"Winter skies are cold and low, with harsh winds and freezing sleet.
But when we make love beneath our quilt, we make three summer months of heat."
― Tzu Yeh

Although Gray had originally wanted to rush straight home, he thought better of it after his stomach let out a loud growl. It was the middle of the afternoon, and neither of them had eaten breakfast or lunch.

They stopped at a small café, and Gray was glad he had some money on him. They were both eager to eat. Still, all through their meal, Natsu and Gray gazed at one another. This break for food was just building the tension, the desire, whetting their appetite. Under the table, Gray felt Natsu slide his foot over his leg while his eyes burned with desire. He licked sauce off his fork and smiled as he saw Gray gulp.

After their meal, Gray held Natsu's hand while they walked through town. Normally, such public affection embarrassed him, but today he was thrusting all of that aside. He was going to treat Natsu as a proper boyfriend, with a nice meal date, a stroll through town, and gradually they ended up on the street where Gray lived.

The late autumn day was already growing dark as the sun sank and a wind picked up. Gray glanced over at how Natsu's scarf fluttered in the breeze. He smiled and squeezed the burning hand. It was an in-between time, a balance of summer and winter, much like themselves. The blustery wind matched the storm brewing between them as they entered Gray's apartment and hiked up the stairs to his room.

Gray held the door open for him, and Natsu strode in while trying not to look as nervous as he felt. Although this was something he had wanted for so long, it still felt ... rushed. He somehow thought this would be a day they would plan for, a moment expected and anticipated. Instead, Gray abruptly declared that he wanted to show Natsu just how much he loved him. It came as a complete surprise. Since their mission, they had only made out a few times. They had not tried anything beyond kissing, not since that camping trip.

Although, their journey home involved plenty of pleasure while sleeping in a tent together.

He subconsciously rubbed his arms as he increased his own body heat to compensate for the chill of Gray's home. Suddenly, arms were around him, hugging him from behind, and lips were on his neck. Any chill vanished as Natsu's body burned at the nips to his skin.

He turned around, and stormy blue eyes gazed down at him silently. With a bit of worry, Gray reached up and touched the bandage on Natsu's face. The Dragon Slayer carefully pulled it off, revealing the cut to his cheek he got when he pass out and fell down the stairs. It had stopped bleeding, but there was still a scab. If Wendy did not look at it soon, there could even be a scar.

Gray leaned forward, and although he did not kiss right on the wound, he kissed the inflamed flesh near the cut. Natsu was injured because of him, and it made him feel guilty.

Natsu looked up and saw that regret in the wintry eyes. He had every intention of telling Gray the whole truth, especially now, before they did this. However, that look of guilt stung Natsu. He did not want this perfect mood to turn into something bad. It must have taken a lot of courage for Gray to reach this point. They had time to talk about why his heart was weak later, when they were not in the midst of feeling such deep passion for one another.

But definitely—definitely—he was going to tell Gray. He needed to. He had put it off so long.

Just ... not yet.

Gray's hand drifted up Natsu's arms and over to his chest, coming to rest on the first button of his shirt. Slowly, although Natsu was sure he could have done it in a flash, Gray unbuttoned Natsu's shirt, watching as his chest was gradually revealed. After the last button, his hands slid back up over rigid muscles and firm pectorals, up to Natsu's shoulders.

He leaned over, snatching up Natsu's lips while his fingers eased the shirt over shoulders, biceps, and let it fall to the ground. Natsu took a step closer, and both grasped around one another with bare chests pressed together. Their fingers ventured over each other's backs, grasping tightly and groaning from the closeness.

Their kiss deepened, and Natsu's hands dived down to grab Gray's ass, yanking him in closer. Gray thrust up against him and carefully led Natsu backward, guiding him toward the bedroom. Natsu followed Gray's lead, but when he felt the mattress hit the back of his knees, he made a sudden grab. With a sharp spin, he threw Gray onto the bed and immediately climbed on top. He crawled over Gray's prone body like a hungry animal set loose from its cage.

Natsu licked Gray's stomach, slid his tongue between his chest, and planted a kiss on the guild mark emblazoned on his pectoral. Gray's hands tugged him to come closer, but Natsu kept kissing along his collar, up to his neck.

Gray briefly heard a low growl before pain shot through the side of his throat. He cried out, and his fingers clenched into Natsu's hair. He had marked Natsu so many times up until now. Finally, Natsu was marking him back.

It was not just there, either. His lips went everywhere, nipping, sucking, claiming all of Gray. His nails dragged down Gray's torso again, harder this time, making his body arch in pleasure.

Gray grabbed Natsu and spun them, landing on top. He did not wait; he yanked the scarf off and latched onto Natsu's neck, determined to mark him, make Natsu his. The shivering cry of pain and pleasure made his heart pound wildly.

Gray raised up, breathing hard, wanting him ... wanting him! More than just a bruising mark. He wanted everything about this wild Dragon Slayer.

He slid back down and kissed Natsu's chest. He teased the puckered up nipple, letting his tongue glide across the thin skin over it, making it tense more and beg for attention. Gray hummed as Natsu's breathing cut off momentarily at the teasing. In return, he brought a hand up to the other nipple and circled it gently. He sucked the hardened nipple, and at the same time, his thumb and forefinger gently pinched the other. Natsu moaned loudly into the darkening room, making an intense tingle shoot straight down to Gray's cock.

He wanted to hear more; to make him moan his name in ways he never imagined in his lewd fantasies.

There was another growl, and Natsu pounced straight up, slamming Gray backward to the foot of the bed. The Dragon Slayer snarled aggressively as he sat on top of his lover's torso. Those narrow eyes practically glowed in the last light of the day.

Breathing hard, Natsu slithered back down Gray's body, scratching and licking as he dropped. He felt the tension building, smelled Gray's body, that wintry musk increasing, a heady scent of desire and need.

He wanted more! More than just scent. He wanted to taste it, taste everything, his mouth, his flesh, his cock ... his blood!

Natsu suddenly bit Gray's hip, piercing his sharp teeth in. Gray cried out in pain and almost kicked Natsu away. He was about to scream at him, but when he looked down he saw Natsu licking the droplets of blood he had drawn. He looked drunk on the taste of just a few speckles, and his eyes gazed up in haziness.

He saw Gray watching him in confusion, so he slowly dragged his tongue over the wound, groaning softly at the taste of arousal in the blood.

Gray flopped back, nearly undone by the gleam in Natsu's eyes. The pain hurt, but the pleasure ... oh, the pleasure outweighed everything! He closed his eyes, his breaths tightening with every touch, feeling aroused to every sensation. Warm lips went back up his stomach while a hand drifted down, slowly unthreading Gray's belt. Natsu unbuttoned the jeans and lowered the zipper, but that was all for now. He reached through the jeans and rubbed Gray through the boxers, feeling him out, hearing the whimpers for more.

Yet Gray did not beg. He knew it was coming. Gradually. He did not want to rush this.

Natsu slipped back up and kissed Gray while stroking him. Gray's eyes widened as he tasted something coppery. His own blood! It was still in Natsu's mouth.

Natsu pulled back, breathing heavily. He gulped, trying to regain his voice, but his throat would not work. Instead, he glanced down to what his hand was doing, then back up, wordlessly asking if he could do more.

To answer, Gray reached down and pulled his cock out of the boxer's front flap. His eyes were straight up into Natsu's, looking at the tender love in that gaze even as Natsu gave him a slow, smooth stroke down his arousal. Gray shuddered, and a moan dragged out of him as those hot fingers pulled back up to the leaking head, then thrust back down again.

The scent of pre-cum filled Natsu's nostrils as he recalled the first time smelling it, that day hiding in this same apartment while Gray jerked off in the bathtub, and then again in the seaside hotel's bathroom. Natsu smiled to himself as he slipped down, resting between Gray's thighs, and let his tongue flicker over the head to taste the salty fluid. He licked the moisture, then slid down to lick from the bottom to the top, all the while keeping a smooth, unhurried, stroking rhythm.

Gray shuddered under him, his breaths unsteady and hot, drowning in a moment of ecstasy. His body desired more. His back arched, pushing his erection deeper into the scalding mouth of the Dragon Slayer. The heat made Gray gasp. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched the sheets in his hands as he heard moist sounds of Natsu sucking him. He had come to love Natsu's mouth and the pleasure of that heat, but this time, knowing what they were about to do, the whole thing felt more intense than those experimental moments in the woods and camping. He writhed on the bed, unsure if he could actually last long enough to do this.

The moans aroused Natsu. He grabbed the hem of Gray's jeans and boxers to yank them down; Gray lifted his hips so they could slide off. He sat up for a moment to shuffle the clothes aside. Then, while up, he grabbed Natsu and yanked him down, this time with their heads on the pillows. Natsu was trying to scramble out of his own pants, but Gray kept his lips busy. They were both on their sides, facing one another, legs entangling as Natsu kicked at the pants in frustration and Gray used his feet to help yank the last of the clothes off.

Finally, they were naked, and they grabbed around one another, both moaning as their bodies moved against each other in a smooth undulation. Gray rolled on top at one point, gliding his hips against Natsu, sliding his hands all over that hot body. Then Natsu flipped them, and he went down again to Gray's neck, sucking hard until Gray's hands scratched into him. Then Gray dug his fingers in, flipped them hard to be on top again, and bit Natsu on the collar. The husky cry made Gray smirk.

Damn, he loved Natsu's voice!

He did not even mind when Natsu roughly threw him back down. The back and forth wrestling made his heart race, struggling for dominance, even if Natsu had already claimed...

Oh shit, that was right! He wanted to top!

This time, Natsu did not look like he was just going to bite and lick more. He hovered over Gray, his eyes heavily lidded with lust, his face flushed, and sweat glistening on his skin. Gray's mouth dropped, but no words came to his mind. Just a feeling, an impression.

I want him. I love him, and I want him.

A warm feeling filled Natsu's heart at the enchanting sight before him, how the setting sun gently lit Gray's face with a blush of the end of the day. Those eyes that had so often been filled with doubts and fears now looked in awe by their own decisiveness. Gray's gaze peered all across him, and Natsu felt those eyes looking everywhere, his face, his chest, even down below, where he was aroused and ready to take this to the next level. Then the eyes drifted back up to meet Natsu's gaze, no fear, but slightly timid. If his eyes appeared to be nervous, his hands betrayed Gray's eagerness.

He wanted this still. He was the one who said he wanted to show Natsu how much he loved him exclusively, and although Natsu did not need something like sex to prove emotions of the heart, he was glad Gray could fight his personal battles to get to this point.

With a warm and proud smile, he descended and passionately kissed Gray. The kiss was a thanks for giving him a chance. Thanks for choosing him despite all their bickering. Thanks for sticking with him despite feeling like the world was just waiting for them to fail. Thanks for opening his heart. Thanks for taking him into his arms. Thanks for the trust it took to decide to take this massive step.

Thanks for loving me!

Their noses nuzzled each other and hands racked through hair as Natsu smiled in happiness, wanting to laugh and cry in his overwhelming joy. When he pulled back up, they looked deeply into each other's eyes.

Without needing a word, Natsu's face asked if he truly wanted this.

Gray gulped and silently nodded.

He was ready. At last, he was ready to open up his body as he had opened up his heart. Still, he felt nervous. His lips parted, ready to express his worries, but Natsu's finger touched them, silencing him. Natsu's smile told him he had nothing to worry about.

That reassured Gray. His worries seemed so petty under the warmth of that smile. Gray could hardly help but grin back at him, knowing they would be okay.

No matter what happened tonight, or what happened when they woke up tomorrow morning, or in the weeks and months and years to come ... they were going to be okay.