Tender

Natsu decided to confide in Erza about his relationship with Gajeel. In part for the reaction and in part for letting it out, not feeling like he was hiding something from everyone. Gajeel decided to wait outside, behind the guild near a tree stump.

Natsu creeped up behind Erza and tapped her shoulder, and got a swift punch on the head due to that. Erza growled in displeasure.

"Oi, Natsu. You know not to sneak up behind me!" Erza said. Natsu was rubbing his head and began to stand up and asked Erza to follow him to the tree stump behind the guild.

"What's this about?" Erza asked, nodding at Gajeel and raising an eyebrow at Natsu, both sitting on the tree stump.

"Well, I'll put it bluntly. We're dating." Natsu said to Erza without hesitance. Erza began to pale and stuttered.

"W-what.. y-you're dating?" Erza said, smashing a life-sized rabbit doll requip in her arm. Natsu chuckled and nodded. Erza was reacting the same way she did when she found out Alzack and Bisca were dating.

"I always knew you liked boys but I thought you and Gajeel hated each other," Erza said, sensing a lie. Natsu chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm not lying Erza. Trust me when I say that. I'm not lying." Natsu said.

Gajeel nodded and said, "Ditto." Erza sighed and waved them off.

"I won't tell anyone. I have to go do a job." Erza said, normally.

Natsu and Gajeel looked at each other and locked hands. Natsu grinned at Gajeel and suggested that he wanted to go to Gajeel's house.

Gajeel nodded and said, "A first is a first. My house is nice. It's a wooden cabin in a plain." Natsu grinned.

"A plain? Wow, unexpected. A wooden cabin as well? Not metal?" Natsu asked, clearly surprised in a goofy way.

"Well, you're a Fire Dragon Slayer and your house isn't made of fire." Gajeel countered.

"Touché," Natsu said, grumbling. Gajeel laughed and began running through the forest until he reached his plain.

"Ooh, nice house!" Natsu said, spotting the wooden cabin a jogs' length away.

"Thanks. I made it myself." Gajeel said, flexing an arm muscle. Natsu shoved Gajeel playfully.

"Don't push your luck." Natsu murmured as Gajeel roared with laughter.

Gajeel pushed open his door and led Natsu to his couch once he closed the door. Natsu plopped himself down on the couch and Gajeel did the same.

Natsu tenderly pulled out his candle lacrima and cupped it in his palm. Gajeel gasped.

"The fire.. it's beautiful! How did you do that?" Gajeel said in awe, looking at the flames coating the inside of the lacrima, multi-colored flames. Gajeel shut off his lamps and stared at Natsu and then the lacrima in awe.

"I can do more with it, watch this." Natsu said, pulling Gajeel on top of him while he laid on the couch like a bed.

"O-oi." Gajeel stuttered, blushing in the light provided by the lacrima. Natsu snickered.

The lacrima began to levitate and the fire within was changing into geometric shapes. At first the fire formed the katakana for Gajeel's name. "ガジル" appeared in the lacrima. Then the katakana for Natsu appeared in the lacrima. "ナツ" appeared in the lacrima, brilliantly orange. Then a heart appeared in the lacrima, a vibrant pink color.

Gajeel could only stare at the lacrima, gasping when Natsu suddenly began to nibble on Gajeel's ear. Natsu slowly blew breath on Gajeel's ear, so slow that Gajeel groaned.

"This lacrima brought me and you together, Gajeel," Natsu said very very slowly.

"I got something for you as well." Natsu said.

Earlier that day

"Let's go Happy!" Natsu said, beckoning the blue Exceed who held a struggling pug tight.

"For a royal.. guh.. dog.. this one is far from.. egh.. royal!" Happy said, panting as he got kicked twice in succession by the dog.

Natsu grinned and said, "Come on partner. We're nearly there." Natsu pointed to a large white building a couple of meters away, bearing the signature of the mayor of Onibus, a town on the line from Magnolia Town to Clover Town. Natsu walked up to the door and pulled the great gold eagle knocker on the door.

The mayor answered with a worried face, and saw Happy with the dog squirming in his grasp. The mayor was so happy he paid Natsu 30,000 jewel extra from the original 20,000 jewel reward.

"Thank you, Fairy Tail!" The mayor said happily as he and his dog disappeared from view when the door closed.

"Woah, 50,000 jewel for just picking up a dog." Happy chuckled. Natsu smiled and made his way through town, back to the train station, but a minute after he started walking a glint caught his eye.

"Woah.. an iron lacrima!" Natsu breathed out. He walked up to the young dealer and said, "How much for this iron lacrima?"

"20,000 jewel." The dealer said with a kind smile. Natsu passed the dealer two 10,000 jewel notes and picked up the lacrima tenderly and gingerly placed it in his pocket.

"Gajeel's going to love this!" Natsu said eagerly.

The End

The focus is slow plot development. I'm going to introduce more soon. Expect more!