The Red Dragon

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Gray watched his brother with amusement as he ran all over their apartment in a fit of nerves. He was currently looking for his keys, which Gray could easily see from where he was sitting.

"Lyon," he called out, "Relax, man. It's just a date."

"It's not just a date. What if she decides she hates me?" Lyon muttered, looking crestfallen by the possibility.

"She's probably as nervous as you are," Gray pointed out, knowing from what Natsu had mentioned that this was Erza's first date as well.

He got up from their sofa, walking over to grab Lyon's keys. He stopped in the middle of the room as everything around him vanished, and an unexpected pain jolted him. It was so intense he could only scream in response. For a second, he could have sworn he heard a familiar voice in his head.

... soon, Princess...

Natsu?

There was no response, but Gray continued to call out, finally giving up with one last wishful thought...

Come back to me, Natsu.

Gray opened his eyes, finding himself back on the sofa with Lyon hovering over him. He could see Lyon's mouth opening and closing, but try as he might, he couldn't make out his brother's words.

What the hell was that?

"GRAY!"

Sounds came back to him slowly, Lyon's voice sounded very far away, which was probably a blessing, seeing as his brother appeared agitated.

He blinked in confusion, "What happened?"

"I should ask you that!" Lyon snapped as he ran his fingers through his hair, "You scared the shit out of me! One minute you're talking, the next you're screaming and collapsing on the floor."

Gray sat up with some difficulty, and Lyon plopped next to him. "Was I out long?"

"No, but it was freaky as fuck!"

"I'm sorry," Gray muttered, already thinking back to the pain he'd felt.

It was gone, but he didn't know what the hell it meant. Had he really heard Natsu just now? Did that mean he was close? Was he hurt like before?

He grabbed the ends of Natsu's scarf, which was wrapped around his neck as always, and buried his fingers in the fabric, letting it soothe him as it had once done for his boyfriend. His limited understanding of their connection filled him with frustration.

He closed his eyes and focused on their bond, but all he could tell was that it was still there. It wasn't much, but at least it meant Natsu was still alive, or at least that's what he thought it meant.

Gray breathed deeply and tried to stifle the panic he felt at how excruciating that pain had been and what that might mean for Natsu. He shifted his attention back to his brother, who was giving him a look Gray had grown to recognize.

"Oh no, you don't!"

"You can't possibly expect me to go out now. What if it happens again?"

"Absolutely not!" Gray protested, "You are not using me as an excuse to cancel your date. I'm fine, I just, uh, I got up too fast, that's all. Now, grow a pair and take the girl of your dreams out and show her a good time."

Gray felt terrible about hiding things from Lyon. Still, he'd feel even worse if his brother continued to put his life on hold for him, so he feigned a cheer he definitely wasn't feeling.