Word Count: 1195

Sorry for the late update! Please enjoy my drawing of Natsu above (Also, please do not steal my artwork)! I wrote an extra long chapter to compensate for the time, so don't forget to vote and comment!

Natsu paced, earning a concerned look from his blue exceed. "Natsu, I'm sure it'll be fine," Happy tried to reassure. "After all, they know you looooooove him," he finished, emphasizing the "o" in "love." The slayer simply nodded, not actually listening to the cat-like creature, and continued his trek.

"Would you cut it out?" another slayer growled at him. Laxus. Though Natsu didn't wonder about much, he did wonder why his eldest brother had been so irritable that evening. Natsu shrugged in answer to his own thought, worrying about his boyfriend instead. Laxus and Freed had been awfully suspicious earlier while the slayers had been at the Guild. Natsu was giving himself another headache already. He ceased his pacing at a loud thunk of a fist on wood.

"Let me in, will ya flame-breath?" came a call from behind said door. The flame-breath in question jolted to open the door, making Gray nearly jump out of his skin. He was pulled into a tight hug by his dragon, who seemed reluctant to let go of his bare stomach. Indeed, he had lost his shirt on the way once again. The ice mage sighed, running his fingers through Natsu's thick pink locks. "Babe, I'll be perfectly fine," he nuzzled into Natsu, attempting to calm his nerves.

A grumble of a male clearing their throat broke up the duo's embrace. "Hate to say this," Gajeel began," but Wendy knows all about Gray." Natsu froze, looking similar to his motion-sick state. "Hey, she ain't gonna guilt ya into anything I haven't already, so no harm," the iron dragon smirked, laughing his unique chuckle. The younger of the siblings hung his head, but was forced to look into the eyes of his beloved. The love held within Gray's warm eyes melted the cold fear away. It will be fine, he told himself, trying to believe for Gray's sake.

Another, more timid knock sounded. All the slayers, including Wendy, were confused except for Laxus. Natsu opened the door to reveal a slightly flushed Freed. Laxus almost immediately pulled the rune mage to his side, not willing to relinquish his hold on Freed's arm. Happy smiled knowingly, but then frowned when Carla walked away from him to speak with Pantherlily. Natsu went to his little buddy, comforting him in the wake of Carla's rejection.

The older slayers took the opportunity to intimidate Gray. Of course, Natsu would be able to hear any words they used, so they used their murderous glares to get across the message: hurt Natsu, you die. Wendy took a gentler approach, giving a stern look which was more threatening than Gray would ever admit. Natsu returned to Gray, latching onto his arm as if to keep him away from his vicious siblings. Gray was too fearful to laugh, but he wrapped his arm around the slayer. "Sting was a little... enthusiastic," Rogue began, apologizing in advance, "and he insisted on cooking dinner." As if on cue, the light dragon poked his head out of the kitchen, a pink, frilly apron visible along with a wooden spoon. He grinned like a maniac, rushing back at the smell of smoke that each slayer cringed at. "Be warned," the shadow slayer finished with a sigh, meeting Lector, Frosch, and the culinarily challenged Sting in the kitchen.

"Freed planned tonight, and Gray had better pass the tests," Laxus interjected into the silence following Rogue's retreat. Freed was blushing heavily, but Laxus refused to allow the enchantment maker any further than a step away from his side. Natsu opened his mouth to protest, but Gray petted his locks once more. A test was better than blindly accepting him, so the ice-make wizard rationalized that completing the required tests would go over well with the family. After that, the fire dragon would be all his, and they wouldn't have to hide from Natsu's siblings. Juvia, however, was another issue neither were ready to tackle.

Freed fought to loosen Laxus's grip, succeeding when he told of his plan to test Gray. He would run through scenarios, gauging the wizard's situational intelligence and determining if he could handle stress well. Natsu chatted with his siblings excluding Laxus as well as the twin dragons, having one of the most serious conversations he could manage. Gray and Freed had chosen the couch as an appropriate place to have the exam and Laxus sat only a few feet away in the corresponding chair, gazing at Freed in an unsettling way. Freed had been too shy to question Laxus's previous actions, and Laxus was quite unwilling to expose the reason. The rune mage had been infuriating and Laxus just couldn't resist the scent that called to his sensitive dragon nose. He shook his head, trying not to focus on the tingling, inky fragrance radiating from the mage himself.

"Sting! What the hell?!" came a shout from another room, followed by a quieter and higher pitched voice.

"Fro thinks so too!" A very grumpy Rogue left the kitchen, his hair tied in a ponytail to keep it away of his clothes. His dark clothes were coated in a thin layer of white flour and were the cause of the slayer's disagreeable mood.

"But did he even need-" Gajeel began, but was cut off by Rogue.

"No, he didn't need flour," he grit out irritably.

"Roguey, you know I didn't mean it!" Sting yelled from his position in the kitchen, drawing out his nickname for his twin. Rogue made a "tch" sound with his tongue, but went to his room to change out of his flour-coated cloak. The slayers laughed, familiar with the twins' dynamic. Freed paid no mind to the dragons' antics, more concerned with completing his test for Gray. Thus far, he had surmised that Gray was fairly rational, thus passing the intelligence portion.

Smiling, Gray scooped his slayer into his arms, resting his arms around Natsu's waist. The fire dragon continued conversing with Gajeel and Wendy, but a small rose blush adorned his childish features. Laxus scooped the rune mage into his arms as well, making Freed attempt to hide behind his green fringe. "L-Laxus? We must have a conversation," he stated awkwardly, turning his figure out of shape to glance up at the lightning dragon's face.

"Must we?" Laxus grumbled out almost teasingly, lowering his nose to Freed's silky hair. The mage yelped slightly, squirming away from the slayer once again. "Would you stop moving?" he breathed lowly into his prey's ear, lips nearly brushing against the delicate skin. "That makes this harder for me to enjoy," he ground out suggestively, making the mage still. "Better."

"Dinner!" Sting burst out of the kitchen, acting as the dinner bell with his singsong-y voice. Lector followed close behind, paws over his nose against the smell of the food. More like charred remains, if you asked any of the dragon slayers besides Sting himself. Frosch looked near tears when he realized that Rogue had not returned. He rushed off to find his best friend, drawing Sting's attention to his twin's absence. He quickly served dinner, following Frosch to go apologize to his shadow.

All present in the household prepared for the most awkward dinner they've ever experienced. Oh joy.

Another chapter out! Please give me ideas of how to continue as I've been facing some writer's block. I would love to hear all of your ideas of how the slayers will test Gray's physical strength!

~FanaticShipper07