A/N: Here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it, and don't forget to leave a review and follow and favorite to show your love for me and the story c: And I know that you guys want insight on some of the other characters, like Lucy and Erza, and Lyon and Ultear, and trust me, it will come up soon :)

Chapter Twenty-One

Before anyone could respond to Atlas' outburst, there was a groan, which drew everyone's attention back to Natsu. He moaned softly and opened his eyes, blinking a few times. Gray immediately reached for him to help him sit up, and Natsu held a hand to his head and blinked, wincing. "Wha—What happened? Why does my head hurt?"

"You fainted," Wendy said, standing at his other side. "Do you feel okay?"

"No," Natsu moaned, closing his eyes. "I feel dead."

Wendy sighed. "I'm surprised you're not yet."

Atlas shook his head. "Jesus, kid. How much trouble do you get in around here?"

"A lot," Gray and Wendy said at the same time, sharing a look.

"Shuddup," Natsu complained weakly, waving an arm at them offhandedly. "I've only b'n in the inf'rm'ry a couple t'mes." He had started slurring his words, and his eyes drifted closed again. They snapped open a few minutes later, and Gray could see the frustration there. "Ugh, I like fuck."

Gray snorted out a laugh, despite the dire situation. "Um, what?"

"I feel shit this," Natsu moaned, covering his face with his arms.

Atlas laughed. "I think he's a bit delirious. This happened once before. Allow me to translate. He says; 'I feel like shit. Fuck this.'"

Gray nodded, biting back a smile and reminding himself to ask Atlas about the other time this had happened later. He was still worried, but less so now that the threat of serious injury was gone. Natsu had gotten in to a lot of trouble; a little sleep-deprivation was nothing to him. "Should we let him sleep, Wendy?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah. I'll stick an IV in him and you two can go continue eating, if you like. Or he might wake up in a few hours, so you could always come back in later." She said that last part with a pointed look in Gray's direction, as if she knew he wouldn't listen, but wanted him to rest a bit, anyway.

Gray shook his head, confirming her suspicions. "I don't know... I don't want to leave him here."

Wendy smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll watch him. You can come back after you eat something."

"C'mon, kid," Atlas said, clapping a firm hand on his shoulder with a small smile. "Food'll do you some good."

Reluctantly, Gray nodded and allowed Atlas to tow him out of the infirmary and back towards the mess hall. When they entered, people glanced over at Gray worriedly, but Atlas' presence seemed to dissuade them from coming over to inquire about Natsu's condition, and soon the murmurs faded away again.

Gray was still dwelling heavily on the fact that he hadn't noticed Natsu's exhaustion. Well... He supposed he had, in a way. He'd noticed that the other boy seemed slightly off in the previous days, but he had chalked it up to the run-in with Zeref, and hadn't bothered to really look at him, and now Natsu was suffering because of it.

Seeming to read his mind, Atlas clasped his shoulder and shook him once, gently but firmly. "Hey, this ain't your fault, kid. Natsu's always been an introvert; it's not surprising that he kept this from everyone." The man gave a slight laugh. "Sometimes, he seems to almost have a self-destruction complex."

"I know that, but..." Gray shook his head. "He should've told me, at least... I mean, out of anyone... It's— It's complicated," he finished lamely, looking down at the table.

Atlas raised a slender red brow but otherwise said nothing. "Get some food, kid," was all he said. "You'll need it."

After he had eaten, Gray went back to the infirmary. He expected Atlas to come along, but the man shook his head with a wry smile and claimed he was going to bed early, and would visit Natsu in the morning. Gray was grateful for the privacy, and wasn't surprised when Wendy took off as soon as he arrived, off to eat while she had the chance to get away.

Sitting down in the now familiar chair by Natsu's bedside, Gray grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Stupid," he said softly. "You're always running head-first in to trouble, without stopping to think of the consequences, or what will happen to you. Sometimes you really live up to your nickname, you know that, flame brain?"

Natsu's only response was the steady rise and fall of his chest, and Gray continued on. "You need to think about yourself once in a while." It felt kind of stupid, venting to someone who wasn't even awake to listen, but at the same time, it was a relief to get it all out. "I only just got you," Gray continued quietly. "I don't want to lose you."

He took a deep breath, nervous to say it, even though Natsu couldn't hear him. "I love you." Sometimes you had to learn to say the embarrassing things. They still held meaning, even though no one was listening.

I love you. I love you, I love you...

Those three words echoed in Natsu's half-asleep brain, like the bright bursts of fireworks. He wanted to say it back, but he didn't want Gray to feel embarrassed, and his tongue felt thick and heavy with his mouth. Wendy must've given him a sedative with the fluids.

But just hearing them, and knowing that Gray was with him made Natsu feel a thousand times better. Suddenly, everything didn't seem as bleak as it had earlier, and Natsu felt heaps of stress stripped away, finally allowing him to sleep.

And for the first time in what felt like years, he didn't dream of anything.

Gray must've fallen asleep in the infirmary, because when he woke up, his head was resting on the edge of Natsu's bed, his arms supporting his chin. He blinked a few times and just lay there, basking in the sunlight now streaming through the windows.

He was faintly aware of a hand on his head, and he turned his head to find Natsu's fingers buried in his hair. He was still asleep, his face the picture of calm as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. The sunlight broke his hair into thousands of geometric shapes, all different shades of vibrant pink.

Gently, he removed Natsu's hand from his head and laced their fingers together instead, straightening and wincing as his back gave a loud crack. Looking around, he noticed that Wendy had left again, presumably to get breakfast. The door was open, and the hallway outside was empty.

"What time is it?" Gray muttered to himself, wiping his eyes with his free hand and wishing for the millionth time that iPhones still worked so he could check the damn time without having to go down to look at the sundial in the courtyard, and maybe play fucking Candy Crush, if he had some free time.

But, of course, iPhones didn't work, and probably never would again. Shame, really. But at least no more Samsungs would combust and kill people via fiery explosion.

Wendy came walking in then, carrying a small basket with food. Gray quickly pulled his hand from Natsu's and straightened slightly. When she saw that Gray was awake, Wendy smiled at him. "Oh, you're awake. I brought some food for you."

"Thanks, Wen," Gray said with a smile as Wendy walked over and handed him an apple, protein bar, and bottle of water. She nodded and went back to sit at her desk, tapping her pen in a constant tap-tap, pause, tap-tap-tap rhythm as she pulled out a crossword and started to work on it.

Gray found himself studying Natsu while he ate. The bags around his eyes had lessened, and his face was relaxed, his breathing even and steady. A bit of color had returned to his cheeks, and the only thing noticeable was that he was still very thin, but Gray didn't worry about that too much; apparently it ran in the family, seeing as how Atlas was just as willowy as his nephew.

"Hey, Gray," Wendy said, prompting Gray to look over at her, "I forgot to tell you earlier, but Makarov wants to see both you and Natsu as soon as he's recovered."

Gray nodded wordlessly, slightly relieved. Maybe Makarov had a plan to get rid of Zeref once and for good. If he did, it would certainly be a relief to have that psycho off their tails. Plus, maybe they coudl get their hands on some of Zeref's artillery and territory. It would definitely come in handy.

Natsu made a sound halfway between a sneeze and a sigh, and his eyelids fluttered open. Gray immediately leaned forward and grabbed his hand without thinking, not caring if Wendy noticed. "Natsu, you're awake!"

"That's debatable," Natsu replied through a loud yawn, blinking slowly several times. "Where am I? What time is it?"

"You're in the infirmary," Wendy—who had walked over to stand by his side—answered. "And it's near seven, I think."

Natsu sat up with—to Gray's relief—sat up fairly easily, stretching his legs so his toes stuck out of the blanket Wendy had placed over him. "When can I go?"

"Maybe later today, if you sit still and absorb the fluids for a while," Wendy replied, tapping the IV bag with her finger for emphasis. Natsu pouted, making Gray smile to himself. Seeing him frowning, Wendy rolled her eyes. "Fine, I tell you what. You can get up and walk around as long as you hold on to the IV stand and don't exert yourself."

Natsu nodded happily. "Right, of course!" He swung his leg over the edge of the bed and stumbled a bit as he took a shaky step. Gray steadied him as the blood rushed back to his head, and Natsu took a few more experimental steps before he regained his balance.

"Be careful," Wendy warned as they left. "Gray, look after him. And stick to the first floor!" she called after them as they walked down the hallway, and Natsu smiled back at her. "Relax, Wendy! I'll be fine!"

"You always say that," Wendy muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose before she turned away, disappearing from the doorway. Natsu and Gray shared a look and burst out laughing before continuing down the hall.

Natsu walked ahead of Gray, holding his left arm to the side like a wing as he walked along the hallway, clutching the IV pole with his other hand. He was wearing a black tank-top with a band logo on the front; one he'd pillaged from a store ages ago.

It felt great to be up and walking around again, and all the dizziness and fatigue from before had completely disappeared. He actually felt pretty energetic. He hummed the tune of "Stereo Hearts" under his breath, and made a beeline for the front doors. Suddenly remembering Atlas, he asked, "Hey, where's my uncle?"

He turned to see Gray frowning. "Hmmm... Actually, now that you mention it, he said he was coming to visit you this morning."

"Oh, that explains it," Natsu said, turning back around. "Morning to him is ten thirty or later."

Gray chuckled. "I guess you both like to sleep."

Natsu shot a playful glare at him and broke into a grin. Pushing open the front door, he breathed in the fresh morning air and let out a happy sigh. "Ah, it feels good to feel the sun on my face again!" He walked further out and watched through the gate as a few Zs wandered around, bumping into the fence. Natsu's finger twitched, itching to pull a trigger.

Seeming to read his intentions, Gray grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "Oh, don't even think about it. You're resting for at least two more days before I let you snipe again."

"Geez, mom," Natsu said, crossing his arms and smirking at the other boy.

Gray met Natsu's smirk with one of his own, leaning close to his ear to whisper, "I mean it. Don't make me punish you."

Natsu blushed and pulled back, holding a hand to his face to conceal the redness of his cheeks. "No fair..." he muttered, making Gray laugh. "I have to be better than you at something," he teased, and Natsu flicked him lightly in the shoulder. "You're better at lost of things."

"Oh?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Thinking before you act," Natsu said, clasping his hands behind his back and kicking at a rock on the ground. "Talking, fighting, using your brain, flirting."

Gray laughed again, and Natsu's heart grew lighter at the sound.

"Oh yeah!" he said, starting. He turned around and threw his arms around Gray. He pulled back and smiled brightly at him. "I love you too, Gray!"

A/N: Not a lot of action this chapter. Mostly fluff / recovery stuff XD Don't worry. Next chapter things will be happenin'! And hopefully I'll explore the other characters a bit, along the way.