Chapter 4

Tie Breaker

Gray knew Natsu looked best amidst flames, but as he danced around a bonfire celebrating the New Year in some island town, Gray thought Natsu truly looked in his element. The southern island was hot despite the New Year, the towering blaze was the perfect backdrop, and Natsu wore a crimson yukata, dancing and occasionally breathing fire for the children. He was surprisingly good around children. Maybe it was because he was childish himself. Gray was reminded how Gildarts loved playing with the guild children. Although he was the strongest mage in the guild—and potentially the most destructive—around kids Gildarts became a loving uncle.

Natsu had inherited that quality, and Gray felt he could watch the fire-idiot dancing with eight-year-olds all night long.

As the night dragged on, the children went to bed, and only adults were left. Then the sake came out, barrels of wine were rolled forward, and the dancing became more provocative. Now instead of little children, it was sultry island women who slithered up against Natsu. He drew back in a panic. Kids were one thing, but women...he was no good around women.

"Amateur."

Natsu heard the word whispered into his ear and jolted. Gray shoved him out of the fire-lit circle, grinned at the ladies, and began to dance.

Natsu frowned and pulled away to get something to drink. Gray was in his element again. Dancing! The stupid, droopy-eyed, stripping, Dancing Ice Prince of Fairy Tail! Natsu glared as Gray took each lady for a spin, totally unashamed of his body, knowing how to work his hips and arms.

It was just like that dance, the one that started it all. Gray simply looked good dancing.

Too good!

Natsu glared hard. He wanted to grab Gray, run away with him, and have him dance for no one else but him. His own private stripper! He didn't want anyone else to see just how nimble that body was...a body that had shown him such pleasure, a body he had claimed.

Yet that was only a contest: two out of three. They had fucked twice, and now Natsu was avoiding Gray. For nearly a month, he refused to talk to Gray alone and ran off to fight someone, anyone, whenever it even appeared like Gray wanted to discuss something seriously. Natsu did not want the third encounter to happen. If it did, the contest would be over. They would have a winner and a loser...and nothing else between them. It was a reality Natsu was not ready to face.

"Natsu?"

He jolted out of his dark thoughts. Lucy stood a little to the side, dressed in a gorgeous golden yukata with a massive island flower pinned amidst the golden strands of hair.

"Do you want to dance?"

He looked back over to the bonfire. The person he wanted to dance with was currently the center of a group of girls. "Sorry, not in the mood," he mumbled. "I can't really dance, anyway."

"You were doing well earlier."

"That's with kids."

"You could pretend I'm a kid."

He laughed, glanced over at her, and his eyes naturally fell to the cleavage that the yukata showed off too amply. "No, that's impossible." He looked back to the fire.

Lucy blushed at his observation, but she still stood beside him, wondering what he was looking at. She quickly realized it was Gray. "He really is a good dancer."

"So you should ask him," Natsu grumbled.

"No, I don't like how he dances with just anyone. I want a guy who will only be looking into my eyes when we dance, not looking to see how to pass me off and dance with the next girl."

"Precisely," Natsu growled so softly, Lucy could not tell what he said. Gray should look only at Natsu. He should dance only for Natsu.

Dammit, why am I getting so possessive? It's a stupid contest! He doesn't care about me. He doesn't even want Lucy and Erza to know about us. He wants to hide it. He's...ashamed! Ashamed of me. Ashamed of the fact that he fucked a man.

Purely out of spite, Natsu was ready to confess to Lucy about his and Gray's "encounters"—It's not a relationship—but she had drifted off already, trying her luck with some other young man.

"Even she can't stay by my side," he muttered sullenly.

An hour passed, and it was nearly midnight. They had heard that there would be fireworks, a rarity for such a small village, so sleepy children were stumbling back out, carried by parents, and the sexy dancing had to end. Natsu was nicely buzzed on alcohol, not fully drunk, but just enough sake down him to blur the edges of his vision and make just about anything sound like a good idea.

So when a sultry lady came up and said "Wanna come with me, handsome? I know a good place to watch the fireworks away from the crowd," Natsu thought it was a nice idea. Get away from the fire and the dancing and the little kids who should not be seeing him this low and wretched. The woman took his arm and began to lead him away, when suddenly her wrist was grasped firmly, though not painfully. Gray leaned in, all smiles, but his voice thudded.

"He's too hot for you to handle, lady," he warned. She huffed and turned away.

Natsu glared at the ice mage. "What's your problem?" he grumbled.

"I don't want to see you sneak off with ladies." Gray led Natsu aside just like the woman had been about to do.

"Well, I don't like seeing you dance with a bunch of ladies," Natsu snapped back, stumbling with alcohol.

"Dancing is a public act. I obviously can't do anything to a lady in public."

"Says the man who strips naked at the drop of a hat!"

"I won't take advantage of them in front of everyone, idiot. If you're jealous, just tell me. Don't sneak off with some random chick who wants to fuck you."

"What do you care what I do?" Natsu mumbled petulantly.

Gray glowered as they left the lights of the festival. "I just don't like it, okay?"

"Jealous?"

"And if I am?"

Natsu kept quiet. If he was...? Did that mean Gray had actual feelings for Natsu? Enough to be jealous?

They went to a bridge. It seemed like they were not the only ones there, although it was all couples. There was a lonely old lady playing a violin for all the lovers gathered to watch the fireworks. Instead of actually standing on the bridge, Gray stayed near the old lady. He tossed her a coin.

"Play a slow dance tune," he requested with a wink. The elderly musician gave a toothless smile and began to play. Gray stood in front of Natsu, bowed deeply, then extended his hand. "May I have this dance, sir?"

Natsu's mouth dropped. His heart fluttered, and his palms began to sweat. Nervously, he took Gray's hand. He was frozen to his spot by the genteel request of the ice mage, but Gray pulled himself into Natsu's arms. He began to sway, nothing fancy like earlier. It was a dance for lovers who did not care about dance moves. Two bodies swayed in the darkness lit only by the torches on the nearby bridge and a crescent moon reflecting on an inky river.

"I watched you dancing with those kids all night," Gray whispered, somehow keeping tempo to the old lady's violin. "You being jealous of me dancing with ladies...okay, I can understand that. What stumps me is why the hell I was jealous of all those damn kids."

"Of kids?" Natsu laughed. "Stuuuupid."

"I wanted to dance with you, but then all those ladies wanted you. I couldn't let them get their hands on you. I would rather keep all of their attention on me, and not on you, than to watch you dance with anyone like that."

Natsu stumbled in the dance steps. "Are you really that much of an idiot?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "It is pretty dumb, right?"

They heard the people on the bridge counting down. "Ten, nine, eight..."

Natsu stopped dancing and gazed cautiously to Gray. "I heard it's tradition here to kiss the person next to you at midnight."

"You have a lame excuse, flame-brain. You don't need excuses to do something like that."

He glanced over to Gray. "Is that so?" Natsu grabbed a handful of dark hair and crashed his lips against that cold mouth.

"Three, two, one... Happy New Year!"

Natsu kept kissing Gray. They heard an explosion, and through closed eyes they saw an orange flash of a firework. Gray tried to talk about missing the show, but Natsu thrust his tongue in to silence him.

A whole month! He had somehow avoided Gray for a month. Now, the pain in his heart burned like acid. He had missed the taste of Gray's mouth so much. He missed the coolness of the skin, the smell of his hair, the way those nimble hips rolled against him just enough to make him feel Gray's erection. God, but he really had missed the idiot!

"Natsuuuu? Where are youuuu?"

The two pulled apart with shocked expressions. Happy's shout made them realize they were in public and around people. The old lady was still playing a romantic song on her violin, blushing and silently watching them with her toothless grin. Luckily, the people on the bridge were too busy watching the fireworks. It was dark, so likely none of them had seen the two making out in the open.

Gray covered his moistened mouth and turned away to hide his blushing. He walked to the bridge, scolding himself for falling for Natsu all over again, and for saying all that about being jealous. What the hell was he doing? If they kept at it, they would have sex, and if they had sex...

Two out of three.

What would happen after the third encounter? Would Natsu walk away and forget all about this? That was what Gray feared, and more than anything, he didn't want the sweet tension between them to end.

Happy flew forward and urged Natsu to go up onto the bridge to watch the fireworks better. They walked past Gray, and Natsu silently glanced over. His eyes held yearning, but also worry. While kissing, he had almost suggested that they find somewhere private.

Two out of three.

A third encounter would be the tie breaker. All of this would end.

But...he wanted Gray again. So badly. He was willing to risk ending this contest. If Gray did not want more, he could challenge him again. And again. And more, until he won Gray over. That was wishful thinking, of course.

Yet Gray's words just now gave him a shred of hope that this was more than a mere contest.

It was not a long fireworks show, and when the last burst filled the sky and faded, the crowd dispersed. Some planned to party until morning. Others were ready to fall asleep. Happy dozed off on top of Natsu's head, purring contentedly. As the dragon slayer walked back toward the main village, his fingers brushed against Gray's hand.

Gray easily felt that hot touch in the cool night. He jolted and looked over. Had it been accidental? Natsu looked over at him again, and he purposely reached over, letting his knuckles caress Gray's wrist. Gray could have melted into a puddle. He responded by taking Natsu's hand and giving those fingers a squeeze.

Here they were, walking side-by-side and holding hands...like a real couple. It was a nice feeling, overwhelming Gray, and he was glad for the darkness to hide his blushing.

Could it be Natsu wanted more than just a competition?

Gray feared that if he got his hopes up too much, Natsu would merely crush his heart and walk away laughing at his tears, bragging "I made you cry, so I win!" He could picture Natsu doing something that spiteful without even realizing how deeply it would hurt Gray. Still...he wanted a little hope that his feelings were not completely one-side, even if just a small reciprocation was all he could get.

"Natsu," Gray began to whisper.

Happy suddenly mumbled in his sleep. "I asked for salmon, not tuna."

Gray yanked his hand away and fisted up his fingers. What was the dragon slayer doing? What was he doing?

They saw Erza and Lucy up ahead. Lucy was obviously drunk, and Erza held the blonde up.

"Lucy vomited once already. I'll take responsibility for her," the Titania informed them.

She saw the blushes on both boys' faces. They were coming from the direction of a bridge she had heard from the locals was known as Bridal Bridge, because if you kissed on New Year's Day on that bridge, the person you kissed would be your bride. Did the boys know about that tradition?

"How about I take Happy as well?" She smiled, knowing the two had been avoiding one another for quite some time. She did not understand what was going on between them that made them separate after being so obviously—and noisily—hot for one another, but she did know that whatever it was, a night together alone might help them to sort it out. At worst, she would have to listen to them either arguing all night, or humping one another until they wore out.

Their generous employer had offered to pay for their hotel, and even got them two suites. It was definitely a nice room, although there was only a single extra-wide bed, since all other rooms were booked for the holiday. Natsu handed Happy over to Erza, and the blue ball of fluff curled into her bosom contently. Then they entered the suite and fell into awkward silence.

"Shower?" Gray asked curtly.

Natsu gazed as Gray immediately stripped his yukata off. "We probably need it," he said, keeping his words carefully neutral. He would rather jump into the shower with the ice mage and make love while the water cascaded over them.

"Who first?"

Natsu looked away. Who first: in other words, not showering together. That pained his heart a little. "I don't have to worry about a snowflake like you taking all the hot water, at least. Go ahead."

Gray glanced over. He had almost hoped Natsu would hint at taking one together. Instead, the dragon slayer looked distracted by something else. He was not even looking in Gray's direction. Maybe he didn't even care.

Gray left to the shower. The whole time, he hoped Natsu would sneak in and attack him in the bathroom, thrust him up against the tiles, and take him, right there, under the water. However, the door never opened. Gray finished, got out, dried off, and when he stepped out, Natsu rushed past him and slammed the door shut.

"Whatever," Gray sighed, leaving to his side of the bed, where his pack of goods was kept. He began to sort through what clean clothes he had left. "I thought for sure I packed three shirts. Did I lose one?" This was a common problem for him.

Gray did not have the sharp ears of a dragon slayer, but he heard a grunt in the shower. Perhaps he was listening for it, waiting, expecting it. As if that tiny groan was a call for distress, Gray threw his bathrobe off and marched into the bathroom fully naked. He tossed the shower curtain back and saw Natsu with his tensed erection in his hand. Natsu's face blanched as his eyes went huge in terror at getting caught.

"You're an idiot," Gray growled.

Without any other warning, he knelt down in the shower and took that cock into his mouth, humming at the heady taste already slathered on the tip. Natsu jolted back, and his fists clenched as Gray's mouth got to work instantly, perfectly replacing the fantasy he had been indulging in just a few seconds ago.

While Gray was showering, all Natsu could think about was seeing the rivulets of water streaking down that muscular body. It had been torture, listening to the water, wanting to jump in there, craving the feel of Gray's chilly skin. By the time Gray was done, Natsu was hard and his cock burned with need. He had run in here to deal with it, but the fantasies, those dreams he had been indulging in all month, came crashing in so intensely, he accidentally moaned.

And now, here Gray was, just like his dreams, but the feel of that mouth was way too real.

Gray pulled back and wiped the wet bangs out of his eyes. He stood up, panting heavily, his lips swollen from sucking, and he glared hungrily at Natsu.

"If you were this desperate, you should have said something," he sneered.

Natsu glared back. "I'm not gonna lose to you, bastard."

Gray flinched at that. Two out of three. "So what's the competition tonight?" he growled angrily. This damn dragon slayer only thought of winning against his rival. Stupid, idiotic, destructive, lousy, imbecilic, flame-brained asshole!

Natsu steeled his heart against Gray's question. A competition. That's all this would be. A conclusion to their initial fight. That saddened him. After all this time, after two (and a half) times together, Natsu had hoped there was more to this...this thing between them, whatever it was. Still, he did not want to be the first to break down and admit he hated the idea of sex with Gray being a mere competition. Admitting something like that was like losing, because Natsu realized he had already lost his heart.

"Who comes first?" Gray asked, glaring with anything but tenderness.

"No way. I'm ready to go right now. How about who tires out first? Keep going until one begs to stop."

Gray's blood went from icy to fiery at that suggestion. "Are you sure about that? We only have until sunrise, and I can keep going all night and into morning."

"Maybe with your own hand," Natsu joshed. "You'll be begging in under an hour once I get my cock into you."

"Don't start crying if you scream for me to stop and I ignore you."

"You'll have to beg me three times before I stop pounding your ass."

"I'll be the one laughing at your tears as I tear you apart from the inside."

"Suck me already," Natsu hissed.

Gray dropped back down and sucked voraciously while massaging Natsu's balls. Natsu knew he was about to lose it anyway, so he did not bother holding back.

"Not only...who gives up...first," he strained out as Gray bobbed on him without mercy. "Who...also...comes most...before...quitting. Fuck, Gray!"

Natsu's head threw back, and he groaned a roar as the tension that had been building all night snapped and gushed. Gray's mouth slowed down, milking him, sucking that salty treat up, then pulled back and swallowed.

"Swallowing cum is gross," Natsu stated flatly as his mind swam lazily back to earth.

"Yeah, yours tastes pretty shitty. You should eat more fruits."

"Water's getting cold."

"Bed, now."

They left the shower, and Natsu set himself on fire as he walked from the bathroom to the bedroom. He was dry by the time he got there. Gray sat on the edge of the bed and spread his knees apart, putting his full erection proudly on display.

"Your turn," Gray declared.

Natsu knelt in front of him and sidled up between those knees. "Fine, but don't come in my mouth."

He might speak roughly, but Natsu wanted to treat Gray with tenderness, to show through actions that this was more than a mere competition, to hallow him, to enslave him, to make Gray utterly enthralled so that even after this night was over, he would never be satisfied with another lover.

As if mirroring his thoughts, Gray asked quietly, "Have you been with anyone since last time?"

Natsu rubbed his hands up those muscular thighs, spreading them slightly more as he gazed at that fully erect prize before him. He could smell Gray's muskiness, despite having just showered. It was overwhelming, an aroma that went straight to his groin. He wrapped his hands around the back of Gray's knees to pull himself even close, getting snug between those powerful legs. Natsu grasped the shaft, and his burning hot hand made Gray hiss, as if the fire was sizzling ice. Natsu rubbed his thumb over the head of Gray's cock, eliciting a low moan from the ice mage.

"No one," the dragon slayer finally whispered, and he kissed the flared, fleshy head. Then he spoke right against the sensitive flesh. "I couldn't find anyone that interests me like you do."

Gray looked down in surprise. Did Natsu really mean that? Before he could say anything, Natsu's mouth slid down the shaft, then sucked up hard, drawing out a bitter pearl.

"How about you?" Natsu asked, thumbing that pale pearl off. "You're the man-whore here. How many people have you slept with?" He didn't want to know, he really didn't, but he was curious. Was this something special, or was he just another fuck-buddy on Gray's whoring list?

"I tried going out with some girl I met at a festival. It didn't even last a whole night. She wanted sex and...and I just didn't feel like it. She wasn't..." He choked off the words. She wasn't you. Instead, he copied Natsu's excuse. "She wasn't interesting."

"Too bad." He refused to leap up, pump his fist into the air, and start cheering. That was what his inner-self was doing, but Natsu was too interested in stroking the cock in his hand. Instead, Natsu shifted his head downward and went deep, gagging on the cock as it widened his throat.

"N-Natsu," Gray shuddered.

It took only a few seconds for Natsu to loosen the muscles in his neck and take that cock in. To be honest, he had been...practicing this particular maneuver. He told Happy he was shoving carrots down his throat because he wanted to learn sword swallowing. The blue cat thought that was totally awesome and didn't question any further. It was a challenge that could be learned. Overcoming a gag reflex was surprisingly easier than he ever imagined.

As he had worked on carrots—damn lucky carrots!—Natsu had imagined...this. Precisely this. Going down on Gray, having that long cock deep inside him, and hearing Gray's appreciative groans as he gave him this sort of surprise. Gray might have a lot of experience, but Natsu was determined to beat him in one thing. He could utterly surpass the ice mage in deep-throating.

Gray knew he was lost. That hot mouth was one thing, but Natsu's throat was quite another. Blow jobs were mostly suction and tongue work, but what Natsu did was way beyond that. It felt like sliding into a person, like actual sex. More like anal sex, since the throat was so tight. Natsu held him down there for only ten seconds, making small but intense bobbing motions, before coming up for breath.

Gray cursed in a hiss. "If you keep doing that, I'll come way too fast."

"That's sort of the point, idiot."

Natsu dived down again, and Gray's mouth dropped open in a shameless moan of pleasure. It was so wet, so hot, so fucking tight! Natsu came up for air again, and saliva dripped from his lips. His eyes turned up to Gray, wanting to see the sort of expression he would have. As he hoped, it was one of shock and utterly enthralled lust.

Gray could barely handle it. The drool down Natsu's chin, the string of pre-cum on his mouth, and the hazy tears in his eyes nearly undid the normally cold ice mage right there. Gray wanted to say something, to praise him for being so good, to curse him for being too good, to mock that he was a cocksucker and to declare him as the world's best deep-throater.

Natsu gave him no opportunity. He chuckled, which confused the ice mage, before exhaling as he went down again, the cock filling his throat. Gray could see the shape of that throat change, widen, as his cock plunged down into it. He could feel the tightness, and then...Natsu made some motion, like swallowing, and Gray cursed loudly as his hand desperately sought to hold onto something. It tangled into Natsu's pink hair instead, grasping him in a painful clutch as he steeled back his abdominal muscles. If he came this soon, Natsu would never let him live it down. Still...

"I'm seriously ready to come," Gray gasped. It was really too much.

Natsu lifted his head for a desperate breath of air and looked up at him. "I'm almost curious how much I can swallow before you make me vomit," he said breathlessly.

"I thought you didn't want me to come in your mouth."

"I changed my mind. You feel too good, and if you do it in my throat, I don't have to taste it." He pushed Gray down flat on the bed, shoved him sideways to be on the pillows, then climbed on top of him with his ass up by Gray's face while his face was right above the wet cock. "Do that butt-licking thing you did that one time while I suck you off."

Gray nodded fast, desperate for more, and spread Natsu's cheeks wide to get at the small puckering. Then, as he felt Natsu kiss the tip of his flared head, he licked around the little star opening.

"Ahh, fugk," Natsu moaned with his mouth full of Gray's cock. Feeling the vibrations from that groan made Gray shiver.

As Natsu slowly went down on him, deeper and deeper, Gray pressed his tongue inside. It made the dragon slayer whimper, and the vibrations along with the heat inside Natsu's ass almost sent Gray over the edge.

They timed their movements, Natsu mouthfucking with occasional deep-throating, and Gray rimming. Both moaned and panted. Then Gray switched to his fingers, easily sliding two in with it so wet with saliva and loosened from his tongue. Gray could hardly think as he felt Natsu deep-throat him again, and he paid him back by curling his fingers until he hit the prostate. It made Natsu nearly scream and pull up fast, coughing on spit and pre-cum.

"Gray!" he howled.

"Don't stop," he warned, and his hips bucked. "I'm almost there. Suck me hard, Natsu. Please!"

Natsu pounced down hard on him, using his tongue to press the cock up to the roof of his mouth for more friction. The tightness made Gray cry out, and his back arched.

"I'm gonna c-come. Fuck, gonna come," he warned.

Natsu was ready for him, his throat opened wide once more, and he thrust down farther than ever, until his nose was buried in Gray's raven pubes. Although the fingers in his ass had stopped moving, he still bobbed his head a little, urging with his throat, until he felt jets of liquid aimed straight for his stomach, right down the widened esophagus. He finally slowed down, and as air became a necessity, he backed away carefully, knowing Gray would be most sensitive at this point. Even tiny licks made Gray shudder as he floated on his erotic high.

Natsu finally raised his head up so he could move his neck around and massage his adam's apple. He would have a hoarse voice after punishing his throat like that. "Even your cum is cold," he said nonchalantly. He looked back and saw the enthralled expression on Gray's stupidly happy face. It gave a shiver through Natsu's body, as if he had just stepped out into a winter blizzard. "Hey, don't smile like that. It makes you look sexy."

"Because I am sexy, idiot," Gray muttered tiredly.

"Yeah but..." Natsu climbed on top of him and reached down to Gray's ass. "It makes me wanna do you." His finger began to feel the tiny opening.

"Idiot. I prepped you already."

"It'll take you a while to recover. I don't want to wait that long, and I'm already recovered. You can prep me again later."

His finger entered, and slowly he stretched Gray out. The ice mage moaned at feeling Natsu thrusting into him. He opened his eyes and saw the greedy lust on the dragon slayer's face. It made Gray bite his bottom lip while a jumble of kinky ideas came into his mind, things he wanted Natsu to do to him, things he wanted to do while Natsu fucked him, stuff he wanted to attempt but figured Natsu did not trust him enough to try.

"Hey Natsu," he mused quietly. "Why are we doing this?"

"Because we're both horny teenagers," the dragon slayer answered honestly, adding a finger.

Gray hissed at the extra stretching. "No, I mean...why us? Why me? Why you?"

"Like I said that first night, best two out of three."

"Jerk," Gray grumbled. "It's gone beyond petty competition now. Don't you realize that?"

Natsu swallowed hard. He could not even look Gray in the eyes, or he would lose his heart all over again. Definitely, he would fall in love. He pulled his fingers out and got ready to replace them with his eager penis. "Says who? I'm gonna win." Then he slowly slid into Gray.

Gray moaned at the feel of being opened wide and that flaming hot cock ripping into him. "Wait, wait," he cried out.

Natsu held still and looked down at him. "Tell me when to move."

Gray breathed through the initial pain, then opened an eye to look up at Natsu. "I know we've been dancing around this subject for months now, but I need to know. Is that really all this is to you?" he asked seriously. "Is this nothing more than a competition?"

Natsu swallowed hard as he considered his answer. Was Gray playing with him, or was he being serious? "If I say yes, will you not let me fuck you?"

Gray instantly felt disappointment. It was all one-sided, huh? "No...no, you can keep going, but if this is truly nothing more than a competition, then...then I forfeit."

Natsu's brow tightened. He saw the sadness on Gray's face, and slowly he realized, for Gray to give up that easily, his feelings for Natsu must outweigh his own pride. Somehow, that made the dragon slayer really happy. So happy, he felt like crying! He had been terrified that it was just him who felt this way, so he wanted to keep his emotions out of it. Now, seeing Gray's face, all he wanted was to leap up and cheer.

Except that would require pulling out of Gray's ass, and he definitely didn't want to do that!

Natsu leaned over and gave Gray a kiss. It shocked the raven-haired teen when he felt the soft lips warm up his mouth. They were followed by a searing tongue that languished in his mouth. Natsu softly sucked on Gray's tongue, just like he had sucked on his cock. Then he kissed him harder with just his lips. As he did, his cock drove in deeper. Gray moaned at the feel, and he heard the dragon slayer give a possessive growl deep within his throat.

Once he was completely inside, Natsu leaned up and looked down at the watery eyes and flushed cheeks. "Does that answer you, bastard?"

"No," Gray panted, his lips swollen from the roughness.

"It's not just about who wins and who loses. You won the first time, I won last time, but this time..."

"I know, it's the tie breaker," Gray muttered.

"No!" Natsu shouted angrily. "This time..." He forced himself to calm down, and Natsu tenderly caressed Gray's face. "This time, it's just us," he said softly. "This time, we're on the same team, and we're seeing if we make good partners. That's all."

"It still doesn't tell me why."

"Sheesh, and here I'm trying to have a tender moment with you!" the dragon slayer scoffed.

"Why me, Natsu?" demanded Gray.

"Because you're sexy."

"Is that it? Just looks?"

Natsu knew that was not all, but he had never really stopped to ask himself why he was so attracted to Gray. "Because I don't want to do this with anyone else but you," he said in irritation.

"Why?"

"Because..." Natsu began to blush. "Because you make me feel good."

"Why?"

Suddenly, he was pissed again. "Because you've got a big cock, jerk."

"Why me? Why my cock? If you want it big, why not Elfman or Laxus?"

"Because I only want you," Natsu yelled in frustration.

"Why?" Gray insisted.

"Because..." He choked off as his face changed shades. "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

"Yes," Gray glared. "Say it. I want to hear it."

Natsu blushed as pink as his hair and looked away. "Because, during all these years of us fighting each other, somewhere along the way, I...I began to admire you, and I maybe...sorta...possibly...fell in love with you," he muttered, and immediately frowned deeply in embarrassment.

Gray smiled and stroked Natsu's face. Slowly and with uncertainty, Natsu looked back around and down at his lover. Gray's eyes shined at him, looking proud that he had the strength to admit it at last. That made Natsu sigh in relief. At least the ice bastard was not going to make fun of him.

With his smile never dimming, Gray playfully asked again, "Why?"

This time Natsu punched him. "Shut up already! I'll tell you why after we're done. Now stop talking while I fuck you."

"I have one last thing to say."

"No!" To shut him up, Natsu thrust in hard.

"Oh God," Gray moaned as that wide cock spread him painfully.

"Don't talk."

Gray opened his eyes. "What?"

"Don't say anything. You can moan, but no words. I just wanna hear your body, not your words. I don't think we need words anymore."

"I guess we don't," Gray smiled.

Natsu rolled his hips slowly this time, gliding in and savoring every bit of it. Gray sighed gently, not speaking, saying no words. Natsu smirked that the ice mage was actually obeying for once. He rolled his hips a second time, and Gray groaned something that might have been a curse in some demonic tongue, but still not words, not real words. As Natsu set up a smooth pace, Gray's cold breaths became shuddery.

Natsu loved to simply look down at Gray, at how his pale face drew up so erotically at each thrust, and the shouts that shivered out of his throat. Gray's voice was so deep, almost purring in his chest, a growling of lust that went through Natsu's body and straight into his heart.

"Please," Gray rasped out dryly. "Touch me."

"I said no talking," Natsu said sternly.

The dragon slayer shifted just enough to change his angle, then kept thrusting. Gray yelped and threw his head back as his body arched up off the mattress. He wrapped his arms around those fiery shoulders. His muscular legs clamped around Natsu's waist, and his feet locked together over that taut ass, urging him with yanks from his legs.

Natsu loved how tightly Gray was holding him, loved the feel of those cold arms and legs holding him so tightly, caging him there, trapping him against Gray's own desperate body. He leaned over, cupped his hand under Gray's neck, and pulled him forward into a kiss. Their noses rubbed against one another. Gray's eyes drifted open, lazy with his vision blurred around the edges. Those narrow, fierce eyes penetrated him, just like how Natsu's prick was stabbing in. Those squinty, dangerous eyes could violate!

"Gray," Natsu sighed, not caring about anything else right now, not about the competition, not about what might happen later, nor the fact that they were moaning so loudly, Erza would probably scold them...again.

Gray's face suddenly tensed up. Natsu yanked him up, then sat Gray in his lap, letting the ice mage ride his cock, gripping his hips in bruising tightness, while holding Gray firmly against his chest. Gray's breaths were coming out in loud, groaning pants mixed with wanton cries. Natsu kissed over Gray's face, tasting and smelling the sweat building up between them. Gray's clutching fingers slipped over shimmering beads of sweat on Natsu's shoulders and back, and his nails scratched when he could not get a firmer grip. Natsu thrust into that tight heat with greater urgency as Gray began to cry out in the beginnings of his ecstasy, fast pantings of lust gurgling up from his throat. Gray's moans got rougher until he was grunting every time he thrust down onto that cock.

Gray suddenly shoved Natsu backward, slamming him down onto the mattress with his head at the foot of the bed. Then Gray braced himself on his hands, working his hips as he rode hard on top of Natsu. His face was drawn up in glorious agony as he drew closer and closer to the edge.

"Touch me now, Natsu," he finally screamed.

Natsu reached up and gripped Gray's arousal, and the ice mage's whole body arched into that hot hand, shuddering a cry that would have the neighbors complaining. Natsu then sat up, snagged his fingers into Gray's hair, and yanked his mouth forward, crashing their lips together. Sitting upright as equals, they held one another as their worlds shattered.

Natsu's head went down into Gray's neck, and he sucked hard as he felt himself burst inside, filling Gray. At the feel of that pressure in his ass and the mouth biting and sucking a possessive mark on him, Gray utterly lost it. His body went rigid, his eyes rolled back, and spasms of pure, unadulterated pleasure pulsed through him. He felt Natsu's hand get wet from what he shot out, slicking him, but slowing down. Entirely soundless, Gray's whole body trembled as heat that only the Fire Dragon Slayer could instill flowed through his veins.

Gray went limp, and Natsu followed him down. He slipped out at some point, and both laid sprawled on the filthy, rumpled covers. They panted for many minutes, what felt like hours, lying close to one another in a room thick with musky sweat, moist heat, and the aroma of semen. It was probably a solid three minutes before Gray regained enough consciousness to realize he and Natsu were holding hands, just like they had been holding hands walking back from that bridge. He squeezed those fingers in a silent thank you.

Natsu's eyes opened at that, looking stunned for a moment, as if he did not realize his hand was wrapped up in weary fingers. Then he smiled back, squeezed Gray's hand, and let out a tired but satisfied laugh. He didn't know why, but Gray also began to laugh. That never happened in their other liaisons. They felt so happy, they were laughing with no other reason other than the fact that they were together, lying in bed, holding hands, messy and not caring one bit.

"So," Natsu panted. "What was that thing you wanted to tell me earlier?"

"Why should I tell you now?" Gray muttered tiredly.

"Because I'm curious. Or did I bang you so hard you can't recall?"

"Nope, I remember, and I'll never forget."

"Oh? I'm really curious now."

"Too bad," the ice mage yawned, beginning to roll over as if to sleep.

"Aww, come on. Tell me."

Gray glared over at him. "It'll cost you."

Natsu blinked in confusion. "Money?"

"Nope. Favors. If I tell you, then next time I get to be the one banging your brains out."

Natsu laughed at that and leaned back tiredly. "Not even caught your breath and you're thinking of next time?"

Gray glanced over cautiously. "Do you want a next time?"

"Hell yes! I said until one of us quits, and I don't plan on quitting. Sleeping, maybe, but not quitting. Not now, not tomorrow...never quitting."

"That's a long competition."

"That's the plan," Natsu smirked. "So I agree, as soon as we're recovered, you're on top. Now tell me what you were going to say."

Gray rolled over to his side and braced himself with one hand to lean over Natsu's torso and smile down into his face. "What I was trying to say was... I love you, too, flame-brain."

Natsu's face blushed again.

"And pink looks really good on you," he teased, patting his flushed cheeks.

"Asshole!" Natsu sneered.

"You are what you eat," Gray smirked, "and I love the taste of your asshole."

Natsu nearly choked in shock at hearing him say something that blunt and kinky.

Gray smirked at the reaction. "Now cuddle me," he demanded, rolling over and spooning into Natsu's body. "You're like a big, warm blanket."

"Your feet are cold, jerk."

"All the blood left my feet and went somewhere else."

Natsu curled around Gray's body and leaned up into his ear. "That can't be the reason, because your cum was cold, too," he whispered seductively. "Like gulping down a smoothie in summertime."

Gray flinched, and despite being exhausted, his hips jerked at Natsu's hot whisper tantalizing his ears.

Natsu chuckled slyly. "Tempted already?"

"I'm too tired now," Gray admitted, "but I'm banging your brains out before the night is through."

"Make sure you wake me up first."

"I could wake you with a kiss."

Natsu hummed in sleepy delight. "That sounds sweet. Sorta romantic. The Dancing Ice Prince waking the sleeping dragon with True Love's kiss. Like a fairy tale."

"Idiot. I was talking about a kiss to your cock."

"Aaaand you just ruined my mood," he frowned in annoyance.

"So, you want romance?" Gray asked in amusement. "Not really your style, is it?"

"Then you don't really know me."

Gray rolled over until his forehead was pressing against Natsu's and their eyes were filled with the view of one another's faces. "I want to get to know you. I wanna know everything there is about you. So...wanna be my boyfriend?"

Natsu's eyes went huge.

"Like, for real this time. No fights, no competitions, just...just us."

Natsu looked aside bashfully. "Jerk. I wanted to ask you out in the morning."

"Beat you to it."

"Yeah..." Natsu smiled back to Gray, then gave him a gentle kiss. "You win."

Gray caressed his flushed cheeks. "We'll call it a tie."

"Equals?"

"We'll take turns," Gray promised.

"I don't just want sex all the time," Natsu insisted.

Gray kissed Natsu on the forehead. "How about I take you out for dinner tomorrow night?"

Natsu felt warm inside at the thought of a simple and romantic date with Gray. It was something they had never tried before, but it was what he really wanted. No more rivalries, no challenges, just simple love.

"It's a date," Natsu nodded happily.

Gray gave him one more kiss goodnight, then rolled back around and settled into Natsu's arms. The dragon slayer hugged his icy lover, warming him through the night. Outside, the New Year celebrations continued, music played, dancers hollered and laughed, and the moon shined down upon the island's celebration. Yet inside that hotel room, Natsu and Gray held one another closely, wrapped up in a world of love, as they dreamed of a day when they could dance in the guild hall without any pretext of fighting.

The End

A/N: Here it is, the finale of "Dance Fighting." Thank you for reading. Happy New Year!