The entirety of Natsu's body was on fire, and not in the way it usually was. It was on fire in a figurative sense. His skin burned to the touch and was flushed, almost as if an all-consuming fever had overcome him. However, Natsu was never one to get sick, and the aching heat that was pooling in the bottom of his stomach suggested that this was something more than a simple fever. He groaned and writhed, rutting into his bed in a feeble attempt to soothe his aching cock. This happened to him every year, at exactly midsummer, and lasted about half a month. He was a submissive dragon-slayer, after all, and went into heat every time the mating season for dragons rolled around.
He had once confronted Gajeel about it, overcoming the fear of being the butt of some very embarrassing and personal joke, but he had been surprisingly kind with his help. He hadn't made fun of him at all. Instead, he had patted his back in a soothing brotherly fashion and explained to him what was going on. He told Natsu that he didn't know much, since he was a dominant, but he explained the basics. He told him that he had been going into heat and that it was perfectly normal for a submissive dragon-slayer. He also told Natsu that when he did go into heat, the best thing to do for both of them was to stay away from him. Even though he was now with Levy, the pheromones that are emitted from a submissive dragon-slayer in heat could make an unmated dominant go feral with the urge to claim said submissive. He also told Natsu that during the time he would be in heat, Gajeel himself would be going through a rut.
Wendy had not reached the age of 16 yet, meaning she wouldn't have to worry about heats or ruts until then. She still had a few years to go. Natsu was glad she didn't have to go through what he and Gajeel currently had to deal with. It was stressful, and Natsu felt sick just thinking about a child suffering from the need to have their desires fulfilled. The two mature dragon-slayers would normally avoid the guild until mating season was over, but Erza made it clear that she wasn't having it this year. She assumed they both skipped spending time at the guild to spar or search for their long lost dragons. She had no idea that they were suffering because of their dragon instincts, and no way were they going to tell everyone what was happening to them. Their pride was too great for that. Besides, everyone in the guild would use it against them for the rest of their lives.
Natsu mustered up all the self-control he had left and crawled out of bed to check his appearance in his bathroom mirror. His erection had finally subsided, but his skin was still flushed, his hair was damp with sweat and was messy, and his eyes were abnormally glazed over with pupils blown like saucers. He scowled, shedding his clothes and hopping in the shower. He tried in vain to relieve himself of the stench of sweat and arousal that radiated off of him, but no matter what, he could still smell the scent of both lingering on his skin.
"Stupid fucking dragon pheromones." He growled, washing the shampoo from his hair and using his fire to dry himself off after he stepped out of the shower. "And stupid Erza for being so scary."
He dressed himself in his regular attire, hoping no one would notice just how flushed he was. The irregularly cold shower he took didn't help to ease the hotness of his skin. He should've known. After all, he'd been through this for a few years now. He wrapped his scarf around his neck, ignoring the sense of dread that crept into his heart. He balled his hands into fists and walked out of his bedroom. Happy waited for him in their shared living room, giving him a knowing look. Natsu had only ever told Gajeel and Happy what happened each year. Happy was his best friend and was even like a son to him; so of course he'd tell the small Exceed.
"I'll ask Wendy and Carla if I can stay in the Girl's dormitory with them until you're better." Happy told Natsu.
Natsu offered a small smile, glad that his best friend was so understanding. "Thanks, little buddy, now let's get going."
Happy grinned, giving the dragon-slayer a mock salute. "Aye, sir!"
*****************************
Once the two reached the guild, it took all the courage Natsu had within him to walk through the door. A mixture of cool mint and a snowy forest flooded his nose as soon as he did. He knew that scent all too well, especially when in heat. It was Gray's scent. Natsu had a crush on his rival ever since the two had been 13-year-olds who had just arrived at the guild. He wasn't as dumb as everyone made him out to be, and he was great at hiding things from others. However, during his heat, Natsu could barely stand even being in the same room as Gray. He wanted nothing more than to give into his submissive side and shove Gray's cock up his ass to quench his desires.
Upon entering, Natsu also picked up on Gajeel's scent. It had a sweet edge to it, which was not present any time other than while he was in rut, and a spice that made Natsu want to offer himself to the iron dragon-slayer. Gajeel stared directly at him, and Natsu could pinpoint the moment that he caught his scent. His eyes glazed over, and he stared at Natsu with an intensity that made the heat return to his stomach. A low, almost feral growl emitted from the iron dragon-slayer's throat, and the guild became completely silent. Everyone stared at him in shock as he stalked over to the smaller fire dragon-slayer. Natsu knew something bad was about to happen, but instead of fleeing, he let out a needy whimper. Gajeel's rough hands came into contact with Natsu's slightly bare chest as he shoved him into the nearest wall. Natsu writhed under the masculine body, trying his best not to give in to his submissive instincts. He watched with hooded eyes as Gajeel's nose prodded at his neck, taking in the scent of his pheromones. Another growl, louder than before, tore from Gajeel's throat. Levy immediately caught on and rushed over to save the poor fire dragon-slayer from her lover. She grabbed Gajeel's hand, trying her best to separate the two. At the touch of his lover, Gajeel snapped out of his haze and release Natsu with slightly panicked eyes.
"I told you to stay away from me!" He snapped at Natsu as he did everything he could to not take the smaller dragon-slayer right there.
Natsu felt anger rise within him. "Don't you think I would if I could?! You know that Erza told me I couldn't stay away this year! I told you that, idiot!" Natsu's skin had flushed even more once his skin had come in contact with Gajeel's and his breaths were coming out in sharp pants.
The rest of the guild just watched the scene play out in confusion. No one had any idea what was going on, but apparently it was Erza's fault. Levy and Happy seemed to be the only two who had even a slight idea what was happening. They had no idea what to think of the scene that they had just witnessed. Gajeel seemed like he was...into Natsu.
"Can you two explain what is going on?" Cana was the one who finally asked.
Both dragon-slayers whipped around to face her with wide eyes. "NO!" They both shouted at the same time, causing their guildmates to jolt in shock.
Cana just rolled her eyes and returned to the keg of beer she was working on at the moment. If those two did not want to tell her, then she didn't want to know. Her eyes flickered to Natsu for a moment, and she couldn't help the worry that filled her. The young pinkette looked terrible. Natsu, who had never gotten a fever in his life, had flushed skin and a far away look in his eyes. The two dragons separated not long after the little spat, and Natsu sat in a corner away from everyone else.
Natsu definitely hated mating season.
