Gratsu one-shots/drabbles

Gradually

"That I can agree with," Several heads turned the speaker including Natsu's, "But the dragon bullshit is just that. Bullshit." Gray had been a newer member of the guild at the time, and he still had a small accent from growing up in Isvan. He was looking at the pinkette like he was nothing more than a stain on the floor, and it shocked those who knew him. "You shouldn't lie to people."

"None of what I said was a lie." The warm voice Natsu had spoken with had disappeared.

Most people began to back away when the temperature started rising, but the rest quickly followed once Gray only got half-way through the words "Proove it." The pinkette had launched himself at the ice mage, decking him in the face with a flaming fist. Gray snaped the table behind him in half when he landed, and from there it was a death match.

Both mages were at each others throats for a good ten minutes before Makarov figured out how to stop them without hurting them. He slammed his enlarged arm in between them, taking an attack from Gray meant for Natsu. Natsu had extinguished his flames and stopped the majority of the momentum from his punch before he basically tapped Makarov's arm. The pinkette sighed and dropped his arm. "I apologize. I shouldn't have let myself get angry." Gray just "tched" and walked out.

The guild had been trashed, and the weaker members were hiding behind the bar. "It's not your fault, Natsu." Makarov said amazed, "You know, you'd fit in here, and if you joined the guild, you would have a place to stay while you looked for Igneel."

Natsu froze half-way finished picking up a table. "What's a guild?"

That had been the first time they fought and it certainly wasn't the last. However, it was the only time they fought out of pure hatred. Gray had apologized after a week, and had even asked him to tell him about the dragon who'd raised him.

Natsu spent almost three hours talking about random things he did with Igneel, and he explained his magic to the ice mage. Gray had missed it when he stormed off.

Their rivalry was strong, and the two of them kept with it. They challenged each other to everything. When they were younger it was consistently more often and more violent. As they got older, it was only once or twice a day, and it didn't last as long. It took six years for them to get down to one physical fight a day.

The arguing and insults were something that never stopped, simply turning themselves into nicknames by the time they were fifteen and sixteen.

"Natsu's quiet. He's never quiet." The thought sent Gray on edge as he watched the dragon slayer from across the room. He had barely spoken a word to anyone all day, and it was starting to worry the ice mage.

Gray decided to do the only thing he could. "I'm bored," He nearly screamed, "There's no good jobs and no one here's doing any thing!" He watched Natsu's head lift up from his arms, and the second they made eye contact, Gray knew he'd taken the bait. "Are you okay, Flame-Brain?"

"Then go be bored somewhere else, Elsa," Natsu spat out. "I'm fine. Just one of those days."

"What if I don't want to, Frire-Freak?" Gray challenged. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Then I'll kick your ass, Icicle-Dick." Their guild members were already shooting back. "Yes, but no."

"I don't think you're capable of that, Ash-For-Brains," Gray shouted, "You sure?"

"Try me, Frosty the Snowman," Natsu declared confidently. "Yeah. Hit first, talk later."

"OUTSIDE!" Erza shouted, and both of them ran.