Happy Ever After

Natsu thinks I can't tell when he's got a crush on somebody. He thinks he can hide it, despite his heavy sighs around the house, and longing glances at the guild, and subtle hints about which missions we should take, which always put us in the presence of a certain someone.

Oh, Natsu. He's not subtle at all.

Gray is the third person I met in my life.

Natsu's the first, obviously, and I knew him immediately because he took care of my egg. We're aware of these things. I have a few memories from inside my shell, and Natsu's voice is one of them.

Lisanna was second. She and Natsu were the ones crowded closest when I hatched. I knew immediately who they were and that I was safe. Natsu's always made me feel that way. That's why he's my partner.

Gray came third, because he was standing right there too, and as my gaze wandered around, blinking in the first bright light I'd ever seen, I found a dark-haired boy staring at me in wonderment and joy.

It's an expression I haven't seen on him since that day.

That fact might've endeared Gray to me more than the others who doted on me and loved me and welcomed me as family. Natsu is like my brother, and all of Fairy Tail is my family. But Gray…I had Gray's special smile all to myself. I'm not sure anyone else saw it but me.

I'm the only person who's ever seen Gray Fullbuster truly, innocently, openly happy. No masks or baggage or façade.

If I told Natsu about this, he'd probably get that flaming-red he gets when he's jealous, and claim he saw Gray looking that way too, a hundred times, and insist that he's far superior at making Gray happy.

I don't mind. It's adorably silly. Natsu is so desperate for Gray to like him.

And it's sad, too.

Because Gray doesn't like him back.

Not at first, anyway. I watch Natsu pining and chasing day after day, wanting to be in Gray's presence, even if they always devolve into fighting—and maybe that's part of what Natsu loves, too, a chance to be near Gray and interacting with him and touching him and not have it be awkward or complicated or covered in subtext. Natsu always says things are simpler for him when he's fighting.

Still, it goes on for so long that I start to get sad. I wonder if maybe they fight so much because Natsu is always trying to insinuate himself into Gray's path and maybe, subconsciously, Gray can sense Natsu's affection and is trying to turn him down the only way he knows how.

With coldness.

It breaks my heart, and it puts me through a season of disliking Gray.

Gray's happiest smile may have been reserved for me, but I kind of wish I could give it to Natsu, just to end this interminable progression of fights that go nowhere and arguments that don't actually say what they say.

By the time Lucy appears on the scene, Natsu has been in love with Gray far longer than he ever crushed on anyone else. Longer than all his other crushes combined. I now say 'in love' in my head because it's very clear to me that this is an intense something he's feeling and that it's not going to just go away. He'll have to get his heart broken, and I'm scared of that happening, because I'm not sure if Natsu could survive that.

He may seem cheerful—and it's true, that's not a farce—but Natsu is still broken. He isn't whole, and until we find Igneel, he's going to have this fragile edge to him. An edge he's handed to Gray, along with a knife, and basically asked Gray to stab him with it.

I can't bear to watch them together anymore.

I start asking Lucy to read me sappy romance stories whenever she reads aloud, and we end up bonding over this, because she gets the same sort of comfort from them that I do. Maybe she's also noticed Natsu's unrequited affection, or maybe she has something of her own for someone.

I pretend that the stories she reads are the end to wherever this thing with Gray and Natsu is leading. I pretend happy endings are the only endings. I pretend Gray doesn't glare at Natsu with real venom some days, and that Natsu doesn't sometimes go off on his own after they've had a big fight and spend all night out and come back the next morning bedraggled and pale.

I pretend, but I can't unsee what I see.

Erza and Lucy start dating. It's beautiful and I love it. They're shy about it at first, and with each other, but they shyly tell a few people, and within an hour everyone in Fairy Tail knows, and then I get to watch their relationship develop over the weeks and months.

They're really sweet to each other, considerate, and occasionally I've overheard what sound like really healthy conversations about boundaries and stuff.

And they have this way of meeting each other's eyes that's just like the books Lucy used to read me.

She doesn't read aloud so much anymore, but that's okay, because she lets me raid her library. I'm still reading romances when I have the time. I've moved onto the more comedic ones, needing to laugh, flipping belly-up sometimes with how hilarious things get between the characters.

Despite all their miscommunications, they always sort it out and come through okay. And no matter what happens, in the end they heal as if they are unscathed.

And of course, in the happy-ending department, I can always watch Lucy and Erza leaning against each other and telling each other they're spectacular, no you're spectacular, no you are, and I grin and melt a little inside.

We need things like love to make the world brighter and better. That's what romance does: it makes everyone around you happy too.

I comment on their relationship one day to Natsu.

"They look so happy," I say, smiling.

I hear a sigh and I look around.

Natsu is leaning with his head on his arms, watching them with blank eyes.

"Yeah, I guess," he says. But his brow furrows again, gaze wandering off to whatever it is that has him agitated.

Before I can ask, Loke comes in hollering for Gray, and when I next look around, Natsu is slipping through the back exit.

I don't see him for the rest of the day.

It's not like Natsu doesn't zone out, but there was something about the whole exchange that puts me on edge, raising the fur on the back of my neck. I leave the guildhall and look for him, but he's at none of our normal haunts.

When I head home in late afternoon, I find him there, cleaning up the last of the dishes, humming and whistling like nothing is wrong.

"Hey, partner!" he calls, without turning around. "Wow, you've been everywhere, eh?"

"What do I smell like?" I ask.

"Just about every corner of Magnolia." He laughs. When he turns around and scratches his head, signature grin in place, my insides relax. He is okay. I imagined it. "Looking for something for Charle?"

I huff. It's not like he's completely wrong: I'm always on the lookout for the right little gifts for her. I've discovered these sorts of things make her feel particularly special. I'm trying to get better, like my romance novel heroines and heroes must do before their happy-ever-after.

"What does a girl who's already perfect want?" I ask, rubbing my ears. "What does she need?"

"Have you considered ribbons?" Natsu asks, snapping his fingers. "She likes attaching ribbons to things."

"Oo, good one."

We smile at each other, and it's just like old times.

When I wake up the next morning, I stretch, and the pillow feels wrong. I usually nudge Natsu's head when I stretch.

Looking around, I find he's gone.

I am not alarmed. Nope. Sometimes Natsu does mysterious things for mysterious reasons. I eat breakfast, and when he's still not home, I head over to the guild.

He's not there.

I can't help frowning, scouring the hall for who might know something. But if Natsu's not acting like himself, usually I'm the one who knows why.

I wander over to Wendy and Charle.

"Have you seen Natsu?" I ask.

"Not yet," Charle says. (Is it my imagination, or does she make eye contact with me more these days?)

"I haven't seen him much since the big fight," Wendy says.

"What fight?"

"Him and Gray." She looks somber. A cold shiver ruffles my fur.

"They fight all the time," I say, trying for a normal voice.

Wendy shakes her head.

"This was different. Gray…said Natsu was a stifling b-bastard who needed to…leave him the hell alone."

I swallow.

"He said that?" No. No way.

She nods sadly.

"What was the argument about?"

"I don't know," she says, "but I think it must have started with something Natsu said, because he kept saying 'just listen to me,' and Gray kept telling him he didn't want to hear any more."

"After Gray yelled about leaving him alone, Natsu hit him," Charle says. "Gray didn't hit him back, and that's when Natsu stormed off."

"This was yesterday?"

"In the afternoon. We…didn't mean to overhear." Wendy blushes. "But we were walking through the park and they were being so loud."

"Happy?"

Charle actually touches my shoulder and I jolt.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"No. Yes, I…" I shake my head. There are a thousand words inside, but I can't loosen them. "I gotta go."

"Oh—wait—goodbye!" they shout after me, but I'm already swooping for the doors.

Something has gone very, very wrong.

I need to find Natsu immediately. That is the sole thought in my head. I need to find him, and I need to make sure he's safe.

If Gray broke his heart after all this time…and with Natsu disappearing this morning…if last night my best friend was lying that whole time about being okay, if that smile was a fake, I have to find him. I don't know Natsu in this state. I don't know what he'd do.

I've heard the story of how, after thinking he'd finally found Igneel, the rumors led him to a dead end and he wandered off and got himself lost for two weeks. People don't really talk about it, but I gather Gray went and brought him back, and Natsu was really thin because he'd been forgetting to eat. Natsu, not eating.

I realize I'm crying. I'm so scared. I'm furious at Gray. How could he say things like that? He can't be blind: nobody can be so blind they wouldn't see how Natsu looks at him, how much Natsu cares about him. Nobody would be so heartless as to crush that spark so finally and cruelly.

I don't want to believe Gray would be like that. I like Gray. He's funny and calm, and he's nice to be around when there's not many people, because he gets more honest and more contemplative: the real Gray comes out, and he's an interesting fellow. I can see why Natsu fell for him.

They would've been good together.

They could've gone their separate ways, too. There are less-painful ways that could've happened. But not this. This is tearing, rending, explosive pain.

If I know anything about Natsu, he will take that pain and do something over the top with it.

I don't know why I try the trail up the mountain the overlooks Magnolia, but my hunch proves right.

An explosion emits smoke and a squawking bawl of birds into the sky. I fly as fast as I can and find Natsu in a clearing, pounding a flaming fist into a sapling's trunk and watching it topple.

"Happy," he says, without looking around.

"Hey, Natsu. What are you doing?"

"Training."

Uh-huh, yeah, sure.

"You left me this morning," I reprimand him.

"Sorry." He hits another tree. This time his fist sinks into the wood, which appears to have flash-burned away from his heat.

"So what kind of training is this?" I ask.

"The dangerous kind."

At last he looks around at me, wiping his nose. He's dripping with sweat. His gaze is dead.

"I didn't want you to get hurt," he says. "I'm trying new things. I don't want you to get burned."

I plant my feet.

"I would burn my paws off for you. Let me help."

Natsu looks away with a sickly smile.

"Don't get yourself hurt just from me training. That would be pointless."

Then he utters the biggest lie:

"I'm not in danger."

"I'm going to hang around anyway," I say stubbornly, sitting at the base of one of the trees—one that is out of the range of his forward attacks.

"Fine, but if you get hurt, that's on you," he grumbles.

I know he doesn't mean those words, but they hurt anyway; his expression is so closed off.

At first, Natsu just stands there, head down and back to me. I see his fists clench suddenly, veins standing out, and then he's hitting a tree with a yell, his whole body bursting into flames so bright I can't look at him.

I'm a little scared, but I stay where I am as he continues to assault the forest, smashing rocks and screaming at bushes.

His anger shakes me, but I don't leave. I don't move. I will stay here as long as he's here. As long as he's hurting. Natsu and I are partners in the deepest levels, and without him, I don't really know who I am.

So even when he scares me, I will stay by his side.

"I'm about to get more explosive," he calls, and his voice his thick—I don't know if it's the screaming, or if he's been crying and I just can't tell because he's flaring too bright. "Might wanna get back."

Grudgingly, I do so, fluttering up above the treetops where I can still watch.

That, it turns out, is not far enough. Natsu pulls in on himself, and then suddenly he's in flames. The fireball burns out, devouring the air. I have to fly higher, but it steals the air from my wings, its heat brushing my face, and I'm flying so fast, so fast to escape it…

I reach a safe height, but the fire doesn't die down.

Natsu is burning and burning. This takes a lot of power for him, and I can't see him because it's too bright. Damn him, he knows I can't get to him: I am not impervious to his magic. He's trying to push me away. I'm truly terrified now.

A tree explodes beneath me.

The woods are on fire, flames licking dry bark. Birds streak away crying. As one tree falls, black and orange and horribly beautiful, it ignites a dozen more.

He's started a forest fire.

I don't know if he knows. He must not have realized. He's somewhere amid all that fire, hurting, and my heart is pounding in my throat as more trees catch in explosions of sparks and boiling sap. It's spreading. Downhill. Toward town, and I don't know what to do, or whether I should leave, or if Natsu is going to get it under control.

A shiver wracks my body, and it takes me a moment to realize this isn't the cold sweat of fear. Drops of rain hit my shoulders and begin to soak my wings, making my teeth chatter. The sleet starts slowly, but in less than a minute it's pounding down, stomping the flames as I fly down and take shelter under an unburned oak.

As quickly as my fear rose, the trees are smoldering embers. Flames still eat at them despite the sleet: as the drops sizzle, sparks fly like fireflies.

It's lovely in a dark way.

I'm rubbing my arms to stay warm when a snowflake hits my paw. Then another. The sleet softens and slows, floating like the fake snow in a snowglobe.

I gape, not sure what's happening anymore, but it's starting to be beautiful. Flakes gather in little drifts here and there, steaming over the burning trees.

In the center of everything there's a new-formed clearing, large and blackened, as if a dozen lightning strikes hit the same spot of earth. Peering through downed trees, I search for Natsu. I know he's there somewhere in the tangle, and now that it's cooling off, I might just be able to touch him.

But through the trees, it's not him I see: it's Gray. He's shirtless and not at all perturbed by the snow, and as he passes between smoldering branches, he covers them with ice.

"Gray," I croak, but I'm drowned out by Gray's shout.

"Natsu!"

He picks his way forward and I follow, scared and unsure.

"Natsu! Goddammit, where are you?"

It turns out a forest fire leaving 'nothing' behind is not entirely true: blackened logs and branches lean every which way, and Gray has to push between them, branches lashing him while I fly above. He hasn't seen me, but I'm still too scared to say a word, a cold tear running down my cheek. Where is Natsu? He should be here.

At last, I see movement. I'd been looking for pink hair, but he's covered in ash: a pale white youkai in the middle of the devastation.

Gray starts running, outstripping me and bursting up to Natsu's side.

"Natsu," he pants.

His voice is like magic, bringing Natsu back to life. Natsu jolts, then pulls tightly in on himself. For a moment, he seems about to collapse, but then he springs to his feet before Gray can touch him.

"What are you doing?" Gray asks, gesturing around.

"None of your fucking business," Natsu says. He breaks over the words, and now I know he's been crying. There are tear tracks on his ashy cheeks.

"It is if you're going to endanger the fucking town," Gray growls.

"Go away."

"No."

Natsu whirls, and his face is etched in something painful and terrible, fury and defensiveness and fear colliding into something that looks so much like hatred that I feel sick.

"I said leave!" he shouts, and spins around, darting away from Gray, who sprints after him.

There's an enormous maple ahead of Natsu that's unburned, old and broad and protective. Yelling, Natsu slams into the tree at full force, his fist leading the way.

The entire thing goes up in flames instantly.

And in the next, it's frozen.

"Stop!" Natsu screams, facing Gray with tears streaming down his face. When he tries to escape again, Gray grabs him from behind, wrapping his arms around Natsu's stomach and leaning against his back in a move that is unmistakable for anything other than deep affection.

Natsu stops trying to flee and sags instead, tears rocking him as he slips to the ground. Gray follows him down, the pair landing in a tangled heap on their knees. Gray is still clutching him tightly. He buries his face in the back of Natsu's neck, and I fancy I hear him sniffing too.

"Stop," Gray whispers. "Please stop doing this."

For some reason, Natsu scrabbles at Gray's wrists, not peeling Gray's arms off him but twisting them up so he can see the pale skin, running his thumbs over the underside.

I land in the roots of a nearby tree, but I'm not sure whether it's okay to approach or not. Gray's the only person who is safe to be close to Natsu when he ignites like that.

Natsu is weeping, still touching Gray's wrists.

"I'm okay," Gray says. "Honest."

"You can't… You can't tell me and not allow me to be scared." Through his tears, Natsu takes a heaving breath. "You can't not let me worry. I am scared. I think you wanted to freak me out. Or else why did you tell me—"

"Because I trust you," Gray mumbles desperately, curling around him. "Because I'm trying to ask for help."

"But you wouldn't let me help," Natsu says furiously, glaring over his shoulder. "You made me… You used me to get hurt. You made me part of it."

"I know." Gray leans his forehead against Natsu's shoulder blade. "I wasn't ready. I tried to ask for help, but I wasn't actually ready… I'm sorry. I'm so, so fucking sorry."

As Natsu's body shakes, they cry together, both of them leaning on the other. Gray grips Natsu so tightly his fingers are white.

"I need you," Natsu sobs, reaching back to touch Gray's cheek. "Now that you've told me, I can't just let you… I just can't. And I don't care how cruel you get, I'm still going to try to stop you. Even if you hate me for it. At least you'll be alive."

"I wasn't— All those things I said," Gray stammers, "they weren't… I was angry. I didn't really mean it. I was…trying to hurt you."

"Why?" Natsu shouts angrily, startling both me and Gray hard enough to jerk. Twisting around in Gray's grip, Natsu grabs his shoulders, nose to nose. "Does it make you feel better?"

"No! Gods, no. It's…"

Gray hangs his head, nearly colliding with Natsu's chin, and then he's the one curling on himself, retracting his hands so he can rub his arms as if to ward something off.

"I thought you'd leave me," Gray says brokenly. "I thought if I showed you, you'd… Like if you know what a mess I am, you'll leave me."

Natsu's whisper is so soft I hardly hear it. "Not leaving."

When Gray hides his face in his hands, Natsu pulls him into a hug, chest to chest now, rubbing his back.

"But everyone breaks," Gray says, muffled. "Everyone has a limit. Everyone reaches that point…and then it falls apart, and they reject—th-they abandon. Everybody leaves in the end."

"They don't," Natsu says. "They don't have to."

"Everyone leaves me. Anyone who ever said they cared about me. People leave you, too. Igneel did."

Natsu grabs his arms.

"I don't know what happened to Igneel, but I'm going to find him and I'll see him again one day. You'll get to meet him. And just because some people die…that doesn't mean everybody is going to die tomorrow and you'll be alone. I'm not dying any time soon."

"I'm always alone."

"You haven't been alone in years," Natsu says sternly. "You just want to believe that so you can justify hurting yourself for the pain you feel."

And now Gray's the one crying, collapsing into Natsu as his body shakes, while Natsu holds him and kisses his hair, tears on his cheeks.

I know I should leave, but I don't think my wings are working right now. I'm too shocked.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Gray begs. "Why won't it go away?"

"I don't know." Natsu brushes the hair back from his forehead and bends down to kiss it. "Maybe you haven't ever properly grieved."

"Grieved what? I've moved on. I have a new family, I'm proud of my life, and I'm happy…"

"But you…you lost your childhood," Natsu whispers. "You lost a sense of safety. You lost your innocence of violence. You lost that blissful season where people are supposed to be too young to know what anger and hatred are."

"I did." Sniffing, Gray wraps his arms around Natsu, head still on his chest. "Fuck. I did."

When Natsu starts rocking, I put a paw to my mouth to stifle the noise that tries to leak out of me. He's doing that thing which is so comforting, where he holds you and rocks and reassures you and doesn't let go until you feel safe again. He's doing it for Gray.

"Why," Gray gasps, "why do I want to hurt myself? Why am I so messed up—"

"You're beautiful," Natsu says. "You're strong and brave, and hurting. Even brave people hurt. Even strong people sometimes lose hope. And when you don't think things can get better…sometimes…there are things which look like the right way out of the pain. But it's a lie. It's all a lie, Gray."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I…" Natsu swallows. "I tried to. A long time ago. And Porlyusica found out and gave me a bandaging-up and a talking to, and she told me I needed to let it all out instead of trying to deny it. I needed to feel sad…otherwise I wouldn't feel better again.

"And you know what? She was right. It was like…I could enjoy being sad? I was able to appreciate it and accept it and…then it wasn't so bitter. I was still sad and lonely and I cried a lot, but it didn't hurt the same way. It was being sad, not everything else, and being sad isn't as bad as I thought."

"I called you a wet muffin," Gray mumbles. "And a crybaby. I'm sorry."

"If you'll recall, I never cared."

"You called me out of touch," Gray snorts indignantly.

"I probably called you an idiot."

"You always call me an idiot."

"Sorry."

"Sorry?" Gray straightens at that, staring incredulously at Natsu. "What?"

"I don't think you're stupid," Natsu says, defensive.

"You…" Gray runs a hand over his face. "I don't take it personally."

"That's…good?" Natsu sounds uncertain.

Gray snorts, and there's humor in it, and Natsu gets a tentative smile.

They sit there in silence for a little while, and I'm just tiptoeing away when Gray says, "Natsu…"

I stop. What can I say: I'm a snoop.

"Yes?" Natsu says when Gray doesn't go on.

"I…I did hurt myself. Yesterday." Gray slides his trousers off, which is funny for how awkward and yet familiar the move is, and then he's just in his boxers, pulling up one of the legs to show his thigh.

And the regular red lines crossing his skin.

As he runs his fingers over the scabs, trembling, Gray looks at Natsu. Slowly Natsu's hand comes to hover over his; and then he's touching Gray's leg, fingertips fluttering over the wounds. I can see Gray's chest unknot, like he was waiting for Natsu to do this, and he watches Natsu's expression, hungry for a reaction.

"I'm sorry," Gray says at last.

"You don't have to apologize to me," Natsu says, his voice low and throaty. Trying not to cry again. "I wish I could make it better."

Gray places his palm over Natsu's hand, their fingers covering the marks so Gray's skin looks unbroken.

"I know," he says.

They stay like that for a long, long time, Gray watching Natsu, and Natsu watching their hands. Eventually, I slip away.

Things continue as they have always been, except that Gray and Natsu harbor no animosity when they fight. It's all teasing and mockery, and they both grin with the mutual understand that that's all it is. There are no more harsh words or punches meant to truly wound.

We settle into normalcy. After that scary day with Natsu so out of control, I'm incredibly happy to be back here, to this interim stalemate place. Natsu pining is much better than Natsu with a broken heart.

Plus there's a hint, now, of reciprocity. Gray used to treat him like everyone else, but now there are moments between them where I feel Gray leaning toward Natsu, needing him, seeking affirmation from him. He smiles at Natsu's back a lot. Some of Natsu's quirks that used to drive him up the wall now make him laugh. Some days he comes over just to wrestle and joke around; it's really nice.

Now Natsu's crush is truly adorable, the bittersweetness fading: because I'm pretty sure Gray likes him back.

And even if nothing comes from it, it's cute to see the way they flirt.

Did you know Natsu marks things?

I know, it's weird, blah, blah; people always say that. It makes perfect sense to me: when I find something I like, I have this inexpressible urge to rub my face on it. When it smells like me, I feel better.

Natsu's the same way.

He tends to bite things rather than rubbing on them. Not hard, and not in a weird way. When he has nightmares, he tends to chew his comforter—again, not hard enough to make holes, but in the morning there will be wet teeth marks.

When he gets a new shirt, he nibbles the collar and sleeves until it's worn in, as a way of…claiming it, I guess.

I am completely used to this habit of Natsu's—he's been this way all of my life—and I am also well-familiar with the signs. I could identify Natsu's teeth marks from a dozen paces.

That's what first catches my suspicion.

Gray has always been a stripper. We all know what he looks like. So when he starts growing his hair out…we notice. Or at least, I do. I don't think anything of it until I realize he's been wearing shirts more often—not stripping them off. He wears coats with higher collars, his hair covers his nape, and I suddenly remember that dragons nibble each other's necks to show affection.

(Natsu was so offended when he found out some animals use this behavior to threaten or show dominance. I laughed so hard I got hiccups.)

I keep my eyes open for the inevitable.

Sure enough, Gray strips.

Sure enough, there's the outline of teeth on the side of his neck. An outline I recognize.

He puts his jacket back on quickly, but I know what I saw.

Still, Natsu has said nothing, and he's been acting pretty much normal lately. Maybe a little happier, but it's been sunny and jobs have been going well and we've had good money for lots of food, and so I just thought it was…normal happy.

If he's been biting Gray's neck, I would expect him to be bouncing off the walls. Maybe even literally.

I determine to follow them. I will get to the bottom of this.

One day when I'm set to hang out with Charle, Natsu leaves the house behind me carrying his fishing gear.

"Going to get some quiet time away," he says cheerily, stopping at the split in the path. "I'll catch us supper."

"Deal," I say.

I can't help but wonder.

When I reach the guild, I'm excited to see Charle and head her way, but I look around at the same time, ascertaining that no, Natsu's obsession is not here.

"Have you seen Gray?" I ask her.

"Not today. Why?"

Silently I glance around again.

"I'm so sorry," I say, and my regret is real. I can't believe I'm about to blow off something I've wanted for so long—time just us without Lily or Wendy or anyone else around—but that's how important this is to me. "I know we said…but I'm getting this feeling about Natsu, and I think I need to go."

There must be something in my face, because she nods seriously and gives me a small smile. "You're a good person, Happy."

I'm glowing as I leave the guild.

I'm not yet in view of the river when my ears pick up their voices.

"You're so lazy," Natsu is laughing. "And picky. What, are you making a bed?"

"Yeah," Gray says indignantly. "The leaves make it softer. This is a perfect place for a nap. I even have your relaxing presence to lull me to sleep."

They both laugh at that.

"I can be relaxing," Natsu says, a little more serious once their chuckles taper off. "If that's what you want."

"I didn't mean it like that," Gray says, and I can hear his blush. "You can be who you are."

"The way you say it sounds insulting," Natsu pouts.

"Sorry, I didn't— Whatever," Gray huffs.

Natsu laughs again, but it's softer this time. For a few minutes, all I hear are the gentle sounds of the stream.

"Oop—sorry, I… Is this okay?" Natsu says.

Gray grunts something I can't hear.

"You pretend you're so tough all the time," Natsu chuckles. "Nobody doubts your abilities, you know."

"It's not about abilities," Gray grumbled. "I just…don't like people being feel-y."

"What does that even mean?" Natsu chortles.

"It hurts," Gray says, and Natsu's laughter cuts off at his serious tone. "When people act like…like this: like…"

"Holding hands?" Natsu supplies.

My cheeks redden. I really wish Natsu didn't have sharpened senses and I could peek around the last bushes to see them. Are they cuddling? Holding hands from a distance? Blushing, or comfortable?

"Yeah." Gray coughs. "Um. Holding hands, it…'cause what if it goes away and…you, what if…could leave—and—I…"

There's a small splash, and Gray asks in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Caught enough fish," Natsu huffs. "Anything I say won't make you feel better. So I have to communicate in other ways, right?"

The grass swishes as Natsu shifts—I assume closer to Gray.

In their typical way (and to my annoyance), whatever communication follows happens nonverbally. I'm aching, wanting to know what's happening and when this tension is going to break into happy sparkly things. Or if it already has.

"Gray," Natsu says tentatively after a while, "I have a, uh, question."

"Question?"

"Yeah. Other people who hold hands and…they call it dating. Are we dating?"

"You're a moron," Gray grumbles, his smile and awkwardness and joy all apparent in his voice. "Get over in my bed."

"Not if you're taking that tone with me," Natsu says petulantly. "Besides, I have my own grass bed."

"Yours doesn't have me in it."

Natsu grunts. "But you took a tone."

"Sorry," Gray says.

I'm so curious by this point, I look around the corner.

Natsu and Gray lie propped up on their elbows with their fingers clasped, leaning in. Their noses touch. They stay like that for a moment; I expect them to kiss, but instead they smile and Gray kisses Natsu's cheek.

"Yeah, we can be," he murmurs. "Dating. I'd like that."

Natsu hums, and it's that happy sound I so rarely hear him make these days.

"Be my boyfriend, Gray," he says, soft and gentle and in a tone of voice I've never heard Natsu use. It's the sound of wonder.

"Okay," Gray says, and his smile is radiant.

At this point, I feel like I'm majorly intruding, and I back away, sneaking carefully until I'm sure Natsu won't hear me. I mean, Natsu can hear everything, but it's clear he's not paying close attention to anything but Gray right now, which is just my luck, or else I would never have seen that…

And my damn roommate probably wouldn't have told me until he was considering proposing or something. Sometimes it's good I'm a snoop.

I don't get a chance to confront Natsu. The next few times I see him, he's always with Gray. Sometimes even subtly holding hands when they think I can't tell. If I try to broach the subject when they're both there, they tag-team the conversation to change topics on me.

They leave me no choice.

Flying into the guildhall on a sunny day, I land on the table at Natsu's elbow and spy their fingers loosely intertwined on the bench. Perfect.

"When did you and Gray get all touchy-feely?" I ask Natsu.

I swear I can feel the change. Lucy, Erza, Pantherlily—their eyes are on me in an instant. Gray and Natsu both jerk, but they don't break apart.

Natsu gapes at me. (At least it's better than changing the subject.)

"Well?" I prompt.

"What?" he says.

I sigh. Natsu can act amazingly stupid when he's caught by surprise.

"Ten days ago officially," Gray says. "But probably before that. Flirtatiously, you know."

He picks at his nail and Natsu stares at him.

"What?" Gray shrugs at him.

Natsu's face transforms into a wide grin.

"Nothing," he says, and kisses Gray's cheek.

Everybody watches in astonished silence as Gray goes bright red and smiles.

When Cana wolf-whistles from the next table over, Erza breaks into chortles, and Natsu and Gray shuffle closer in a mix of eagerness and mutual comfort.

That moment is officially the happiest I've ever seen Gray. His eyes turn up at the corners, he bites his lip, and he fiddles with his necklace, other hand caught in Natsu's. His grin is so wide that when Natsu finally kisses his mouth, it's still visible, the way his lips curl up in delight.

Seeing that, I can't even fly. I'm so excited for them I probably can't use an ounce of magic. All I am is bubbly, twirly emotions that match my name.

Natsu has his happy beginning. My partner has what he has always deserved, and Gray has what he has always deserved, and life could not be more perfectly put together than the two of them loving each other.