Family is Everything

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

Chapter 1 – Accidental Mates (Rated T)

Natsu walked into Gray's bedroom and stretched. It felt so good to get back from a long mission. He moved over to the bed and collapsed onto it, his head hitting the soft pillows. Gray wasn't back from the guild yet since he had to report the results of their mission, which gave Natsu a little time to get ready.

Natsu and Gray had been going out secretly for the past six months. Sure, they'd had sex plenty of times, but Natsu's feelings had grown deeper over the past couple months. And he wanted something more; however, he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

The dragon-slayer got up from the bed and went into the bathroom, taking a quick bath and changing into an oversized black shirt. Next, he dabbed a little bit of almond-scented cream—it drove Gray wild—along his neck and wrists. Looking at himself in the mirror, he ruffled his hair to give it a messier look, and then walked out of the bathroom.

Natsu pulled down the sheets on the bed and lit a few scented candles with his magic. Glancing at the clock, he realized that Gray would be back any minute now. Smiling to himself, he stepped into Gray's closet and waited.

Gray opened the door to his bedroom wearily. He assumed Natsu would already be asleep in his bed. It had been a tedious mission after all. Shutting the door behind him, he shrugged off his shirt and looked at the bed. His jaw literally dropped.

The sheets were turned down, and there was a slight aroma of almond in the air. And Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Natsu?" he called out, searching for him.

"Yes, Gray?" he answered huskily, revealing himself as he stepped out of the closet seductively.

Gray almost fell over in shock. Natsu was wearing one of his shirts—only one of his shirts—which left little to the imagination. "N-Natsu?" he stammered as the dragon-slayer approached him. Gray tried backing away, not used to Natsu being so forward, but the dragon-slayer pulled him back when he started undoing the ice mage's belt. "What are you doing?"

Natsu stared into his eyes. "I want you to make love to me, Gray. Please?" he said, kissing Gray gently on the lips. "Please?" He succeeded in removing his belt and dropped it onto the floor. "Make love to me."

Gray felt his mouth go dry, making him unable to speak, so he just nodded. They'd done this so many times before, but he wasn't used to Natsu being so assertive in the bedroom. This time…this time felt different. How? He wasn't sure. But he wasn't going to complain. Gray easily gave into Natsu's demands.

Gray rolled onto his back in exhaustion, pulling Natsu with him so that he lay on his chest. His heart and neck pounded.

"That was good. Really good," started Gray. "But did you have to go and bite my neck like that? I think I'm bleeding."

Natsu felt his heart slam unsteadily in his chest as he came down from his hormone induced high. Gradually, he began to panic. What had he done?

Instead of alerting Gray that something was wrong, Natsu shakily snuggled up against him, and Gray leaned up slightly to pull the sheets over them. Natsu felt him kiss him softly on the forehead. This made Natsu relax slightly against him.

"I love you, Gray," he whispered.

"Mmm."

Gray woke to the sun shining on his face. Groggily opening his eyes, he looked down at the dragon-slayer splayed across his chest. He smiled happily when he remembered last night's activities. It always felt wonderful how they gave themselves to each other, but last night felt like something…more. Gray never imagined that making love with someone you truly loved could feel so uplifting. He felt as if he could do anything.

Gray gently nudged Natsu away. "Natsu? Time to get up," he said softly. His request was met by a loud yawn. Natsu stretched then snuggled back up against Gray.

"Why?" came his muffled reply. Gray noticed that his eyes were still closed.

"Because I need to go on a mission today. I'd rather stay here in bed with you, but I made a promise," he answered, gently stroking his back.

Natsu groaned, rising from the bed, the sheets pooling about his waist as he stretched. When Gray snickered, he gave him a weird look. "What?"

"If you don't want me to ravage you this morning, I suggest you cover up," he replied with a devilish smirk.

Natsu gasped in shock as he realized that he was completely naked in broad daylight. Scrambling to pick up the sheet to cover himself from head to toe, the dragon-slayer blushed furiously when he remembered what happened last night. "Pervert!"

Gray chuckled loudly at his accusation. "No, I think you're more of a pervert than me. Who's the one who jumped me last night? Not that I minded or anything," he added slyly.

"Jerk," he mumbled, but then his face grew serious. "I bit you last night."

"Yeah, and it hurt like a bitch, too," replied Gray, rubbing the sore spot on the side of his neck. "But it's not like I complained about getting it."

Natsu nervously rubbed his hands together. "We need to talk about that."

"It's just a bite."

"It's not just a—!"

"Anyway, I need to get going on that mission."

Natsu was not pleased about being interrupted. "Mission? What mission? We just got back from one."

"Yeah, well this one's all me."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

Gray shrugged. "A couple weeks."

"A couple weeks?" Natsu echoed. "But…we need to talk about the bite."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll talk about it." He sighed as he rose from the bed in all his naked glory. "When I get back."

Natsu wanted to protest, but he bit his tongue and nodded instead.

Gray smiled at that. Bending over, he gave Natsu a quick peck on the lips. As he pulled away, Natsu pulled him back. The kiss eventually got longer…more intense...more urgent…more passionate.

Gray groaned as he finally managed to pull back completely. "Natsu," he growled, giving him another peck on the lips, "I really have to go."

Natsu smiled sadly at him. "Then go. I'll wait for you."

"Okay," Gray responded, thinking his response was odd.

"Oh, and Gray?"

"Yes, Natsu?" he asked, turning to face him. Natsu now had a malicious grin on his face.

"Are you sure you wanna go on a mission like that?" Natsu smirked.

Gray turned beet red when he realized he was about to go off on a mission naked. What the hell was he thinking? Natsu was starting to become too much of a distraction.

But a very good one.

After Gray left for his mission—fully clothed this time—Natsu decided to speak with Gajeel. However, instead of going to the guild, Natsu decided to follow his nose.

This led him to Gajeel's residence: a tiny place near the edge of Magnolia. Natsu braced himself for the onslaught of questions that would undoubtedly come his way and knocked on the door.

"Natsu! Well, this is surprise!" announced Pantherlily.

"I-I need to speak with Gajeel," Natsu stammered.

Pantherlily beckoned him inside and closed the door. As soon as Natsu entered, Gajeel—who'd been busily chowing down on a large piece of iron—stopped and stared at the fire mage, a flash of concern and worry wavering in his eyes ever so briefly before it was replaced by a stern gaze.

"Oi, Lily. Leave us for a bit, will ya?" said Gajeel.

"I'll be at the guild," replied the Exceed as he stepped out.

Gajeel stood from his seat and approached the other dragon-slayer. He grabbed Natsu by the wrist and dragged him over to his beat-up couch, forcing him to sit down. Gajeel sat next to him and stared. "Ya smell funny."

"That's the first thing you say?" Natsu replied meekly.

The lack of an insult made Gajeel grow more concerned. "What happened?"

"I…I think I accidentally…made Gray my mate."

"Ya mated with the ice bastard?"

"I don't know! I'm not sure!"

"How can ya not be sure?! Wait! How long has this thing been goin' on?"

Natsu stared down at his hands. "We've been seeing each other for the past six months."

"And what? Ya had sex for the first time last night? That don't make ya mates."

"We've had…sex a lot before last night, but…last night was…different. Something came over me, I think, and I bit him," Natsu said softly.

Gajeel leaned closer toward Natsu and closed his eyes, sniffing deeply. He kept doing so until he found what he was looking for. "Ya went into heat last night, moron."

Natsu's eyes widened. Shit, Shit, Shit! Igneel had told him about going into heat! Why hadn't it dawned on him before? That's why last night felt different.

"Is this your first heat?" asked Gajeel, looking curious.

Natsu nodded faintly, swallowing hard, the reality of the situation sinking in.

Gajeel ran a hand through his hair. "So, who's the—ya know—bottom?"

The fire mage paled. "M-Me." Now he was realizing he was in deeper shit.

"Ya talk to the ice bastard about this yet?" asked Gajeel.

Natsu shook his head. "He left. On a mission."

"How long's he gonna be gone?"

"A couple weeks."

Gajeel frowned. "That's a long time to be away from your mate."

His mate. "I really made him my mate, didn't I?"

Gajeel nodded. "And then some."

Natsu didn't even want to consider the additional consequence of giving into his heat cycle.

"You should see Wendy," started Gajeel, "to make sure."

Natsu swallowed thickly. "I don't…wanna go to the guild."

Gajeel rubbed the fire mage's arms comfortingly with his hands. "Stay put. I'll bring her here."

"Thank you, Gajeel."

"That's what family's for, Salamander."

End Chapter