One Helluva Excuse

Summary: "My plans for Tuesday? Well, I… I'm, um… I have a date with Natsu." It started off as nothing more than an excuse. Things just sorta got out of control from there. Gratsu one-shot.

Mild swearing, AU.

Disclaimer: Hey girls / did you know that / I don't own / Fairy Tail? That goes for / you too / guys! XD

Excuses are lies wrapped up in reasons. -Howard Wright

He hated that look. He knew what it spelt all too fucking well. He had to think of something, a damn good excuse so that he wouldn't have to spend a day with the two crazy-ass psychos that were currently staring him down from across the room. 'Think, Gray, think!' Which excuses could he use that he hadn't used before? Being sick was out of the question, he was in perfect health at the moment. School project? Nope, there weren't any projects going on at the school this week. He had plans? Yes! That'll work! Now, what were his plans?

They were halfway across the room. He pushed down his panic as he desperately thought of what his excuse could be. Shopping day? Study day? He had a temporary job that day? He was scheduled to die that day? What excuse could he use?! Before he could fully come up with the answer to that question, the two girls were before him. Juvia was looking at him with lovey-dovey eyes, here lips pulled back into a smile and her cheeks red with a blush. It was no secret she had a crush on him; after all, she'd only asked him to date her fifteen times during this semester.

The girl beside her was giving Gray a mischievous and malevolent look, her lips pulled back into a snarky smirk. Her narrowed eyes stared at him like how a lion stared at an antelope it was about to kill and eat. Ultear, his older sister, was going in for the kill. And Gray hated when she did that. She had been trying to get him to date Juvia for the past two months and it was driving him up the fucking wall. "Let Lyon date her; he likes her and she'd probably like him!" But no, Ultear insisted on Gray dating Juvia. Why? He would never know, nor ever want to know.

"Hello, Gray-sama!" Juvia waved excitedly at him, and he chose to ignore her and focus his attention on his older sister. 'What the hell does she have planned this time?'

"What's wrong, little brother?" Her smirk grew when she saw the annoyance in his blue eyes.

"What do you want, Ultear?" he asked curtly. He was being rude, he knew, but seeing that look in his older sister's eyes had completely ruined his mood.

"How rude," she mumbled, though that smirk stayed in place. "Well, me and Juvia were just talking and she wanted to know if you were free Tuesday. I know you don't have any school projects or chores to do, but I wanted to make sure you were free anyway."

'Damn you, Ultear!' He had told Ultear he originally had plans to go to the movies with his friends, but the plan was cancelled the day before yesterday due to the fact all his friends had spent all their money at the festival last week. He searched through his mind, again, for any excuse he could use. "My plans for Tuesday? Well, I… I'm, um…" His eyes flickered around the room in hopes that something would help an idea pop into his brain, but nothing did. It was at that moment did he see Natsu enter the room; the pinkette looking in his direction and smiling while giving a small wave. "I have a date with Natsu." It was a last-ditch excuse, but it would have to work.

Ultear's eyebrow rose in actual surprise and Juvia looked like she was going to blow a gasket. He heard her mumble something about 'having another love rival' but he honestly didn't care. He looked Ultear dead in the eyes, showing no emotion whatsoever, before walking away from the two girls and headed for Natsu. He knew his sister's eyes were watching his every movement, he had to be careful what he did in the next moment.

"Hey, Gray!" Noticing something was off with the raven, Natsu slightly tilted his head. "Hey, you alright, ice block?" Gray said nothing as he grabbed Natsu's wrist and pulled him right back out of the room. "Huh? Hey! Let go of me! What's the big idea, you bas–"

"I have a favor to ask," Gray said once they were a safe distance from the room and out of the building. Natsu's brow rose but he listened. "Will you go on a date with me Tuesday?"

You. Date. Me. Tuesday. The words echoed in Natsu's mind for a moment before the reaction came pouring out. "WHAT?!"

"Not a real date," Gray hissed, turning to face the pinkette. "I told Ultear I was busy Tuesday because I have a date with you. She's probably going to follow me and spy on me to see how it goes for half the day."

"She's still trying to hook you up with Juvia?"

"Yeah, she just won't leave me be. Look, Tuesday we'll hang out and pretend we're on a date. After that, we go our separate ways. I can just tell Ultear it didn't work out or something." Inside, Natsu's heart was racing. A date with Gray! It was like he was living his dream! 'A fake date,' he reminded himself. 'He would never actually date me.' The thought was a downer and made his heart throb but he gave a smirk anyway.

"Fine, but you're buying me lunch."

"Always thinking with your stomach," Gray mumbled.

"Hey! It's either pay for my lunch or spend the day with Juvia."

"Alright! I'll buy you lunch. Jeez. But you're keeping it under twenty dollars!" He heard a groan of protest but no more complaints. "I'll text you later about Tuesday," he said as he walked past the pinkette to go home, not seeing the longing in those familiar green eyes.

Ice-Block
Hey

Natsu looked down at his phone as it's ringer went off. He gave a small grin when he saw who the message was from and felt his heart do a little flip. Him and Gray didn't text very often, but it was nice when he did receive a text from him. "Well, he did say he'd message me later," he mused. Unlocking his phone, he replied back with his own 'hey'. A minute passed.

Ice-Block
So where do you want to go Tuesday?

Natsu blinked. Gray was asking him?

Flame-Brain
I thought you already had a place picked out?

Ice-Block
I thought I would leave it up to you since I kind of sprung this plan on you so suddenly. Plus I'll be buying your lunch and I don't know where you want to eat.

Natsu felt his grin melt into a smile. Gray could be an ass at times, and a little ignorant, but he was pretty damn considerate when it came to his friends. The pinkette liked that about Gray. He could act cold, but deep down he really did care.

Flame-Brain
Take out from the Vanish Brother's Cafe and a day by the river?

This time it was Gray who was taken back. It'd been at least a year since him and Natsu had visited the old river they used to spar at as children. The thought brought up fond memories, and a smile slipped onto his features.

Ice-Block
Sounds like a plan.

Tuesday finally slipped around and Natsu wasn't going to lie. He was a little nervous. To Gray it may have only been a 'fake date', but to Natsu… Natsu knew this was the only time he'd ever get to be so close to the raven, and he wasn't going to mess it up. A fake date? Well, they still had to make it look as real as they could, right? Maybe hold his hand a while, slip an arm around his waist…

They were selfish thoughts, he knew that, but he couldn't help it. He was allowed to be selfish once in a while…right? Glancing in the mirror, he straightened out his black shirt and gave a sigh; wrapping his favorite scarf around his neck. Before any depressing thoughts could enter his mind, the doorbell downstairs caught his attention. "I got it, dad!" Running downstairs, he opened the front door to reveal the form of Gray.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, I am. I'll be back before seven!"

"Be safe!" Igneel called back from his workroom. Turning back to Gray, Natsu gave a bright grin and awkwardly – but eagerly – grabbed the raven's hand.

"Alright, let's go!"

Gray's cheeks burned as Natsu grabbed his hand, and he was about to pull away and ask what the hell the pinkette was thinking when he remembered that, while it was a fake date, it still had to look real. If Ultear – or Juvia, that stalker – was watching, they'd get suspicious if him and Natsu didn't do actual, you know…date stuff. He didn't fail to notice Natsu's cheeks also turn a light red.

He hated to admit it, but Natsu looked kinda…cute. The pinkette hardly ever wore black, nevertheless a t-shirt. He usually wore tank-tops or long-sleeved shirts and jackets. Him wearing a snug black t-shirt really made him look… He shook his head. 'No. Focus, Gray. This is only a fake date. If you think of this as a real date, you're gonna end up doing something you'll regret and you'll ruin your friendship and rivalry with Natsu.' The thought of Natsu pushing him away, rejecting him, despising him…it hurt just to think about.

'It may be a fake date,' he thought, his eyes coming up to land on the pinkette's back, 'But we still have to make it look like a real date. So…maybe, this one time, I can be a little selfish…right?' He pulled his hand out of Natsu's, and he didn't miss the way the pinkette lightly flinched at the action.

"Idiot," he mumbled loud enough for Natsu to hear. Natsu's mind began to race. 'I did something wrong already I grabbed his hand what was I thinking I know it's supposed to look real but I went too fast didn't I shit why did I have to mess up already–' Natsu's thoughts were cut short when Gray's hand grabbed his…and laced their fingers together. "This is how you hold someone's hand," Gray finished. Natsu looked down at their entwined hands and back up at Gray. The raven looked off to the side, his cheeks red with a blush. A bright smile slipped back onto Natsu's features.

'I'm allowed to be selfish once in a while,' they thought in unison. 'So I might as well make the best of it while I can.'

True to his word, Gray bought Natsu's lunch which came to a total of only $13.82. After that, they headed down to the river where they sat at the water's edge. As Natsu munched away at his food, Gray sat beside him – they sat with their shoulders nearly touching – and watched the sun reflection on the water's sparkling surface. "So how's the food?"

"Delicious! Thanks, Gray," Natsu smiled at the raven, setting aside the empty take-out container as he joined his friend in watching the river. At that moment, Natsu's felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, and he knew there were eyes on them. So he leaned over and rested his head on Gray's shoulder. The act surprised the raven out of his thoughts, an he glanced over at the pinkette. Before he could say anything, he felt eyes watching him and gave a small curse.

"She just won't leave me alone," he growled under his breath.

"So, um…" Natsu fidgeted were he sat. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know. Stay here for an hour or two? Unless you want to go some place else."

"No!" Natsu quickly yelled out, surprising the raven. "No, I-I'd… I'd like to stay here."

"Okay," Gray answered slowly. "We can stay here then." He rolled his free shoulder and heard his neck pop. It starting to get sore from staying in the same position for too long. He leaned his head over to the left and felt soft hair brush against his cheek. Glancing down, he gave a light smile at how happy Natsu looked. 'I'm allowed to be selfish once in a while…' He gave a smile and let his head rest atop Natsu's.

'It's my only chance to be selfish,' Natsu thought. Reaching over, he grabbed Gray's hand and laced their fingers. A blush graced both teens' cheeks, but neither protested at the actions done. A silence fell between them, but not an uncomfortable, suffocating one. It was a calming silence, one that had both teens falling asleep after a few minutes.

The next day had Gray walking to school with a small smile on his face. After him and Natsu had woke up by the river, they decided to call it a day. Gray walked Natsu home and told him to expect a text sometime soon, for which the pinkette seemed quite happy about. Then he walked back to his own home, did his homework, ate some dinner, and fell right to sleep. He looked down at his hand and wished he could feel the warm and softness of the pinkette's hand once more.

"So how'd the date go?" someone purred into his ear. Gray was thrown from his thoughts and sent an annoyed glare at his sister.

"It went fine, I guess," he said. "Things didn't exactly work out between us. I'm like ice, he's like fire; things are bound to be rocky with such opposites hanging out."

"Oh? That's a shame." Huh. For a moment, Gray could have swore he heard actual disappointment in her voice. "So, since things didn't work out with that pink-head, I was going to tell J–"

"And since things didn't work out between us on that date, I made another one to try and fix things up," Gray smoothly added in, cutting on Ultear's plans of trying to hook him up with Juvia…again. And again, Ultear seemed a little surprised. "So tell Juvia I'm sorry, but I still have plans this week." He quickened his pace, leaving his sister in the middle of a crowded hallway of the school. She watched his back carefully. She knew he was making up an excuse to avoid hanging with Juvia. The way the two had sat at the riverbank, it was obvious they weren't actually dating. They were hesitant and their actions unsure. They only did it because Gray knew she was watching him.

"That was one helluva excuse, Gray, but that's all it was. An excuse. You'll get with Juvia sooner or later."

Ice-Block
Alright, plans have changed. What do you say for another fake date?

"I say 'I'm all fired up!'" Natsu grinned from ear to ear as he read the text. This gave him another chance to get close to Gray! He remembered the last date and gave a content sigh. He couldn't get Gray's scent out of his mind; the smell of winter, pine, and tea all mixed together to create a beautiful fragrance that simply drove Natsu mad. He typed out his reply.

Flame-Brain
I'm up for it.

Ice-Block
I can't buy you lunch this time, though.

Flame-Brain
Maybe help me with my math homework?

Ice-Block
Deal. When and where?

Natsu stopped and think. The river was nice; it was quiet and secluded where they new they wouldn't be disturbed. While that had been nice, he wanted to something more…open. Like, a park maybe. Yeah, that sounded relaxing.

Flame-Brain
Is the park on the edge of the city alright? And how about…tomorrow?

Ice-Block
Sure. I'll be by at your house around eleven.

Flame-Brain
See ya then, ice block.

Ice-Block
Back at ya, flame brain.

They rode their bikes through the streets of the city as they lightly bickered on their way to the park. It was about a fifteen minute ride on bikes but neither minded the time. Fifteen minutes meant more time together, away from prying eyes. Of course, after a few minutes, their bickering turned into an argument and that argument turned into a competition. "Bet ya can't beat me to the park!"

"Oh, it's on!"

In the end, it was a draw. When the park had been within sight, both sped up and pedaled as fast as their legs could. But then an elderly woman started to cross the street in front of them, and they had to slam on their brakes and screech to a holt before they could hit her. Gray almost burst into laughter when Natsu hit his breaks too hard and was nearly sent flying.

Once they got to the park, all bickering and arguments seemed to stop and they went into Date Mode once again. Grabbing Natsu's hand, Gray shouldered the small backpack he brought with him as he guided the pinkette towards a tree they could sit under for the afternoon. "It's been a while since I've been here," Natsu started as he and Gray sat against the tree's trunk.

"I come here every Saturday when I'm not busy," Gray answered, opening his back and pulling out a sketchpad and pencil. "It's one of the few places I can get inspiration for drawing."

"I don't blame you," the pinkette yawned, leaning his head on Gray's shoulder once more. "It's beautiful here. The grass and trees are so green, and the sky always seems so much more bluer here…" Natsu let out another yawn and Gray couldn't help but give a chuckle at the sight.

"Didn't get much sleep?"

"No," Natsu mumbled, his eyes already sliding shut. "Had t' help m' dad wi' work…" Instead of words, soft snores exited the pinkette's mouth and Gray gave a soft smile. Natsu looked so adorable when he was tired. Scratch that, he looked adorable when he was falling asleep. Gray's fingers caressed the pinkette's cheek. 'I'm so lucky to be with–'

Gray jolted from his thoughts and quickly pulled his fingers away from Natsu's face. So lucky to be with Natsu? 'It's a fake date,' his mind reminded him. 'You're not really a couple. Don't forget that.' He gave a sad sigh as the thought settled in his mind. Taking one more glance at the sleeping pinkette, he let a sad smile slip onto his features. "Why do you have to be so addicting…" The question was left unanswered as he turned his focus onto the pad of paper in his lap.

When Natsu awoke, he felt more comfortable than he had in years. He wondered why, and when his eyes opened, he knew the answer. He had slid down the tree's trunk until his head rested not on Gray's shoulder, but his stomach. He could smell nothing but Gray, feel nothing but Gray, see nothing but Gray. It dawned on him how hard it was going to be to pretend to be friends after this whole fake dating business was done. Glancing down at the watch on his wrist, he saw he'd slept for a little more than two hours. He gave a frown. "Hey," his said, his voice still thick with sleep. "Why didn't you wake…" Looking up, he saw Gray's head had lolled to the side.

Gray had fallen asleep. It was probably the first time Natsu had gotten to see Gray asleep since he'd fallen for the teen and he took the opportunity to study every detail in the raven's face. His lips were lightly parted, and his eyelashes were rather long for a guy's. He took in the narrowed cheeks, the scar on his forehead, the way hi–

Something bumped into his arm. Looking down, his met a pencil. He remembered Gray pulling out a sketchpad before he fell asleep and wondered if the raven would mind him looking through it. 'No harm, no foul,' the pinkette thought. It was just sketches after all. Take the pad from the raven's limp had, Natsu adjusted his head on Gray's stomach for a more comfortable to position. Then he began to flip through the pad of paper.

The first sketch was of the sight before him; a grassy field with a playground and benches off to the right and some pavilions way off to the left. The sky was decorated with big, white, fluffy clouds with an occasion bird or two. Natsu was impressed; he'd never seen Gray's sketches before. 'Not bad. They're actually really good.'

The next was of a thin cat, one smilier to the cat Kiki had in the movie Kiki's Delivery Service. It's big eyes stared up innocently at the person investigating the drawing and Natsu's couldn't help but let a smile slip onto his features at the sight of it. It was cute, no doubt about that.

The third was not what Natsu was expecting. It was of a rabbit's decaying body; half of it was already nothing but bones while the other half still had all it's fur and muscles. The fur, though, where the skeleton began was dirty and mangy looking with bits falling off. Natsu quickly turned the page with a shiver. Yeah, that hadn't been disturbing at all.

The fourth was of Natsu sleeping against a tree. The pinkette was amazed at the sketch and how detailed it was. In the sketch, Natsu wore his favorite vest and scarf, along with those baggy pants he once wore and his usual pair of sandals. He looked peaceful in the sketch, and Natsu wondered if that's how he actually looked when he slept. On the tree's trunk, near where the tree started to branch out, stood a small dragon who's head, tail, and front paws were visible. It looked down at Natsu's sleeping form with a smile but a protective look in its eyes.

'Igneel…' His lips pulled back into a smile. Igneel was the name of a mythical fire dragon, for Gray to add that to the photo was rather considerate of him. He began to flip to the final page when the teen next to him began to stir. He managed to turn the paper halfway, catching only part of the sketch when Gray's hand snatched the pad away from him.

"Th-That last sketch is kinda private," Gray got out before a yawn consumed him.

"Sorry," the pinkette apologized. "I saw the book and got curious."

"It's fine," Gray said. "Um… Can I ask what you thought about the ones you did see?" He usually didn't let others see his work, and he wanted some feedback on how his sketches looked.

"I thought they were great," Natsu smiled. "The first one was pretty awesome, you managed to capture the scenery perfectly. The second one was cute, I'm not going to lie. The third one…creeped me out. It was good, but creepy. And disturbing. The fourth one…" The smile on his face softened and he looked up at Gray. "I loved it. The fact that you added Igneel watching over me…"

"I added one other person to that picture," Gray said, opening the pad back to the photo. "You probably couldn't see them before where you're sitting a patch of sunlight is shining down on the picture. There, can you see them now?" Looking at the photo in the shade, Natsu could see another person in the photo. On the other side of the tree, a person leaned out from behind the trunk to gaze down longingly at Natsu. The reason Natsu hadn't seen the person was because they were sketched extremely lightly, almost if they were a…

"Mom," he whispered. He could feel his eyes water as he stared at the sketch. It was his mother's ghost watching over him.

"You showed me a picture of her once before," Gray said quietly. "She was beautiful."

"Thank you," Natsu whispered, wiping a tear from his eye. His fingers brushed over the sketch of her, and oh how he longed for her be alive once more. "Thank you," he repeated. Gray gave a smile and threw his arm around Natsu's shoulders, bringing the pinkette closer to his side.

"You're welcome," he softly answered.

Dropping off Natsu at his house once more, Gray faced the pinkette with a smile. "Alright, I guess I'll help you with your math homework tomorrow then. Just don't forget to bring your textbook, alright? Ain't no way am I brining mine."

"Whatever," Natsu rolled his eyes. "But I will. And I better get all the answers correct, or I'm gonna have to burn your homework, ice bastard."

"Tch, like I'd get any of the answers wrong," Gray bit back with a mild glare. "And you even try to burn my homework and I'll freeze your ass where you stand, fire breath."

"Droopy eyes."

"Retard."

"Stripper."

"I am and you love it," Gray teased, throwing a mischievous grin. The pinkette's cheeks turned a light shade of red and he gave a growl as he began to stomp his foot.

"Oh whatever! Get out of here you damn ice bastard or I'll kick your ass to the moon!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Ultear and Juvia approached him once more in the hallway. This time, however, he was prepared. Before they could even open their mouths, he opened his. "Date. Natsu. No." He left the two girls standing there in the hallway, a smirk playing on his features. He knew he was taking advantage of Natsu like this, asking him to pretend to date him so he wouldn't have to hang out with Juvia, but he just couldn't help himself. He loved Natsu. He loved spending time with the pinkette. And somewhere in Gray's mind, the line between fake dating and real dating was starting to blur away.

Okay, so maybe Gray was finally starting to feel a little guilty about blowing off Juvia so many times without a single care. He decided to make it up to her, though. Looking around and making sure there was no bluenette in sight, he slipped a piece of paper into Juvia's locker before quickly walking away. It wasn't much, but hopefully it'd make the stalker happy.

Natsu's thoughts were stuck on the final sketch Gray had drawn, the one he only saw a part of. What he did see had his mind in confusion. He knew it was a sketch of him, he saw his face and scarf in what he managed to catch. But then there was a hand caressing his cheek as he laughed. The hand had been drawn lighter, like his mother's ghost had been. So was it of him and his mother? No, that couldn't be right. Gray had said the sketch was private. But how? It was of Natsu, how did that make it private to Gray?

His phone's ringer went off and picking up his phone, he wasn't too surprised to see it was from Gray.

Ice-Block
Hey. Listen, I haven't had the chance to thank you yet for, you know…accepting to go on these fake dates with me.

Flame-Brain
Hey man, it's fine. That's what friends are for. Besides, I think I got the better deal out of them. Free lunch and help with math homework? Hell to the yeah!

Ice-Block
Then would you mind doing one last date?

Natsu's eyes lingered on one word in that text. Last. One last date. "So this is the end, huh…" He felt his heart throb at that. After this date, they'd go back to being nothing but friends. No more holding hands, no more leaning on shoulders, no more using stomachs and pillows…

Flame-Brain
No, I wouldn't. I'll pick you up this time. When and where?

Ice-Block
Tomorrow, five-thirty. It'll be a surprise.

Flame-Brain
Alright. See ya then.

Natsu got to the house a little early. Gray wasn't ready yet, so he patiently waited in the living room until the raven was done. He glanced about the room, it wasn't his first time there. He spotted the sketchpad from the other day sitting on the edge of the kitchen table. Looking towards the stairs, Natsu quickly got up and dashed to the pad; opening it to the final sketch that'd been on his mind for two days. He looked…and gasped.

It was a picture of Natsu looking to his right left, walking and apparently laughing with some friends that weren't in the photo. He guessed Erza was one of the friends by the small bit of armor-looking clothing that was on the edge of the sketch and the long hair that lay on it. On Natsu's right was Gray walking next to him. In front of Gray, however, stood another sketch of Gray that held a sad longing in his eyes. His hand was softly caressing Natsu's cheek. This Gray was sketched lightly, almost as if he was a ghost himself. The Gray on Natsu's left was staring up at the ghost-like Gray with a soft smile.

'Is…Is this how Gray really feels? Does he really…?' He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and he instantly shut the pad of paper and made his way to the fridge; opening it and looking as though he was contemplating on eating something. "Sheesh, you really do think with your stomach," Gray mumbled. Natsu stuck his tongue out at the raven. "Alright, you ready to go?"

"Yep."

"Juvia is so excited to see Gray-sama tonight!" Juvia, dressed in an elegant blue dress, continued to walk towards the big doors of the party that was mentioned on a piece of paper that'd been put in her locker. "Hopefully he'll dance with Juvia and then we can walk home together!" Fantasy of different scenarios played in her head and without hesitation, she threw open the doors to the party…only to find no Gray-sama in sight. Everyone's attention was drawn to her, and she looked through the crowd once more. But still, no Gray-sama.

Her eyes, though, did land on a rather handsome looking male with bluish silvery hair and the most beautiful pair of eyes she'd ever seen. He seemed surprised to see her, but the surprise wore off and smile slid onto his features.

He made his way across the floor towards her and held out his hand. "Juvia… Would you like to join me in a dance?"

"Y-Yes," she said, unable to take her eyes off him. "But…who are you?"

The male smiled and Juvia thought her heart would burst. Leaning down, he grasped her hand and softly kissed the back of her hand. "You can call me Lyon."

Gray's destination was the Twin Dragon bridge that was located in the eastern part of town. The orange sunset gave the river beneath the bridge a beautiful surface, the way the river rippled the orange was near hypnotic. There the two teens stood; watching the sun set behind the horizon and waiting for the stars to come out. Natsu wanted to fidget because standing there beside Gray felt more like a real date than the last two did. Was it because he saw the sketch of how Gray really felt? Or was it because they were watching the sunset and standing on what's known as the Wishing Bridge where people made wishes for great luck in love?

Either reason, it felt like an actual date this time. But in the back of the pinkette's mind, he knew it wasn't. He wanted it to be, but it wasn't. "I wanted to give you something for going out on all these fake dates with me," Gray said, snapping Natsu out of his thoughts. Reaching into his pocket, Gray pulled out a folded piece of paper. Upon opening it, Natsu was met with the sight of the sketch that had nearly made him cry two days ago. This time, however, it fully drawn out and colored.

And it looked even more beautiful than it did as a sketch.

"Thank you, Gray," he whispered. Folding it back up and putting it in his pocket, he hugged Gray. "It means a lot to me. It really does."

Gray hugged him back tightly. "I know. That's why I gave it to you, idiot." He honestly hadn't expected Natsu to react the way he did when he first saw the sketch, the pinkette never cried. But a deceased parent could do that to anyone. Gray knew that from experience. Pulling away, he nervously glanced at the pinkette. "Um, c-could I ask you a question?"

"Hm? Yeah, go ahead." Natsu reached out and grabbed Gray's hand instinctually. He'd been doing it so often the last two dates he didn't even realize he did it this time.

"Do you, um… Do you think… Gah! Why is this so hard?!" Gray gave a huff, running his free hand through his hair and stared down at the river below. He wanted to ask, he really did, but the thought of rejection… He couldn't lose the pinkette. He rather stay next to Natsu as a friend than be forced to watch him from afar.

"Gray? If you have a question, just ask. It's not like you're pulling teeth or anything." At that, Natsu gave a shiver and Gray distantly wondered why. He made a mental note to ask the pinkette about that later.

"Will… Will you…" His sentence faded off and Natsu made a face.

"Huh? I can't hear you."

"Will you…"

Natsu was starting to get annoyed now. He crossed his arms and gave a mighty huff. He'd have to goad Gray apparently to get him to speak loud enough. "Would you stop being such an idiot and just spit it out already?"

"I said, will you go out with me, you flaming bastard!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Gray's jaw snapped shut. A silence fell between the two and Gray was pretty sure his heart stopped beating.

"Are… Are you serious?" Gray – somehow – managed a minuscule nod of the head. Natsu stared a moment more before he gave a bright smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

"So that's a yes? It is a yes, right?"

"Well, yeah, of cou–" Natsu's words were cut off when a pair of lips covered his own, and he suddenly realized Gray was kissing him. He melted into the kiss and smiled into it. Gray, too, smiled. When they pulled away, Gray rested his forehead against Natsu's and let a breathy chuckle pass.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," he said.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for that," Natsu said. He leaned up and gave Gray a quick peck on the lips before grabbing his hand and resting his head on the raven's shoulder. "I honestly thought I'd die of old age before you made a move on me."

"Tch, look who's talking," Gray mumbled. "You weren't gonna make a move ever, were you."

"No, I was."

"You were?!"

"Yep. If you were still single at the end of this semester, I was going to ask you out. But I guess you beat me to it." He lightly punched Gray in the arm. "Jeez, it took you long enough."

"You want me to throw you in the river right now?"

"…No."

"Then I suggest you knock it off, shut up, and enjoy the starlight, damn it."

"Huh? Is that a dark blush on your cheeks? Aw, you're really blush– AHH! OKAY OKAY! I'M STOPPING! PUT ME DOWN YOU ASSHOLE!"

"You really are an idiot," Gray muttered under his breath as he placed Natsu back on the ground. "But I guess that's why I love you so much."

"I love you, too...asshole," Natsu muttered back.

When Monday came around, Ultear was definitely surprised to see the sight before her. Lyon had his arm around Juvia's waist and she was practically hugging him as they walked down the hall. Gray and Natsu were holding hands, earning many looks from the other students. As Lyon passed by Gray, he leaned down and whispered something into Gray's ear.

"I owe you one."

Gray simply waved it off and continued on his way. As him and Natsu passed Ultear, they both looked at her with grins. "Sorry, sis, but I guess I forgot to tell you I'm gay."

"He's mine, so I'd appreciate if you didn't try to hook him up with anyone else."

"Oh, and one more thing." Gray turned over his shoulder as he passed by, his grin turning into a smile. "Thanks, Ultear. For everything." Oh and he meant it. If she hadn't tried to hook him up with Juvia, this probably never would have happened. Well, okay, according to Natsu it would've happened at the end of the semester. But thanks to his sister, it happened sooner.

They continued to walk down the hallway hand in hand.

It may have started as an excuse, but it blossomed into something real in a matter of days.

And for that, Natsu and Gray would be forever grateful.

Sucky ending sucks! Sorry. Hope you guys kinda liked it though! The longest one-shot I've written. If it dragged in some spots, I apologize. DX I have to thank Crystalangel554 and her story The date for helping me break my writer's block for this. A writer requested a "It's starts off as an excuse" idea and I got stuck halfway through. Hope it's okay!

Have a great morning/afternoon/evening everyone!

~»roo the ice elemental psycho«