Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima.

He's been gone for six months.

Erza knew this mission would be a long one, she just didn't think it would take this long. She had anticipated he'd be home within three months, but apparently taking down one of the stronger dark guilds by himself proved to be more difficult than she'd thought. She knew he could handle himself; He'd gone through hell to save her multiple times and lived to tell the tales. Even so, she couldn't help but worry about him, knowing that he has a habit of overexerting himself when it came to protecting the guild.

Gone for six months with no news. Anyone would be worried, right?

She sighed and stared out the windows of the guild. It was raining. She wondered if Juvia had anything to do with it, but brushed the thought aside.

"Hey, Erza. I brought you a little present! It's from me, Natsu, and Happy."

Erza looked up at Lucy's smiling face. She smiled softly at her; Lucy had been there for her during her darkest hours, when the loneliness and anxiety became too much to bear. Natsu was too, of course, goofing off as usual with Happy to cheer her up. She really was lucky to have friends like them.

"Ah, thank you Lucy. What is it?"

Lucy pulled out a box from behind her. "Strawberry shortcake! It's your favorite, right?"

Erza's face brightened immediately. "Yes! Thank you, I really appreciate this."

Lucy's smile got even wider. "But there's more. I have a letter from a certain someone that's addressed to you!" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at her.

Erza's eyes widened. Could it be..?

As soon as Lucy pulled the letter out of her pocket, Erza snatched it out of her hands. She tore it open quickly, eager to read its contents. Lucy chuckled and waved goodbye, saying something about going on a job with Natsu.

She gave a half-hearted wave before returning her attention to the letter.

Erza,

It's been awhile since we've spoken, eh? Or well, this is more like me just speaking to you, but that doesn't matter. I bet you're worried about how this mission is going, since it's taking so damn long. I'm fine though; a few injuries and some new scars but hey, I'm alive. That guild was just too big with so many members so it took a while to wipe them out.

I miss you. I'm done here, so I'm coming home. Tell Flame Brain and the others hello for me, will you?

Wait for me a little longer. I'm on my way.

Gray

Relief surged through Erza's chest. A lone tear slid down her cheek, but her smile was bright.

He was coming home. He's finally coming back to her.

Suddenly, light filtered in through the windows. She looked outside again, but this time she saw nothing but sunshine.

The storm had passed.

Ever since she received Gray's letter the previous week, Erza's mood significantly brightened. She laughed more, smiled more, and went on more jobs with Natsu and Lucy. She was finally getting back to her old self.

Night had fallen in Magnolia. Guild members were starting to go home for the night. Erza had been talking with Mirajane and Lucy when she stood up to leave.

"Leaving earlier than usual, Erza?" Mira asked.

"Yeah. The job Lucy and I took with those two idiots today really took a lot out of me. I need some rest," she sighed heavily.

Lucy smiled sheepishly. "You know Natsu and Happy. They get a little too rowdy for their own good, sometimes."

"Yes, too rowdy for other people's good. You try explaining to the town's mayor and citizens why half of their harbor is destroyed by a fire-breathing idiot and his cat," Erza muttered.

Both Lucy and Mirajane sweat dropped. Natsu better watch his back tomorrow.

Erza waved her hand, dismissing the topic. "Well, goodnight you two. See you in the morning."

"Night, Erza."

She stepped out into the cool night air, ex-quipping into her normal clothes. Even she deserved to let her guard down once in a while, right?

She started the trek home, enjoying the melody of the crickets and the lights of the fireflies. She paused in her walk when the river, her favorite escape, came into view. Memories of a younger Gray flashed into her mind.

Gray.

She walked down to the bank and sat down, staring into the water. When was he going to come back? It'd been a week since he sent the letter. Had he run into trouble on the way home? Was he alright?

Erza wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm herself down. She was probably worrying over nothing. She tried to push her thoughts aside with memories of their younger years at this very river.

"Hey, armor-girl! This is a mage's guild. You don't go around wearin' armor," a younger Gray sneered at Erza, pulling her chair out from under her.

"Why don't you take a look at yourself before telling other people how to dress? What, is this a pervert's guild?" She challenged, dusting her clothes off from her fall.

Laughter rung throughout the guild. Gray's face reddened. "Why you little-!"

Erza glanced back at him from over her shoulder. "Don't worry about me."

She smiled wistfully now, looking back at the memory. He'd been such a fool then, always challenging her to fights. (He never won, of course.)

He found her at the river.

"There you are, Erza! Today's the day I'm gonna beat you!" Gray shouted, charging down the hill to her.

He froze when she turned, a faint blush on his cheeks. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She was crying.

She quickly wiped her eye with her sleeve. "You again… Honestly, you just don't learn, do you?" She whipped her head towards him, her expression now challenging. "Fine then. Come and try it."

Gray hesitated. "Ah… no…"

"What's wrong? You surrendering?"

He tensed even further, the blush growing on his cheeks. "H-Hey… Why are you always out here on your own?" He managed to choke out.

Erza looked down, a sad smile on her face. "I prefer being alone. Being with other people just makes me uneasy."

"Then why were you out here on your own crying?"

That was the day they became friends. The day he broke down her defenses she so desperately put up. Erza felt reassuring warmth spread throughout her body. He is still the only one who has ever seen her so vulnerable.

"Hiding?"

Gray looked over his shoulder at the familiar redheaded mage. "Erza."

She slowly made her way over to where he was sitting. "Are you alright?" she asked, knowing fully well he probably wasn't. She had come after the first day of the Grand Magic Games had drawn to a close to check up on him.

Gray kept his gaze on the floor. "I let everyone down, Erza. The whole stadium laughed at our guild because of me. How can I even show my face at the bar tonight?" He buried his head in his hands.

Erza put a reassuring hand on his arm, slowly pulling his hands away. "Gray, even the best fail sometimes. No one is blaming you for what happened today." She gently tugged on his chin, making him look her in the eye. "It's okay to fail. You just need to get back up and try again."

He smiled softly and took her in his arms, burying his face in her scarlet hair. "Thank you, Erza."

She smiled, a feeling of serenity washing over her as he held her. "Anytime." She gave him one last squeeze before climbing out of his embrace. She held onto his hand a moment longer. "I better be seeing you at the bar tonight. No more moping around. We've got a competition to win." She winked at him and went to leave.

As she was closing the door, she heard him chuckle, "Hell yeah we do."

Erza sighed, looking out across the river. She really missed him.

"I thought you would've ended up here."

She froze at the familiar voice. It was his voice. She turned, slowly, looking up the hill.

Lo and behold, there he was, in all his bandaged glory. He looked exhausted, but he had the same lazy smile on his face.

She felt tears prickling at her eyes. "Gray!"

She ran up the hill, faster than she ever had before, and jumped into his outstretched arms. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. "Erza."

She pulled away and punched him on the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for being a reckless idiot and worrying me to death." Gray grumbled, rubbing his head. Erza smiled softly at him. "But I'm glad you're home."

He leaned down, kissing her softly. "Me too."

Hello, everyone! This is going to be my drabble collection consisting entirely of Grayza, but there might a side pairing of Nalu sometimes. I'm starting off with Grayza week prompts from tumblr, and then after that it'll just be random prompts and updates.

I've posted this on my tumblr: mugiwara-time, so don't get any ideas if you see it there and see it here and then think I copied myself, haha. Nope! Same person. :)

I hope I didn't portray Erza as being a little... too dependent? I guess on Gray. But I suppose worrying and loneliness can affect even the strongest people, so I hope I got that message across.

Onto Day 2 tommorow!