"I look like a twink."

Juvia glances over at Gray – they're in line for some club he's never heard of and he's plucking uncomfortably at the tight, dark blue v-neck he's wearing. She rolls her eyes and reaches out to tug his hand away.

"'s 'cause you are a twink." She pops her bubblegum and winks at him and he gives her a look, but he doesn't argue with her. "You'll be fine. You need to get out more anyway."

"You always say that," he grumbles, giving his hand to the bouncer to be stamped. The man's bored-looking eyes glide over his ID, barely acknowledging it. "Not everyone likes getting wasted and dancing, y'know."

"Mhmm, I know, and you're the best roommate for being here with me." Juvia grabs him around the neck and plants a kiss on his cheek and he makes an indignant noise, wiping at the sticky mark with the back of his hand. "Just help me find a hot girl to take home. And you're a great dancer, you could find someone too. Someone that's not a one-sided crush."

"Y'know, you could ask out that redhead at the coffee shop," Gray pointedly ignores the last comment, voice rising in volume as they move into the club. The music is thrumming around them and Gray immediately shies away from the crowds of people. Juvia ignores them, grabbing Gray's hand and dragging him towards the bar.

"She wants a girlfriend," she replies, leaning against the counter and flagging down the bartender. "You know I don't do feelings." Gray nods absently. Juvia doesn't date, just kicks Gray out of the apartment every so often for one-night flings. He doesn't blame her. Feelings are complicated.

As Juvia orders them something to drink he leans back and scans the room, eyes jumping between crowded groups of people. The lights are neon, cutting through hazy clouds, and the floor in front of the stage is a writhing mass of bodies. Nothing has ever looked more unappealing.

"You owe me," he mutters as Juvia hands him a shot glass. He peers at it suspiciously – it's bright blue.

"Don't ask what's in it, just drink up." Juvia claps him on the shoulder and downs hers in one go, then grabs another and drinks that too. Gray shakes his head, then tips his head back and tosses the shot down his throat. It tastes like candy and he raises an eyebrow, chasing it with the second one. "Now, let's go dance."

Gray closes his eyes for a moment, steeling himself and then exhaling sharply as they enter the crowd of hot, sweaty bodies. It's not as bad as he's expecting – it's not like he hasn't been to a club before, it's just been a while. He hasn't felt like being around people lately, but Juvia's apparently had enough of his "angsty emo shit".

She's a good dancer, and he's not bad either, and for a while he just lets the music take him away, fill his mind with beats and words that he can't quite understand. He can feel it in his chest and it moves his hips, his arms, and eventually his lips into a smile. Juvia grins at him, swaying her hips and dragging her hands sensually across her body. Whatever he drank before starts to sink into him and he exhales – maybe this isn't so bad after all.

The song is changing when he sees a flash of bright pink hair and a crooked smile.

"Oh, no," he whispers, leaning in and grabbing Juvia's wrist. "He's here." The guy from school, the one he's been crushing on for months, the one Gray has been trying desperately to work up the nerve to ask out. Juvia's eyes light up and a grin spreads across her face, and he's shaking his head desperately as she looks around. The feeling in his chest is part excitement, part terror.

"Hmmm," Juvia says carefully, peeking over Gray's shoulder. "I've got bad news for you." Gray blinks at her. "He's got a date." He sighs, shoulders dropping a bit as he tries not to let disappointment get to him. He's unsuccessful and it coils into his belly, settling there like a brick. "And it's a girl."

"Ahhh god I needed this." Natsu leans against Lucy, shouting in her ear as they slide through the crowd, closer to the stage. She grins at him, tipping her head back to rest it on his collarbone, and he kisses her forehead. "Thanks for draggin' me out."

"It wasn't really dragging," she says, rolling her eyes. "It took you eight minutes to get to my dorm after I texted you."

"What can I say, I love dancing." He illustrates this point by shimmying his hips a little, bumping into her. She smiles, sliding away from him and letting her body move to the beat. Natsu steps in a bit, dropping a hand to her waist and pulling her a little closer.

"Careful, someone's gonna mistake you for my boyfriend," she teases, letting her fingers run down his arm. He rolls his eyes. They're just friends, have only ever been because while Lucy likes guys, she prefers girls, and Natsu's not really her type. They slept together once, but it was weird, and Natsu realized he was gay, and they both moved on.

They move for a while, not too close but close enough to see the sweat slick on each other's skin. Natsu closes his eyes, tipping his head back and blending into the throbbing beat of whatever song is playing. It reverberates through his chest, fading away the stress and worry and papers and homework and family shit that he just can't seem to forget.

He doesn't know how long it's been when Lucy drags him to the bar, shoving her way through people with an impressive assertiveness given how short she is.

"Two fireballs," she shouts at the bartender, who moves away and returns with a couple of shot glasses. "To blowing off studying," Lucy says, grinning and knocking glasses with Natsu. He tips his head back and feels the burn of the cinnamon down his throat.

"To blowing off studying," he agrees, waving for the bartender to bring them more.

It doesn't take long to go from completely sober to pleasantly drunk. Everything's blurred around the edges and Natsu feels warm and comfortable with an arm around his best friend and the heavy bass thrumming through his body. He's leaned forward to yell something in her ear when someone knocks into him from behind, making him spill his drink all over his hand.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry." He turns quickly and then takes a step back. It's the guy from his Lit class, the one with the dark hair and broody face and fucking gorgeous ass that he shows off in his tight jeans. And tonight, he's sporting an even tighter shirt that dips down in a vee. Natsu doesn't realize he's staring until the guy coughs.

"Sorry, I'm a little..." he gestures vaguely beside his head, then realizes his hand is covered in...whatever drink Lucy had ordered for him.

"Sorry about your drink." The guy looks hesitant, moving his hands around like he's not quite sure what to do with them. He swallows, meeting Natsu's eyes for a second, then gives a tentative smile. "Can I, um...buy you another one?"

Gray's not sure what the hell he thinks he's doing – this guy just had his arm around a gorgeous girl and now he's offering to buy him a drink. But the guy flashes him a wide smile and nods, setting down the spilled glass and looking at his hand, puzzled. Instead of grabbing a napkin, he brings his fingers to his mouth and begins to lick the alcohol from them, running his (pierced) tongue between them and sucking at the tips. Gray's pants are suddenly way, way too tight.

"Luce, move outta the way, this guy's buyin' me a drink." Natsu nudges the blonde girl until she's turned around, leaning casually against the bar and smiling at Gray. No, wait. She's smiling at Juvia, who has come up behind Gray and poked him in the ribs.

"Drink. Hot guy. Go." She whispers in his ear and he shoves her away, scowling, then steps toward the bar.

"What were you drinking?" He asks the hot guy, feeling awkward about being sandwiched between him and his girlfriend.

"How 'bout we do some tequila shots?" Hot guys grins, teeth flashing white, and Gray feels slightly weak at the knees. This is a bad idea – hot guy came with a girl, who is currently...he turns to see the blonde leaning very far into Juvia's personal space and whispering something into her ear. "Luce!" The pink-haired boy shouts, reaching around Gray to poke her. "Shots!" His chest brushes up against Gray's arm and suddenly he can't breathe.

Gray ends up buying a couple rounds of tequila for everyone because why the hell not? They manage to find a booth in the corner and cram themselves into it, Natsu sliding in next to Gray until they're pressed together, knee to shoulder. They all take the shots together, Gray wincing at the taste and Natsu grinning at him like they're sharing some kind of secret.

"I'm Natsu," the hot guy says, gesturing himself as if Gray doesn't know exactly what he's talking about. "We've got Comparative Lit together, right?"

"Y-yeah," Gray replies, shaking his head a little. Between whatever Juvia bought for him earlier and the tequila they just drank, he's starting to feel a little unreal. Blurred at the edges, melting away bit by bit. "I'm Gray." He pauses for a second then remembers his companion. The two girls are having some sort of private conversation that appears to involve lots of touching, so he leans across the table, poking Juvia. "This is my roommate, Juvia."

"Roommate," Natsu repeats, as if this is important information. Maybe it is? Gray's about to lean back into the seat when Natsu rotates toward him, brushing his forearm. He nods his head at the blonde girl. "That's Lucy," he says, voice lower now that they're so close. "Friend." Gray can see that Natsu's cheeks are flushed, pupils wide, grin lazy.

"Friend," Gray says softly. Natsu swallows and they both lean back at the same time, elbows barely touching, gaze trained on the dance floor. Friend, Gray thinks, blinking slowly as the alcohol moves through his system. He looks up to ask Juvia a question, but she's giggling at something Lucy has said, hand on the blonde girl's arm, head tilted and lip caught between her teeth. Gray recognizes her flirting pose.

"So what are you studying?" Natsu shouts, leaning close to Gray again. His lips nearly brush Gray's ear, and Gray tries to keep his breathing steady.

"Economics," he says, turning as Natsu waves a hand at one of the waitresses and gestures for a round of whatever drinks she's carrying on her tray. They appear to be pink. "You?"

"Dunno yet," Natsu replies, grabbing the glasses from the waitress's tray and passing one to Gray. His fingers linger for longer than necessary, pressing against Gray's knuckles. Then he smiles, slow and lazy, and tips his head back. He waits for Gray to drink his before finishing his answer. "Just doin' general studies this year. Just...dunno. I don' really like school." His words are slurred and unclear.

"We're going to dance." Juvia's leaning across the table suddenly and Gray jumps, bumping into Natsu again. The pink-haired boy places a hand on Gray's thigh in surprise, then doesn't remove it. Gray can feel each individual finger burning through his jeans.

"Wh...dance?" Gray's face feels tingly. Juvia gives him an unimpressed look and pats his cheek gently as her and Lucy slide out of the booth.

"Yes. Dance. The thing you do where you move to music?" Gray frowns at her and she sighs, patting his shoulder and leaning down to talk softly in his ear. "We're swapping – pretty sure I'm gonna take her home. Dance with him. Go home with him. He's into you." She leans in and kisses his cheek.

He means to say something back but the two of them disappear, fading into the throng of bodies until even Juvia's blue hair is gone.

"Well, there goes my dance partner," Natsu says mildly, watching Juvia and Lucy slipping through the crowd, pausing occasionally to kiss each other. He turns to Gray as well as he can in the cramped booth, his filter hazy from the shots and the beer and whatever else he's had to drink. "Wanna dance with me?" Gray frowns up at him, as if he doesn't understand the words. He's so fucking cute with his pink lips and dark blue eyes and the little scar that runs through his eyebrow.

"Y-yeah," he says, cheeks flushing even further. Natsu's face is hot but he can't tell if it's from the alcohol or the bold words. He realizes with a start that his hand is still on Gray's thigh and he shifts it up to his wrist. Gray's fingers are warm and soft and slide easily between Natsu's.

"C'mon," Natsu mumbles, nudging Gray out of the booth and following after him. "Don't wanna lose you out there." They start to push their way through the crowd as a new song begins. Natsu doesn't recognize it, but he can feel the beat in his chest.

They stop awkwardly when Natsu finds a place for them to stand, not as crowded as the rest of the club. Gray gives him a shy look and lets go of his hand, then starts moving his hips, closing his eyes and letting go to the beat. Natsu nearly moans – Gray's hips are so sensual, weaving and pulsing and gods he wants his hands on them right now.

They move through the song in an orbit around each other – not too close, but never too far apart. Natsu could move in if he wanted, could run a hand over Gray's chest and pull him tight, and the haze of alcohol almost lets him but he holds back. He pretty sure Gray's interested, but it could just be the tequila.

The songs drops to a lower beat and Gray steps forward, eyes locked on Natsu's hips, and suddenly they're close enough that Natsu can feel the heat radiating from the other boy. He bites his lip, exhaling sharply, then figures fuck it and reaches out, settling a hand on Gray's hip.

Gray shivers, moving closer and closer until there's only a few inches between their bodies. Natsu's other hand moves to Gray's waist and the dark-haired boy locks eyes with him, pupils blown and lips curved up in a smile. He tips his head back and his neck is right there, and Natsu's self-control has been eroded by the alcohol so he doesn't think, just moves, and then his lips are on Gray's skin.

He tastes like salt and sweat and he's moving so sweetly under Natsu's hands, arms dropping to Natsu's shoulders and hand running up to twine into his hair. Natsu growls, tugging Gray's hips until they're pressed flush against each other, chest to chest, and dips his fingers under the soft fabric of his shirt, feeling damp skin underneath.

"Not..." Gray's words are slurred slightly as he brings his head back down to Natsu's ear. "Not if it's just 'cause you're drunk." Natsu shakes his head, bringing a hand up to Gray's hair and tugging it until they're nose to nose.

"Not," he replies, voice rough. "You're so fuckin' hot. Wanted this before. Drunk or sober." Gray makes a soft sound, tilting his head to the side and brushing their noses together. "I wanna kiss you," Natsu whispers, and then Gray's closing the gap and pressing their lips together.

Natsu makes this unbelievably sexy noise when Gray kisses him, immediately opening his mouth and dragging his tongue over Gray's lip. The kiss is sloppy and Natsu's mouth is so, so hot, and his hand is on Gray's hip, pulling him tighter and tighter. Gray rakes a hand through Natsu's hair and he groans, digging his nails into the soft skin of Gray's lower back.

Their hips are still moving but they're ignoring the beat of the song and grinding into each other instead. Natsu's hand moves lower, grabbing Gray's ass and squeezing, while the other hand moves to Gray's jaw, tipping his head to deepen the kiss and brushing a thumb along his cheekbone.

Gray feels like he can't get close enough, can't press their bodies together in enough places. His body is so hot, skin tingling and sparking wherever Natsu's fingers brush it. Fuck, this feels good but he wants more.

"Move," he mumbles, seeing a wall not far away. He grabs Natsu's wrist and drags him over to it, turning around and shoving him up against the hard surface. "Better." Natsu exhales sharply as Gray kisses him again, grinding their hips together. He's so hard and so's Natsu, and Natsu's thumbs are dipping under his shirt, running up his chest and back down to slide under the waistband of his jeans. The incredibly drunk part of Gray wants to tear his clothes off right now, but some semblance of reason keeps him clothed.

He moves his lips to Natsu's neck, pressing a soft, open-mouthed kiss just below his ear that earns him a low, ragged moan. The song that's playing is one that Gray actually knows and he moves his lips to Natsu's ear, whispering the words.

"Excuse me," he murmurs, "I might drink a little more than I should tonight." He nips at Natsu's ear and grinds his hips. When did he become this forward? "And I might take you home with me if I could, tonight."

"Nghnnn, yes, yes you could - can," Natsu whimpers, hips stuttering, fingers digging into Gray's skin. "I'm...I c-can't...I'm gonna cum in my p-pants if you k-keep doin' that." He gasps as Gray's fingers wrap lightly around his throat, lips making their way back to his. "I need...d'you wanna...go..."

"Yes."

Getting out of the club is harder than getting in – the throngs of bodies make it difficult to slip through. When they finally burst out into the night Gray takes a deep breath, relief washing over him like the cool air.

"Don't like clubs?" Natsu asks, breathless. His cheeks are still pink and his hair is mussed from where Gray's hands raked through it, and he's grinning like crazy.

"Too many people," Gray replies breathlessly. Their fingers are still entwined and he looks down at them, Natsu's tanned skin making him look even more pale by comparison. "D-do you still..."

"Yeah." Natsu steps closer, fingers brushing Gray's hip again, and he shivers, melting into the touch. He's still drunk, head fuzzy and limbs heavy, but he's okay on his feet. They're standing close to the wall and he leans against it, letting Natsu's hands tighten around his waist. He swallows, taking a deep breath.

"I wanna. But 'm too drunk to..." he trails off, embarrassed.

"I know," Natsu replies, brushing his lips across Gray's cheek. "Me too. Is just...kissing okay? Or not, I mean, we can...we can meet up tomorrow?" He swallows, brushing his thumb along Gray's hipbone. "I'm...fuck, man, I'd like...I wanna take you on date. If you want. I've been...I like to look at you. In class." He doesn't look Gray in the eye.

"Oh." Gray blinks a few times, chest fluttering at Natsu's words. "Date. Yeah, that's...good idea. An' kissing." Natsu exhales, stepping forward again and leaning his forehead against Gray's. Gray hums happily, tipping his chin up to kiss Natsu, softer this time.

"Wanna...come to my place?" Natsu asks shyly, entwining his fingers with Gray's. "Not for...sex or anythin', just...kissing. Cuddling. Sleep."

"Yeah," Gray says softly. "Think th' girls are prob'ly...makin' out at my place." He giggles a little and Natsu joins him, reaching into his pocket and swiping to the Uber app. "Juv to' me to go home with you." Natsu laughs, kissing Gray's forehead and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Smart girl. I like her."

Natsu rolls over the next morning, head fuzzy and tongue thick. He's not wearing a shirt but he's still in his jeans, which is weird. He blinks a few times, realizing that he has rolled over onto someone else.

Gray. The night comes back to him – the shots, the flirting, their spectacular grinding on the dance floor...kissing Gray, Gray agreeing to go on a date with him...the surreal ride back to his apartment where they made out in the back seat under the brief flashes of street lights. He glances over to the door to see a trail of shoes and shirts and things they'd knocked over in their rush to get to the bed.

"Mnnnmmm." A soft grumble breaks Natsu out of his reverie and he looks down at Gray, who has rolled onto his side and is snuggling into Natsu's chest. He smiles and runs his fingers through the dark hair, shifting until they're facing each other, Gray's knee between Natsu's legs. Gray's still wearing his jeans too but no shirt, and Natsu takes the opportunity to appreciate the tattoo on his chest.

"Mornin', sunshine," Natsu says softly, laughing as Gray groans and buries his face in Natsu's neck. The dark-haired boy squirms for a moment, stretching out his limbs and then wrapping an arm around Natsu's waist.

"Hey." Gray tips his head up and gives Natsu a sleepy smile, and Natsu can't help himself - he leans down and kisses him. Gray hums against his lips, fingers trailing up and down his side. "How's your head?"

"It's been worse," Natsu murmurs, running a hand through Gray's hair. "I was wondering why I woke up with my pants on." Gray's cheeks turn pink and he presses his face into Natsu's chest. It had been him who had insisted they keep them on, not wanting to do anything they'd regret while wasted. "Hey, it's okay. It was a good idea. Besides, it didn't stop me from kissing you."

They do just that for several minutes – soft, lazy kisses with hands tracing patterns on warm skin and soft sounds breathed into each other's mouths. After a moment Natsu leans back, running a thumb over Gray's cheek and kissing the tip of his nose.

"Wanna go out for breakfast?" he asks, stretching and looking at the clock. It's almost noon, but there's a place down the street that serves waffles all day and holy fuck is he hungry all of a sudden.

"'s it a date?" Gray asks sleepily, not meeting Natsu's eyes.

"You want it to be?" Now that they're sober, Natsu needs to make sure. "'cause yeah, I want it to be. And not just 'cause you're smokin' hot and have killer dance moves." Gray groans in embarrassment, burying his face in the bed. "I'm serious!"

"Alright," Gray says eventually, rubbing his face and sitting up slowly. He grabs his head and groans. "Do you mind if I shower? I feel...fuzzy." Natsu laughs and nods, gesturing to the corner of the room. It's a bachelor suite, just big enough for him.

"If you wanna borrow some clothes feel free." Gray's a bit taller than him, but his shirts will probably fit. The dark-haired boy stands slowly, stretching with his arms over his head and Natsu doesn't even pretend to be doing anything other than staring at him.

"You wanna...join me?" Gray asks shyly. Natsu doesn't respond for a second because he's too distracted by Gray's abs, but then the image of water dripping over them has him swallowing heavily. "I'm not drunk anymore," Gray adds, and Natsu swears he shimmies his hips a little.

"Holy shit, yes," he growls, grabbing Gray around the waist and dragging him to the washroom.

As they fight over the temperature in the shower and Gray distracts him by kissing his neck, Natsu grins and hopes Lucy is having just as much fun as he is.