Tearing Down His Walls ~ A Gratsu Fanfic

Chapter 10: Back Again

Natsu and Gray played cards for a good while. Gray didn't come close to winning a single time and they hadn't even been playing the same game. They went from War, to Rummy, to Spit, then to BS. Natsu won. Every. Single. Round. Gray felt like his pride had been destroyed! He'd never lost so badly at cards before. It was like he'd never played a game in his life. Even if he did lose though, Gray was honestly just happy to see Natsu smile.

Natsu had this look in his eyes as he read his cards. He'd gaze at his hand and then gaze at the pile, trying to judge what cards Gray was holding and what cards to play. His golden eyes were instense and steadily focused. They shone beautifully in the afternoon sunlight that came through the window of Natsu's living room. There's no way anyone would be able to look away once they saw them. Maybe that was why Gray kept loosing. All he knew was that everytime Natsu won, he'd smile and do a little dance. Although, Gray was pretty sure that Natsu didn't know he was doing a victory dance.

After a while, they decided to make lunch and watch some tv. Natsu was quiet the whole time. He didn't say a word. Natsu didn't know wether to laugh or pity Gray when he tried to decipher what Natsu was saying. Sometimes is was just damn annoying. But Natsu enjoyed the company Gray gave him. He was glad that he wasn't alone all day with his thoughts. Most of the time they scared him, but with Gray they were nonexistent. There was peace of mind for once. An actualy calm after the storm.

Natsu and Gray sat on the couch in front of the tv. Natsu grabbed the remote and handed it to Gray. "You want me to pick?" Gray asked. Natsu nodded his head in reply. Gray flupped htrough channel for a few seconds before coming across a show he liked. "I hope you don't mind scary stuff. I just really like haunting shows!" Natsu shook his head to dispell any of Gray's worries. He shaped his hands into a heart and then held up two fingers. Gray stared puzzled for a moment, trying to translate Natsu's extremely simplified sign-language. "You... heart... 2...Oh! You like these shows too?" Natsu nodded with a small smile on his face.

"Well, look at that! I'm getting better already!" Natsu just rolled his eyes at Gray. He couldn't help but to smile at him as they continued to watch tv. Before they knew hours passed and it was starting to get dark. Gray didn't want to leave Natsu alone, but they had school tomorrow and his Aunt would kill him if he didn't come home to be ready for school tomorrow. Natsu didn't want him to go either. Sure he had Happy, but he felt happier when Gray was around.

"I guess I should go home." Natsu just hung his head sadly. Gray hated having to go and the frown on Natsu's face made it near impossible to leave his side. "Hey, Natsu." He glanced up.

"You can text me whenever, okay? If you need anything, you can call me. I'll always be there for you." Natsu looked into Gray's eyes. He truely belived what Gray said. Natsu wanted Gray to be the one to comfort him or to just be there for him. Natsu walked Gray to the door and grabbed for his sleeve. Gray turned around and looked down at the pinkette. Without a word, Natsu wrapped his arms around him and brought Gray into a tight hug. Gray was startled but hugged Natsu back anyway. Natsu's face was nuzzled in Gray's cool chest as he took in his cool, peppermint scent. In a soft voice Gray heard Natsu speak. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Natsu. Remember, I'm just a text away." And with those words, Natsu sent Gray off, standing in the doorway until Gray had left the end of the driveway. I hope we can spend another day like this together. That was Natsu's only wish.

*~*~*~*

After Natsu cleaned up the living room and kitchen, he knew he had a phone call to make. His panic attacks were becoming more frequent and the nightmares had been getting worse. If he didn't call her now things would only get worse. While Happy was already sleeping on the edge of his bed, Natsu picked up his phone to call Mirajane.

Ring. Ring. Ri-

Hello?

Hi, Mira.

Oh Natsu! So good to hear from you! How have you been?

Things are getting bad again. Can I see you at some point? Preferably soon?

Of course. How about Wednesday, right after school? We can meet at the park and have a little stroll. asound good?

Yeah. Thank you Mirajane.

No problem. Now go get some rest, as much as you can! And I want you to right down your thoughts in your journal and bring them to the session.

Yes ma'am. Goodnight.

Goodnight.

With that taken care of, Natsu broke out his old journal and wrote what ever words and phrases that came to mind. Once he finished, he didn't look at them. He didn't want to look at them. His thoughts were scary. Writing them down only helped him get them out of his head.

Natsu was exhausted by now. He got under his blankets and snuggled into his pillows. Grays scent was still lingering on the sheets and on Natsu's pajamas. It calmed Natsu and helped him to doze off into a peaceful, and quiet sleep.

*~*~*~*

The next day, Natsu went about his normal routine. He woke up in the morning and made breakfast fro Happy and himself. He showered, got dressed and grabbed his backpack as he headed out the door. As he walked down the sidewalk with his headphones in, he found himself thinking about Gray. Nothing specifically, just in general. He wondered if Gray got up on time, or if he'd run into Gray in the hallway. Natsu had barely noticed how distracted he was until Lucy called out his name. "Natsu!"

"Morning Lucy."

"How are feeling today?"

"Fine for the most part." Lucy noticed he didn't want to talk about what happened. So, she diverted the topic to some more gossip about her friends and what she did all weekend. Natsu just walked and listened as they made their way down the hall, to their lockers and then to class. there was still a few minutes before the bell, so the room was relatively quiet, as not everyone had made their way into the room yet. Again, Natsu just gazed out of the window, daydreaming. But instead of dreaming about far away places and amazing adventures, he was dreaming about Gray.

He dreamed about Gray being with him, holding him. They were in a park, resting under a beautiful willow tree that stood tall next to a small pond with blooming lily-pads. Natsu rested his head on Gray's shoulder as he listened to small sounds of life around them. The soft call of a nightingale, the chirping of crickets in the distance, and even the occasional splash from a frog hopping in and out of the water. Gray was holding onto Natsu tightly, reassuring him that he'd never let him go. They watched a beautiful golden sunrise come over the horizon in complete serenity.

While Natsu was dreaming, Gray walked into class. He sat in his usual spot to observe his beautiful flower. He noticed that Natsu had a soft smile on his face. It was a nice to see him smiling. It made Gray happy knowing that Natsu was content. He only wished he knew what Natsu was dreaming about. Maybe I'll ask him about it later. The bell rang and class started. Everyone started filling in and the teacher began the lesson.

Class seemed to fly by. Natsu wasn't really there and Gray was preoccupied with Natsu. When it came to an end, Gray approached Natsu. He wanted to talk to him, be near him. "Hey Natsu." Natsu looked up at Gray and smiled. "H-hi."

"Glad to see you smiling." Natsu blushed and looked down. He didn't know what to say. "You don't have to answer, but I was just wondering. What are you dreaming about, when you look through the window?" Natsu paused. He wasn't sure. Should he tell him. He's usually direct or avoids the whole topic. So...

"You."