Gratsu Bingo 2019
Prompt: Blood (as in Family)

Chapter 3

"Fine, fine, talk," Gray settled on the sofa, arms crossed over his chest as he waited not so patiently for Natsu to continue.

Natsu bit his cheek softly, he'd imagined this many times over, and so far it was actually going better than his worst-case scenario, but that really wasn't saying much, seeing as that one included things being set on fire.

"Look, I'm sorry for leaving the way I did, I know that was wrong," Natsu faltered, not knowing how to explain the desperation he'd felt at the time.

There had been something about receiving that letter when he did that had felt so final. So many things in his life were coming to an end, while others were so tantalizingly close. He knew after that summer he couldn't afford to take off anymore. One way or the other that would be his last attempt, there had been no other choice for him to make.

"I don't expect you to understand, but it's something I had to do, and it wasn't a wild goose chase this time. Maybe I didn't find my father, but I found a brother. Can't you please be happy for me?" Natsu pleaded with him, his eyes burning with an intensity that bore straight through what remained of Gray's anger and right into his very soul.

Gray rankled a bit at the unfairness of that statement. Of course he understood, he'd lived this drama out with Natsu since it's very beginning.

It was their house Natsu had gone to when Igneel had left on some random errand and never returned. Gray's shoulder had been the one he'd cried on, Lyon the one to remind Natsu he wasn't alone. He still had them.

Their mother had been the one to take care of him until an arrangement could be reached with Social Services that allowed Natsu to remain in Magnolia under her guardianship. He'd managed to get himself back into some semblance of normalcy, but in some ways, Natsu had never fully recovered.

Gray could never fault him for taking yet another chance in the hopes it would bring back what he craved most. Although at this point, Gray could only imagine Natsu was just looking for closure.

Igneel hadn't been a dead beat dad, he'd been the exact opposite. He'd doted on Natsu. If he'd been killed in an accident or a robbery, Gray was sure they would have found out by now. No, the only reason he could think of for him to disappear like that was if his presence somehow put Natsu in danger.

The real reason Gray was so upset was that Natsu had purposefully chosen to keep the letter from him. Sure, he would have fought with him over the wisdom of following instructions from an unknown source, but if Natsu had been determined, Gray would have gone with him.

Even though Natsu was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, Gray never wanted him to lose his cheerful countenance or his neverending optimism. He would have done anything to protect him from a world determined to beat him down.

The truth was, it was only when Natsu had disappeared that Gray had finally understood what his friend had been feeling all these years. Natsu may not be a blood relative, but he was just as much a part of Gray's family as Lyon and his mother.

He hoped someday he could convince him to be much more than that, but even if things didn't work out, the bond that united them was something Gray couldn't stand to see broken.

Not knowing where Natsu was, or even whether he was alive or dead, had done things to Gray. The anger had been a cover for the paralyzing fear that had taken hold of him when Natsu had disappeared. And now that he was here in front of him, Gray was just happy to have him back safely.

He could tell a lot had happened, and he knew it would probably take months for them to get through it all. He had a feeling there was something suspicious about this Zeref character, but he wasn't about to mess with it yet. Not when Zeref's existence made Natsu so happy. Gray would gladly accept whatever Natsu wanted to share with him and keep his eyes open for any sign of danger.

So he decided to take the high road. "I missed you," Gray admitted, his voice sounding husky from the overabundance of emotions he held.

Natsu felt as if all the tension had been let out of the room, and he was relieved. He could tell that Gray had forgiven him and everything was going to be okay.

"I missed you too," Natsu confessed, his eyes going everywhere, except where he wanted to look the most, stirred by the sight of Gray's bare chest. He could feel the flush rising to his cheeks and hear the amused chuckles coming from the kitchen, but he ignored them.

Gray, confused by Natsu's odd behavior, peered over at Lyon for help. Lyon rolled his eyes and pointed at his chest. Oh! He'd stripped again, if he did that tomorrow Juvia would skin him alive.

With a colossal smirk, Gray got up and stretched, his movements slow and deliberate. He held his hand out to an increasingly more flustered Natsu. "Come on you, let's get to bed, we have a wedding to go to tomorrow."

"Who said I'm going anywhere with you?" Natsu yelled, protesting as Gray half dragged him to his bedroom. "And put some damn clothes on, you pervert!"

"I say so. You've got another thing coming if you think I'm letting you out of my sight anytime soon. You can tell me all about your adventure tomorrow."

The sound of their voices became somewhat muffled as both men entered Gray's bedroom, but Lyon and Zeref could still hear their conversation without too much effort.

"Let go of me, you bastard! I'm not some stuffed animal."

"Natsu, you scared the shit out of me for two years. Shut up and let me have this."

"Fiiiiiine."

"Gray?"

"Hmm?"

"At the party, I —."

"Tomorrow."

Their voices became silent, and Lyon and Zeref moved to the open doorway of Gray's room, not sure if that was a good sign. They were surprised to find the two already asleep in a tangled heap of limbs and soft snores.

"They're both insane," Zeref said quietly, but Lyon saw the small smile he was trying to hide. He couldn't say he disagreed with that statement, but he was reassured to see them trying to get back into their old patterns.

He should be going to bed too, it was his wedding after all, but there was still something that bothered him about all this.

Lyon couldn't help but feel that something was off about Zeref. He couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was giving him that impression, but the more sober he became, the more things didn't add up.

Why would Igneel, a man who valued family above all else, hide Zeref's existence from Natsu? He was starting to think that Zeref wasn't Natsu's brother at all. But who was he then? It was obvious he cared about Natsu a great deal, and his interest didn't seem to be romantic.

He started to wonder more and more who this man was, and what exactly his real connection was to his friend. His earlier concern about Natsu's gullible nature returned full force.

While they had been in the kitchen, Zeref had mentioned Natsu had helped break him out of prison. He could have made Natsu believe they were related to gain his help. But then why stick around afterward? Why not just leave him behind as soon as he escaped? Did he feel indebted to him?

Lyon studied the man once more as he stood in Gray's doorway, watching Natsu and Gray sleep. His expression was hard for Lyon to read, but after seeming satisfied with what he saw, he opened the sliding door to their small balcony and walked out.

Lyon decided to follow him. He knew Gray would insist on Natsu and Zeref staying with him, especially with Sting now having a live-in boyfriend, and he didn't feel right leaving his brother in the company of this man, not until he knew whether he could trust him. He opened the sliding door and stared out with dismay to see the sun already beginning its ascent.

Shit! His wedding was in a few hours. Juvia was going to kill him! He shook that thought away knowing he'd get through the long day somehow, at the moment Gray and Natsu's safety was more important.

To his surprise, Zeref didn't acknowledge his presence, too absorbed in the contents of a locket Lyon hadn't noticed before. He finally put it down and turned to face Lyon.

"You have questions, I take it?"

"You're not Natsu's brother, are you," Lyon stated it as a fact, convinced of its truth.

Zeref's smile was cold, but it wasn't threatening, and Lyon found himself relaxing a bit.

"No," Zeref agreed readily, "I'm not."

"Why?" Lyon puzzled, "Why would you tell him you are then?"

"Because who I truly am would be too difficult for him to understand, and it would possibly affect the way he lived his life, and I don't want that."

"That makes no sense," Lyon crossed his arms over his chest, determined to wait for an answer for as long as it took.

"A lot of things in life don't make sense, yet they are possible."

"Are you at least related to him?" Lyon asked, knowing how desperately Natsu wanted to find any shred of his family.

"Yes, that I can promise you," Zeref met Lyon's gaze and held it, his dark eyes looking impossibly sad. "Natsu is all I have left in this world."

They remained silent, looking out at the city, with Lyon not sure what to say when Zeref spoke again. "Tell me something. Your brother, is he a good man?"

"Yes," Lyon answered instantly, "He might not seem like it at first because of his personality, but Gray is incredibly loyal, and if he cares about someone, there is nothing he wouldn't do for them."

"And is Natsu one of those people?" Zeref shoved his hair back away from his face as he scrutinized Lyon.

Lyon snorted, thinking that much should be unmistakable by now, "Natsu has always been one of those people, even before Gray developed feelings for him."

Zeref nodded as if satisfied with those words, "Then he will be safe here."

He turned to open the sliding door, and Lyon found himself grabbing the man by the wrist before he could move away, gulping a bit at the way Zeref looked down at his hand. He could sense that Zeref meant to leave Natsu here and disappear.

"Surely you don't mean to go? Whatever the hell he is to you, you can't leave him now. He just found you! This is the happiest I've seen him in years. If you leave him now, it will destroy him. It will destroy them," Lyon pointed at Gray's bedroom where the two men slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of the battle Lyon was about to wage for them. "He will never stop looking for you, and Gray will have no choice but to follow him."

Zeref sighed, he'd wondered about that, but he'd hoped that Natsu would come to forget him now that he was back with his Gray. He should never have written that damn letter in the first place. It had been a moment of weakness, one he still couldn't find it in himself to regret.

"Let me show you something," Zeref grabbed the locket that always hung near his heart, the one comfort he'd been allowed in his time in prison. He pried it open with one finger, the clasp loosened from being worked so much over the years and showed it to Lyon.

Lyon's eyes widened in disbelief at what he was seeing, and he gasped. There was Zeref, the resemblance too uncanny to be anyone else, a beaming grin on his face as he draped his arm around a beautiful woman that for all intents and purposes looked like a female Natsu. The woman was holding a toddler in her arms, a cheerful-looking boy with untamed pink locks and an infectious grin. A boy who could only be Natsu Dragneel.

Lyon kept looking from the picture to Zeref, to Gray's bedroom, and back to the image. Zeref took the locket back and closed it, hiding it within his shirt.

"Let's go for a walk. If there's one thing I've learned it's that Natsu has excellent hearing. It saved us more times than I can count."

Lyon could only nod his agreement, following the older man back inside his apartment. Making sure he had his keys, he led them out of the building and into the rapidly approaching dawn.

Once they were outside, he immediately asked the question that was driving him mad. "Who are you?"

"I'm Natsu's father."

"But how? You don't look much older than us."

"Do you believe in curses, Lyon?"

"Huh?"

A/N: I think the next chapter should be the last one...