crash & burn

22. joyeaux noël

i belong with you, you belong with me
you're my sweetheart
- the lumineers, "ho hey"

Natsu sighed happily as he and Gray headed back to their bedroom. Sylvie had been delighted by his dramatic rendition of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and had insisted on sitting half on Gray, half on Natsu while he read.

After the two of them had tucked her into bed – the younger ones asleep long ago – they had sat in front of the fireplace playing Scattergories with Ultear and Xavier until the logs were merely ash and dying embers. Natsu couldn't remember the last time he had felt so welcomed.

"Your family is perfect," Natsu said as he closed the door quietly behind him. "And I don't think I'm ever going to eat again." His stomach was still full from dinner, Christmas cake, various candies and eggnog.

"I guess I'm going to have to eat all your cinnamon buns tomorrow then," Gray smirked, turning to Natsu and stepping towards him until he was backed against the closed door. Gray leaned forward, resting a palm on the door next to Natsu's head, and Natsu shivered. There was a look in Gray's eyes that made Natsu's legs feel weak.

"Y-you didn't tell me there'd be cinnamon buns," Natsu stuttered. Gray's face was so close. "A-are we picking up where we left off?" Gray gave a half-smile, then his face turned serious.

"I'd like to," he said, his voice low. "But I need to be sure."

"Sure of what?" Natsu asked hesitantly.

"Sure that you want this," Gray replied, reaching up with one hand and drawing his thumb down the side of Natsu's face. "I'm- I don't wanna just mess around. And I'm not the... easiest person to be with."

"I'm sure," Natsu said, turning his face to press a kiss into Gray's palm. "And I'm pretty sure I can handle you." He winked, and Gray made a sort-of growling sound that almost stopped Natsu's heart.

"Good," Gray murmured, then closed the gap between them.

Natsu moaned softly at the kiss, bringing one hand to Gray's hip, and the other hand to tangle in his hair. Gray pushed his thigh in between Natsu's legs, pinning him to the door, and Natsu inhaled sharply at the sensation. They made soft noises in each other's mouths, tasting and teasing and pressing into each other. Natsu's thumb drew circles over Gray's hipbone, then slipped underneath his shirt and began to caress his bare skin.

Gray growled again, moving his hand to the base of Natsu's skull as his kisses became more insistent, more demanding. He gasped into Natsu's mouth, soft ahs and mmms that sent sparks directly to Natsu's groin. Gray was the most enthusiastic person Natsu had ever kissed, and he loved it. Natsu's fingers tightened until he was dragging his nails along the skin at the base of Gray's spine, the other hand tightening in Gray's hair.

"Criss, t'es incroyable," Gray murmured against Natsu's lips, dragging his hand down from Natsu's cheek to trail across his collarbone, running his thumb over the hollow of Natsu's throat. Natsu had no idea what Gray was saying, but the roughness of his voice and the way the words rolled off his tongue were enough to make Natsu tremble.

"Nhhhhnn," Natsu groaned, nipping softly at Gray's lower lip. He ran his fingers along the hem of Gray's shirt questioningly, and there was a moment of hesitation. "It's oka-" Gray broke off the kiss momentarily and helped Natsu pull the sweater off, throwing it to the floor. There was a slight hint of vulnerability in Gray's eyes now, and Natsu wished he could kiss it away. He grabbed the hem of his own shirt and tugged it over his head, then pulled Gray back against him so that their chests were flush.

"Câlice," Gray swore, tipping his head and pressing soft kisses along Natsu's jaw. Gray's hands were on Natsu's hips now, thumbs dipped just below the waist of Natsu's jeans, and Natsu dragged his fingers through Gray's hair again. God, it was soft. Natsu moaned noisily as he felt teeth scrape his skin, then breathed out a laugh as one of Gray's fingers came up to rest on his lips. "Shhh," Gray whispered.