Frost Burned (A Natsu x Gray fanfic)

Last Light

Natsu slowed to a walk as he got further away from Gray's house. He smiled to himself. Natsu loved fighting with Gray, but he couldn't really lay into him right now so it was better to high tail it back to the guild. A representative from the magic council was there waiting for Fairy Tails elemental mages to assemble, along with the council's Oracle. It was a bad idea to keep them there longer than necessary, even for someone as reckless as Natsu. Still, that little scuffle had been a tease, and now Natsu's muscles were twitchy with the need to fight. They tensed and flexed, wanting to let fly with fists and feet and flame. Sure, he could throw down with someone else at the guild while they waited for the others but somehow it wasn't the same.

Gray knew Natsu's fighting better than anyone. The angles at which his fists fell. The speed of his legs as they shot out. Gray could look at Natsu's face and predict when he'd strike, or from which side his attack would come. Natsu could do the exact same thing to Gray. The movements of their muscles, the tempo of their breathing, which way their eyes darted. Their bodies spoke a language to each other that only they could truly understand. They had been battling each other so long, it became second nature. It made Gray so much harder to fight as an opponent. Natsu loved every moment of it.

He sighed as he walked, trying to shake the itch from his bones.

Gray had a wet dream.

Natsu had teased him about it of course. How could he not? Gray would have done the same. If he could have, anyway. Natsu's features drew up into a scowl. He had never even gotten hard, let alone had a wet dream. Jealousy soared through him, electric and sharp. Natsu would have given almost anything to know what that felt like.

Igneel had told him about this when he was young. He could remember sitting underneath him, Igneel's great wing sheltering him from the rain as they watched distant stars peeking through the clouds.

"You're too young for this, but you will need to know. You are a human, Natsu, and you are also a dragon. Dragon's have only one mate. When you are older, your instincts will draw you to them. Until then, your body will not want another. It will sleep until you are ready. Your body will know your mate by your bite. Your instincts will take over, and you will claim your mate."
"How?"
When it's time, the dragon in you will know what to do. Once you claim your mate, both of you will be stronger. A mark will form on the palms of your hands. You will each be able to sense when the other is in danger, and will always be able to find them. A mate rights all wrongs. There's not time to teach you about all of it myself. The dragon in you will understand, will teach you everything you need to know to protect your mate."
"What if they don't like me? What if they don't want to be my mate?"
"They will. It's fated. You will each want the other, and no one else."
"They don't have a choice?"
"Their choice will be you, Natsu. Now sleep."

Natsu had never liked that, his mate not having a choice. It made his insides twist, even at his young age. It had been awhile before Natsu had understood what Igneel had really been talking about. As he had gotten older and others his age began to experiment, Natsu felt only curiosity. He would hear guys talking about wanting girls and sex. The girls instead talked about feelings of love and romance. He thought he knew what they meant, but could not feel any of this himself. It was as though he was a spectator. Sure, girls hit on him, but he couldn't bring himself to lead them on, no matter how intrigued he was with the concept of love. Natsu felt nothing for them. The Dragonslayer loved his friends, his allies, but it was different.

For a long time, he took Igneel's word as fact, and didn't question them in the slightest. As he got older and older however, things started to change. Mages his age and even younger were sleeping together, making out in the guild, dating then breaking up. Natsu began to worry that something was wrong with him, that Igneel had known somehow that he would be impotent and just told him that story about dragons and mates so he would not think he was damaged. Broken.