The first time Gray pulls Natsu's hair while they're brawling in the guild, it costs Natsu the fight. He ends up with frostbite, a bloody nose, and an incredibly uncomfortable hardness in his pants that makes his cheeks go pink.

Luckily, Gray doesn't notice, and the next time they fight, Natsu gives him a black eye. Erza kicks both of their asses for it, but it's completely worth it because Natsu's in control again. It was just a one-time thing. Gray's stupid and his face is stupid and Natsu absolutely does not have a crush on him.

Gray's not an idiot – he sees the flush on Natsu's cheeks when his fingers are tangled in that ridiculous pink hair. He doesn't expect it to be enough of a distraction to actually get the upper hand for once, but giving Natsu a bloody nose is satisfying.

What isn't satisfying is the dream Gray has later that night. In it, he's tangled together with Natsu, but neither of them is wearing clothes, and Natsu's cheeks are the same color as his hair as Gray pulls on it.

Gray leaves for a solo job the next day because he can't look Natsu in the eye after that. He's sure that after a week apart, the dreams will stop, because Natsu is ridiculous, and Gray is absolutely not falling for him.

It takes Natsu several years and hundreds more fights – none with hair-pulling, thank gods – for him to admit that it's maybe, remotely, minutely possible that he might sort of, kind of like Gray. Like like him, that is. He already considers Gray his best friend, despite how often they insult each other.

Natsu ignores the feelings for a few more months because if he's is good at anything, it's avoiding things like this. But then Gray tries to kill himself on Galuna Island, and Natsu can't pretend anymore. When Gray falls to his knees after watching the ice melt into the sea, Natsu kneels down beside him and pulls him close.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. He expects Gray to pull away, but instead Gray turns in Natsu's arms and presses his face to Natsu's chest as his shoulders shake. Natsu's never seen Gray cry before – not even when he broke his leg when he was ten and the bone stuck out of the skin.

Seeing Gray like this hurts Natsu in a way he never thought it would. He's not sure what to do, so he runs his fingers through Gray's hair and kisses the top of his head and tells him everything's going to be okay.

Everything isn't okay, and Gray loses himself for a bit after that. He can't get back to normal – whatever normal is, anyway. The world is too loud and too big, and it's hard to live in it. He has nightmares almost every day; dark, bloody ones about demons and fire and bones and broken bodies.

Gray's sparring with Natsu when it finally catches up to him. He's dizzy and exhausted and his arms are too heavy, and by the time Natsu's fire hits him in the chest, it's too late for him to block.

"Gray!" Natsu's voice is sharp and panicked, and Gray feels a spark of relief when strong arms catch him before he hits the ground. Natsu's face is drawn in worry, and it swims in and out of Gray's vision. "Why the hell didn't you block that?"

"'m tired," Gray mumbles, blinking slowly as everything starts to fade. Natsu's hands hover over him uncertainly, and his lips are moving but Gray can't hear him because everything is fading away until all that's left is black.

"He's an idiot," Natsu grumbles as Wendy runs her hands over the burns on Gray's chest. It's not raw and blistered anymore, just pale white marks that fill Natsu's chest with guilt. "Is he sick or something?"

"No, but he is exhausted," Wendy says, putting her hand on Gray's forehead. "We should take him to the infirmary." They're at Natsu's house – it's the closest place to where they'd been sparring by the river, and while Natsu is strong, unconscious Gray is heavy.

"I can take care of him," Natsu says softly. He ignores Wendy's curious look and shifts closer to the bed, reaching out and brushing Gray's hair out of his face. The ends of it are singed and Natsu sighs.

When Wendy leaves, Natsu settles down on the bed next to Gray. "What's going on with you, Snowflake?" he murmurs. Gray's face is pale and drawn, and Natsu brushes his fingers over the dark circles under Gray's eyes. "You're so goddamn stubborn."

The feelings that Natsu's been trying so hard to run away from keep pushing through his defenses, and he groans, tipping his head back and looking at the ceiling.

"I don't like him," he mutters, shifting until he's lying down on the bed beside Gray. He keeps a hand on Gray's arm – to make sure he's okay while they sleep, that's all. "He's an idiot. I'm just taking care of him 'cause he's too dumb to know when to quit."

The words hang in the air, and even Natsu can't bring himself to believe them.

Gray wakes slowly. The first few times consciousness tugs at him, he ignores it, pulling himself further back into sleep. It's warm and safe here, with no nightmares to tear him apart.

When he finally decides to open his eyes, he's met by a blurry vision of pink hair and the sound of someone humming.

"Hey, you." Natsu's voice is gentle, and Gray blinks a few times, rubbing his eyes. He's disoriented, but eventually realizes that he's lying with his head in Natsu's lap, and Natsu's fingers are combing through his hair. "How're you feeling?"

Gray doesn't answer, just closes his eyes again, sighing at the sensation. It's so different from their usual touch – gentle and kind and grounding.

"I was worried about you," Natsu says, tucking Gray's hair behind his ear. "Why didn't you tell me something was wrong?"

Gray frowns, peeking up at Natsu. The soft, open expression on his face – even upside-down – is unfamiliar. "Who are you," Gray asks, voice hoarse, "and what did you do with Natsu?"

"Har, har," Natsu says, flicking Gray's forehead. "Don't dodge the question."

"'m fine," Gray insists, and he wants to pull away from Natsu's hands to prove it, but he can't. He's too tired.

"You've been asleep for three days, idiot," Natsu says. Gray looks around and realizes that they're in Natsu's house – in Natsu's bed. The knowledge makes his cheeks hot, and he tries once again to pull away. "Stop that," Natsu says softly.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Gray asks, giving up and flopping back into Natsu's lap. Everything feels heavy and he can barely keep his eyes open.

"'cause you're too dumb to be nice to yourself," Natsu says, and when he combs his fingers through Gray's hair again, he runs his thumbs back behind Gray's ears. The touch is so gentle and sweet that it makes Gray want to cry.

"You don't have to take care of me," he mumbles, covering his face with his hands to hide his burning cheeks. Natsu laughs, but it's not taunting or mocking or challenging. It's soft and fond, and it makes Gray's stomach do uncomfortable things.

"Go back to sleep," Natsu says, and Gray's too tired to argue. He closes his eyes and drifts off to the reassuring feel of Natsu's fingers brushing through his hair.