"With insufferable vanity had she believed herself in the secret of everybody's feelings; with unpardonable arrogance proposed to arrange everybody's destiny. She was proved to have been universally mistaken; and she had not quite done nothing — for she had done mischief."

― Jane Austen, "Emma"

Lucy whispered a final thing into Loke's ear. "Do you understand?"

"Of course," he smirked, but he began to caress her cheek. "However, nights out with boys doesn't really interest me. I would much rather have a night out with you."

She slapped his hand away. "Loke, this is important."

He shrugged off her refusal. "I don't see why. Natsu and Gray have always been at each other's throats. Making them hang out together isn't going to change that."

"It's more than that," she whispered, taking a cautious look over to where Gray was sitting with Erza and Juvia, while Natsu was arm wrestling Gajeel. "It should only be the two of them, though. If you ask and others are around, more people might want to go and that defeats the purpose."

"What purpose is that?" Loke asked curiously.

Lucy did not say. She thought she had seen something more than friendship and rivalry between the two when Natsu was recovering. She had waited, watching, trying to figure out if Happy was right and there was something between them. So far, she had no clue still. Gray seemed fairly content with Juvia, and Natsu generally just ignored that Gray was around. The team had not taken any large missions, nothing that involved a lot of interaction between the two. Erza was trying to keep their missions simple for Natsu's sake, and Gray's leg was still getting stronger.

So far, the idea that Natsu was attracted to Gray, and that Gray might be romantically interested in Natsu, seemed preposterous.

"I win!" Natsu cheered, and Gajeel scowled while rubbing out his wrist.

At his shout, Gray looked around. Natsu had leaped onto the table and was doing a ridiculous victory dance while Gajeel screamed that this did not really count, he had hurt his hand punching some bandits on his last mission, and besides, he was going easy on Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer did not listen to such lame excuses. He made silly faces and danced on the table.

Lucy had to laugh, but just then she saw Gray. He was smiling, not rolling his eyes like Erza and most of the others. No, Gray had a smile, and ... was that a blush?

Suddenly, Gray stood up and marched over to the table. "Get down from there before you fall on your head, sulfur-breath. It's my turn now." He sat where Gajeel had been and put up his elbow with his hand ready to grab.

Natsu stopped dancing and looked down. "You're left-handed. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you, wrestling your weaker arm."

"You'll feel like shit when I beat you with my right arm," Gray grinned.

"Oh, hell no, popcicle pants!" Natsu jumped down and settled into his chair. "I'll beat you left or right."

"Then what if we do this my way?" Gray removed his right hand and put up his left. "If you can beat me left-handed, I'll buy you dinner."

"And if you win, I'll buy you a shirt to replace the one that's vanished, you pervy stripper."

They settled together, glaring at one another.

"Loke, go!" Lucy urged.

"Does it matter who wins?" he asked quietly.

"No, just make sure they go somewhere together, and follow the plan."

"Of course, princess," he smiled. Then Loke strode up to the table with Gray and Natsu. "Let's keep this fair, you two." He stopped to the side like a judge. "Keep both feet on the floor, no magic, no cheating."

"Strength alone," Gray agreed.

"Fine," Natsu shouted.

They grasped hands. Natsu could hardly believe how cold Gray's skin was, even on a hot day like today. His grip was strong, and his fingers were rough. He felt the calluses on the knuckles. This was Gray's stronger hand; Natsu could not give anything less than a hundred percent.

Gray was slightly shocked at the heat in Natsu's hand. It was like grabbing a hot teacup, almost painful yet also soothing. Although this was Natsu's left hand, he felt strength in it. He knew that a proper fighter strengthened their non-dominant arm even more than their dominant arm. This would not be an easy win, and he knew he could not underestimate Natsu's strength.

Loke placed his hand on top of theirs in preparation. "Ready?"

"Yosh!" Natsu grinned fiendishly.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "Bring it!"

Then Loke's hand yanked back. Instantly, both tensed up and muscles corded. Natsu felt the initial burst of strength from Gray as he hoped to end this quickly, but he was ready for it. Gray got an inch, but Natsu instantly pushed back.

For over a minute, they gritted and snarled, yet neither budged. Their hands shook and swayed, yet they never dipped down. Around them, the guild gathered to cheer them on, and Cana began to call out bets for who would win.

Lucy looked on, truly impressed. "They're totally equal in strength!"

Natsu already knew that he and Gray were equal. If they ever got a hint that the other was getting stronger, they also got stronger. Little things like arm wrestling hinted at their strength, and Gray knew Natsu was not going to lose easily.

They glared at each other, focused and determined. Another minute passed, the bets were getting louder, and people realized this would not be necessarily a battle of strength—they were equal there—but one of endurance. Natsu's keen ears heard that he was at a disadvantage in that, all because of his recent heart surgery. Sadly, as he felt his hand dipping, he realized they might be right. His heart was pounding as he kept up the strength.

"Lucy, bet on me," he shouted.

She jolted. She had not wanted to bet on either of them.

"Trust in me," Natsu grinned, staring right at Gray. "I'm about to win."

She nodded and shouted over to Cana, "A thousand Jewels on Natsu."

Gray pressed the Dragon Slayer's hand over a little more. "Don't you already cause Lucy enough financial problems when we have to use our reward money to pay for what you break?"

Natsu chuckled slyly. "This time, you'll be helping her with her rent, loser."

Gray felt bad for making Lucy lose her money, but he knew Natsu was weakening. He could always slip her back the money, since he heard Juvia put ten thousand on him winning.

Just then, a strange thing happened. Natsu's pinkie finger rubbed over his hand. Although all of his other fingers were in a deadlock, the pinkie caressed gently. Just as Gray felt confused, Natsu's eyes looked different, not glaring and peeved, but narrow and erotic. Then, just briefly, his lips puckered, and his eyebrow arched in a seductive way as he winked.

Gray froze up and utterly lost his concentration. In that split second of distraction, he felt his hand flipped backwards and slam into the table. Before he could figure out what just happened, Natsu leaped onto the table, howling in victory with an arc of flames firing off from his mouth toward the ceiling.

Gray had half a mind to protest that he cheated, except he had no clue how to explain to everyone else how just a pucker of lips and wink of the eye could cause him to lose his strength so utterly. He stared down at his hand. It felt so cold without Natsu's fingers, and he felt a chill as he realized he lost all because of those crazy feelings that had begun to take root in his heart.

Worst of all ... how the hell did Natsu know he could win with just that? Gray glanced up cautiously, terrified that maybe ...

Maybe...

Natsu knew!

Yet as the boy began his idiotic victory dance again, that dread faded. It would not have been the first time Natsu did stupid stuff to gain a victory. That was how he fought, recklessly and chaotic.

It was just the first time Gray ever fell for one of his tricks.

And now he felt like an idiot. His head lowered, and his bangs shielded his eyes from the looks his fellow guildmates were giving him as they wondered why Gray had so suddenly lost. At least it appeared that no one saw what Natsu had done.

No one but Loke! He had been standing right beside the table to watch for cheating, and he saw the pinkie touch, the provocative look, and the blown kiss. He had a silent smile as he realized why Lucy had put together her little plan.

"Gray, you owe Natsu a meal," he said. "How about I go with you? Someone has to keep you from killing each other."

"O-oh," Gray said, pulling himself out of his depression at losing. "I figured me and Juvia, and maybe Natsu and Lucy..."

Loke placed a hand on Gray's shoulder. "Lucy is mine for tonight," he said with a wink.

Gray looked up in shock. "Seriously? You and her?"

Loke nodded proudly. Well, maybe it was not the way Gray imagined, but Lucy had called him out to do a big favor, so Loke planned on having her thank him by at least bestowing him the honor of taking her out to eat, or maybe giving her a foot rub, or if he was really lucky, allowing him to scrub her back as she took a bath. Perhaps that was wishful thinking, but a guy could dream.

"But still," Gray protested, glancing around the crowd, "Juvia..."

Natsu leaped off the table. "Juvia shouldn't be around your sorry ass."

Out of nowhere, Juvia had her arms wrapped possessively around Gray. "Juvia would always want to be around Gray-sama's ass."

He cringed at her tight grip. "N-no, maybe ... look, I just have to feed him." He smiled at Juvia and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'll take you out to a proper dinner tomorrow."

Juvia just about melted, and Natsu folded his arms with a surly scowl. Loke caught the look of jealousy on his face and pieced together even more about just why Lucy wanted to hook these two up for a night. Something was definitely going on, but Loke could not figure out precisely what it was, not with their waffling love/hate reactions to one another.

"Just the three of us," Loke declared. "Gray, we haven't had a chance to talk in a long time, and Natsu, I want to hear all about what Lucy has been up to."

He took both by the shoulders and led them out with Happy following. Lucy watched, hardly able to believe it was turning out so well already. Suddenly, Juvia was up in her face.

"Gray-sama won't lose next time," she declared.

"Uh ... um ... s-sure," Lucy laughed nervously.

"At least you're not a love rival anymore."

Lucy muttered, "I never was, you know."

"You're way more interested in Loke."

Lucy blinked in confusion. "Wait ... What?" she screamed, but Juvia was already walking away with a smile.

Loke was stuck between Gray and Natsu. To the left, he was freezing with the chill radiating off the ice wizard, and to the right he felt like his suit might catch on fire from Natsu's heat. How Lucy put up with these two, he'll never know!

"So, where do you want to eat, Natsu?" he asked to break the silence.

Natsu glanced around. They were in the main avenue with many shops and cafés around. Then he saw 8-Island. He remembered working there at the original restaurant in Hargeon ... before he got in trouble for eating the food meant for customers.

"There," he pointed.

Gray had to admit, it was good food, although a little pricey since every dish was made with magic. They went inside and were surprised to see familiar faces.

Jenny Realight sauntered up wearing the 8-Island waitress outfit and looking as provocative as only Miss Fiore could be.

"Welcome to 8-Island, gentlemen," she practically purred. "Gray, Natsu, Happy ... and you're Leo the Lion, right?"

"Please," the ginger said, picking up her hand and kissing it gallantly. "Call me Loke."

"A table for four?" she asked, politely ignoring his flirtations. Jenny was used to it.

She led them back to a seat. The restaurant was busy but not fully packed at this time of day. On their way, they saw Hibiki and Ren also busing tables.

"So, Blue Pegasus is helping out Yajima," Gray muttered.

"Yajima-san has a new dessert that fits with Eve's specialty: Snowflake Soufflé. You should learn the recipe, Gray," she said brightly.

"Yeah, I'll talk with Eve," Gray decided. "Hey, I'll order that. I'm curious, and it sounds good. I also want that peach iced tea. That was good the last time I was here."

"Any other specials?" asked Loke.

She handed them menus, and Natsu instantly turned to the page with meaty dinners. "Well, there is a great lavender and strawberry salad that Ichiya prepares. It smells heavenly. The holly soda is the special drink of the day, and we have a rosemary and peppercorn gravy roast beef—"

"Ooh, I'll have that," Natsu shouted. "Beef!"

Happy spoke up, "What's the fish special?"

Jenny leaned over, breasts almost popping out of her outfit—Loke eyed them with an approving smile—and she sweetly pointed to the Exceed's menu. "I think you'll really love the crusted basil salmon. Ichiya has his own special seasoning."

Happy looked up in horror.

"Oh, nothing weird," she assured quickly. "It's all herbal with just a bit of magic to bring out the smell. I had his salmon at Blue Pegasus. It truly is divine," she sighed.

"I guess..." Happy muttered. Knowing Ichiya was the chef was a little disconcerting.

"I'll have that as well," Loke decided, "also with catnip tea."

Happy perked up. "Catnip tea?" he shouted. "Yes, that!"

"Uh-oh," Natsu muttered.

Jenny smiled over to Natsu. "Anything to drink for you?"

He flipped the menu to the drink selection. Jenny moved over and leaned next to him to point out the drinks. For one moment, Natsu's eyes shifted to those large breasts. Maybe most men would be enamored by a woman like Jenny Realight, yet Natsu could only compare those breasts to others he knew. Lucy's were still bigger, and Mira's were perkier. They were not of much interest otherwise.

Why was he not aroused by breasts? He used to be. He was once obsessed with the thought of touching boobs. Was it because of these feelings he had begun to have, these weird desires?

His eyes lifted and looked at Gray. He had almost stripped off his shirt, and Loke stopped him. Now, Gray's shirt hung unbuttoned and open, exposing his taut chest, the guild crest, and the hills of abdominal muscles. Somehow, that broad, hard chest was more arousing than these plump breasts being flaunted practically right in his face.

"I'll ... um ... I'll have ... that." He pointed to something at random.

"Excellent! Thank you, sirs," Jenny beamed. "Your meals will be right up."

They did not really speak much as they waited for their food, but finally Gray said something just to clarify their bet.

"Look, I'll pay for your food," he said to Natsu, "but we never agreed on Happy eating as well. I'm tight on money, ya know."

"I'll pay for Happy," Natsu assured.

"And I'm obviously paying for mine," Loke said just to make that clear.

"Fine," Gray grumbled. "That was a cheap move you made, though."

"Huh?" asked Natsu.

"Arm wrestling. I had you!"

"And you lost me," Natsu shrugged. "That's what happens when you get distracted."

Gray felt a bitter sting. He had him ... and he lost him ... getting distracted. Juvia's face came to mind. He liked Juvia a lot, she was a wonderful girlfriend, but part of Gray constantly felt guilty that he had asked her out because he needed to escape from this confusion. He needed time to sort it out, figure what he wanted. It had been a few months, and still he was confused, more now than ever.

He looked up at Natsu as the Dragon Slayer put a spoon on his nose and showed Happy.

He could lose Natsu...

Gray shook his head. Lose him? He never had him! There was nothing to even have, let alone lose.

Natsu shifted, and his foot tapped against Gray's under the table. It jolted Gray out of his thoughts.

"Oh! Sorry," Natsu said absently. "Hey Happy, try this."

Gray glared down at his silverware. He was being too self-conscious now. Natsu was distracting him, and ... these weird thoughts ... why were they bothering him so much lately? The dread he felt when Natsu collapsed, the nagging fear of losing him eternally, and now, what Natsu said ... He felt like grabbing the fire-headed idiot and shielding him in ice to make sure nothing else bad ever happened to him.

Hibiki swooshed over with their drinks on a tray, gracefully setting each cup down. His years being the princely host of Blue Pegasus really showed in the way he waited on tables. Gray sipped his peach tea, and something faintly grassy and minty was given to Loke and Happy. Then Natsu's drink arrived.

It was huge! And it was smoking. They all gawked at what looked like a volcano in a punch bowl.

"What the hell is that?" Gray muttered. He hated to admit it, but it actually looked pretty cool.

Natsu took a cautious sip. "Not bad," he decided.

Hibiki told them, "8-Island's specialty: Island Volcano Vortex. Wait for it," he grinned.

They heard gurgling in the punch bowl, and suddenly the liquid spiraled up like a tornado with smoke oozing from the bowl.

"Whoa! Cool!" Natsu cheered.

"Drink it when it's in the air and the taste is different," Hibiki said. "Hurry, Natsu."

The Dragon Slayer grabbed his straw and sipped out of the twisting vortex. "Oh ... my ... God, that is incredible!" he exclaimed. "Gray, you gotta try this."

He handed his straw over. Gray looked down at the straw Natsu had just used. An indirect kiss!

"Hurry, before the vortex shrinks," Natsu urged.

Gray had no time to fuss over silly things like sharing straws. He put it to his mouth and sipped the liquid just as it began to lower back into the bowl, getting just enough to fill his mouth.

"Oh, wow!" he whispered. "I've never tasted something like that."

"Shall I get straws to share?" Hibiki offered.

Gray was about to accept, but Natsu blurted out, "Nah, Gray and I can share one. He's so cold, he'd freeze any cooties on him."

Gray choked up. Sharing ... a straw? Wasn't that going too far?

The fact that Happy was giggling into his paws did not help. Then again, Loke was also giggling.

"Catnip tea," Loke explained. "Gives me the giggles. Sorry. Tee-hee!"

Happy nodded. "Catnip, catnip!"

"Happy, no flying," Natsu warned. "You know how you are on catnip."

"Nooooo flyyyyying," he sang. He took a big sip of the tea. "I love you, Natsu!"

"Huh? Already?" Natsu asked, and he sniffed the tea. "Whoa! That's some strong stuff."

Loke suddenly collapsed over onto Gray's arm. "I loooove you, Gray."

Gray cringed away. If he was gay, would something like this appeal to him? Wouldn't Loke practically cuddling his arm turn him on? Yet it did nothing. Did that mean he was not gay? This was so confusing!

"Hey," Natsu shouted. "Get off of Gray!"

The ice wizard jolted and looked up. What was with that flaming glare? Why would Natsu even care if Loke was reacting weird to the catnip?

"Awww, I love you, too, Natsu," Loke slurred.

Now it was Gray who felt like his ice might crackle all through the restaurant, and he had to hold himself back. Loke was just reacting to a weird drink.

Still ... how would he feel if Natsu found someone who loved him? What if it was Loke? Apparently, those two went to a strip club together. What if ... more happened that day? What even did happen? Gray cursed under his breath at all of these mixed-up feelings.

Happy giggled and suddenly toppled over onto the floor, rolling around happily.

"Happy!" Natsu cried out. "Hey, what did you guys give him? He's never reacted this badly."

"Gray, Gray," Loke said, smothering him and pawing as if he wanted to climb up into his lap. "I have fluffy hair, right? You'd wanna pet my hair, right?"

Gray yanked his hand back. "No, I do not want to pet your hair."

Loke looked hurt and suddenly yowled, "Whyyyyyy noooooooot?"

"What the hell is going on?" Gray cringed.

"Oh my gosh!" Jenny suddenly came running up to their table. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You got a special pot of the super-catnip espresso tea. It was something Ichiya was saving for Nichiya."

"That weird looking Exceed?" Gray asked.

Jenny looked distressed and she knelt beside Happy. "This is my fault. I grabbed the wrong pot. He's going to be out of it for a few hours. I can have him sent to the Fairy Tail guild. Someone needs to watch over him while he's affected. And ... Loke?"

Loke was obscenely smothering Gray's arm.

"Seriously, get off me!" Gray cried out, trying to shove Loke away as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Pet meeeeeeee," Loke whined. "I'm fluffy."

Jenny blushed at the two. "That's ... um..."

Natsu sighed. Catnip tea was never a good idea. "Yeah, send Happy to Fairy Tail. Wendy can help him. Loke, maybe you should go back to the Spirit World."

"Hungry!" he loudly protested, suddenly pulling away from Gray and sitting straight up in his seat. "I want fish. Fish, fish, fish!" He began to pound on the table.

"Fish, fish, fiiiiishehehehe," Happy tried to join in, but he fell into giggles.

"Yikes! Quiet down," Gray hissed, looking around nervously as people were beginning to stare.

"Gray?" Loke suddenly flopped over onto his lap. "Hold me!"

"Ack!" he cried out.

"You're the only one who loves me, Gray." He grabbed around the half-naked torso.

"I am so sorry," Jenny said again. "Happy, Nichiya is here. He came for the tea, but ... well, he'll help you back to your guild. I've packed your meal up to go."

The strange-faced yellow and orange Exceed came forward with an 8-Island to-go bag. Happy sedately went where he was led, talking about fish and fairies and declaring he loved everyone around him.

"Loke!" Gray yelled with the ginger still lying on his lap. "That's ... don't ... don't nuzzle there!"

Natsu bolted up, leaned over the table, and yanked Loke up by his tie. He glared at the Celestial Spirit and quietly warned, "Watch it!"

Loke grinned foppishly. "Yer cute when yer angry." He bolted forward, bit Natsu on the nose, and flopped back down onto his chair. "Marked you," he sang. "I'mma Lion, an' I marked youuuu!"

"Marked?" Gray raged. "Natsu, what the hell does he mean?"

Natsu was rubbing off the saliva that got onto his nose. "Beats me. He's drugged up."

Jealous rage burned in Gray's heart. The idea of Natsu being marked, claimed, desired by someone else, infuriated him.

"Fish!" Loke said again.

"Yes, your meals are just about done," Jenny said. "I truly am sorry. Happy's and Loke's meals will be free as an apology."

"Free fish!" Loke whooped. "Gray, Gray! I'mma gettin' a free fish."

Gray yanked away again. "That's ... great. Hey Natsu, mind if I sit with you?"

"I don't blame you," Natsu grumbled. Just then, his drink exploded again into a vortex. "Hurry, Gray! The straw!"

Gray shuffled over to where Happy had been sitting next to Natsu and used the straw to sip the liquid tornado. Immediately, not even wiping it off, Natsu grabbed the straw and also took a sip. For a moment, their cheeks were close enough to touch.

Across from them, Loke stopped acting like he was strongly affected by the tea—it was definitely a powerful brew, enough to get him tipsy, but he was a Celestial Spirit; it took more than catnip to make him that bad. He watched the two, and for a moment he saw precisely what Lucy must have seen. These two were being stubborn, and by the blushes and flinches they sometimes had at awkward moments, they were still figuring things out; however, they were definitely attracted to one another.

Plates arrived, more apologies were given, and finally they settled into dinner. They ate their meals, and they all agreed it had incredible flavors and unique aromas. They told Hibiki and Jenny to send their compliments to Ichiya and Eve. Then, in the middle of the meal, Loke jolted.

"Ah! Lucy is calling me." He shoveled the last of his fish into his mouth and slapped down some Jewel notes. "Pay for me. Keep the change." After gulping down the last of his tea, he vanished.

"Wait!" Gray cried out. "The ... the meal was supposed to be free."

Natsu shrugged. "Give the money to Lucy. She can give it back to Loke."

Gray tucked the money away and took another bite of his soufflé. It was quiet now, and with just the two of them sitting in a booth with thighs touching, Gray realized this was really weird now.

"I'm worried," he admitted.

"Yeah, me too," Natsu frowned. "What should we do?"

Gray looked at the table, then around the restaurant, and hummed.

Instantly, Loke was by Lucy's side. She was in the courtyard in front of the guild, and the party inside could clearly be heard. The sky had gotten dark and purple with the sunset, and the stars just beginning to twinkle made Lucy's golden hair glow. In Loke's eyes, she was angelic. Maybe it was a little of the catnip tea putting a haze to his vision, too.

"How were they?" she asked eagerly.

"Sitting together, sharing a straw, not realizing how many indirect kisses they were sharing," Loke reported with a sly smile. "So, you were hoping to hook Natsu up with Gray. And to think," he chuckled, "you used to have a crush on that hothead."

She gasped and began to blush. "Did not!"

"Oh yes you did!" Loke smirked knowingly. "You turned me down so many times because of him. Don't think I won't forgive you for doing that," he teased slyly. "Maybe this will actually work and you can put him out of your mind."

"Of course it'll work! And Natsu isn't even in my mind," she insisted. "I was worried about Happy getting between them, but then he was carried home. Seriously, what happened?"

"A fortuitous accident," Loke shrugged lightly, and he stepped up close to her. "One I shared in, and maybe I shouldn't have gulped that tea so quickly because damn you look good enough to eat!"

Lucy took a stunned step back. "W-wait ... Loke?"

"Catnip tea, sorry," he laughed, realizing he really should not have gulped the last of it. He rubbed out his brow and giggled. "Wow, it's doing something to my head."

She came back forward with a look of concern and peered into his eyes. "Are you okay? Your pupils are huge. You look drugged up."

He gazed down at her face in the moonlight. Seriously, she was gorgeous. "I'm perfectly fine now," he whispered softly. "Lucy, I am so lucky to have you as my master."

She blushed and looked away. "You're not perfectly fine. You're stoned on catnip."

"A release of inhibitions," he shrugged. "It just means I can tell you the things I always want to but hold myself back."

"Loke, you never hold yourself back from flirting."

"Of course I do, especially around you," he declared, sounding hurt. "Lucy..." He caressed her face. "If I were to say all the things I want to say about your beauty, I would sing your praises night and day until eternity ends. Believe me, I have to restrain myself if I want to remain a gentleman. Tonight, I feel a bit ... wild. Can I have just one kiss?"

"Whoa! You really are drugged up." She tried to turn away.

Loke wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back. "Maybe I am, but I feel this way about you every day. I want you ... all the time," he sighed wistfully, his face nearing hers. "Do you hate me for that?"

Lucy began to blush fiercely. "I ... don't hate you."

"Have you never wanted this?" he asked, getting even closer.

She looked up to him. She would be lying if she said no. Loke was her Spirit and her friend, but she felt jealous when he flirted with other girls, and she got butterflies in her stomach when his attention turned to her.

"I still want you as my wife, you know," he said softly. She huffed that he was going overboard again. "That can wait. First, just ... a kiss. I want just that. You're gorgeous under the stars, and I want to capture this moment."

Lucy trembled, yet his arms were warm and his face relaxed. His eyes enchanted her as they gleamed behind his glasses. Slowly, she leaned into him, he tenderly tilted her head up, and their lips touched.

"Lucy!"

She yanked away just as Natsu and Gray raced through the gates of the guild. They stopped sharply as they saw Loke and Lucy embracing.

"Whoa!" Natsu cried out. "Um ... wow, sorry."

Gray also looked awkward. "We got worried since you called Loke. We figured if you were summoning him, it must have been a really dangerous enemy. We ... um ... we didn't realize."

Lucy shoved Loke away. "It's not what it seems!"

"Go home, you two," Loke smirked, pulling Lucy back in. "We're busy."

"No, it's ... it's not..." She was bright red, not wanting to lie but mortified that she got caught.

"We left without paying," Natsu admitted. "We'll head back and clear that up. You two ... well ... have fun together." Then both he and Gray took off.

After a minute of walking back toward 8-Island, Gray muttered, "Awkward!"

"Totally," Natsu agreed. "Good for her, though."

Gray looked over sharply. "Aren't you and Lucy...?"

Natsu hummed in curiosity. "Aren't we what?"

"You know! A thing."

"A couple? No, we're not like that at all. We've never been."

"Don't you like her?"

"Of course. As a friend."

Gray fell silent. He had thought for sure Natsu had a thing for Lucy. Then again, she once said she thought of Natsu as a brother. However, the person Natsu liked had also said that Natsu was like a brother. How many people thought of Natsu that way?

'I do, but it can't be me ... can it?'

They came to the restaurant, bowed in apology, but the Trimens were understanding. They were wizards, and emergencies happened. Gray used the money Loke had thoughtlessly laid out to pay for his free meal, and he used all of it as a large tip to make amends for them rushing off. He also paid for Natsu's meal, like they agreed, and Natsu thanked them for giving him Happy's meal for free.

They stepped back out into the evening with take-out bags of their unfinished meals. They stood together for a moment, unsure what to do next.

"So ... um..."

Before Gray could suggest anything, Natsu interrupted. "I need to go check on something. Thanks for the meal."

"Hey, you won it. Although I still think that was cheating."

Natsu smirked at him. "Why did you react so poorly?" He left the question hanging and raced off, leaving Gray stunned and questioning the same thing to himself.

"Whatever," he grumbled. Gray shrugged it off and headed home, slightly disappointed that his chance at spending a night out with Natsu, with Loke around to make things less awkward, was ruined.

Natsu returned to the guild to see Loke and Lucy truly kissing now, no more coyness, their arms wrapped around one another while hums of sensual delight filled the air, punctuated with smacks of lips and slurps of tongue. He cleared his throat and approached as the two scurried apart. Lucy did not even try to stutter her way out of this one. There was no point after getting caught twice.

"Lucy," Natsu glowered, holding back his emotions. "This whole evening was a set-up, wasn't it? Having Loke take us out to dinner? Gray could have just bought me a meal at the guild. I heard you two talking earlier. I knew something was up. But then calling him, having him leave us, together and alone?" His voice lowered ominously. "You can't force two people into having a date."

She gasped and tried to think how she could refute that accusation.

"Don't interfere again," he warned her sternly. "Gray is dating Juvia, and I respect that."

"But Natsu," Lucy said sadly. "I know already. I can tell. Gray is the one you love."

He sneered bitterly. "That's why I can't betray his friendship. He's happy with Juvia, and I won't take that happiness away from him."

"What about your own happiness?"

Natsu stared at her, but no arguments came to his mind. From the start of this, he had only been thinking about what Gray needed. First it was to keep Gray happy through his depression, then to heal him before he agreed to amputation, and now it was again to keep him happy as he got on with his life after that near-death tragedy.

What about his own happiness? Natsu never thought about that. He was not even sure what would make him happy. He had been telling himself that he was happy if Gray was happy, yet ... this was not making him happy at all. What would bring him bliss was something that could hurt Gray, and that was something Natsu could never do.

"My happiness can wait," he said softly. Natsu turned sharply and left in anger and frustration.

Loke raced down the street after him. "Natsu! Natsu, wait!"

Natsu swirled around and screamed, "I swear, Loke, if you try to kiss me like you tried to kiss Gray, I will burn you!"

"Whoa," he cried, backing off as flames flickered from the Dragon Slayer's body. "I was just teasing a bit. I wanted to see your reactions, that's all. Lucy didn't really tell me anything, so I was trying to figure it out for myself."

"Oh yeah? And what'd you figure out?" he snapped.

Loke gave him a pitying smile and shrugged. "That you're desperate for love."

Natsu sneered at him. "No more strip clubs."

"No! That's not what I mean. I mean love, not a fling. Hey, I'm sorry if that day was totally wrong for you. Really, I was just trying to help. I didn't know you were gay."

"I'm not," Natsu immediately protested. "That is, I ... I'm apparently bisexual. I'm not sure."

"Not sure?" Loke asked.

"Well, this is ... new." Liking boys was a new concept. He had grown up hearing that boys were supposed to like girls, and he had thought about many girls in the past. Fantasizing over a man was a recent development. "I guess I have to thank you for hooking me up with Rei-chan."

"R- ... Rei-chan?" He had to think about that name. "Oh, right! At the Pussy Palace."

"Yeah. Thanks to her, I know what to do if I get an opportunity, but most importantly, she helped me to realize that I have to be patient and wait for that opportunity to happen. I can't force it, and I can't hurt Gray's feelings just to satisfy my own."

Loke was impressed by such an attitude, especially for someone notoriously childish like Natsu. "That's really mature of you."

Natsu scoffed softly. "I wish it was me being mature. I just realized that Rei-chan was right. You can't force someone to love you, and manipulating them into romance isn't loving. It's selfish and shows only lust. Igneel once warned me that dragons have an issue with lusting over treasures and hoarding things; you could say it's a natural weakness. Between what he told me when I was a kid and what Rei-chan told me, I realize that I can't force these ... these feelings onto Gray, especially when he's dating someone else. Then it's lust and not love. I don't want this to be just lust. I still don't really know what it is, but I want it to be love."

Loke smiled with pride and patted Natsu's shoulder. "Often when a man gives up something special because he hopes to make someone else happy, that's love. I wish you luck. If you want, we can hang out some more tonight, talk about the ways of the heart. I'm an expert in love, gender regardless."

"Nah," Natsu laughed. Talking about emotions was not really his thing, and just saying this much was embarrassing and awkward. "I'm gonna call it a night. Hang out with Lucy. Maybe take her to that restaurant. No more catnip tea!"

He strolled away, meaning to head home. Instead, Natsu found himself walking by Gray's apartment. He saw the upper story window open and a light on, shining yellow beams into the evening darkness. He was curious if Gray was home, maybe he was bored, perhaps he could hang out for a little while. Not thinking too closely about it, he leaped up a tree across the street just to peek inside. He decided that was a better idea than simply jumping in through the window, something that usually winded up with him getting thoroughly chewed out by Lucy.

Perched in a tall elm, he had a clear view of the bedroom. Sure enough, Gray was home ... and naked ... in bed ... stroking himself.

Natsu froze as he saw the scene. Sure, he was a guy, he had plenty of experience with this scenario, but he was momentarily shocked that Gray did this in bed. Natsu normally did stuff like this in the shower. That was the trouble of sleeping with a roommate. If he tried this in bed with Happy around ... well, that happened once, and he had a heck of a time explaining some excuse to the clueless cat.

Also, Gray seemed to be reading, until he turned the magazine to the side and a centerfold dropped down. Natsu could not read what it was, but he saw some scantly clad woman on the front cover. One of those magazines! Natsu had never actually owned one, but Elfman once showed him his porn magazine, the two of them huddled together and keeping an eye out for Mira as they gawked in wonder at the naked women. Then, when he turned fifteen, Gildarts let him "borrow" his own special Boobie Bonanza edition, although Natsu threw the porn mag back to the old man and shouted at him in mortification. Seriously, he did not want to know what Gildarts did while looking through those pages.

He knew it should not be too shocking to have a magazine like that, but why was Gray doing this with his curtains pulled back and his window wide open for anyone to hear him? Did Gray like the idea that someone might see him? Was he really an exhibitionist after all?

Natsu almost wanted to get closer. Gray seemed to be talking to himself, but from the tree Natsu heard nothing more than an airy mumbling. He could only watch as Gray trailed his fingers up and down his shaft in lazy strokes. It seemed like he wanted to take his time with this, not like Natsu's frantic jerks before the shower went cold.

Gray set the magazine aside and used his other hand to run up his torso, to his chest, and tweak a nipple. Natsu's throat went dry as he watched. He had once listened in on Gray in the bath, and now he remembered those sounds: the moans, the heavy breathing, how Gray tended to talk to himself while doing this. He saw those parched lips moving, speaking to some invisible succubus. He could almost make out syllables, nothing clear enough to understand. Then teeth clenched as something he did made his spine arch up.

Natsu realized that this was the perfect opportunity to watch Gray, to observe how he liked to touch himself, so that when it was his time to pleasure the Ice-Make wizard—if that time ever came—he would know what Gray liked. He watched, barely breathing, and his blazing eyes took in every touch, every reaction, every expression that passed over Gray's face.

Gray suddenly clenched his hair, looking frustrated. He grabbed the magazine again, looked at it, tried to stroke himself, but then he tossed the porn-filled pages aside in something Natsu thought might be anger. Maybe it was a boring magazine. In any case, he kept stroking, and soon the tension lessened in his face. He began to give himself long, full strokes, arching his hips up into his own fist.

Feeling an intense tingle, Natsu reached down to adjust himself, only to realize he was getting hard. He looked down at the tenting in his pants, then up at Gray. Just watching Gray touch himself, and the excitement of realizing he was watching without Gray's permission, was making him incredibly turned on. This was ... something ... Erza had a name for it, but Natsu couldn't remember. It was something perverted, but at that moment, Natsu didn't care! It was like Gray was putting on a show, wanting to be watched. Natsu felt like the open window and withdrawn curtains were Gray's silent permission to gaze upon that impeccable body and worship it.

Gray flinched a bit at the touches to his chest, so he sucked on his fingers. He thrust those fingers into his mouth, lapping his tongue around them, pressing them in deep, fingerfucking his face, and Natsu gulped hard.

Holy shit, that was hot! What was it like, thrusting into that mouth? He found his hand palming himself in time to Gray's fingers.

"Gray," he whispered, creeping a little closer on the tree branch. "Show me. Show me how you like it."

Finally, Gray pulled the fingers out, and strings of saliva dripped back onto his lips. He let his fingers trail over his skin, leaving shiny wetness in their path. Then he rubbed the drenched fingers around his nipple. That made him visibly shudder. He stroked it, flicked it, and began to softly tug on it. Natsu could faintly hear a groan, something he was sure no one else could hear, only his good ears let him.

Natsu gulped and rubbed himself through his pants. He began to hump up against the branch he was on, letting it rub out some of the friction he needed. He stared enthralled at the faces Gray was making. He imagined what he was saying.

'Touch me, Natsu. I want your hands. Lick it. Please, Natsu. More!'

He gulped again, breathing hard, salivating as he caught a whiff through that open window, sweet and sensual, the smell of snow, forests, sweat, and pre-cum. His thighs tensed. He wanted Gray! He wanted...

Somewhere down the road, a dog barked and a cat hissed as it jumped up onto a trash barrel. Natsu snapped out of his reverie. He suddenly realized where he was, up in a tree in a residential area where anyone could glance up and see him. He was totally acting like a perverted peeping tom! He yanked his hand away from his groin and sneered in disgust. How could he let himself do something like this in public?

Then he looked up. Gray was still in the throes of self-pleasure, but now Natsu looked away. He could not be that rude to Gray. Overhearing him was one thing, but watching him ... he couldn't!

This was lust, and Natsu wanted it to be love. Gray deserved love, not the craving and hoarding emotions that clambered in Natsu's mind.

He leaped down and walked away with the image of Gray's naked body burned into his mind. Natsu's feet went faster, sped up, and then broke into a run. He sneered into the night as he ran away from the emotions and desires.

"Dammit!" he shouted into the wind.

He ran all the way back home, threw open the door, and slammed it shut behind him. In petulant frustration, he collapsed onto his bed.

What was love, anyway? Was this merely lust? Could lust be part of love? Was that okay?

"This is too frustrating," he growled.

He knew he could talk to Rei-chan, but Gray did not like that; besides, Natsu had begun to feel guilty for always going to her to help him through these moments. He realized that both Erza and Lucy had figured out about his feelings, but like hell could he talk to a girl about how his body reacted toward Gray. Loke said he could help, but Natsu was still a bit mad at the flirtatious Lion for smothering Gray.

What if that was why Gray was jerking off? What if he was turned on by Loke? That idea made Natsu's stomach twist. It was bad enough that Gray was dating Juvia, but if he was interested in another man ... somehow, that was far worse.

Natsu felt trapped with these emotions, unable to vent them, unable to act on them, and deeply guilty whenever he gave in.

Still, there was nothing to do but accept what his body wanted. He sat in bed in the same position Gray had been in and shucked his pants down to free his cock. He was still half-hard despite running home, but as soon as the cool night air hit his skin, he imagined that was how Gray's breath would feel, blowing softly against his dick, and immediately he began to stiffen.

He had not outright masturbated in bed in years, and it was different than standing in the shower. He closed his eyes, remembering the way Gray had looked, and he began to stroke himself with those same lazy touches. The fingers would be cold, though. Not much he could do about his hot hands.

One problem with doing it in bed instead of the shower was his dry, rough skin. It hurt having that much friction on him, so he reached over to his nightstand. He had lotion, nothing fancy, Lisanna gave it to him a few winters ago when Natsu's skin kept cracking from the cold. He squirted some onto his hand and rubbed it onto his cock to make this easier. As soon as he stroked down, he felt the difference and moaned softly.

He had no dirty magazines, but he had to only think of Gray, of how he looked during their meal, of sharing that straw, their cheeks together, laughing and enjoying the moment without any awkwardness. It had felt so natural, sitting with Gray and eating together. It almost felt like a date, with Loke as merely a chaperon.

He thought of them sitting in that booth, thighs pressed together, elbows bumping as they ate. He knew the feel of that skin. He had lifted Gray out of the bath, wet and dripping, skin soft, chilled, yet muscular under the pliant skin. Gray's hand had been so chilly and rough during their arm wrestling.

He had only meant to tease Gray a little with that wink and kiss. He never expected Gray to completely lose his strength just from that.

What if that meant something?

Natsu doubted it, but he liked to imagine. What if Gray gave him a wink back? What if he nodded to Natsu tomorrow morning, motioning with his head to follow him, led him back into the guild hallways, back to the storage room? What if Gray kissed him there, thrust Natsu up against the shelves, nabbed his wrists and pinned him to the wall with his hips?

Natsu spread his legs, his feet planted down, the same position Gray had been in. Like that, he realized he could thrust up into his hand. It was an incredible feeling, his hips tensing and relaxing, more physical than just moving his wrist. He began to thrust up, fucking his fist and sweating with the exertion.

The storage room fantasy turned into a bedroom, or maybe a hotel, who cared! It was Natsu pinning Gray down now, pressing his wrists into the pillow, nipping at his neck, licking his nipples, grinding up against him as their hips gave mutual thrusts against one another.

"Gray..." he moaned.

The dream from a few days ago returned to him, taking Gray, having him surrender, begging, pleading to be filled. In the dream, Natsu had entered Gray, thrusting into that tight ass, and listened to the cries of pleasure.

It blended into the fact that he was doing this while Gray was doing the same thing. It was mutual masturbation, in a remote sort of way. He and Gray were, in essence, jerking off together. That connection made this better. His heels pressed down into the mattress, and his toes curled in building tension. His fist clenched his sheet as he slipped into more fantasies.

If they could be together, they could touch each other, stroke off one another, sitting just like this. Those cold hands could be on him, while his hands warmed up Gray's cock, stroking each other, staring at each other, watching every gasp of pleasure, and when they were close, when they were ready, to rub their cocks together, frotting against each other, both wet with dripping pre-cum, both sweaty and reeking of pheromones, the aroma of sweat and lust everywhere. Right as they were both on the cusp, Natsu would kiss Gray, grab him, claim that mouth, those moans, all of that lust, hoard it like the dragon he was.

His! His mate!

Natsu snapped. His breath ratcheted, grinding higher and higher in growls turning into howls, all beastly and wild. He completely forgot to grab tissues. He came onto his stomach, splattering onto his skin. He panted deeply, his head buzzing and his body thrumming with the visions gradually fading.

Slowly, time resumed. His body sagged, and his breath evened out. Natsu kept stroking himself, milking it all, lingering in the pleasure.

He should probably head back to the guild to fetch Happy.

Or he could wait a few minutes and do this again.

He decided, he liked doing this in bed, because it was how Gray did it.

A small, horny, curious part of him wished he had stayed in that tree to see precisely how Gray looked, how he did it, and what he liked to do. Still, Natsu knew that he would probably jerk off a lot more to the memory of those few voyeuristic minutes.

Maybe this was lust. Maybe it was love. He didn't know. He realized though, Gray was the one who made his body react like this. Big breasted women didn't, handsome men like Loke didn't. Only Gray.

Only ... Gray.

———

Notes:

Catnip tea is a nod to my LoLu fic "Box of 'Nip." In one scene, Loke and Happy share some catnip tea ... with comical results.