sympathy for the devil

the boys are back in town

The guild hall was exactly the same as the last time Natsu was here – a dingy, shitty-looking bar full of grungy people who looked scarier than they actually were. Except Laxus. He was actually scary.

Gray trailed close behind Natsu as they walked through the door – he hadn't been back since they'd left three years ago, and not all of these were friendly faces. Erza gave Natsu's arm a soft squeeze and smiled encouragingly at Gray as her and Mira headed toward the basement stairs.

"Hey, our alien friend is back!" Natsu turned and glared at Gajeel, who was leaning back against the bar and grinning at them. It rankled Natsu when other people called Gray by something other than his name. That was something only he could do.

He was about to retaliate when Gray touched his lower back and Natsu looked down to see his markings glowing a faint pink. Suddenly Gajeel yelped, jumping up as several glasses of beer from the bar tipped over and poured onto him. A tiny smile played at the corner of Gray's mouth and Natsu snorted, shaking his head.

"Natsu!" A blonde boy appeared in front of them and Natsu's face broke out in a grin, grabbing Sting and pulling him into a tight hug. He sighed happily – leaving had been easy when he'd been pissed at his dad, but he'd missed his friends. Three years was a long time. "Shit, you got even more scars." Sting gestured to the mark on the side of Natsu's neck.

"Yeah, hellhounds don't like to let go," Natsu said, rubbing at it. Gray had used all his magic in that battle and ended up unconscious, so that was one of his injuries that had healed naturally and ended up with a real scar.

"You fought a hellhound?" Rogue's quiet voice came from behind Sting – they had always been shy, but they were deadly with knives. Natsu once saw them take down a wendigo in less than a minute.

"More than once," Gray said quietly, and when Natsu looked up at him, he realized suddenly that his boyfriend was not only anxious but also shy. The last time he'd seen these people, he hadn't spoken any English, and had been seen as more of a creature than a person.

Natsu reached down and gripped Gray's hand tightly. "Yeah, shit's getting weird out there," he said quietly, looking around the room. Everyone here had a harder feel to them, something more intense. Even Sting's eyes looked darker than usual. "Is, uh... dad here?" He asked. Better to get it over with now than hide from him.

"Down in the vault," Sting said, giving Gray a hesitant look. "He's in a mood. Gray, you wanna stay up here with us?" Gray gripped Natsu's hand harder and he squeezed back.

"Do I need to?" he asked, looking between Sting and Rogue. "He isn't planning on dissecting me or anything, is he?" Natsu caught Sting's surprised expression at the fact that Gray could both understand them and speak perfectly understandable English. Gray sighed. "You're looking at me funny." He turned to Natsu, giving the look that asked if he'd made some sort of cultural mistake. Natsu shook his head.

"Well, you're, um... different," Sting said hesitantly, gesturing for them to come join him and Rogue at a table. "And... together?" He looked at their joined hands, lifting an eyebrow.

"Mhmm," Gray replied, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Natsu's cheek. "And I couldn't help learning English listening to him, he never shuts up." Natsu grumbled and elbowed Gray in the ribs as they settled down at the table.

"He's not wrong, Natsu," Rogue said, smiling at him. Rogue and Sting had been partners – hunting wise and romantically – for longer than Natsu had known them, and they worked together as if they were one person. Rogue was deadly with their daggers, and Sting had a steady hand and a knack for wielding magical weapons.