Gray's P.O.V.:

Ugh… The humidity is killing me… How the hell can that idiot have so much energy? I glared, almost-zombielike at the wild pink mob of hair talking excitedly to the rest of our friends. I leaned back, against the tree I was sitting near, further into the shade to keep from wanting to burn a hole into the idiot. I couldn't help but notice yet another group of freshman girls whispering to one another as they walked past us.

Probably wondering how the ice king and the fire king—

"You okay, Gray?"

I recognized the voice that broke through my thoughts as I turned to reassure the blonde beside me; "Yeah, fine… I'm enjoying the heat, Lucy."

Lucy's laugh meant that she actually heard the sarcasm I had dipped my response in; meanwhile everyone else was unfazed by mine and Lucy's side-conversation. I reached up towards the collar of my white dress shirt, loosening the blue tie around my neck then unbuttoning the top two buttons.

"Looks like Gray is—"

"Don't start with that crap, Happy!" I warned the idiot's annoying flying cat.

The school day had already ended about an hour ago; none of us were up for heading home just yet. The club we all belonged to, Fairy Tail, had an afterschool meeting which explains why we were all still on school grounds. The air was making my midnight-blue hair stick to my face and to the back of my neck.

"Should we find someplace cooler?" I heard Erza, known as-

I guess I should mention that each of us sitting here all had nicknames (which were created by our classmates) that labeled us; Lucy and Erza were seen as polar-opposites (just like me and that hyperactive idiot) that others found whisper-worthy whenever we were seen together. Erza is known as the demon-queen while Lucy is seen as the sweetheart-princess. I'm the ice king while Natsu, the hyperactive idiot, is seen as the fire king. I watched as Erza stood up, dusting her red plaid skirt off before glaring at all of us…

"Yeah… I want some ice cream," I complained, standing up lifting my navy blue messenger bag up along the way.

I started heading off; hearing the sounds of footsteps running to catch up with me shortly afterwards; Lucy appeared to my right, locking arms with me. I knew Natsu and Erza that would be right behind us; Natsu had a crush on her (I will never understand what goes through that idiot's mind!).

"Gray?" Lucy's voice, once again broke through my thoughts, followed by her glancing over at me as she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Sorry Lucy… What?" I smiled over at her to calm her down enough to repeat her question.

"I asked you if you wanted to go to the Homecoming Dance with me," I saw her lips twitch into a small pout.

"Uh," my words became a lump in my throat as I had to fight the urge to glance to the duo behind us.

"Or was there someone else you wanted to go with…?" I nearly jumped with Lucy's new question instead I somehow found the strength to pretend it hadn't bothered me.

I have to keep calm… if she figures it out… She'll tell everyone!

"I guess I'll go with you," I scratched the back of my head as I picked up my pace enough to put a little distance between us.

"Yay!" I knew she was probably jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face.

Lucy was pretty cute compared to the other girls that threw themselves at me, despite my icy personality. And now I was stuck going to the dance…

-At a nearby café—

"This is going to be so great! The four of us can go together with Loki and his dates!" squealing before noticing the coughing that erupted beside her, "Oh! Gray, are you okay?" Lucy added with concern.

"Yeah…" My coughing had calmed down but sadly I had lost all interest in my chocolate milkshake.

I excused myself as I slid out of the booth, keeping my face low as if the tile floor in the café was the most interesting thing in the world. I'm pretty sure I heard footsteps running after me but I didn't bother to check, not even after I entered the restroom. I leaned over the sink, turning the cold water faucet on max; I scooped water and splashed it in my face. I heard the door open; out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a familiar white scarf that the idiot always wore.

"What do you want, Natsu?" I groaned, grabbing a paper towel to dry my face.

"Nothing… Just wanted to see if you're okay,"

There it was! The reason why I was in here instead of enjoying the company of a pretty girl like Lucy; why I was so surprised that Natsu had gotten over his fear and asked Erza out; why I constantly argue with him and why I can't keep myself away… I am in love with this hyperactive-fiery-hotheaded idiot!

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I said with a sad but somewhat relieved smile on my face.

Again, there it was! The reason why I got pissed whenever freshman would whisper about us hanging around one another; why I always get into fights with him and why I even bothered getting to know him… I'm in love with Natsu!

I tossed the now-crumpled paper towel into the trash before smacking his arm playfully, motioning for him to follow me out of the restroom.

"…before the girls get sad," I half-heartedly joked, leaving the restroom with Natsu following behind me.

"Gray! We should match!" Lucy gasped, with a wide grin on her face.

"Uh… sure," I replied with a half-hearted smile.

As I sat down next to Lucy again, I couldn't help but feel bad for Loki; he was cared so much for her but she was too dense to figure it out. And sadly, I had a feeling that Gerad had pissed off Erza, leaving her to act rash and decide to take Natsu; although I'm pretty sure Lucy had something to do with it as well. A lot of people knew that: Natsu had a crush on Erza; Erza had a crush on Gerad; Loki had a crush on Lucy, who happened to have a crush on me. Talk about a crazy love triangle!

"So are the two of you going to match?" Lucy interrogated her best friend.

I glanced over at Natsu, soon following his onyx eyes as the girls chatted excitedly to one another. A soft buzz erupting from the pocket of my pants made me sigh in frustration; I swear this text better be important…

Hey Gray… Did Lucy ask you to the dance?

-Loke-

I typed up a quick response, feeling even guiltier than before; it seems like none of us guys were going with the one we actually wanted to go with (well, Natsu might be an exception but I'd rather not think like that right now). I slid my phone back as I attempted to follow along with Lucy and Erza's conversation by looking up only to catch a glimpse of onyx eyes looking my way. Or was it just my imagination…?

"We should head home… It's getting late…" Erza, being the more responsible one out of the four of us, reminded us as she motioned for the hothead to scoot out of the booth.

I followed their lead; slipping my messenger bag over my shoulder, following everyone out the door. Fortunately for me, Lucy and Erza live in the opposite side of town and Natsu lives right beside me! Sadly I had to listen to him chat excitedly about the dance…

"Will you shut up about the stupid dance?" I growled at him, bumping his shoulder as I stormed off angrily.

"What's your problem? I thought you wanted to go with Lucy… Or does this have something to do with Loke?"

Without thinking I reacted, I spun on my heels and gripped a handful of Natsu's uniform, pushing and effectively pinning him against a tree as I barked, "Do you have an idea how hard it is watching someone you care deeply about flirting with other people? Of course, I feel guilty that I have to take Lucy to the dance and then purposely ditch her so Loke, and only Loke, can swoop in and take over!"

I let go as I pushed away from him adding in a low voice, "Like you would ever understand…"

I unlocked my front door, ignoring the 'see ya tomorrow then,' from Natsu as I walked inside. I dropped my messenger bag beside the door as it shut behind me. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better…

…

I was awoken by the pitter-patter sound of the rain, groaning I rolled over eyeing my digital alarm clock warily. The small device displayed numbers, which glow annoying neon green, reading: '6:45'. I huffed as I closed my eyes again but only for a moment as it sank in; "Oh shit!"

I scrambled out of the comfort of my warm king-size bed before riffling through my closet for a clean uniform (I had several spares…) to wear since I forgot to put in my uniform from yesterday in the washing machine. I put a slice of bread in the toaster as I brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my bed-hair; grabbing the slice of toast right as it popped up I ran out my front door successfully locking it and retrieving my bag from the floor. I saw Natsu performing an identical stunt as me; soon we were running side by side racing to beat the other to the first class we had so we weren't marked late.

"Well you boys just barely made it today…" sighed our first period teacher as she shook her head slowly.

We took our seats, which sadly for me were far apart from one another. I pulled out my textbook and opened it to the chapter we were on before lying down on top of it and quickly falling asleep.

…

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

…

My head shot up in surprise as I watched my classmates leaving the room; I yawned stretching my arms over my head before slipping my textbook into my bag and following their lead. Classes as usual were a bore and the fact that the dance was this upcoming Friday didn't help one bit to lighten my mood. It was Wednesday; I still had figured out a decent plan to ditch Lucy so Loke could step in and make his move.

"Gray." The sound of my name being called drew me away from my planning.

I looked over to the source to see: Gerad leaning against the lockers glaring at me. I sighed, rubbing my temple to rid myself of the headache that was appearing. I walked over to him muttering, "What the hell do you want?"

To be honest, I didn't really have a problem with Gerad especially since I can sympathize with him when it comes to getting the one were in love with to notice us.

"I heard Erza is going with Natsu…" His gaze fell straight to the floor.

Despite the show he puts on around everyone else, I knew from experience that he was crazy about Erza. He pretends to get her riled up and angry with him just to see the way she acts later. He also knew that I had a 'thing', as he liked to call it, for Natsu…

"Yeah… Want my help getting a dance out of Erza?" I proposed, thinking 'the hell with it all'.

"It'd be nice but," his voice softened a bit as he added, "Then you'll be the only one that loses really…"

He had a point; Loke and Gerad could both at least get a dance from their crushes unlike me, who was stuck being Natsu's friend. I bit my lip to keep a straight face as I scoffed, "Nah, I'll make my move soon…"

I walked down the hall to my next class… and after that my next boring class… and another boring class and finally lunch time!

-On the school rooftop-

I stood, overlooking everyone in the quad below, gripping the chain-linked fence wondering how I was going to pull all of this off. First ditching Lucy and somehow getting Natsu to ditch Erza so both Loke and Gerad can take over and finally in some strange cosmic way find time to confess to Natsu… within the couple of hours the dance lasted! I lowered my head when I heard the door open followed by: "Hey Gray!" Lucy…

"Hi Lucy," I faked a smile, which she apparently didn't catch onto.

"I'm surprised you're here so early… usually you get here right after Natsu…"

"Yeah… Just wanted to get some fresh air from being in class so long…"

My response wasn't a complete lie; I did want the fresh air but for another reason mainly. She seemed to believe me as she sat down cross-legged pulling a lunchbox out. It was larger than what she usually brought and without thinking I asked, "Is that for everyone?"

"Mhm… I had made a lot by accident," I didn't have to look at her to know she had put on some cute face that most guys fell for.

I sat down beside her upon hearing footsteps coming up the stairs; sure enough Erza followed shortly by Natsu, who was dragging Loke and Gerad along. Erza took a seat on the other side of Lucy; Natsu sat on the other side of Erza; Loke and then Gerad filled in the two remaining spaces between Natsu and me.

"Dig in everyone~" Lucy giggled, raising the lid of the large lunchbox to show off all she had made.

"Wow! You really made a lot, Lucy!" Natsu drooled over the scents pouring off the food in the box.

Natsu's P.O.V.:

Wow! Lucy never makes this much food! She usually only makes enough for her and Gra— I glanced over at the supposed-'ice king' for a moment remembering what he had said last night…

…

Do you have an idea how hard it is watching someone you care deeply about flirting with other people?

…

I wasn't stupid; I knew that Loke had deep feelings for Lucy. Maybe Gray has feelings for someone…? I probably should wait until the girls leave to ask him about it…

"—su? Natsu?" I jumped back slightly at the anger directed at me.

"Ah! Sorry…" I apologized to the angry blonde in front of me.

I picked up a pair of chopsticks and decided to take a taste of the egg Lucy had cooked. It had been a while since I had eaten her cooking; she had stopped when she started having a crush on Gray…

"It's good!" I smiled, once I swallowed the food I had eaten.

We all had our own side conversations amongst ourselves; in the back of my mind I couldn't help but be a tad curious about something… Gerad kept leaning over to Gray whispering in his ear occasionally throughout the lunch break. The two were never really on the best of terms so in hopes that I would be less curious I leaned closer to Loke asking him quietly, "Have you noticed that Gray and Gerad haven't been fighting with one another lately?"

"Huh? I suppose your right…" Loke cocked his head slightly, eyeing the two with a knowing smirk.

I stared dumbstruck at him before looking over at Gray and Gerad confused…

Gray's P.O.V.:

"Did you come up with any ideas?" I heard Gerad whisper in my ear.

"Nah… I'm still brainstorming…" I sighed quietly, eating some rice.

"How about I help you get Loke and Lucy together? Loke can help get me and Erza together and then Loke and I can help get you and hothead over there together?" I heard him propose.

He had a damn good idea; "Fine…" I agreed before I noticed Natsu looking over at us slightly confused.

I had to bit the inside of my cheek to prevent the flood of color that threatened to appear across my face. Gerad must have noticed because he laughed loudly, "What's the matter Gray? You look a little warm right now!"

The iced tea I had been drinking shot out of my mouth as I spit to argue with the bastard Gerad: "NOTHING!"

I relaxed as I heard Loke and Gerad laugh at my reaction, both knowing the hidden meaning in the question Gerad had asked me. I didn't want to see Natsu's reaction to my outburst so instead I shoved more food into my mouth, keeping my head low to avoid eye-contact with everyone.

…

"The bell is about to ring… we should head back." Erza explained, standing up dusting her red plaid skirt off.

Lucy trailed along behind her carrying the lunchbox; soon it was only us boys on the rooftop. I stood up dusting myself off before grabbing my messenger bag and was about to descend the stairs when I heard: "Wait! Gray, I wanna ask you something!" Natsu…

"What is it hothead?" I asked, trying not to smirk.

"Geez… lose the cold shoulder then I'll ask." I heard him behind me.

I sighed, only Natsu could make me want to be warmer to others: "What's your question, Natsu?" I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"Do you like someone?" Somehow I ended up facing the opposite direction and staring at him with my mouth hanging wide open in surprise.

"W-w-what b-b-brings you to ask?" I somehow found some courage inside me to stop stuttering.

"You said yesterday about watching someone you love flirt with other people? I just figured that you were talking more about someone other than Loke since you didn't—so do you have someone you like?" Natsu explained and I could see concern filling his cobalt eyes.

"Oh… I just meant that there are others who have to watch the person they care deeply about not notice their feelings for them, that's all…"

"So you don't have someone you like?"

"And if I did?"

Silence fell between the four of us as we all stood there to see whether Natsu would break the silence. I saw Loke and Gerad exchange glances before shrugging their shoulders; Natsu's eyes lowered as he finally spoke to break the silence: "Sorry… Thought we were friends…" before brushing past me.

My legs refused to move as I listened to his footsteps become quieter and quieter and finally my knees gave away leaving me to fall. I hadn't expected that sort of hurt expression to find its way onto Natsu's face because of… because of me… I felt sick at that moment.

"C'mon… let's go." Gerad offered his hand towards me.

I accepted it and let him pull me to my feet; Loke scratched the back of his head suggesting: "Why don't we head to Mira-san's shop for now?"

I only nodded slightly; we snuck off the school grounds and cut through a couple of dirty alleyways until we saw the familiar welcoming cake shop we all loved to go to. Ring~!

The bell above us as we entered made note of our arrival to the owner, who smiled warmly at all of us, "So what bring the three of you here?" she asked tilting her head, still smiling.

"Classes are dull and Gray needed some cake to cheer him up," Loke replied as the trio took their usual seat, which blocks them from any teachers that might walk by the shop.

I glared at Loke for tell Mira-san so much info that in my opinion could have been kept secret; Mirajane seemed to understand asking, "Did Natsu say something again?"

"More like Gray made him sad and now our ice-king is sad…" Gerad goaded sending my glares towards him instead of Loke.

She disappeared for a moment before walking back carrying three small plates, each with a slice of cake on them. The slices of cake were different from one another but the one that Mirajane set in front of Gray was different than the usual cake that she normally served. The cake was white (that it is normal-ish); the frosting on top was light red (not exactly a 'pink' sort of color but red) and on top of the light red frosting was a single strand of curled up chocolate. I eyed the piece of cake for a moment before finally taking a bite out of it. Mira-san's cakes were always amazing so I figured at that moment it wouldn't hurt to eat this new one.

"So how did you like it?" She asked, with her famous smile.

"It was good," I mumbled, putting another forkful in my mouth.

"Really? No criticism~?"

I stopped eating and eyed her irritated, "What did you do to it?"

"Nothing~" She giggled, walking back to tend to other customers.

We finished our cake and then left the cake shop; Gerad headed left while Loke walked across the street to the street that led to our high school and further down was the brunette's house. I sighed watching them go before I kicked at the concrete below me, successfully scuffing the front of my black sneakers.

"GRAY!" In front of my path stood a very flustered Natsu breathing heavily, I was slightly taken back thinking he had run all the way home only to run back towards the cake shop.

"N-na-Natsu…? H-h-he—"

I was cut off by a punch being aimed at my face; I narrowly grabbed a hold of the fist: "Heh… Almost got me," I chuckled darkly.

Natsu was still breathing heavily but this time only a few inches away from me; his fist covered my slightly outstretched hand. I felt the wind get knocked out of me and the next thing I knew I was on the ground…

Natsu's P.O.V.:

"GRAY!" I yelled when I saw him standing out alone outside our favorite cake shop.

I was really tired from running straight to his house and then deciding to check out the places we hang out at. I heard him start to greet me and that was when I lost it; I lunged at him aiming to punch him across his smug face. I felt his hand grab my fist in an effort to stop my punch; I slammed the rest of my body into his causing him to fall backward and for me to fall on top of him.

"Get off me, Natsu!" I heard Gray growl beneath me.

I propped myself on both my hands so I was hovering over him; the sun was beginning to set behind us making him seem to glow a bit in contrast to it. I glared down at him angrily wondering why he was acting so defensive lately...

Gray's P.O.V.:

"Get off me, Natsu!" I growled under the weight of my idiot friend.

I felt the heavy weight lessen a bit but when I looked up I saw Natsu's face a couple inches away from mine; I blushed hoping the setting sun would hide it. My eyes darted down to look at his plump virgin lips that seem to beg for me to kiss them. I licked my lips unconsciously as I gazed back up into his eyes.

"Natsu…" I never finished my sentence, not that I'm even sure what I was going to say next anyways.

"Why the hell are you so fucking defensive?" He yelled at me. I could tell he was beyond pissed off at me.

Defensive…? I stared up at him confused, blinking a couple times before I finally replied: "Wh-what do you mean?"

The hothead sat up still glaring down at me; I propped myself on my elbows before I realized the position we were both in. Oh great! Right outside Mira-san's shop who happens to be a Yaoi fan girl; she's probably inside taking photos with a huge grin on her face. I hid my face as I lowered my bangs and covered the remaining portion behind my hand.

"Aww~ This is so cute~" The giggle of a Yaoi fan girl to the right of us made us both turn our attention towards it.

"Mira-san!" We complained at the sight of the long white-haired shop owner holding up a camera with a huge smile on her face.

"Aww~ c'mon… You two are so cute together! Why can't you two just fuck and get together already? Make me $100 richer~" She giggled, taking more photos.

A hundred dollars…? I felt a sharp jab in my chest as I once again collided with the cold cement; Natsu had gotten off of me and was now offering me his hand. I accepted it and was finally back on my feet; I only barely heard his audible 'sorry' but I still couldn't stop the small smirk that spread across my features.

"So are you two finally going to start dating?" Mira-san tilted her head to the side a little as she pouted.

"W-wh-what?" "WHAT?" The combined 'what' made the two of us walk away afterwards without another word until…

…

"What the hell is Mira-san talking about?" Natsu wondered out loud as we were coming closer to both of our houses.

I shrugged my shoulders as we continued to walk and he continued to talk: "Us… dating… It's just weird…? I mean we're best friends and we're boys."

Weird, huh…? If he only knew…

…

"-ay? Gray?" I snapped out of the trance I had somehow fallen into by the sight of a tanned hand waving in front of my face.

"Whaaat?" I complained, pretending to be annoyed by his actions.

"I was asking you if we could carpool since you are the only one between the two of us that have a car," Natsu repeated, groaning slightly as he put his hands on his hips.

I reluctantly agreed; I started heading up my driveway when I heard: "Hey, wanna come over for dinner? My dad is coming home and he's been bugging me about inviting you over!" from the left of me.

I glanced over to see Natsu walking across several of front lawns as I answered back, " Yeah, yeah… Lemme drop my crap off…"

My parents were normally out-of-town and when they were home, they came home really late at night. Natsu's dad was usually busy with police-related work but he's been like a father-figure to me since I moved here. Dinner was pretty simple: Pizza and soda.

…

-Friday-

…

The day I've been dreading this whole week had finally arrived; I was waiting for the final bell of the day to ring so I could hang out with the guys at Mira-san's cake shop. None of us showed either Lucy or Erza where it was so the cake shop was the only spot we could all hang out without the girls around.

…

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

…

I bolted up, grabbing my stuff off my desk before shoving in inside my bag as I left the classroom. I headed towards to see a mob of pink hair leaning up against the lockers; with a 'c'mon hothead' and a grip on his blazer collar I pulled Natsu out of the school. I let go as we headed towards Mirajane's cake shop; Gerad and Loke were already sitting at our table.

"What took you two so long?" Loke asked, chuckling lightly.

"Lovebirds…" I heard Gerad snicker under his breath.

If Natsu wasn't standing right here, I would have punched the bastard for even muttering that word! Instead, I sat down glaring at Gerad, who in turned just grinned at me. Natsu sat in between me and Loke, ordering a slice of cake for himself. Mirajane handed us each a slice; "Oh wow~ looks like two more students from your school are stopping by,"

The four of us snuck a peek out the window to see Erza and Lucy walking towards the shop; the four of us panicked!

"Oh shit," (Gerad)

"…in no way," (Loke)

"…should you let those two," (Natsu)

"…see us!" (myself)

"Keep them far away from us!" We all said in unison.

She blinked a couple of times before finally reacting; we heard her greet them at the door and suggest a table. We listened to their footsteps get quieter before the sound of metal against the tile floor was heard; we eyed one another deciding to stay silent until they were gone.

"So are you going to tell me, what's wrong or not?" We heard Lucy ask, probably Erza.

Erza sighed before answering, "I'm not sure how to explain it… You know how Gerad and I are always fighting…?"

"Yeah," the sound of two plates being placed on the table, "Oh thanks~" Lucy added.

What Erza said next, both lightened and depressed my current feelings about the upcoming dance: "I think I might, you know, like him…"

My eyes widened as I quickly glanced over to Natsu, who was sitting there with his head lowered slightly hidden behind his favorite white scarf. A painful tug in my chest at the remembrance I can't do anything to make things better; I kept listening, wishing with each word Erza said that I could shut them up.

"Don't get me wrong… Natsu is a nice guy just," shut up, "Gerad is just well-"

"So what are you going to do about the dance?" I heard Lucy ask.

We listened as Erza explained that she would still go to the dance with Natsu and what she'll do about Gerad; we heard them leave the cake shop. We sat there in silence; I knew Natsu wouldn't be mad at Gerad for what Erza said but I had a feeling he was upset by it.

"The dance will be starting soon, won't it?" I heard Mira-san curiously noted.

"Guess we better get ready then," I jumped, not expecting Natsu to speak up.

I watched him leave; without hesitation I ran after him walking along side him when I was close. I didn't want to say anything but it was starting to suffocate me as we approached our houses. He still hadn't said anything, not even a 'see ya later' or a 'goodbye' as he walked into his house. I sighed, feeling the tug in my chest pull harder as I got ready for the dance.

…

I stepped out of my house wearing a black dress shirt, black dress slacks, and a navy blue tie; I walked over to Natsu's place, knocking loudly on the door.

"Natsu!" I hollered as I stepped inside the dark living room.

I had been in Natsu's house enough times to remember the layout of it; I made my way towards the back where his room was located. I peered through the crack bedroom door before pushing it open all the way to see Natsu sitting on his bed with his back to me. I sat down behind him, leaning my back against him wondering, "Are you still coming? Or do you want me to cover for you?" out loud.

"Nah, I'm coming… Gray," I waited for a moment to see if he was going to say something more.

I felt the bed shift before I followed him out of his house; I ran over to my house and drove my car to the bottom of Natsu's driveway. He climbed into the front seat; I drove down the street to pick up our dates though I was slightly tempted to 'forget' about Erza but decided against it considering Lucy was already in the car.

…

-At the dance-

…

Natsu's P.O.V.:

I push the things we overheard at Mira-san's shop to the back of my mind as I led Erza out to the dance floor; for some strange reason I kept glancing over at Gray and Lucy. After several slow songs and about a million upbeat songs, Lucy ran up to us asking if we had seen Gray.

"No, I'll go check the bathroom…" I knew why she had asked; Gray had ditched her so Loke could step in.

I passed Loke on the way; he grabbed my arm whispering in my ear: "Not in the bathroom… Check the dark hallway…"

The dark hallway…? I stepped out of the cafeteria where our school was holding the dance; I walked around until I saw a dimly-lit hallway, I could barely make out a shadow leaning against the wall.

"Gray, you down there?" I called out; hoping for whatever reason it was him.

Gray's P.O.V.:

I heard Natsu call out to me; I sighed upon seeing him walk towards me. It was now or never… When he was close enough, I made my move; "Natsu…"

"Mind if I stay here with you?" He asked as he leaned against the wall beside me.

"Uh, sure…" I chickened out as I relaxed against the wall.

"Talk about a pretty crappy dance…" Natsu whined, forcing a smile.

Before I could stop myself I was talking: "You know this dance can get better… Just because your date is probably dancing with the guy she likes, doesn't mean you can't still enjoy this dance with someone who doesn't have a date anymore?"

Did I really just say what I think I said…? I wonder if he'll catch on… I glanced over to see his reaction; he was standing there, his face twisted as he tried to figure out what I meant.

"Nice try… Loke is going to dance with Lucy… besides I could never leave you here alone," He chuckled with a wide grin.

If only I could tell him I love him... I slowly shuffled closer to him commenting, "I hadn't meant Lucy, you know."

"Unless you know—"

I lifted his chin towards me, acting fully on auto-pilot, as I made it simple for him: "I meant me…"

His eyes stayed on mine as he responded, "…but we're both—"

"Who cares? We're alone in a dim-lit hallway… No one is gonna see us," I explained leaning in closer, still on auto-pilot.

Normal P.O.V.:

The music could be easily heard from the hallways the duo was standing in; hands grasped hands and bodies stood inches from one another before dancing together to the song currently playing…

You have stolen my heart

You have stolen my heart

(Get the rest of the lyrics for this song)

Both were secretly glad that the hallways they were in wasn't near any foot traffic from anyone at the dance; Gray's gaze drifted up at Natsu and once again he was staring at the teen's pink plump virgin lips. Feeling the gaze from the other teen, Natsu returned the gaze and blushed when his eyes met Gray's. The music faded into an upbeat love song (Liz Phair – Why Can't I?) as the two boys stepped away from one another. Natsu because he felt confused as to why he even accepted the dance with Gray in the first place and Gray because he stayed close to Natsu he would have screwed things up between them.

"You don't have to stay here… If you want to dance with Erza, I'm sure she'll go back to dancing with you," Gray could see Natsu's confusion written all over his face.

"Nah, besides I," glancing over at the other boy, "can't leave you here when you purposely let Loke have your date." He added with a small smile.

Neither boy spoke as Natsu's words sunk into Gray's mind; the boy smiled at the warm words that were spoken. Natsu's words always seemed to warm the ice king's heart…

…

After several songs…

…

"I can't believe you actually ditched her… So did you have anything to do with Erza falling for Gerad?" I heard Natsu mutter as he eyed me curiously, finally breaking the comfortable silence we were having.

"We were all surprised to hear that… but I was attempting to get those two together for tonight," I had no idea why I was explaining all of this to him.

"So what do you get out of all of this?" I couldn't help but smile at him, glad that everything had somehow worked out.

"You," Natsu's eyes grew larger as his face flushed dark red from the embarrassment/surprise I had caused.

"W-w-what d-d-do you mean?" I almost tempted to pull him closer to me and finally kiss him because of the sound of him stuttering.

"I'm in love with you, Natsu." I confessed to him, biting my lip anxious about what his reaction would be.

Would he reject me completely? Or would he lead him on in an attempt to not hurt him tonight? I doubt he feels even remotely the same; my eyes scanned his to see if I could find any concrete emotions swelling in his onyx eyes. I saw his lips twitch slightly before opening a little then shutting as he bit his bottom lip.

"Looks like I'll just have to make you fall for me." I chuckled, patting his shoulder breaking the silence.

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Author's Comments:

The ending was sort of hard to write… I went through several until I fell in love with the current one… Sorry no kiss~ it didn't really fit since Natsu only began developing feelings for Gray. (kyaaa~ *fan-girl-mode on*) I'm already thinking up another one-shot where we can all see what this writer & Gray have in mind to make Natsu fall in love with our favorite SEXY *coughstrippercough* person (.) (.)

Don't forget to leave a review… I feed off them XD