Love is not how you forget, but how you forgive. Not how you listen, but how you understand. Not how you see, but how you feel and not how you let go, but how you hold on.

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"What do you want, Natsu?"

The aforementioned man stared at his former friend in barely concealed surprise. His words were hard and his eyes cold, causing a shiver to involuntarily surge though him. The raven had never sent him such a hateful look before and the fighter felt his stomach drop.

"So… How are you enjoying the party…?"

He was met with silence as the raven merely moved over to the far wall and leaned against it before crossing his arms, his eyes anywhere but at the other occupant in the room.

"What kind of half assed question is that?" Gray sneered, obviously in no mood to even attempt to engage in a civil conversation, "It sucks, but I know for a fact that that's not what the girls locked us in here to talk about."

Natsu was bluntly ignoring the elephant in the room and it did nothing more than irritate the black haired man even more. The only thing he wanted to do was get whatever this is done, leave and get some sleep before the competition tomorrow.

"Yeah, you're right about that…" The pinkette paused, a tan hand coming up to absentmindedly rub the back of his head. He was never very good at sentimental things and apologizing for being a bastard was, unfortunately, one of them. He hated apologizing, however he knew that in this situation it was long due.

"Look, I really am… You, know, sorry and all, Gray…"

"Sure."
"I am."

"I know."

"You don't believe me."

Gray was silent.

"What will it take for me to get that through to you, Ice Bastard?!"
Natsu's temper began to rise at the continued silence, his fists clenching at his sides as he narrowed his eyes at the apathetic looking ice sculptor. His green eyes bored into his old friend and he tried once again to question the man.

"Why won't you believe me?"

"I don't believe liars."
"I ain't lying!"

"Sure."
With an indignant huff the pinkette stalked towards the raven, grabbing the front of his shirt roughly as he glared at him,

"Answer me, god dammit! Talk to me! Say something! Anything! Please…"
Emerald eyes shone with barely concealed anger, frustration, and impatience and… Sadness…

Gray couldn't help but blink, wondering if that last emotion was merely perceived by his imagination. After all, Natsu was an arrogant, happy go lucky bastard who never felt pity for anything he did. He had to have had made a mistake…

But he didn't. No matter how many times he blinked owlishly at the man that same glint remained, threatening to take over the tanned man's entire demeanor.

Was it… Did he really regret what he did…?

Still he remained quiet, knowing that as it was silence was really his only weapon against the man who served to be nothing more than the bane of his existence. The only thing that Natsu wanted was answers and as it stood Gray was in control; holding everything that the other wanted so badly to learn.

He'd be damned if he'd willingly informed Natsu of more information that he could (and no doubt would) so shamelessly use against him just like he did in their younger years. After all, the fighter's favorite way of bullying him was to remind him of his obvious lack of physical strength, the one flaw of the raven that his so called best friend knew he was so self-conscious of.

Silence was the ultimate weapon that he refused to lower.

Seeming to sense the other's refusal to even respond to his demands (Or were they pleas?) he tried again,

"Damn, you must really hate me, don't you, Ice freak?" The pinkette quirked his lips into a slight, feigned smile, "I don't blame you if you do… I never have…"
His grip on Gray's red shirt seemed to slacken as an almost indecisive look crossed his face, leaving the raven with the perfect opportunity to shove the man away from him. The ice sculptor's mouth was pulled down into a distasteful frown as he carefully regarded the pinkette who took to only staring blankly at him in return, not resisting the shove he received at all.

"I- I don't hate you…"

The words were uttered softly, seemingly not to be heard by anyone other than their owner, however luck was far from on the new Sabertooth member's side for Natsu heard them loud and clear, taking him by surprise.

They seemed to echo within his mind, causing an unbelievable sense of ease to consume him.

He didn't hate him.

Gray didn't hate him.

There was still hope, however meager.

"You don't hate me?"

Cold blue eyes flickered from the tanned man to the wall right behind him.

"…No… But that also doesn't mean I like you…" The raven hastily added at the sudden look of excitement blossoming on the pinkette's face.

"But you don't hate me."

Regardless of how much Gray wanted to deny it he knew it was futile. Not only did he just admit aloud that he did not hate the man, but he also knew that it was true. While he certainly did not like the pink haired man he also did not despise him as much as he wished he did.

In truth Gray supposed that he never truly managed to convince himself to step over the line of hatred, however he had to admit that he did waver over it several times prior, especially the days when the bullying became especially excessive or cruel. He wanted to hate Natsu. He wanted to curse the very ground the idiot treaded on.

God did he want to.

It would have made everything so much easier.

But he couldn't. He never could.

It made him want to hate the man all the more.

"I don't."

Immediately a grin erupted on the pinkette's face and he stepped closer to his old friend,

"Then join Fairy Tail again! Everyone wants you back. After you showed yourself in the Grand Magic Games Fairy Tail went insane! All the old members… They remember you! They were so happy to find you alive and… They want to see you. Gramps told them to leave you alone at the party because he didn't want them to overwhelm you and all, but they want you to come back."

"I already told you I'm not coming back, Natsu."

"What?" Just as swiftly as the grin came it fled as the Dragon Slayer stared at his friend in befuddlement, "Why not?! We can be friends again, just like old times now!"

"Nothing has changed, Natsu. I only said I didn't hate you, it doesn't mean that I like you or even want to be your friend again. Fairy Tail is in the past and I don't plan on ever going back."
"Gray I-…"

"You what, Natsu? You're sorry? You regret what you did when we were younger?" He snickered and let out a hollow chuckle, "Save your breath, I've heard it all before. Your apologies don't mean shit to me. They didn't when we were younger and they sure as hell don't now. Give it up. Give me up."

"Like hell I will. I won't lose you again."
You never had me to lose.

I was never yours to lose.

Yet still you somehow managed to make me feel lost, didn't you?

"Your home is Fairy Tail." He seethed, now only centimeters from the raven, "No matter what you say, no matter what you do, you will always be from Fairy Tail. You are a member of Fairy Tail, Gray. You never were officially pardoned."

It was true and Gray knew it. He supposed that was why it was so hard for him to forget.

In order to be truly taken out of Fairy Tail you had to go to the Master and agree to several conditions before you were considered out of Fairy Tail. Gray had never done that.

Instead he had merely left once he found Ur and decided to put everything behind him; he would start new. He vowed to forget Fairy Tail and his so called friends and, in turn, become a great fighter in order to get revenge for his parents. Once he was strong enough to beat Ur he was going to hunt down Deliora and kill him just as he had done his parents and very nearly him.

But only days after his attack on his family Deliora merely bombed a town before disappearing; becoming nothing more than a cold case that not even the best detectives could crack.

He left without a trace and just like that all Gray's new dreams and ambitions were shattered.

"That doesn't matter."

"Yes it does! Your still a part of us whether you like it or not."
"No, Natsu, I'm not."

"Yes you are! You've changed, Gray, you're so god damn cold now; even colder than you used to be. You won't even look at me or anyone else besides that damn albino for more than five seconds. You act like you hate the world or something!"

Well, if the shoe fits…

"Lyon is my family." The raven stated idly, crossing his arms over his now ruffled shirt (a curtesy of Natsu's rude grab of the poor fabric) and gave the other a feigned bored look, "You know, Natsu, brothers aren't assholes to one another… All the time… They don't leave the other out to dry just because they are too big of a wuss to stand up for themselves or their family. You were never a part of my family, don't even try to say that. You never gave a damn about what happened to me so long as you were still the cool younger cousin of lightning breath and metal head. What do you really know about family?"

"More than you ever did." Natsu's eyes narrowed at his once friend, his anger returning at the others rude implications, regardless of how true deep down he knew they were, "At least I wasn't so cold to everyone all the time. I was arrogant but not as bad as you. You always thought you were so high and mighty and you weren't."

Natsu couldn't say how he did it but Gray always managed to get a rise out of him, especially when they were younger.

Back when they were teenagers Natsu was haughty, there was no doubt about that, however Gray was always worse than he was. He wasn't as cynical as he seemed to be now, but he also wasn't as excited and personable as the dragon slayer was. Instead he always seemed to want to be alone or with the pinkette; never showing any fondness for being around too many people at once.

Though now that he thought about it he wondered if being bullied was the reasoning behind his self-imposed solitude and faulty arrogance.

"Well Natsu, when I had a friend like you who needed enemies?" Gray spat, his rigid disposition returning full force as he glowered at the other man, "I wanted to be alone because even when I was with you I was ridiculed, so excuse me if I wanted a freaking minute to myself. And what were my other options for friendships? Laxus? Gajeel? Please, you spent so much time kissing their ass you never saw their true colors. Unlike you I could."

The raven had to fight back a snicker as he recalled all the times they had 'hung out' with the older kids. Natsu had always insisted on befriending his cousins with the naïve hope of them accepting them into their group. He spent so much time following their shadows in hopes of becoming like them that he never saw their real faces.

But Gray, he had learned at a young age that they weren't what they seemed to be. He had accidentally stepped outside of their shadow when their bulling first started and he was startled to find that they weren't as cool and badass as Natsu and he had believed originally. Instead they were monsters; leeching off the ones they deemed to be weak in order to make themselves feel stronger; superior.

But of course the pinkette never saw that, or at the very least he turned a blind eye to it. He wanted so much to be respected and admired by them that he put his friendship with Gray on the line.

Was he really so ignorant as to believe that that decision would have no repercussions? Did he really think that Gray would always just stand there and take it and later just forget as though it never happened?
The raven liked to pretend he was strong willed when he was younger, and he was, but he wasn't crafted of stone. He could only be chipped at so much before he was forced to take on a new, imperfect shape.

Natsu frowned and opened his mouth, no doubt about to send another rude retort back, before seeming to rethink it, opting to instead close it again. He paused for a moment, taking a breath and closing his eyes before opening them again, training his green eyes on the irritated man before him.

"You're right." He shrugged casually, forcing his pride and anger to the side, "I know now that I was wrong and I have regretted how I acted every day for seven years, Gray. I… I just wanted to be accepted by them… When Igneel left they were the only family I had left and I… I didn't want to lose them too…"

Igneel, Natsu's father, had left several months prior to Gray's 'death' and it had really affected the young fighter. The pinkette and his dad were extremely close, always hanging out with one another, so when he suddenly up and left his only son Natsu was heartbroken. His father, his favorite person in the world, left him abruptly and with no explanation, making Natsu feel more lost than he ever had before.

It was for that reason that he began attempting to get onto his cousins good side; he wanted to make sure that they wouldn't deem him worthless and leave too.

He was terrified that if he stood up to them that they would suddenly disappear and leave him just as his father had.

He was horrified of being left all alone because he was too much of a burden. He feared that everyone would leave him just as his mother, Father and Lissanahad…

And he couldn't take it…

"I'm sorry, Gray… I was selfish, damn it I know it… I traded their approval for our friendship, I realized that the day I lost you… God I was an idiot… I know this doesn't make up for all the stupid shit I did to you, but I want to be friends with you again, Gray… I want to be able to insult you and laugh and fight with you just like we always used to… I want…"

I want to love you again…

He couldn't manage the last part out. It instead caught in his throat and caught him by surprise.

Love? Where had that even come from?

Sure he used to love the raven like family, but for some reason that thought seemed more mature than just an everyday run of the mill love. It seemed more romantic and… Natural…

Like it had been true for so much longer than he had noticed.

"Natsu…"

The pinkette returned to the world of the living at the other's low voice, having temporarily gotten lost in his inner musings.

"You really don't get it, do it? What, do I have to spell it out for you?"
The dumbfounded look the ice sculptor received answered that question for him.

"As far as you and the rest of Magnolia are concerned Gray Fullbuster did die that day." He calmly explained, his expression hard, "He died with his parents that day at the hands of the demon Deloria. I'm not him; not anymore." He gave the other an eerie grin that sent shivers down his spine, "Now I'm just a shell of who he once was. Nice to meet you, Natsu Dragneel."

He wasn't Gray; not anymore.

He wasn't that innocent little boy who would ask his dad to check under his bed for monsters or get spooked by the idea of devils from hell coming out of his closet. He knew better now.

Now he was just a man who lived daily just for the heck of it. He, who already experienced the evils of the world at the tender age of 12, was nothing worth anyone's time.

He was still weak, that much he knew. He still flinched involuntarily whenever a stranger came too close to him; he still woke up more times than not in a cold sweat and shaking because he once again was tortured by a nightmare of his past, that same beady mask terrorizing him after all these years.

Oh no, he was nowhere near the boy that once laughed and played with his best friend and the other individuals in Fairy Tail.

He wasn't even the other version of his young self when he was bullied; cold and aloof.

Now he was just done. He was cynical (though could you blame him?) and apathetic, knowing better than to let anyone in.

Lyon, Erza and perhaps Sting were the only friends he had and he had no motives to change that anytime soon

"Don't give me that crap, Gray. You are still Gray Fullbuster despite the nonsense you keep jabbering on with and you are my friend, even if I have to beat you senseless to realize that."

"I'm not your friend, Natsu. I can't be your friend because I am a nobody." Gray sneered, his head shaking slightly.

Natsu growled softly and angrily grabbed the raven's collar, yanking the other closer.

"What the hell are you talking about, Gray?! You ain't a nobody!"

Snickering, the ice sculptor gave the pinkette a grim smirk, his gaze hardening on the fighter,

"Why not?"

"Because, you damn ice princess, you are only a nobody till someone loves you!"

Gray stared at the other boy for a moment, a series of emotions flashing through his blue eyes before they finally closed, his stance losing all defiance as he replied in a tired voice,

"That's the problem, Natsu... I'm not loved..."

He was liked by Erza and Lyon, sure, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe he was loved.

Erza was a close friend, but he knew that was the end of it and Lyon… He was aware that no matter how many times the albino might deny it he still blamed the raven for their master's death and, in turn, a part of him hated him for it, not that Gray could blame him. After all, he too was still convinced that he led Ur to her untimely death.

It was a fact that he had long ago stopped denying.

"Don't say something you don't know shit about, Gray!"

"Stuff I don't know shit about..."

A hollow chuckle escaped the raven as he tore himself away from the fuming dragon slayer once more, his eyes finally opening once more with a cold look to them,

"That's the thing, Natsu, I already know I'm a nobody, that's why I said it. It's something I accepted a long time ago."

His teeth gritted together at the look he received from his ex-friend. It was one of pure anger and frustration and... Pity...

Natsu pitied him...

"God damn it, Natsu! Don't you dare look at me like that! I don't need your damn pity! Not from you or anyone else!"

"Good, because you sure as hell aren't getting any. You're not a nobody, Gray and if you don't stop saying that I'm going to punch you."

"Why, Natsu? Give me one reason I'm not nobody!"

"Because I love you, god damn it! You can't be a nobody if you are loved!"

Immediately after the sentence was spoken the pinkette regretted it. His hands flew up to his mouth almost as though he was attempting to pull them back in, however the damage had already been dealt; Gray had heard him loud and clear.

Dark blue eyes widened and stared at the bewildered and embarrassed expression now blossoming on the dragon slayer's face, confusion clouding his mind.

Did he...

He…

He loved him?

"Damn it… God damn it…"
The raven gripped his black locks in his hair, his bangs coming down in a shower to shield his eyes as he leaned further back against the wall, taking the tanned man by surprise. That certainly had not been the reaction he had expected.

"Gray I…-"

"- Damn it, Natsu! Just damn it! Don't fucking lie to me like that!"
Lie?

Did Gray really think that had been a lie?

"A lie…?" Natsu repeated owlishly, a child-like, confused expression clouding his face as he stared blankly at the angered raven, "That… I didn't lie to you."
"Right, and I'm supposed to believe that."

"Like hell you are! I might have been an ass to you when we were younger but I never lied to you, Gray and you know that."
"Just shut up…" The ice sculptor shook his head and slowly slid down the wall, stopping only when his butt met the cold ground. He could feel the chilled marble from the thin fabric of his pants and, while cold surfaces usually brought him to ease, this time it did nothing more than remind him that this was really happening and that he wasn't imagining it.

Damn it…

"Why do you always have to make everything so god damn hard, Natsu?!"
The pinkette merely stared in response, shocked at the sudden show of emotion that the raven was currently experiencing. It was almost as though those simple three words had been the camel that broke the camel's back, so to speak, and finally became too much for the stubborn younger man to deal with.

Those three words finally penetrated the icy wall he had constructed and instead revealed the scared, sad man that had spent the last seven years hiding behind it.

Intrigued by the reaction and wanting to see more emotion come from the stoic man, Natsu moved closer to him, stopping only when he was hovering over the sitting man before repeating the words that seemed to be the equivalent of a knife,

"I love you, Gray."

The dragon slayer had to admit that he loved the way those words sounded on his tongue. They sounded so right… So perfect…

Natsu, having never experienced love before, wasn't exactly certain what it felt like, however he supposed that what he felt whenever he looked at his old friend was it. He had felt it ever since they were mere kids, he had just never realized what it was.

His heart would start to beat faster whenever the raven was near, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with him, he always thought about him, he wanted him to be happy all the time, he wanted… well, him. He wanted Gray Fullbuster in all his calm, narcissistic, crabby, cool glory and he wouldn't stop until he got it.

"Just shut up, idiot. You don't love me… You can't…"

Feeling his motivation shrink as the time went on, the ice sculptor pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them to keep them there, his face hidden behind them.

He doesn't know what he is talking about… He mentally assured himself, absentmindedly digging his fingers into calfs as he glared harshly at his knees, Damn it he can't mean it! He doesn't love me… That wasn't how this was supposed to go! I… I was supposed to continue to hate him… No... I already admitted that I never truly hated him in the first place… But… That didn't mean I love him! I mean, I don't... Do I?"

He… He couldn't love Natsu… He was supposed to want to spit on the ground he walked on, not hold his hand and date him! That was impossible and stupid and irrational and idiotic and and… Yet it still sounded so nice…

Bloody hell…

"But I do, Gray."
Dropping to his knees, the fighter paused beside the huddled man, contemplating for a moment what exactly it was he was supposed to do in a situation like this.

Pat his head?

No… He wasn't a dog… Not to mention there was a possibility if he did he would bite him…

… Heh, maybe he is a like a dog… I'll call him snow princess...

…

No! Bad! This isn't the time for that!

Run his fingers through his hair?
No, that would be creepy…

Hug him?

Well, he might hit me for that, but I know that whenever Lucy is feeling sad she likes to be hugged, so maybe that will help Gray too…?
Well it's either that or tickle him and I'm pretty sure he will kill me if I even come near his stomach, so hugging it is!
Not taking any more time to determine whether or not his idea was really all that of a bright one the dragon slayer attacked the now silent man in a bear hug, unfazed when he felt the cold body below him stiffen in surprise and discomfort.

"I love you… You know damn well I wouldn't say that unless I it was true… I won't lie to you…"

"Get the hell off of me, Natsu." The raven ordered, his words slightly muffled by his legs as he was still yet to lift his face up, "I don't love you."

The pinkette felt himself cringe slightly at the cold words but still did not waver in his tight hug, knowing (or was that just blindly hoping) that what Gray was saying wasn't true. Instead it was the automatic way he defended himself from possible pain in the future; by building his icy wall up and cowering behind it.

However this time there was no wall for the younger of the two to take refugee behind and it seemed as though the black haired man knew as much for he did not move from his curled up position nor did he attempt to push the man from his being. Instead he merely wound his arms around his knees tighter and clenched his teeth.

"Now who's lying, ice freak? I knew you ain't telling the truth so just stop trying already. Seriously, it's just getting annoying."

"If you're annoyed then leave."

"Fat chance there, frost breath." He tightened his arms around his friend and pulled him close, hugging him despite his earlier feeble protests, "Just enjoy the damn hug and stop denying that you enjoy it."

"…"

A few moments of silence followed as the raven made no move to reply and, in response, Natsu merely kept on hugging him.

"…Why are you doing this…?" The voice that finally broke the silence was soft and defeated, reminding the dragon slayer of a tired child, "And if you say it's because you love me I will punch you in the face."
Natsu had to fight back a slight smile at the other's comment,

"It's because, despite what you believe, you are still my friend, Gray, and I want to make it up to you for treating you like shit all those years ago… I'm different than I used to be. After what happened to you I started standing up for myself and others and now I don't take crap from anyone. I protect my family now and that includes you."

"You're such an idiot, Flamebrain…"
The raven felt tears burn at the back of his eyes, but he fought them back. The moment he cried would be the moment he lost and he refused to look any weaker than he did right now.

Curled in on himself and hiding his face from view while the man he was supposed to dislike was holding him so lovingly and damn it he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. It just felt so right being held by the other and he didn't want to pull way even though he knew he should.

It was then that his fears were confirmed and he mentally cursed himself for being so stupid.

He shouldn't have let this happen… He wasn't supposed to let this happen…

But it did…

He loved Natsu Dragneel, which was no longer something he could deny.

He had loved his friend since they were just kids and he thought love was something that only old people experienced.

He loved the dragon slayer.

But that didn't mean he trusted or forgave him for the hell he put him through all those years ago. That would take time. He knew it and he figured the pinkette did as well.

As if in answer of his thoughts he felt a warm hand rub his back and a soft voice whisper in his ear,

"I know you still probably want to kick my ass and you probably don't trust me, but I promise I'll prove to you that I changed, alright?"

Suddenly a bright grin appeared on Natsu's face and he carefully lifted the raven's head from its cocoon in his legs, causing blue eyes to meet shining green,

"I'll make ya love me, ya damn stripper, you got that? I'll make it up to you!"
The raven just barely nodded in understanding, his expression blank as his mind twisted and turned.

"Can I really trust him…?'

Against his better judgment he stared at the grinning, hugging man before him and nodded once more, this time to himself.

I really hope I can…

But I am still so going to beat his ass.

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Whelp, there was finally some fluff! Kind of!

This was really one of the first times I have ever written a getting together scene, so I found some trouble with it. I hope it meets everyone's standards. :D They are finally somewhat closer to getting together!

Also I just want to note that even after this they aren't a couple, though Natsu may or may not try to act like they are. ^.^

I also apologize if they are a little (lot?) OOC, but it was difficult to completely imagine how they would get together while remaining completely in character, so I had to play around with it a bit.

Oh well. Tell me what you think! I really want to know how everyone liked this!

Thanks for reading and see you next time.

Next Chapter:
Erza comes back into the picture, the games begin and Natsu may or may not act like an idiot and claim he and Gray are a thing. ^.^