Beautiful Disaster [Stingue]

Into the Deepest of Hearts

Natsu Dragneel felt cold. That was the problem with the temperature during the winter time; it was decent and bearable during the day, but as soon as evening hit, it became far too cold to be comfortable. Of course Gray could handle these kinds of freezing winds due to his training, but even with his muffler wrapped tightly around his neck, Natsu felt the extreme chill spreading through his veins, making him shudder.

He could be using his fire, yes. But since it was so distinct, he was sure someone in the area would recognize it as Fire Dragon Slayer magic and have him reported, which would lead to him just ending up in a bad place and drastically decreasing his chance of finding Gray.

"Jeez Gray, where'd you run off to?" he quietly mumbled to himself, rubbing his hands together in a futile attempt to warm them up. He should've at least grabbed a jacket, but he couldn't waste even a second to think about anything else after seeing his boyfriend run off into the middle of the night with a such a dreadful look on his face.

That's right, boyfriend. Another thing he had to hide due to it being forbidden. Romantic relationships in general were not allowed among students, let alone ones between those of the same gender. Natsu hated this unfair society he was born into. Not being able to show off certain aspects of himself, especially ones that he was so proud of, frustrated him to no end. If he had things his way, he'd beat the hell out of the person responsible for creating such absurd rules that strips people of their own self and forces them to pretend those aspects don't exist or think they are unacceptable.

For the longest time, Natsu dreamt of leaving this wretched place once he graduated. He'd move to another city, or country even, if it meant he could show off his Dragon Slayer magic and be able to hug Gray or even hold his hand in public without fearing the trouble he'd get into. The worst part about all of this was that this issue wasn't even something he could fight against. Natsu was strong and hopeful, but that wasn't enough to avoid the punishment he'd get if he dared to break the rules. Unless Natsu could bring absolute change to this corrupt society of his, mindlessly rebelling was not the right answer, although it did cross his mind several times. Heck, if it weren't for Gray, he'd probably have a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist right in society's stupid leaders' faces.

Releasing a cold breath into the air, Natsu picked up his pace a little, using his nose to track down Gray's scent. He couldn't have gone too far; after all, there weren't many places to go at this time of night without causing suspicion. Natsu tried hard to think of places Gray liked, believing he might've gone there if it helped to comfort him a little.

His eyes darted across the various storefronts spread out around the town. A lot of them weren't even open at this hour, and those that were open were just bars that Natsu knew Gray wouldn't go to even if he was feeling emotionally wrecked. There weren't a lot of options, but even with the limited area to search, there was still no sign of Gray. Natsu's heartbeat picked up subconsciously, a flash of stressed heat giving him a moment of warmth. His eyebrows scrunched together as he scanned the area one more time, but despite his efforts, his ice wizard was no where to be found.

******

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Rogue asked after a far too long moment of distressing silence. "Should we...go after them?"

The only response Sting gave him was a shake of his head as he firmly grasped one hand in the other, pressing it to his forehead. Rogue looked at him with eyes full of worry, wanting to go up to him and assure him everything would be okay, but he wasn't the type to be able to do that comfortably or in a non-awkward manner. So, he stayed put, biting his bottom lip as he tried to think of how he could help. He felt useless sitting there doing nothing and was sure Sting felt the same way, but knew he was keeping himself from going because of what Natsu had said before he left.