Icy Fire

Partners

Natsu paced the room. Gray was showering. The fire dragon was ready and hungry. The Exceed sat at his side. No one had told him if the cat could accompany him to class or not. Natsu had washed his clothes the night before. Since he only had this outfit and the formal one, he would have to wash it nightly. He needed to get a job.
Thus was the pacing. He didn't know much about this school. How was he to pay for it? How was he to get food? Happy and him had done alright on their own. He knew how to live off of the land. He could always make a few bucks by transforming into the dragon. So many people liked to see a fire dragon. Now, he was stuck here. All because of Gray.
The night before had been awkward. Gray had laid beside him, but Natsu just couldn't get comfortable with the other in his bed. It's not like he hadn't slept in dodgy places before, or even close to dodgy people. It was the fact he had bottomed for this one. They had, had sex. Neither really had talked about it either.
After an hour or so of tossing around, Natsu had joined happy on the hearth. He had slept well. Awoken by a grumpy Gray who only told then it was time to get ready. Natsu had. Now Gray was taking forever. Natsu didn't know if he could even eat at the school. He checked his tablet. Only forty-five five minutes until first bell.
Taking matters into his own hands, he stepped outside. Transforming he flew up over the forest. It didn't take him long to find food for them both. He built a fire before turning back into the boy. Cooking the fish, Happy and him shared it. They landed back in front of their house with five minutes to get to class.
A quick search of the dwelling showed no sign of Gray. Natsu grabbed his pack and raced up to the school. He slowed as he came near the academic building. Actually it was a ring of buildings. Each one assigned to a different study. All were parts of the elements. Glancing at his paper, he noted he needed to be in the fire building. He was sure his knight wouldn't be there.
He did know he could just call out to the sullen boy, he just didn't. He trudged into the building. The warmth hit him first. It was soothing and felt just right to the fire dragon. He walked along reading the signs. Finally he found the room he was suppose to be in. It was several minutes after the last bell. Natsu pushed the door open.
"Natsu Dragneel?" The lizard looking biped asked. Glasses perched at the end of a long snout.
"Yes?" the boy replied. The lizard head swung to look at him. It was then that the pink haired shifter noticed he was half transformed into a dragon and half as human. The boy frowned. He had known many crackpots who thought this weird middle ground was their 'true form'
"You're late, take a seat." He ordered. I am Igneel." He added. Natsu nodded. He led Happy to a seat close to the back. Natsu set his pack down. The little Exceed curled onto it to rest.
"What is that?" Igneel demanded pointing a talon finger at Happy.
"My Exceed." Natsu explained.
"Cats are not welcome in class. No pets allowed. That should go without saying." He frowned at Natsu.
"I'm not a pet!" the Exceed cried. He lifted his head up. Silence followed this. The teacher bristled.
"It is sentient?" he asked Natsu. The dragon shifter looked at the cat. Happy was glaring up at him.
"Of course he is." Natsu snickered. Just then the door opened. Mavis walked in leading an angry looking Gray. Before she could utter a word, Igneel pointed to Natsu and Happy.
"Why is there a cat in my class?" he demanded. Mavis turned to see Happy sitting on Natsu's bag.
"My guess is that he didn't want to be left home alone." She offered.
"I do not like cats in my class!"
"Because you like them on your dinner plate?" Gray muttered. His eyes narrowed.
"How dare you suggest..." The teacher sputtered.
"It's why there are so few Exceeds alive. Free dragons hunt them for a delicacy." Gray pressed. "In a school with so many dragons, why would an exceed feel safe without its master?" Even he winced at the term sending a private apology to Natsu but he had no other term to use for their odd relationship.
"Oh!" Mavis' hand went to her mouth. "I didn't think of that. This won't due." She shook her golden locks.
"Happy, how about you come work with me? I could always use a few more hands." She giggled. Happy glanced up to Natsu.
"You'll keep him safe?" he asked looking worried.
"Of course." Mavis took in what he was wearing. "Not you as well? Why are you out of uniform?" She demanded.
"I tried telling her we didn't get any..." Gray began.
"Oh, this won't do!" She stomped her foot. "My apologies, Igneel. These two will be joining classes tomorrow instead. I must get them situated!"
"By all means!" the teacher stated. As the two boys followed the guild master out, they saw Rogue and Sting looking thoroughly lost in the court yard. Neither was wearing a school uniform either. Mavis collected them. She stormed to Gramp's room, who's name was Makarov Dreyar.
"What is the meaning of this?" she gestured to the four males. Erza stood in the corner.
"Laxus." Gramps stated. He sat on his desk. "The boy was suppose to gather them last night and have them ready for today. I just found out they have been detained."
"For what now?" Mavis asked. Gramps frowned.
"Apparently they are hurt in the forest. We just received their distress call." Gramps said.
"Sting and I know the forest well. We can go get them." Rogue offered.
"That is very nice of you. But they were caught in a freak show storm..." all eyes went to the ice mage
"You can show us where to go." Gray stated.
"I will take Happy and Erza and get them settled in their new jobs." Mavis smiled. Natsu glanced from Happy to Erza.
"Make sure no dragon eats him!" Natsu cried. Happy flew up to the boys arms. They hugged each other.
"I swear on our friendship, no harm will come to him." Erza offered. Happy went to her.
The dragons went out to the field. They shifted and Natsu waited for Gray to climb on. They flew out following the call for help. Apparently Laxus was another dragon. His call was weak. He must be far away. The three dragons followed the cry. There on the side of a mountain hung the dragon. He was digging into the rock as snow and ice from the top of the mountain rained down over him. How he wasn't thrown off none of them could guess.
"Help me, my knight is hurt. I am holding him to the mountain." The frantic call was filled with pain.
"Rogue can up get under him?" Gray asked. "If he drops away, the knight will fall but you could catch him." He offered. "Natsu can take me closer to the top we can see about stopping the avalanche.
"My wings are damaged." The vibrant yellow dragon cried. "I can't fly." He stated.
"Sting you catch him when he transforms. I'll grab the knight." Rogue offered.
"Hang on until we get to the top. I'll stop the snow." Gray stated. Natsu flew up to the top where a large boulder was directing the snow down to where the pair were clinging. Gray used his magic to build a sort of slide. The snow was diverted away from the endangered dragon. Natsu flew down to make sure it wasn't causing any other damage.
Seeing that it was in a safe place, they went back to the other dragons. Both were shocked to see Rogue carrying the knight in his talons. "He is unconscious." The dragon shifter informed them. Natsu got under him so Gray could pull him onto the fire dragons back. A large blond male was sitting on Sting's back. One arm looked busted, the other was obviously badly bruised. How long had they been clinging there? The ice mage wondered.
No one asked them any questions until they returned to the school. It turned out they had gone off to hunt before meeting their new classmates. They had gone to far up when they saw some elk. The dragon had tried to fly down, but got caught in a down draft. It damaged his wing sending him into a spiral. His knight was tossed off. The dragon caught him by pinning him to the mountain. They had stayed like that all night, calling for help.
"The snow must have muffled your ability." Mavis stated. Heads turned to look at her.
"More like the pain." Gray snorted. She giggled nodding.
"Well you cannot show our new boys around in this state. Off to the infirmary with you." Gajeel came walking around the corner with his young female knight. He looked splendid in the new uniform.
"Wow, you look great!" Natsu cried.
"Oh, good. Gajeel and Levy can show you about!" Mavis cried.
"We just got housing. Need uniforms and a map apparently." Gray commented. Gajeel punched Natsu on the shoulder, directly in the heart of the ice flame there.
"I see you have discovered other things about bonding." He winked. Gray flushed. Natsu chuckled.
"Yeah, somethings are better than others." He smirked. Turning he showed what looked like a scramble of letters blurred together on his left shoulder. "She's a scribe mage." He beamed at Natsu, quietly.
Loud enough for the others to hear he turned to the pretty Levy. "Lev, how about I show the dragons were to go and you take Gray around."
"Oh, sure." She smiled brightly. Turning to the pink haired shifter she smirked. "Gajeel told me all about you." Giggling to led Gray away. The ice mage glanced back to his shifter. Natsu shrugged.
Gajeel dropped his arm around the others shoulders. "This place is wild, Natsu. It's nothing like I have ever seen before. All sorts of magical creatures, shifters mages. Just unreal." Natsu smiled at this.
The two chatted as Gajeel lead them to a basement. Here there were tunnels that took you pretty much anywhere. They came up in a dress shop.
"Hey Taylor, I have three more for you!" Gajeel called out.
"Ah, I was wondering when the fire dragon would grace my shop!" A little man with a tape measurer around his neck poked out from behind a cluttered desk. The tap measures zoomed around Natsu. Then Sting and last Rogue. All the while the little man had a pencil writing by itself. He was climbing ladders and tossing down boxes.
"Fire dragons are the hardest to keep clothing in stock for. Oh how they burn through everything. Good thing those witches figured out how to care for you." He muttered as he pushed the ladder along tracks to grab more boxes. It appeared as if he randomly was throwing them down. But magically they stacked up in front of the three shifters.
"Well go ahead try them on." He hopped down to waddle over to them. Natsu opened the top box. Inside was a pair of loose fitting grey pants. He changed into them. The material silky and soft against his skin. It was so light weight he almost felt naked. A tunic that hung low and was sleeveless was next. He slipped his arms into it. There was a red tie. Natsu clung to his scarf.
"Don't worry. Everything you put in the box will go right to your rooms." The little man examined. Natsu took the scarf off and put the tie on. He now was dressed identical to Gajeel and the other shifters.
"Well, now we look like we belong here." Sting muttered. Gajeel showed them where the food court was, how to purchase food, where the mail room was, laundry facilities and lounges to study or meet with friends. He then showed them how to access the map and other features on their tablet.
Natsu met up with Gray, who was wearing a similar uniform. Just his had sleeves and a sword. Natsu frowned at it. "Draw it." He pointed to the sword. The knight did so. Natsu touched it. It bent where he pressed.
"That wouldn't kill a gnat!" He cried. They were outside. He shifted to his dragon form. 'Hold it up away from you.' He ordered. A mound of snow came up, holding the sword a top it. Natsu drew in his fire. He aimed it at the metal.
It glowed bright orange for a moment then, shifted through the color spectrum to hold a blue white light. This faded into the steel. When his flames died. He ordered the ice mage to cool the metal. Gray did so. The very essence of the sword had changed.
It was thicker, twin curls came off of the hilt, they looked like dragon tusks. The blade was steel but with a blue glow. At the very tip it was orange. When Gray extended it, it looked like he was holding flame. The blade was a zig zag shape that resembled that of fire.
"Cool!" He smirked. He slipped it back into its sheath. "Thank you." He told the dragon as it shifted back to the boy.
"When you get a shield I will make that stronger as well." Natsu huffed. They were given the rest of the day off. Happy was waiting with Erza at their home when the two boys came walking back. They each had three uniforms to hang in their closets.