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Ice-Make: Software	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 4775 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 2
It's Not Just the Food
Gray found himself sitting in a high-class Thai restaurant, the sort he might have gone to only when trying to show off for a date. However, the man sitting across from him seemed to be a regular, based on how the staff acted around him.
Gray picked the least-spicy item on the menu and some black tea. Of all places to go, why had his CEO picked Thai food, known for its hot bite? Why not a deli with cold cuts, or the gelato place down the street, or even a pasta restaurant?
He felt he could not complain, though. This was the CEO of the company he just joined. If he wanted spicy food, Gray simply had to put up with it.
Natsu was a hearty eater. He talked all through the meal, asking Gray questions. Mostly they were about his training, his previous jobs, where he went to university, simple things. Gray began to relax. This was not much different from his actual interview, with fewer technical questions and sips of tea in between. He began to think that Natsu really was just an outgoing, friendly boss who wanted to know this new employee, nothing more. It made him start to feel like this job was off to the best start ever.
"So, are you married?"
Gray nearly choked on his food and raised his head with wide eyes. What the hell sort of question was that? Natsu was still looking down at his plate and chewing on pork, seemingly unconcerned with the reaction of his guest.
"I … n-no. I'm single."
Natsu hummed and took another bite of his khao phat nam phrik narok. "Single and dating, or single and single?"
Forget the spicy food! Gray felt like this pink-haired man could heat up his whole body. "S-Single. I've been a bit too focused on finding a job to try dating."
"That's cool. Now that you have a job, so does that mean you're looking?"
Gray stuttered on how to answer that personal question. "I haven't yet. I mean, this is just my first day. I suppose though, if I find someone…" He left the answer hanging, feeling awkward to talk about his dating life with his new CEO, and a rather handsome boss at that.
"What's your type?"
"I don't know if I really have a type."
Natsu's focus was purely on the rice and pork, picking away at it. "I like strong guys, but only if they're okay with cats."
"W-Wait. Strong guys?"
Natsu finally looked up and swallowed his food down hard. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, guys. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No!" he cried out, and his voice almost cracked. "S-Sorry. You just caught me off-guard."
Natsu's face suddenly turned severe. "If my sexual orientation, or that of any of my employees, is going to be an issue—"
"It won't, honestly," Gray blurted out. "I … I'm bi. So, it's fine with me."
"You are? Huh!" he said, smiling to himself. "That was easy."
Gray froze. "Whuh? Easy?"
Natsu went right back to his food, digging in. "It's too awkward, right? Just up and asking someone what's their orientation. I mean, that's not something you just ask when you first meet a person. It makes you look too eager, too desperate."
"And … y-you wanted to ask me … that?"
Natsu shrugged. "I like to know everything about my employees. Especially if they have kids. I won't ever ask fathers and mothers to work on weekends. Kids should have lots of time with their parents, lots of good memories." Natsu looked up again. "Do you have good memories of your parents?"
"A few. They died when I was young."
"Sheesh! That's awful. Mine too. A fire, apparently. I mean, I don't have memories of them, but I remember my adopted dad. He was cool."
"Mr. Igneel, yes," Gray said quickly. "He was the founder of Dragon Enterprises."
"Yep! Dad was awesome. I never once thought of him as an adopted parent. He was just my dad, you know. But his plane was lost at sea. I still have private teams searching the Pacific islands. I hope he's alive somewhere out there. I wanna meet him again, show him how I've grown, what I've done with the business. It's gotten huge since back then."
"He'd be proud of your accomplishments, Mr. Dragneel."
"Just call me Natsu," he said with an amiable grin. "So, are you into any sports?"
Although Natsu's push into his personal life had startled Gray, he never mentioned it again. Gray had wondered if this pink-haired man was attracted to him, and if that was why he had asked those questions. Instead, Natsu kept asking about other things: sports, music, literature, hobbies. It really did seem like he was simply trying to get to know Gray.
Finally, Natsu checked his watch. "Whoops, time to head back. Thanks for accompanying me."
As he saw Natsu lay down a bunch of bills, Gray shifted to leave. "Thank you for paying."
"Well, you're new to the job, and you don't get paid for a couple of weeks. How are you financially? Need any help? Do you have a place to live? Would you like to go out for lunch again tomorrow?"
Gray almost stumbled as that question was tossed in with the others. "I … uh … I'm fine. I'm okay on money, got a loft in the middle of downtown. Money isn't an issue."
"And lunch?" Natsu asked again, looking a bit hopeful.
Gray felt like breaking into a sweat. Was his boss actually asking him on a date? Or was this normal for Natsu? No boss before had ever treated him to lunch like this.
"S-Sure. Maybe that gyro place down the street."
"Gyros? I've never been there. Is it any good?"
"Not as fancy as this," Gray muttered as they stepped out of the restaurant.
Natsu looked confused. "Is this fancy?"
Gray cringed. Was this CEO that out of touch with reality, or was Gray that broke in comparison?
"I just like their food. It could be a food cart for all I care, just so long as the food is good. Gyros, huh? Do you like Greek food? What other types of food do you like? Any allergies? What flavor of cake is your favorite?"
Gray laughed as Natsu deluged him with questions like some curious kid. He tried to answer them as they walked back to the corporate building. Other workers were filing in from their lunches. People called out and waved to Natsu. He was not joking when he said he knew every employee by name.
"Well, see ya around, Gray," Natsu said, striding off to an elevator with other executives.
Freed ran into the elevator before it closed. "Mr. Dragneel, the reports from the Australian branch for last quarter are in."
Natsu took the folder and looked over them. "Not good. Contact Mavis and set up a strategy meeting. I want three teams…"
The elevator shut. Gray saw only that little glimpse of how serious Natsu could be when it was time to work. He had been childish, talkative, inquisitive, but then his face turned so serious.
Gray shook his head. How was it that he was falling for his boss after just a few hours at work?
"I'm crazy," he muttered.
Yet his heart could not lie. It raced a bit faster throughout that day whenever he paused to think about pink hair and sharp eyes.
Finally, five o'clock came around. Gray went home and immediately got onto his laptop to do some research, telling himself he was simply being a good employee, getting to know the company better, and of course that included learning the basics about the chief executive officer.
It's just company research.
As a CEO, Natsu's life was public. He read about how he was orphaned. He had an older brother, a notorious criminal hacker, but the cyberterrorist put the child up for adoption, then fled the country. Natsu was taken in as an heir by Igneel, and it seemed like the child was set for life. Then he read about the plane crash and Igneel's disappearance. Natsu was still a child, so he lived in the Fairy Tail Orphanage—Gray thought that was an adorable name for an orphanage—and he took control of the company as soon as he was of legal age.
He looked at pictures of Natsu, from candid shots at charity balls to professional photo shoots for magazine articles. As he looked at the pink hair and the scarf that seemed to be his trademark, Gray felt a warmth in his veins, like a fire had been sparked in his heart. Then he looked down at his employee badge.
He was just an employee. Nothing more!
Gray leaned back and rubbed his eyes from the strain of looking at the computer until late in the evening. He still had not had dinner.
"I can't be like this," he said to himself. "I can't! He's my boss. Hell, all he did was buy me lunch. That's nothing weird, right? I can't … there's no way … sheesh, Gray, what are you even thinking?"
Then he looked back to a Wikipedia article on the young CEO. The photo showed Natsu grinning in a way that made Gray's heart beat faster.
He slammed his eyes shut and shook his head.
"Don't do this to yourself!"
He closed the browser and got up to fix something that would settle his stomach. It had been churning all day. He told himself it was the chilies in the food at lunch, but Gray knew the truth.
It wasn't just the food. Those butterflies in his stomach fluttered for a man with pink hair, a man who graced business magazines, who ran an international corporation. His boss!
He repeated what he had been thinking all day.
"I'm crazy."
Yet it did not stop the fire that had kindled in his heart.

Gratsu Week Day 2: Heart
Khao phat nam phrik narok – (Thai: ข้าวผัดน้ำพริกนรก) It literally means "rice fried with chili paste from hell." The rice is fried with nam phrik narok, a very spicy chili paste made with fried catfish; grilled onions, garlic, and chilies; sugar; fish sauce; and shrimp paste. It can be served with mu yang (grilled pork) and nam chim chaeo, a spicy dipping sauce.
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