Life After Near Death

The First to Know

Lyon patted Gray's upper arm. "Good for you. So, who is this lucky boyfriend of yours?" he pressed eagerly.

"Oh! Uh, I haven't asked him out yet."

"They why are you talking with me?" Lyon snapped. "Seriously, man up and confess to this guy."

"I did."

"You d- ... oh," he pouted in sympathy. "Did he turn you down? I'm so sorry, Gray."

"N-no! He feels the same."

Lyon lifted an eyebrow. "That's good. So what the hell is the problem?"

Gray sighed in anguish. "I am. I held back. I wasn't sure what I wanted. Lyon, have you noticed anything ... strange about me?"

"I noticed you're an immature idiot years ago."

"I mean about girls. With relationships in general. I've never been in love. I've been attracted to lots of girls, but never love. With Natsu, I'm not physically attracted, per say, but whenever I see him..."

"Wait, what?" Lyon shouted so loudly, some birds in the arbor flew away. "Natsu? Natsu Dragneel? Salamander? The Fire Dragon Slayer? Son of Igneel the Flame Dragon King? The man you've called flame-brain since the first time I met him? The one you hate, who fights you all the time, and you two use any excuse to kick each other's butts? Him?"

"Um ... y-yeah," Gray admitted. "It's crazy, right?"

Lyon stared at him for almost half a minute. Then he folded his arms pensively. "Not crazy. Unexpected, though. I was in a debate between Loke and Freed, since you said it was a friend of yours. Still, with Natsu ... I had a weird feeling about him. He paid a little too much attention to you lately. Still, I didn't think it was this serious. It's surprising..."

"That's an understatement," Gray muttered.

"But perhaps I should say, about damn time!" he laughed softly. "So, are you sure he loves you?"

"Yeah, he confessed."

"And you confessed to him?"

Gray paused. "Uh ... well, I told him I liked him."

"So you're dating?"

Gray cringed down a little. "No. I said I needed time, and I thought I should tell you first."

"Idiot! Are you really that stupid? Don't come back here and talk to me about this until you do something about it. Make it official. Ask him out. Sheesh, why are you even talking to me when you should be talking to the one you love and telling him how you feel?"

"That's the problem," Gray yelled in frustration. "I'm not attracted to him as a man, but I love him as a person. How is that even possible?"

Lyon stared for a long time before muttering, "You really are a child."

"Shut up!" Gray screamed, shaking with his emotions. They came up to some stone benches tucked amidst the greenery, and Gray collapsed down onto one, folding his hands between his knees and hunching over. The dappled light filtering through the arbor played over his anguished brow as he glared down at a line of ants. "Look, this is serious, maybe the most serious thing in my life, and if you're not going to help me then I'll ask someone else."

Lyon sighed, but he also felt a bit honored that Gray had turned to him. He took a seat beside his foster brother, his back straight in opposition to Gray's slouched spine. "So, you're not physically attracted, but you're emotionally attracted. And sexually?"

Gray blushed in embarrassment. "Y-yeah, I guess so."

"You've fantasized about having sex with him?"