Gratsu Bingo 2019
Prompt: Scream

Chapter 2

Porlyusica had visited early the next morning, determined to see if she could make Natsu's last hours more comfortable. Despite how much they bickered, and her natural dislike of humans Natsu was someone she'd always been grudgingly fond of.

She'd been treating Natsu since he was a young child and with his penchant for getting in trouble, she saw him more than just about any other mage in the guild. Many of the members of the guild were surprised at the genuine sorrow on Porlyusica's face when she looked down at the boy sleeping on the infirmary bed. Not Gray.

He was well acquainted with how the little bastard could sneak under all your defenses and make himself a permanent home in your heart. After all, wasn't that exactly what had happened to him? No matter how much Gray had fought at first, Natsu had been unrelenting until Gray'd had no choice but to surrender to the feelings he'd suppressed for so long. And now, now all he wanted to do was beat himself up for all the time he'd wasted being stubborn.

Porlyuisica shooed Gray out of bed long before he was ready, pointedly looking away when he kissed the unconscious mage good morning. She was mildly surprised at Natsu's slight improvement, but she didn't seem to think it would make any difference to the eventual outcome.

Gray bit his lip at her diagnosis, wondering if Nergal was playing him for a fool, but the fact remained, there had been an improvement. Even Porlyusica had admitted it. He had no choice but to continue with his plan to get Natsu back.

"Happy, I need your help," Gray had finally managed to get the Exceed away from the others, and it hadn't been an easy task. There was a line of people waiting to see the Fire Dragon Slayer that reached all the way to the guild's entrance and beyond as word got out of what had happened. Hell even Totomaru had shown up.

Everyone was so ready to say goodbye, and on their way out they'd offer Gray their condolences like Natsu wasn't still alive on that bed. It made Gray furious, he would not become a widow before they even had a chance to get married. Natsu had never given up once in his life, and it was insulting for them to do so so quickly.

"Aye, sir," Happy replied, but it was only a shadow of his usual response.

Gray looked around the guild and decided it was much safer to have this conversation elsewhere. There were too many dragon slayer ears around, and he was pretty sure they would try to stop him or even worse tell Erza what he was up to. They walked outside, both heading to the river where he and Natsu had spent so many hours fighting with Happy cheering them on. Once he was sure they were alone, Gray sat down and gestured for Happy to do the same.

"I found a way to help Natsu," Gray explained and told Happy everything he'd done.

Happy looked at him, eyes wide with alarm. "Gray, you know he wouldn't want this."

"I don't care what he wants!" Gray snapped before gazing at Happy pleadingly, "I can't just let him go, not like this."

"But your memories," Happy sighed not liking anything about this situation.

"We can make new ones," Gray assured him, "It's not such a big thing."

He tried not to see the pity in Happy's eyes at the blatant lie.

"What can I do?"

"I just need you to watch Natsu, make sure Nergal doesn't try to pull a fast one," Gray explained, "You're the only one I can trust with this, I don't know what he's going to take from me, I need someone there who knows what's happening and won't try to stop it."

"Gray..." Happy pleaded with him, "Maybe it's best to just let him go."

"NO! Natsu would never give up on me, I'm sure as hell not going to give up on him. Not now that I know there's a way to get him back. Besides, I'm counting on his regeneration kicking in before Nergal can take it all."

"I don't like it, but I'll do whatever you need," Happy sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue once Gray had made up his mind about something. "He'd do something just as stupid for you."

"Thanks, Happy."

Xxx

Gray spent the rest of the day sitting by Natsu's bedside, holding his hand and continuing to watch the seemingly endless parade of people visit his love, wanting to say their goodbyes. He tried to hide his rage, but from the concerned looks he was getting from Cana and Erza knew he was mostly failing.

As evening neared, Gray left Natsu with Happy and went downstairs for a quick dinner before anyone could get on his case. He could feel the weight of many stares on his back as he ate, but thankfully, no one approached him with empty words.

He asked Erza to please send visitors away as he wanted to spend some time alone with Natsu and thankfully she agreed without too much fuss.

Gray made his way outside, sitting on the steps of the guild's back entrance staring blankly at the vibrant colors of the sunset. He was scared, no sense in lying to himself about that, he could see the way his fingers trembled as he tried to light a cigarette.

He smoked cigarette after cigarette in a futile attempt to calm his nerves. He thought about his memories, immersing himself in them one last time before they were wrested from his brain. He laughed as he remembered some of their fights when they were little, they'd been so childish and full of passion even back then. There were so many memories he wanted to keep to himself, but he had a feeling that those were the ones the devil was the most hungry for.

Gray stood up once it was fully dark. He took a deep breath before making his way upstairs. In a few hours, Natsu would be back in his arms, and everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be. He pictured the smile Natsu gave him in their most private moments and let it give him all the strength he needed to get through this night.

Xxx

Natsu could hear a voice trying to talk to him urgently. He thought it might be Happy, but it was too far away for him to be sure. It felt like his entire being was swimming through a viscous liquid. It dulled his senses, and he didn't like it.

He tried to focus all of his energy on making out the words as best he could.

-- know if you can hear me

--you need to fight...

--Gray...stupid... again

-- before it's too late

What had happened? He remembered getting off the train and sensing that strange magic directed at Lucy and without any other thought he'd taken off leaving Gray behind.

Everything after that was hazy, he knew there had been a fight. Had they won? What had happened to him?

He thought harder, his head pounding from the effort. The magic had pierced his block, and it had hurt like hell, making his body feel like it was burning from the inside. Then, nothing...

Was Gray, okay? He'd never forgive himself if his actions had caused his mate harm. Just as he finished that thought, he felt a gentle pressure on his lips. It was cold, but it heated his body, a response both familiar and full of promise.

Gray, he'd know those lips anywhere.

Hold on...longer... together soon

... love you

What the hell was going on?

He could feel his magic fighting against something inside his body, but it seemed to only be keeping it at bay. Everything was so dark, and he couldn't move a muscle, but the pain was indescribable. It felt like his body was attempting to deconstruct itself.

Natsu was not the type of person to admit he was scared, but there was no other word for the panic he was feeling. He was helpless and if felt like he needed to wake up right the hell now. Something in both Happy and Gray's voices made that clear.

He felt another presence enter the room, it reeked of sulfur and bubble gum? Who was that?

Are you... Devil Slayer?

...the crap..do this

...worry...no one... hear.... spell

Natsu wanted to scream in frustration, what was happening. Why did everything sound so far away, no matter how hard he focused?

More words were exchanged, but he couldn't make them out, the more agitated he became, the louder the sound of his own body became. His heartbeat thrummed in his ears, and he swore he could feel the blood moving through his veins.

He needed to calm down, to regulate his body as much as possible so that he could hear what was happening in the room.

He felt hands on his body, and they were not Gray's, it angered him. Why would Gray let some stranger touch him, especially one that smelled so foul? They seemed to be drawing something on his chest, and it felt viscous, just like whatever was already inside him. Once the pressure was removed, the pain in Natsu's body increased tenfold.

He could sense his magic instinctively fighting against whatever was trying to fuse with it. He felt bitterly cold as the two different types of magic battled for dominance of his body. His body shut down, and once again, he was trapped in the darkness.

Natsu didn't know how long he'd been out or what had finally woken him. He extended his senses, feeling stronger than he had before.

Stopped...Galuna... Iced Shell... first time

Don't...shy....only strongest....

There were those voices again. One was clearly Gray, but he had no idea who the other was.

..tsu...have...fight....

Natsu felt something wet on his face and was confused. Why was Happy crying? He tried to move and felt some give in his hands, but his legs remained motionless. Ugh, this was so frustrating.

The first thing he heard clearly was a blood-curdling scream, followed by sobs.

Who was crying? Was it just Happy, or was it Gray too? That scream! He recoiled when he recognized it. That was Gray!

Someone was hurting Gray, and he was lying on a bed like a fucking rag doll! He could feel the fury build within him, fueling his magic further. Natsu could feel it lashing out at whatever the hell was keeping him from his mate. It felt different though, and he began to thrash on the bed, desperately fighting to move.

Shh...look...him... better....keep going

Natsu still couldn't see, but his ears finally cleared up. With dismay, he could hear Gray telling someone all their most secret moments. Each time followed by that awful scream. And every time without fail his magic would make more headway against whatever was holding him prisoner in his body.

He remembered the first words he'd heard Happy utter and with a sinking heart understood their meaning. Gray had gone and done something stupid again. He might not be the smartest mage in the guild, but there were some things he could understand instinctively. Gray's willingness to sacrifice himself for those he loved was one of them.

Someway, somehow by telling this man their most intimate secrets Gray was helping him fight. This was dark magic, and Natsu knew that magic of this type always came with a steep price. He couldn't wait to break free so he could show his foolish fiance precisely what he thought of his shitty plan.

Natsu didn't know how much more of this he could take, he willed his magic to work ever faster as Gray's voice had become hoarse. How long had he been at it now, hours?

He continued to engage the enemy within so he could free himself from its chains, once that happened there would be no place on this Earth this man could hide from him. He was going to pay for making Gray scream like that.

When Natsu heard Gray begin to tell about how he'd proposed, the joy he'd felt when Natsu said yes and how they'd made love in the moonlight for hours, he panicked, immediately sensing they were running out of time. He could hear the tears in Gray's voice, the tiredness, and the love and he'd had enough.

The fear and fury inside him built up into a crescendo until it could no longer be contained within his body. He felt something snap inside of him, and he was already moving, flames covering his body, burning away at the sigil that had been drawn on his chest. Natsu moved with single-minded purpose, his gaze fixed on the man that dared put his hand on Gray's forehead.

He ran towards them, already readying his first spell when Gray screamed one last time and even though he barely had any voice left to give it form, it rang loudly in Natsu's ears. Gray's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed into the chair he'd been sitting on.

Happy had already flown to Gray's side, calling out his name. When he nodded at Natsu that the ice mage was okay, Natsu turned his attention to the one responsible.

"YOU! What did you do to him?" " Natsu grabbed the man by the collar of his jacket, slamming him against the nearest wall, unable to contain the rage that was itching for release.

"ANSWER ME!" Natsu roared already having grabbed the man from where he landed.

"Don't hurt him!" Happy screamed, and there was no mistaking the urgency of the Exceed's voice.

"What are you talking about?" Natsu exploded at Happy, his gaze never faltering from the man he'd now pinned against the wall. His eyes burned with an intensity that should have been capable of incinerating this contemptible dark wizard. Except, on closer observation, he could sense it wasn't a man at all. That stink, it was definitely otherworldly.

"He means, Natsu Dragneel," The creature released himself from Natsu's grasp gracefully, dusting his clothes off without concern.

"If you harm me in any way, Gray's contract will be null and void. Your Death Curse will return, killing you instantly, and your lover will have sacrificed his precious memories for nothing." The creature smirked maliciously, its dull eyes still managing to convey amusement at Natsu's plight.

"What do you mean, sacrificed his memories?"

Natsu heard a groan coming from the chair Gray occupied, and he instantly glanced over, wanting to make sure his love was alright.

"I'll let the cat explain." The man disappeared without a sound, leaving Natsu to try to comprehend what had happened and leaving him with a growing sense of unease.

He took a deep breath, he could deal with that later. Right now, he had one concern, and that was to make sure that Gray was fine. He looked awful, dark circles around his eyes made them seem hollow, and Natsu rushed to him, wanting nothing more than to assure himself that his partner was safe.

Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray and held him tightly relieved to see him awake once more. He pushed his face into the crook of Gray's neck, wanting to immerse himself in the scent that for the last few years had meant home. He was surprised when he felt resistance. Gray pushed him away, and he wasn't very gentle about it.

Natsu was confused, but he stood patiently, ready to bear the long lecture that was clearly in his future. For Gray to tell him how he always got himself into these situations by not thinking first.

He would gladly hear that lecture and many more. Natsu still had no idea what the hell had happened, but he knew that somehow they had cheated death once again. They were alive, everything else could be worked out.

That is what he was expecting. What he couldn't possibly have anticipated were the words that actually came out of Gray's mouth, nor the hostility with which they were spoken.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"