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. |
Gratsu Week Day 4: Lost / found
Inspired by this Colorado retreat ... only $27 million! - http://goo.gl/uF64rC
Chapter 4
Colorado Cabin
Natsu was not joking about going to Colorado.
Gray met him for lunch on Monday, and the CEO seemed calm and in control once again. He talked about his trip and explained that he had bought the gift as soon as he arrived, hoping it could be shipped and arrive at Dragon Enterprise by Friday. However, whenever he called Gray after work, he was an awkward mess over the phone, babbling and falling into long stretches of silence. Gray never knew what to expect with this man.
Most of the work week went just like normal. They shared lunch again on Friday, and Natsu told him to wait around after work. They would leave right away. Gray protested, he had nothing packed, no clothes to change, and his ski gear was in a storage shed. Natsu brushed it all off.
"I'll buy whatever you need when we get there."
Gray was struck into silence once again at the money this man tossed around like it was nothing.
After work, Natsu came to the cubicle farm to fetch him. They went to a limo waiting outside. Freed was there to open the door for Natsu and wish him and Gray a fun trip. Natsu was silent and kept his face turned away through the entire ride.
"Are you okay?" Gray asked. The boss looked rather pale.
"Sorry. I'm no good with driving," he muttered, and Natsu gulped down a shot of acid from his stomach. "Once we're in the air, I'm fine, but cars … no good. Ugh!"
Gray debated if this would be proper, but finally he slid across the limo to sit beside Natsu. He rubbed his back, and Natsu leaned into him, letting his sickness finally show on his face. Gray smiled, feeling the warmth of the breaths Natsu panted out as he held onto his stomach and struggled not to throw up.
At last, they arrived at the airport. There was a bright blue private jet—of course there was!—and they took off as soon as they had clearance to fly. Natsu definitely looked better in the air than he had in the limo. He opened a bottle of wine, and they both shared a glass as the jet flew smoothly across the country. As time passed in awkward stretches of silence, Natsu pulled out his phone to scroll through messages, and Gray pulled up an ebook he had been reading.
Gray reached the end of a chapter and set his phone down. "Natsu?"
The CEO looked up with a curious hum.
"When we get there, where … um … w-where will I sleep?"
Natsu looked confused, then blushed as he realized what must be going through Gray's head. "Wherever you want. The cabin has six bedrooms."
Gray jolted. Six! What sort of cabin was this?
"I swear, I didn't ask you to come with me for … for that! I want to have a nice weekend together, not sleep with you. That's not my intention."
"That's good to know," he muttered, sighing in relief. Honestly, Gray had been thinking about why Natsu would want to go to a cabin, to live together under the same roof, for their first date.
Natsu pouted. "It's extravagant, isn't it? When Freed heard about my plans, he said this was way too much, that normal couples would do something in town, just a dinner or a movie or a walk around a park as a first date. I remembered you kept saying to do something closer to home, and I worried that maybe this wasn't something you actually wanted, maybe it was too much, flying off like this, leaving behind everything to spend a weekend with me. You probably think I'm crazy, or I'm showing off, or … or that I wanted … m-more than just a date," he stuttered, blushing and looking awkwardly adorable again. "I'm not good at dating. I always go overboard and chase people away. So I understand if you want to go home after a few hours. The jet can take you back any time. You don't have to stay there. Or I can put you up in a hotel if you don't want to stay with me, if that's too weird. Whatever you want."
Gray looked out the window at the clouds now far below them. He wondered what state they were flying over. Squares of farmlands made a patchwork as far as the eye could see.
"It's almost sunset," he said. "I think … it might be weird, staying the night in the cabin with you."
Natsu looked slightly disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. "I'll call a hotel as soon as we land in Denver."
"Come get me in the morning," Gray blurted out. "We … we can have breakfast together, then head off for skiing."
Natsu perked up instantly. "Totally!"
An hour later, they were back on the ground. Denver's high altitude left Gray breathless, but at least he got to sit in a limo on the ride to the hotel. Natsu was the one who looked truly sick, and this time there was no consoling him. He used the bucket meant to hold ice for champagne, and threw up twice on the drive to the hotel.
When they arrived, Gray stepped out of the limo and looked up at the towering hotel.
"The Ritz-Carlton? Seriously, Natsu?"
The carsick CEO stumbled out, and his driver helped him to stay standing. "I told my secretary not to get the most expensive hotel, figuring you wouldn't like that. This was cheaper than Four Seasons."
"The Ritz?"
He pouted in disappointment. "Too much?"
Gray shook his head. "It's your money. I won't complain." Then he laughed to himself. "I have never in my life stayed at a Ritz-Carlton. Should be awesome."
Natsu grinned. "Good. I hope you don't mind that I'm staying here, too. Different room, different floor, I won't be in your way, but … but I think I need a rest before heading to the cabin."
Gray patted his back. "Do you want to eat dinner together after you rest?"
Natsu's eyes gleamed. "Yeah! Can I pick anywhere?"
"Sure. I don't know anything about Denver. Never even been to Colorado before."
"Cool! There's this place, I really, really love it, called The Fort. They serve wild game and steak. Awesome place, looks like an Old West fort, teepee and everything."
"Fine, fine," Gray laughed, figuring some place that looked like a fort must be pretty normal. "Let me settle in, wash up, and we can go."
The dinner was anything but normal. Gray shivered at the prices on the menu, but Natsu obviously had no cares at all, ordering a chef's special that cost $75 and a bottle of wine that was over $100. So Gray decided to just go with it. A little splurge was nice, compared to how he normally ate. He got a steak, and the two talked about old movies they liked. They got into an argument over football teams and Star Trek captains. Gray laughed, and Natsu grinned happily.
They returned to the hotel and went their separate ways in the lobby. Natsu needed to go to the hotel's business room to deal with something for work, so Gray rode the elevator alone. As he watched the floors light up, he realized that he and Natsu had gone on three dates now—five if they counted the first two work lunches—and still they had not held hands or kissed. Here he was, on the other side of the continent, with a man whom he had known for only a week, a boyfriend—Are we really boyfriends yet?—whom he had not even kissed.
However, he was glad Natsu was taking this slowly. Gray needed time to warm up to people. So many past girlfriends and boyfriends had accused him of being cold in his relationships. Natsu seemed to be fine just hanging out and getting to know one another gradually.
He arrived in his hotel room to see numerous brand new clothes laid out on the bed and new shoes on the carpet. Had Natsu arranged to have these bought for Gray? When? And how did he know his size?
"I am in way over my head," Gray realized as he held up satin pajamas.
He slept well, though. He dressed in some of the new clothes and went down to the hotel's restaurant, figuring he could get some tea and a bit of toast while waiting for Natsu. However, as he entered, he saw a flash of pink hair. Natsu looked up from his coffee in surprise.
"Gray! You're up early. I was going to let you sleep in."
Gray sat at the booth across from Natsu. When the waiter came up, Gray asked for his favorite tea.
"I still can't believe you actually like Earl Grey," Natsu laughed.
"It has nothing to do with my name," he insisted. "I just like black teas."
"Nah, it's cool. I forgot to ask, but did you ever try the tea I got you?"
"Yeah, it was good. I was planning to bring it to Colorado with us, but you sort of whisked me away too fast."
"Oh! S-Sorry," he said, tucking his head down. "I promise, I won't do stuff like that again. I'm just used to taking off whenever I want. I forget that other people might not be ready to go."
What a self-centered man! Then again, Natsu had lived alone most of his life. Gray was the same way, although not anywhere near as extravagant.
"The clothes … they look good on you," Natsu muttered, blushing and hiding his face by taking a sip of coffee.
"They fit perfectly. Don't tell me you have my size on company records."
"I … like to know sizes, in case I see something I think people will like. It's really hard to get the correct sizes for women. Like, the first time I bought a dress for Lucy, I just asked her what her size was, and so I bought what size she said. It turned out to be too small. She didn't want to admit her real size. Freed is really good at guessing clothing sizes, though. It's like a hidden talent of his. He guessed yours spot on, it seems."
Gray sneered. "I'm not sure how I feel, knowing that man was checking me out close enough to figure out my underwear size."
"Ack! N-No! Freed's taken, dating one of the security guards named Laxus. Don't worry, he's not gonna hit on you." Just then, Gray's tea arrived. Natsu glanced down at it. "Do you just want breakfast here? Then we can head out."
"Sounds good."
They ate, Gray said he should go pack, but Natsu told him that snow gear and skiing equipment were already prepared for them at the cabin. Gray wondered when the hell he managed to do things like this? Did he wake up extra early to prepare? There was also a new rental limo waiting outside. It took them back to the airport.
"Are we going home?" Gray asked in confusion.
"Home? No way! The cabin."
"Then why the airport?"
"I hate driving. The cabin has a helipad."
Gray jolted. "What? We're taking a helicopter?"
Natsu looked back at him. "Is that bad? It's quicker, and I don't get sick that way. I try to fly if at all possible. Even to work, the headquarters has a helipad and I fly in from my home."
"Seriously!" Gray muttered. "I really am in over my head."
Two hours later, Gray stood on top of a snow-covered hill. He adjusted his skis, made sure his goggles were secure, then pushed off.
He loved the feel of the cold air, the rush of speed, snow flying behind him, everything about skiing. He swooshed back and forth, guiding the skis over an easy slope. He saw a tiny spot of pink at the bottom of the hill and aimed for it.
This was crazy. It was out of his league. It was incredible!
When he reached the bottom, Natsu ran up to him. "That looked so cool!" he cried out. "Was it fun? Did you like it? Damn, that really did look awesome. You're so good, Gray. You're like a pro!"
"Hardly," he said, pulling his goggles up. "How is it, you have your own ski slope, but you've never been skiing?"
"It's Dad's," he explained, but quickly rushed past that. "Do you wanna go again? The rope tow can take you up as often as you want."
His dad's? Gray realized, probably a lot of things Natsu had were originally Igneel's. Houses, helicopters, jets: Igneel must have been even more extravagant than Natsu. As his son and heir, Natsu simply got possession of them, but Gray got the impression that he was normally too busy to actually go out and have fun.
In a way, Natsu was using Gray as an excuse to finally use these things his father left behind.
"Yeah, don't mind if I do." Gray leaned in, and he gave Natsu a kiss on the cheek.
His face turned red, and Natsu touched his face in shock. Gray chuckled and walked away, heading to the rope tow for another ride.
"G-Gray!" Natsu shouted out, making him stop and look around. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then suddenly held back. An awkward grin rose to his flushed cheeks. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me, getting to use this place again."
Gray smiled back at him. "It's a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting me. Best damn date of my life," he said with a laugh. Then he turned to grabbed the rope tow.
"Gray!" Natsu raced over the snow, almost slipping, and up to him. He grabbed Gray, gave him a reckless kiss on the cheek, and pulled back. "Use this as many times as you want."
"You're going to get bored."
Natsu shook his head. "Not from watching you."
Gray was speechless. What could he say to something like that? He escaped by hitting the power button on the rope tow and letting it pull him back up the slope. As he went over the snow and up the mountain, he touched his cheek. Natsu's lips had been fiery hot, despite the snow all around them. Gray told himself it was just because his skin was cold from the wind, but he wondered if Natsu's kisses were always so warm.
When he arrived at the top of the slope, he looked off in the distance and frowned. Dark clouds were moving in. He had overheard the helicopter pilot warn Natsu that he would not be able to fly out after four o'clock. Gray saw now, a storm must be moving in. As fun as this was, they could not play all day long.
Still, he skied down the slope five times. Then they walked back to the cabin not far away. It was a massive log building, a mansion more than a cabin, with the slope and rope tow in the backyard. Gray and Natsu got out of their snow gear and went to the sprawling living room to warm up by a stone fireplace. Gray felt like he was in a mountain retreat hotel, not a personal cabin.
"Hot tea before we go?"
Gray began to nod, but as he warmed up, he felt the back of his neck. He looked down, checked inside his shirt, shook out his clothes, and began to check his pockets.
"Something wrong?" asked Natsu.
"My necklace." He looked around, beginning to panic. "Dammit! It must have come off on the slope."
"I'll buy you a new one."
"It was a gift from my dad," he shouted. Gray cringed at his raised voice. "Sorry. I'm just … Shit! That thing means a lot to me. I almost never take it off. I should have removed it before skiing. Now … I can't believe I've lost it."
He began to backtrack, returning to the entryway, checking his snow jacket, looking at the ski equipment, then outside, walking slowly to the tow, looking all around. He did not see it anywhere. As he looked up the hill, he realized just how huge it was. He had skied the slope five times. The necklace could be anywhere.
"Shit, we'll never find it."
Natsu looked serious and determined. "Sure we will. We'll scour the slope."
"Natsu, a storm is coming. It's gonna snow. The necklace will get buried."
"So we go now." Natsu put a hand on his shoulder. "Answer me honestly. Will it be okay if we stay the night here?"
Gray knew what he meant. If they spent time searching the slope for the necklace, they would not make it off the mountain in time for the helicopter. Gray dropped his head. As awkward as it was, he still did not want to leave this mountain without that necklace.
"We can find it, right?"
"I can ask the pilot to hurry into town so I can buy a metal detector. We'll find it."
For once, Natsu's impulsive extravagance was fully appreciated. "Y-Yeah. It's fine. If we can find that necklace, then it doesn't matter where I sleep."
"I'll find it," Natsu said, dead serious. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Natsu turned and rushed off, already pulling out his phone and giving orders to the pilot to prepare for flight. Gray wanted to go with him, but he figured it would take too much time to secure both of them. Natsu had experience with helicopters and could get himself seated without the pilot's help.
He went back inside the cabin, collapsed onto a couch, and stared at the fireplace. He kept cursing quietly, mad at himself. This had turned out to be a great date, best ever, something out of a dream. Now it was a disaster. He lost his father's necklace. What a horrible way to end the day!
He heard the helicopter fly off. Gray decided to help himself to the kitchen and cleared his mind through making tea. The cabinet was stocked with many types. He needed to relax and went with mint. Then he returned to the couch to sip the tea and wait.
After a while, Gray began to wander around the cabin, checking out the place, using the bathroom, and inspecting the bedrooms. He saw one that he thought looked comfortable enough and felt the bed. The place was so huge, maybe it would not be all that weird sleeping here with Natsu.
Finally, he heard the helicopter again. He ran up to the roof and stepped out to the strong wind of the rotors. The pilot had just stepped out.
"Mr. Fullbuster? Mr. Dragneel said to tell you, he's at the top of the slope. He's going to search it from the top down."
"By himself?" Gray shouted.
"The town only had one metal detector available, and we had to buy that off a local man. I gotta get back to Denver International. Am I taking you?"
Gray looked up the mountain just behind the cabin. Somewhere up there, Natsu was searching for him. He was rich, he could have waited for dawn and had a dozen people search that hill, yet he seemed determined to find the necklace before the storm came, even if he did it himself.
"I'm staying," he decided.
The pilot suddenly clasped Gray's shoulder. "He's a really loyal guy. He's crazy too, I hope ya know."
Gray laughed and blushed. "I figured that out the very first day."
"I don't know when I'll be back. National Weather Service predicted the storm will be over by tomorrow, but if it's too late, you may be stuck here another night."
"We'll just have to see," Gray decided.
He went inside as the helicopter roared back to life and took off. Gray walked out to the rope tow. He realized that Natsu must have had the helicopter drop him off on the top of the slope. If he squinted, he could see someone moving around up there.
He pulled out his phone and tried to call. It took a while, probably Natsu digging into his thick snow gear to get the phone out, but finally he answered.
"Are you okay?" he asked right away.
"Don't stay out too long," Gray told him. "If you can't find it, we can check tomorrow."
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Hey, get started on dinner, if you don't mind. We probably have some canned stuff that can be heated up. I'll be down as soon as I find it, promise."
"Be careful," he said with a twinge of worry.
"It's my mountain, Gray. My dad took me here all the time. I'll be fine."
The call ended, but Gray still stood outside of the cabin, looking up with worry. He had half a mind to start searching as well from the bottom up and meet Natsu halfway, but he had nothing to search through the snow.
He decided he could go inside and at least have a good meal prepared as way of thanks. The pantry was sparse, just some dried noodles, rice, and canned goods. The freezer at least was stocked well with meat. It appeared that Natsu had not made plans to actually stay in the cabin that night, or at least not to eat much while there. Gray wondered where he would have liked to dine. What crazy restaurant would he have picked this time?
He took some frozen chicken and a cast iron skillet, happy to get to work in a kitchen so large, instead of his loft's tiny kitchen and laughable stove. He fried up the meat, and once the chicken was nicely browned, he put it aside, adding to the pan some rice with some basil, oregano, and parsley to season. He let the rice soak up the chicken juice, put the chicken back on top of the rice, and added some canned tomatoes, a jar of olives, and chicken stock. He covered the whole thing with foil and let it bake.
The cabin began to smell heavenly of Italian seasonings and chicken juices. However, Gray heard the wind howling now. He went outside, and although it was not snowing, the wind whipped the snow already on the mountain into a frenzy. He tried to look up the mountain, but he could not see anything in the white swirls.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Natsu. It answered, but he heard only static and broken syllables of Natsu's voice, nothing clear?
"Natsu?" he tried to ask. More static. "Natsu, get down here."
Natsu apparently tried to reply, but Gray's phone was only windy static.
"What?" he shouted. "Natsu!"
"Go inside!" he heard clearly, then more static.
Gray angrily put his phone away. "Get off the mountain, you idiot," he muttered to himself.
He went back inside and turned on the news, looking for something about the weather. Finally, he found The Weather Channel and watched for local news. The map looked promising. It was a heavy storm, but it was small. It should end by morning. However, what was overhead, and what was coming in fast, looked bad.
As evening set in, Gray grew impatient. He tugged on his snow gear, found some snowshoes in a closet, grabbed the biggest flashlight he could find, and marched out into the storm. Right away, he was hit by the wind. He looked back and realized he could lose his way from the cabin in a storm this bad. Still, Natsu was somewhere out here, and Gray was not about to let his boss freeze to death on his account.
Trying to remember where things were from earlier, he made his way to the rope tow. He grabbed hold of the rope and used it to guide him up the slope. Slowly trudging and keeping to the rope so he would not drift and lose his way, Gray began to climb the mountain. He looked to the left and right, swinging the bright yellow beam of light, hoping that at the very least, Natsu would see the flashlight and come to him.
"Gray?"
He swung toward the shout to his right. He ran along, crunching over the snow with the flat shoes, almost all the way to the treeline. He saw Natsu huddled by some bushes. The idiot was not even wearing a proper jacket, only his normal coat and the white scarf.
He grinned, his lips blue, and slowly he held out a bare hand. His fingers were bright pink from the cold, but gripped in them was the silver necklace.
"Found … it."
Gray grabbed the necklace, slung it around his neck in a rush, then grabbed Natsu, lifting him up into his arms.
"You are, far and away, the most reckless, the most thoughtless, the most stupid boss I have ever had in my life," he shouted, hiking back down the hill. "I swear, if I didn't like you, I'd have left you out here, let you freeze off a few toes just to teach you a lesson. What the hell were you even thinking?"
"N-n-necklace," Natsu said with chattering teeth. "Precious … gift from your dad. I kn- … kn-know w-w-w-w-what that's like. Scarf … was Dad's. Most … p-p-precious thing … I own."
Gray's frustration simmered as he looked down at the half-frozen man. "It's not worth dying for."
"M-Maybe it is."
"Well, it's not worth someone else dying for it!" Gray screamed.
Through the blinding wind and snow, he saw the glow of the cabin lights and headed for it. He walked in, snow shoes and all, all the way to the fireplace and carefully placed Natsu on the couch. He then went back to the hallway to remove his gear. As Gray pulled off his coat, he looked down at the necklace lying on his shirt.
"Idiot," he whispered. "It's not worth you dying for it."
He grabbed a blanket out of one of the bedrooms and brought it to Natsu. He wrapped him up, then carried him closer to the fire, sitting with him on the hearth. Gray dusted the snow out of the pink hair and carefully rubbed out the frosted fingers.
"Looks like it's just frostnip," he said, inspecting each finger for the telltale white coloring of frostbite. "It may hurt as it warms up."
"S-Sorry," he stuttered.
"Let me check your toes." Gray carefully removed Natsu's boots, but the sweat had frozen his socks to the skin. "Okay, we'll let you warm up some more first before trying to peel that off. Sheesh, you're drenched everywhere. I'll get you something to wear. You need to get out of those clothes."
"Didn't … b-bring … anything."
Gray realized he was right. All of their clothes were left in the hotel. They had only their snow gear and the clothes they wore that day.
"Screw it," Gray muttered, and he yanked off his shirt. He pulled off Natsu's scarf, laid it out near the fire to dry, and helped him to pull his shirt off. Natsu weakly protested, but he could not move on his own yet. Gray got the snow-soaked shirt off, laid it on the hearth as well, and pulled his shirt around Natsu's shoulders.
"Can you get your pants?"
Natsu's eyes widened. "I'm not wearing your underwear."
"No, the blanket should be fine for your lower body. You just need to get out of all these wet clothes before you get sick. Can you move enough?"
Natsu shifted and tried to work on his belt, but his reddened fingers were beginning to sting as they defrosted. He cringed just trying to move them.
"May I?" Gray asked softly. "Just to help," he added.
Natsu blushed, but he nodded, giving up on trying to do anything with his hands yet. He watched with a worried pout as Gray carefully undid his belt, button, and pulled down his zipper.
"I'll close my eyes," he offered.
With eyes shut, Gray grabbed the fabric and pulled the whole thing down off Natsu's legs. He felt Natsu trying to work with him, shifting his hips to get the clothes off, then struggling with his ankles, until finally the trousers and underwear were free. Gray immediately turned away, facing the fire, and laid the clothes out. Still, he looked at what sort of boxers Natsu wore. Flame print! Why did that seem so appropriate for a hothead like him?
Gray kept facing the fireplace as he heard Natsu shifting around, trying to wrap the blanket around himself for decency.
"Okay," he finally heard in a weak voice.
He looked back around to see Natsu with flushed cheeks, looking ready to cry.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a panic. "Is it the frost? Is it hurting?"
"N-No," he said. "I ruined our evening. It was going to be simple and romantic, a little Italian restaurant in town, nothing fancy, just good spaghetti made by this nice immigrant family. They seriously make the best calzones ever."
"Maybe we can go tomorrow," Gray said. He stroked back some of the damp hair. "Tonight, you get to eat my food."
Natsu perked up. "You cooked?"
"As well as I could, given the limited ingredients. Are you hungry?"
"Starved!"
Gray laughed, but he still kept stroking back Natsu's hair. Without his scarf, he saw a scar on his neck. Was that why he wore it? His eyes were deep green, and in the firelight his face looked so young and vibrant. He looked up at Gray with hope and gentleness.
"Gray?"
He yanked his hand back. "S-Sorry, I…"
"Thank you."
Gray blinked in confusion. "What? What'd I do? I'm the one who should be thanking you for finding my necklace."
"You were a gentleman just now, looking away."
"That's just common courtesy."
"Also…" Natsu bit his lip as he tried to think how to say this. "Up until now, I've lived for two things: to find Igneel, and to make the company something that will make him proud. I haven't put much effort into anything else. Like … nothing else. I got only as much education as I absolutely needed, I've never dated anyone seriously before, I don't go on trips unless they're for business or searching for Igneel, I haven't even been to this cabin since I was a kid. Igneel took me here and bought me that scarf. A week later, he was flying to Japan when his plane was lost at sea. They found the wreckage, but never his body, which makes me hopeful that he swam to shore somewhere. So that scarf … it's the last thing my dad gave to me, and this cabin was the last time we really got to spend a lot of time together. Maybe that's why I really wanted to take you here, and I know that's why I wanted to find the necklace for you, because if it was my scarf, I wouldn't rest until I found it. Doing that … gave me a new purpose. I was doing something that had nothing to do with the company. Just you. I wasn't thinking about Igneel, or work, or anything. Just you. And … and I realized, I've probably never done that. Buying gifts for people, that's easy, but searching that mountain was a pain in the ass," he said with a light laugh. "I don't know if I've ever put my life on the line for someone else like that before. And it's … a really nice feeling. So, thank you … for showing me that I can live for someone else for a change."
Gray's brow tensed at hearing all that. On the outside, it looked like Natsu lived a charmed life, more money than he could ever use, traveling all over the world, eating anything he wanted, no matter the price. However, Gray saw a deep sadness in those eyes, something he knew as well, having lost his parents at a young age. It was not easy to get over that loss. For Natsu, hope dangled in front of him all the time. Igneel was never confirmed to be dead. Just missing. If his parents had merely gone missing, Gray knew he would have become obsessed as well.
"Never dated seriously, huh?" he asked.
Natsu jolted up in surprise. Then he blushed, realizing he had given that bit of information away without thinking. "Nothing more than dining out and watching shows together. Nothing … like this."
Gray caressed his cheek. "Does that mean you consider this to be serious?"
His face went even redder. "I'd like to think it could be. If … if you want."
Natsu reached up and stroked his fingers through Gray's raven hair. His thumb ran over a scar just above his eyebrow. He felt the chill of his skin. He stared at the lips, wanting them more and more.
"May I … kiss you?"
Gray leaned into the warm touch of Natsu's hand. "I thought you'd never ask."
With the storm swirling snow against the windows and the fire roaring in front of them, their lips met, first hesitantly, then slowly growing bolder. Gray felt that Natsu's mouth was indeed as fiery as it had felt earlier against his cheek. His lips were soft, and the hands that cautiously wrapped around him were strong. Gray traced down Natsu's face, down his neck, to the shirt still unbuttoned and draped over him. He heard a soft hum, almost a purr, as he stroked his hand along Natsu's muscular chest. Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray's shirtless body and pulled him in closer.
Their kisses grew stronger, tongues met, and Natsu grabbed with greater need, yanking Gray up against him. Their bare chests pressed together, and Gray hissed as he felt Natsu claw slightly at his shoulders. Natsu's body surged at him, pressing him back until he lay on the rug, with Natsu above him. The fire crackled beside them. Their soft groans of pleasure were almost lost in the roar of the mountain storm outside. The blanket began to come unraveled, exposing more and more. Then Natsu snagged Gray's lower lip between his teeth, giving it a firm bite.
Gray yanked back, shocked by the wildness. Natsu's eyes practically burned with desire as he gazed down at him, and Gray knew he was about to melt away in the flames of passion.
Then suddenly, Natsu pulled back and wiped his lips. He crawled off, tugged the blanket around him, and Gray realized he was trying to hide what was happening inside of that blanket.
"S-Sorry," he muttered in a fluster.
"I didn't mind," Gray said, slowly sitting back up and shoving his hair into order.
"You … you kiss pretty damn good."
"So do you," Gray replied, hoping for more, yet worried where things might go if they continued.
Natsu looked aside and gripped his blanket with nervous twitching of his fists. "We … I wasn't prepared to … I mean, not that I don't want to, but … I'd rather like to get to know you better before … before we do … stuff."
Gray chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. "I don't want to go too fast."
"Exactly," he said with a sigh of relief. "But … maybe … can we kiss more?"
Gray cupped Natsu's face in his palm. "As much as you want."
Natsu began to lean forward, suddenly pulled back to keep his blanket in place, then tried again, leaning in and giving Gray a long, wet, sensual kiss that took his breath away.
Damn, Natsu could kiss!
However, that was all they did. Their hands stayed above the waist. Just touches and kisses, nothing too erotic. It was plenty for Gray.
How long had it been since he was in a serious relationship? He had been too busy in university, then too broke and stressed during his job hunting. It had probably been years since he was kissed like this.
It felt incredible. He did not want to rush this, to lose the magic of simply making out.
Natsu pulled back again. Somehow, he had ended up in Gray's lap, and the blanket just barely covered him below. Both of them knew they could be doing so much more, yet both wanted to take their time.
"You … really are muscular," Natsu noted, caressing Gray's shapely biceps, shoulders, and pectoral.
"You're really fit as well," Gray said, admiring the powerful legs straddling him. "I wouldn't have expected that from a CEO."
"I work out a lot," he admitted. "Do you go to a gym?"
"Can't afford it. I just workout at home."
"I have a gym at home. Maybe we can train together."
Gray laughed and shrugged. "Sure, maybe someday."
Natsu still caressed Gray's chest. "You carried me off the slope and all the way here."
"Is that why you like strong guys, so they can carry you whenever you do something stupid?"
"I like to know we can both protect each other. If it was you in trouble, I bet I could carry you as well."
"With those arm muscles, you probably could."
Natsu blushed, but his face became solemn and thoughtful. "I know this is too early to ask, but … if we get to doing more … what, um … what … position do you like?"
"Thinking about sex already?" teased Gray.
"I just feel like we should set that parameter."
Gray nodded, figuring it was only fair. Even if they both wanted to wait, they should know what to expect from one another. "Honestly, it doesn't matter. I'm not really into anal in general, but I can give or receive."
"What are you into?"
"Oral, or just touching. I've had anal twice, both ways. It was okay, but I like to suck more."
Natsu blushed fiercely. "I wouldn't mind that," he laughed awkwardly. "Not yet."
"No, we take our time. And you?"
"Well, I'm not really … that is … I'm not … sure. But oral and touching, that's totally fine."
Gray tried to turn up Natsu's embarrassed face, but he kept it tucked down tightly. "Have you ever…?"
"Not anal," he blurted out quietly. "I was never in a relationship that serious, and I wouldn't do something like that unless I was certain. So, I'm fine going really slow, but … but if you're not okay with waiting—"
"I totally am," Gray butted in.
"G-Good. I mean, I feel better, knowing you're not expecting things. So then, if we get to that point…"
"We'll do what you want," he said.
"But only what you want too!"
"I told you, it makes no difference. We can even try both ways, see what you like."
"But not yet," Natsu insisted.
"How about we just have dinner for now? It's probably ice cold."
"Oh! Y-Yeah, dinner. I could use food."
Gray stood, and he slowly helped Natsu up to his feet. The pink-haired man pulled Gray's shirt around him closer and adjusted the blanket around his hips and legs. Carefully, he shuffled into the kitchen, and Gray rushed to get the chicken and rice warmed up. They sat at a table and ate heartily.
"Mmmh … not bad."
"It's supposed to have peppers, garlic, onions, and dried tomatoes, but I used what I had."
"It's good. Plus it's something you made." Natsu grinned up at him. "I've never had a boyfriend cook for me. This is a first, and it's really nice."
"Have you ever stayed in a cabin with a boyfriend?"
Natsu barked out a laugh. "Never! I never took one of my boyfriends on a trip."
"So why did you offer that with me? Hell, you were ready to fly to the UK."
"Because … you seem like the type who craves adventure," he said, looking uncertain but also excited at the prospects of a future dating someone like that. "You wouldn't be fully satisfied with just dinner and a movie. Although," he laughed, "I think we both got a lot more than we bargained for in terms of adventure."
"It's something I'll never forget, that's for sure," said Gray.
Natsu nervously stabbed at his rice and chicken. "Do you wanna do something again? Another date next week?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"Pick any place, anywhere you've ever wanted to go. Absolutely anywhere in the world."
"I still can't leave the country."
"I'm working on getting you a visa and passport, but the government is really slow. So, anywhere here."
Gray shrugged. "I really have no idea. I picked the mountains, so how about you pick this time? What is your favorite place?"
"Hawaii," he said automatically. "I love going up the volcanoes. My dad used to take me, and we'd get right up to the lava flows."
"I'm not so sure I'd like to get close to lava, but surfing in Hawaii sounds like fun."
"Awesome!" he cheered. "I'll plan everything out. We'll leave Friday right after work. And this time, if you want to pack your own clothes, bring them in the car with you."
"Oh sheesh, my car!" Gray moaned. "I left it at work."
"It's fine, security is watching over it. I told them to make sure it stayed safe."
"Yeah, but how will I get to work on Monday?"
"Oh. I'll have someone pick you up."
"A cab, not a limo."
"But I have a limo; I'd have to hire a cab."
"I am not showing up to work in the boss's limo."
They chatted and ate, talking about places they had visited in the past. Gray had not had a chance to do much traveling, whereas Natsu had been to almost every major city in the world, from Shanghai to Houston to Paris, from Cape Town to Cairo to Moscow.
They argued about a movie to watch, but both agreed to the Avengers. As they watched the antagonistic bromance between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, they cuddled a little closer. Natsu ran his hand up Gray's thigh, not too high, just enough to feel the muscles under the clothes. Gray wrapped his arm around Natsu, feeling his clothes so loose around Natsu's shoulders. He wished they were really his clothes, not some shirt his boss bought for him. He would have liked to see Natsu wearing his shirt and nothing else. They shared a few kisses while sitting on the couch, but when the fight scenes came up, both cheered on their favorite characters.
After the movie was over, as the credits played and they listened to Henry Jackman's music, Natsu suddenly rolled over, straddled Gray's lap, and aggressively kissed him. This time, the blanket completely fell away, yet Gray respectfully kept his hands up in Natsu's hair, caressing his neck and shoulders, not venturing lower.
He looked, though. He just had to. Natsu was only semi-hard, yet he saw that he was well endowed.
How he would love to pleasure that, to taste it, to hear Natsu's voice cry out!
But not yet. He reached inside the loose, opened shirt and grasped at Natsu's skin, pulling him close, until he could definitely feel that hot mast rub up against his stomach, yet still Gray did not give in to the temptation of touching it.
The credits had long ended when Natsu finally pulled back. His lips were wet and swollen, his pupils huge with desire, the flush crept down his neck and chest. He pulled back, yanked the lower half of the shirt around to hide himself, and climbed off Gray's lap.
"Sorry," he muttered, searching around for the blanket. "I … um … w-we should go to bed."
"Y-Yeah," Gray said, utterly out of breath from those fiery kisses and knowing he needed to do something before bed.
Natsu picked up only his scarf, testing it to make sure it was dry. The other clothes were still damp and could stay by the fireplace through the night. He looked back to Gray, then down, seeing how he was shifting his trousers.
"Do y-…" Natsu's question cut off short. He looked aside sharply, scolding himself. "Nothing. I hope you sleep well." He took off at a brisk pace, with the blanket trailing behind him like a royal robe.
Once Gray heard the bedroom door shut, he let out a long groan and reached down to the ache in his pants. Damn, Natsu really could kiss!
He made his way to the bathroom first and quickly jerked off just to relieve the tension that had built up. He almost had been tempted to ask Natsu if he wanted to touch one another, just touches for now, but this was still only their first week of dating. It was too soon. Natsu had said, he wanted to take this slowly.
He wondered if Natsu was taking care of business as well in his bedroom. He thought about creeping up to the door and listening in, but he figured he could not do something that rude, especially to the man who was still technically his boss.
He picked one of the spare bedrooms, pulled off his clothes, and went to bed naked. As he laid on the mattress, he listened to the blustery storm outside. Gray closed his eyes to sleep, but his mind was still lost in memories of those burning kisses.
A/N:
Gray's recipe is a highly-simplified version of one-pot Italian chicken and rice. I normally like some bell peppers and onions when making it, but those rot too quickly to be kept in a cabin like this. This is how to make something with just frozen meat and canned goods. Living paycheck-to-paycheck, I am now an ace at making meals out of practically nothing. My family jokes about how I tend to call up and ask for recipes using the most bizarre combinations. "Hey Mom, what can I make with pickled beets, white rice, canned chicken, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and some turbinado sugar?" (Actually, you can make a really delicious chicken marinade with just mustard, turbinado sugar, apple cider vinegar, and some spices.)
While AFF and its agents attempt to remove all illegal works from the site as quickly and thoroughly as possible, there is always the possibility that some submissions may be overlooked or dismissed in error. The AFF system includes a rigorous and complex abuse control system in order to prevent improper use of the AFF service, and we hope that its deployment indicates a good-faith effort to eliminate any illegal material on the site in a fair and unbiased manner. This abuse control system is run in accordance with the strict guidelines specified above.
All works displayed here, whether pictorial or literary, are the property of their owners and not Adult-FanFiction.org. Opinions stated in profiles of users may not reflect the opinions or views of Adult-FanFiction.org or any of its owners, agents, or related entities.
Website Domain ©2002-2017 by Apollo. PHP scripting, CSS style sheets, Database layout & Original artwork ©2005-2017 C. Kennington. Restructured Database & Forum skins ©2007-2017 J. Salva. Images, coding, and any other potentially liftable content may not be used without express written permission from their respective creator(s). Thank you for visiting!
Powered by Fiction Portal 2.0
Modifications © Manta2g, DemonGoddess
Site Owner - Apollo