a deep breath and returned to his feet. "I only have one shot at this."

The wind whipped by him as he took off. His feet hitting the ground were creating a deafening amount of noise. "I'll be found. I'll be found and then I'm done for." His sandal almost instantly caught on a root, and the pinkette was sent face first into the ground.

The air beside him turned frigid, and he only had a single second to roll sideways before he was looking at a wall of ice.

Then there were fingers jabbing into his sides and a familiar weight on his back. Laughter bubbled out of his mouth before he could stop it, and Gray became relentless. Cold lips brushed against the shell of Natsu's ear, "Did you really think you could get away with stealing my food, Ash-for-Brains?"

"Gra-a-a-a-ay!" Natsu struggled to throw the ice mage off of him, but eventually he managed to flip them. He pinned Gray's arms to the side as he sat on his boyfriend's stomach, face flushed and still laughing. His breathing was heavy and shaking between the giggles that still escaped, "I- I hate you."

Gray slipped his arms out of the slayer's weak pin and pulled him forwards. Natsu collapsed on Gray's chest, and the ice mage wrapped his arms around the motionless pinkette. "No you don't," he whispered into the other's ear.

"At the moment I do," Natsu hissed back at him, and Gray pulled him into a kiss. "Maybe a little less now," he mumbled against the other's lips.

"So how'd you get all the scrapes?" Gray asked with a smirk, "did you-"

"Yes, I fell for you. Multiple times, now shut up." Natsu kissed him again, this time making sure the ice mage wouldn't be able to talk in between.

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Did you like the plot twist? Because I sure as hell did. It's been a long day, and I'm om day three of no sleep, so take this and enjoy.

As always:

Constructive criticism is always welcome, and if you find a typo, don't hesitate to point it out!

Reviews/comments are my 90% motivation.

Love you guys,

-Jinx