"Burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight."
― Harvey Milk

There was already a stir in the guild that morning. Mest arrived with one of the oddest requests yet: all Dragon Slayers had to travel with him, and he could not explain why. Gajeel, Laxus, and Wendy were personally glad that they would be traveling with Mest and not transportation, but it was still odd. Why only Dragon Slayers, and why all four of them?

Little did anyone know, their day was about to get even weirder.

The doors blasted open with a signature heat that they all knew.

"Salamander finally made it," Gajeel grumbled without looking up.

Natsu ran in and looked around, glad to see the guild almost packed. He had dragged Gray in by the wrist, and they both looked winded. Gray's legs were still not at full strength, and Natsu's heart pounded harder than it normally did for a jog to the guild. The sprint into town had pushed both of them to their physical limit.

Wendy smiled up at him. "Natsu-san, have you heard about the mission?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said distractedly. "Before that ... hey, everyone!"

Gray glared at him. "You're not going to blurt it out, are you?"

Natsu looked back at him. "What did you have planned?"

Gray froze, stumped. He had nothing at all planned. He figured they would eventually tell their friends and let rumors take care of the rest. A grand announcement like this was over the top. Of course, that was Natsu's style with anything in life.

"So then, I get to pick how we do it," Natsu decided.

Gray blurted out. "We should wait for Erza to get here."

"She knows."

"Still..."

Natsu turned back to the watching guild members. "Everyone! Gray's my mate, so hands off."

You could have heard a cricket in the silence that followed. Everyone stared in mute shock. Gray covered his eyes in embarrassment, but Natsu grinned as if satisfied with shocking them all. This was more like it! Erza's reaction had been way too boring, and he wanted an uproar.

Just then, Lucy and Erza finally arrived.

Lucy pouted at the blank looks all around. "Looks like we missed the big announcement."

Mira suddenly clasped her hands in a loud clap, snapping everyone out of the moment. "Congratulations, Natsu and Gray. May you have happiness."

"Is this a prank?" Max asked warily.

"Nope," Cana said, going back to drinking beer. "Betting on when they'd hook up has been going on for weeks. I really thought they were fucking ages ago."

Wendy looked dizzy. "M-m-m-m-m-mate? Gr-Gr-Gray-san ... a-and Natsu-san ... m-m-mate?"

Gajeel scoffed. "This is a sick joke."

Natsu's flames leaped. "Your face is a sick joke."

Levy began to quietly edge away from Gajeel, but he noticed it right away. "Where are you going, shrimp? You're not gonna congratulate that idiot, are you?"

"W-well, maybe," she admitted, "but actually, I need to check with Mira because I can't remember what day I bet on."

"Bet?" he shouted. "No one told me there were bets for when that pink-headed idiot would finally admit he's a faggot."

Natsu heard him over the noise of the guild now talking all at once. He glanced over to Gray, who was surrounded by people and bashfully admitting a few things to Freed and Bickslow. He hoped Gray had not heard Gajeel. He figured this was just going to be part of his rivalry with the Iron Dragon Slayer. He would handle it. He did not want Gray, who was already unsure about things, to hear anything negative even in jest.

Luckily, they were soon mobbed by people who kept asking questions, some innocent like who asked out whom, if they had kissed, and how they fell in love. Others asked questions that made the two blush.

"W-w-we're not doing ... that yet!"

Cana chuckled slyly. "Oh come on, Gray." She nudged him with an elbow. "You didn't really switch sides without knowing your position in the game, did you?"

He stiffened up. "I didn't switch sides."

Cana draped over his shoulder. "Are you bi like me? Little tit, little cock, it's all good."

Gray flinched back, but Natsu suddenly surged in.

"That's right," he answered with a sly smile. "We both swing both ways, and I mean that for both issues."

Cana winked. "Oh-ho! Switchin' and bitchin', nice."

While they kept getting questioned, some members—Juvia included—stood off and did not look like they approved. Whatever their reasons, from jealousy to indignation, they stood off but still did not say anything aloud.

Juvia watched Gray, and she wondered silently, why not her? Just a few weeks ago, she heard Gray tell Natsu that he was not in love with her. Had he been in love with Natsu the whole time, or was this new? Was he even in love now, or was Natsu okay without that emotion? What was it about Natsu that put him above her?

She wanted to be happy for him, but the tears still gathered in her eyes. She decided it was best to leave the guild hall and let Gray be happy with his boyfriend. She needed time to learn to accept this.

After the initial outburst, Gray and Natsu managed to slip away. Once again, Gray was pulled along by the hand, but this time he did not really mind. He had briefly caught a glimpse of Juvia's sad face, and he was not ready to confront her just yet.

Natsu turned into a side closet. There was a stack of extra chairs ready to replace any that got broken in fights, and a shelf of linens as well as extra toilet paper for the restrooms.

"I'll have to leave for the mission soon," Natsu said quietly as their eyes adjusted to the low light. "I want to kiss you goodbye in private."

Gray smiled at his excuse. "You just wanna make out in the storage room, pervert."

Natsu chuckled softly. "I was thinking I'd just kiss you sweetly, but if that's the way your mind works, you're the one who's a pervert."

Gray stepped up closer to Natsu. "And if I am? What are you gonna do about it?"

Natsu suddenly grabbed Gray and slammed him up against the wall. With a devious gleam in his eyes, he snarled, "I'll have to punish you."

"Hah! I'd like to see you try, brat."

Natsu's lips twisted up into a smirk. "Are you seriously challenging me, ice princess?"

Gray leaned in close to his face and taunted, "Try it, flame-brain."

Who attacked first, even they were not sure. They collided together, opposite elements bashing and brawling. They fought to hold the other one tighter, to feel more, to get past clothes and grab onto bare skin. Gray's shirt went flying, and Natsu's vest was ripped open. Hot and cold touches wrestled, grabbing, groping, claiming. Their tongues battled, Gray's thrusting into Natsu's mouth, then Natsu thrusting his tongue back at Gray.

"I wanna mark you as mine," Natsu growled, using his nails to claw down Gray's spine.

The ice wizard moaned at the scratches. "Not ... not visible."

"Then what's the point? I want them to see I'm yours."

"Sheesh, they already know."

"Then I want you to know you belong to me. When you wake up, you'll see it. It'll remind you."

"Like I need to be reminded," Gray scoffed.

Natsu looked up with sad, puppy eyes. Just one look, and Gray knew he was defeated ... damn cute flame-brain!

"Oh hell, go ahead. Just not my chest or neck. You know I have an issue with keeping a shirt on."

Natsu suddenly dropped to his knees. Gray panicked as the memory of lewd fantasies returned to him.

"Wait, what...?"

Natsu lightly tugged Gray's boxers down his hip.

"Natsu!" he cried out in shock.

However, he did not lower them far. His sharp teeth sank into the hip bone, and Gray bellowed at the pain. Natsu really bit hard, and when he came back up, a nasty bruise was already forming.

"Like that," Natsu smiled, proud of his work. "You're mine now, bitten and marked!"

"Bastard! That fucking hurt."

Natsu gazed up with a devious gleam. "Good!" he practically purred. Then he leaned over and kissed the bruise.

However, he did not stand back up. The smell here was intense, intoxicating, and Natsu felt warm and sleepy and aroused all at the same time. He inhaled, and his stomach fluttered at the scent. Slowly, he began to lean forward.

Gray felt something rub his cock, and he looked down to see Natsu with his nose pressed against him. His heart jolted and raced.

"Natsu," he whispered, not sure if he wanted to tell him no or just let this happen.

"I won't do anything," Natsu said softly. "Just wanna smell." His nose pressed up closer, and he inhaled from balls to tip.

The stroking of Natsu's nose, so faint and so maddening, left Gray desperate for more despite his reservations. He gasped and began to pant, imagining so much more, fantasizing about touches and kisses and licking and swallowing.

"Shit," he hissed, ready to tell Natsu to go for it, do everything, pleasure him, devour him, anything but these soft, teasing touches.

"Gray," Natsu whispered. He looked up, and the lust burned in his gaze.

Never in his life had Gray ever consciously wanted to take off his underwear so badly as right then.

Natsu's hands began to rub up Gray's thighs, closer and closer. He nestled his nose down again right where the legs split, and Gray could hear the deep sniff as well as a dark groan of desire. Natsu looked up again, eyes simmering, breathing slow and heavily, a predator eager to hunt. He leaned forward slowly, watching Gray, waiting to hear him say no, but Gray just stared down in amazement. Still keeping his eyes up, Natsu planted a kiss on the tip of the tented boxers.

Suddenly they heard: "Natsu! Gray! Where the hell are you?"

They both panicked at Erza's yelling. Natsu scrambled back and knocked over a shelf. An extra chair fell off a stand and knocked Natsu in the back, slamming him forward. He did not have time to move, and instead he fell straight over, right against Gray's crotch. The sudden hit of Natsu's chin right into his groin made Gray's world spark in pain. He groaned loudly, feeling sick from the agony radiating from his injured genitals.

Right at that moment, Erza opened the closet door and saw the scene: Gray mostly naked with Natsu on his knees and his face smashed against Gray's crotch. Instantly, the door slammed shut again.

"S-sorry for disturbing you two," she stammered.

"Dammit," Gray sneered. Just perfect! Could it get any more cliché than two gay men in a fucking closet? "Why didn't you smell her coming like earlier?" he hissed to Natsu.

"I couldn't smell anything but your crotch," Natsu admitted.

"Sheesh!" Gray groaned. How could he say something like that with such a straight face?

They scrambled away, and Gray rubbed out the pain, his erection now thoroughly withered. Natsu got back up to his feet, feeling guilty for hurting Gray so horribly, but not sure what he could do. He certainly could not help by rubbing it out or kissing it better. Instead, Gray silently pulled his clothes back on and Natsu buttoned up his vest.

They finally opened the door and saw that Erza was not alone. Mest, Wendy, Gajeel, and Laxus all looked ready for that special mission. By the arched eyebrow from Laxus, the lip-curl of annoyance from Gajeel, the pink on Wendy's face, and Mest protectively covering her innocent eyes, it was obvious they had all seen at least a little.

"Finally coming out of the closet, Salamander?" Gajeel joshed.

"Oh har-har," Natsu mocked. "Stick to your singing because you suck at jokes."

"Looks like you're the one who likes to suck," Gajeel shot back. "Sniffing crotches like a dog. I didn't realize you were Gray's bitch."

Flames ignited on Natsu's fists. "Wanna see who's a bitch?"

"Knock it off," Mest shouted. "This mission is time sensitive. We must hurry, which is why I'm coming with you."

"What is it, anyway?" asked Natsu, still scowling at Gajeel.

"It's classified. I can tell you when we get there."

Natsu silently looked back to Gray, who nodded without a word that he should go.

Gajeel scoffed in annoyance. "Oh fuck, just kiss him goodbye and bone him later. Let's go already."

In a blip, the four Dragon Slayers vanished with Mest. Erza and Gray were left behind in awkward silence. He could not face her, not after what she must have seen.

She looked at him sternly, silently demanding answers. Gray shoved his hands deep into his pockets. If she was not going to speak, neither would he. Gray turned and marched away in silence and sexual frustration.