Vol1/Chapter16/The Dream

Summary
Natsu has a dream that he shares with Gray. The two of them along with Happy and a small boy went fishing. The boy had pink hair like Natsu but blue eyes like Gray. The ice mage had been attempting to teach the boy how to fish but he was more interested in jumping in the river and splashing the two mages so he could watch Natsu use his fire to dry them off. The boy used magic to catch fish and give them to Happy. They walked home with the little boy holding on to their hands happily as they swung him up in the air. Gray carried the boy on his shoulders when he got tired and they headed home with Natsu and Gray still holding hands. They went inside their house and Gray kisses Natsu after putting the boy down for a nap.

Gray is happy to see Natsu excited about the baby which is in stark contrast with his despair of the previous evening.

They kiss and are discovered by the rest of their team. Erza, Wendy, Carla and Happy tease them but Lucy quickly leaves the room after congratulating them. The rest of the team is saddened by Lucy's exit but Natsu is not aware of why she seems upset.

Erza and Gray tell Natsu that Lucy has feelings for him and they had thought that he had returned her feelings. Natsu is surprised by this information as he had not been aware of it. He asks for their advice on how to deal with the situation and decides he will try to talk to her even though he is not comfortable discussing feelings.

Gray asks that they not tell anyone about their relationship as they are not ready for others to know yet. They head outside to have breakfast with the giants and Gray decides that he should also speak with Lucy since he doesn't want their friendship to suffer. They ask the giants about the Ice Devil Slayer but they have no recollection outside of the magic he used.

Gray mentions that the demon he had fought from the Succubus Eye Guild had mentioned that they had opened the Gates of the Underworld and they try to figure out what that means. They make their way back to Warrod's to collect their reward and hopefully get some information on Tartaros and E.N.D..

On the way there Natsu tries to talk to Lucy several times but she evades him causing Gray to go talk to her. He tells her that she is acting like a spoiled child and is not thinking about what Natsu means to her or what his needs are at the moment. Gray confesses to her that he has been in love with Natsu for years and is just as surprised as Lucy that Natsu picked him. Fed up he makes his way back to Natsu.

Igneel sits in his cave pondering whether he did the right thing in sending the dream to his son. He knows he is not supposed to interfere in Natsu's affairs unless it is a matter of life and death. He rationalizes that Natsu's capture and the events that followed were never supposed to happen and if he had not interfered their plans to defeat Acnologia would have been at risk. He knew how much Natsu wanted a family and he hoped that giving him a taste of what it could be like would be enough to make him protect it.