Legend:

(y/n)= your name

(l/n)= last name

(h/c)= hair color

(h/l)= hair length

(f/c)= favourite color

(y/f/m)= your favorite magic

(c/n)= crude nickname

…

Okay. This was it; the day Erza returned from the job she'd taken last week.

And you were nervous as fuck.

Sure, the girls had promised they had everything ready for The Plan, but that didn't sooth your writhing insides in the least. As you took another sip of your drink before setting it back down on the bar counter, you couldn't help but doubt the odds that The Plan would even work.

It all started a week ago, when Erza had gone on her job. No, scratch that; all the drama in your life started a year ago, when you had first joined Fairy Tail. At the time you still weren't very strong, not physically or magically, so fighting the other mages was out of the question, especially Natsu or Grey. You had tried a few times, you really did, but all that had accomplished was you managing to break a table with your spine. You could still feel the bruises today. But what had really scarred your pride was just how horribly your first job had gone; it had taken way longer than it should have and, though you did eventually get the reward, you'd returned with a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. So you were more than a little wary when you'd checked out the job board the second time.

Stop a band of deadly, life-threatening bandits!

Find my lost and very-poisonous chimera!

Catch a bone-eating, face-melting, fucked up thief who will wind up killing you in the end!

As you looked at the flyers pinned to the board, you sweatdropped with a defeated sigh as you realized not one of them was at your below-zero level. Without thinking about who might hear you, you murmured, "Maybe I shouldn't have joined this guild…"

The next thing you knew, an armored hand clamped down on your shoulder and you swore you could practically hear your bones cracking under the firm palm. "What did you say about not joining us?" a voice asked coldly. When you turned your head, you felt your cheeks redden at the sight of the woman behind you. She had long, straight red hair and the prettiest brown eyes you had ever seen. Her torso was completely covered in silvery heart cruz armor and she wore a black skirt underneath and she stood with such authority written in her every fiber that you could've thought she was standing before a meddling child. Which was probably what you had been to her at the time.

"State your business here," she demanded, keeping her hand clasped firmly on your shoulder as she eyed you.

"I-um, I'm a new mage h-here," you sputtered, trying and failing to keep your cool.

The pretty redhead arched an eyebrow, deep in thought. "A new mage?" she said, seeming a little confused. "You couldn't possibly be…? Would you happen to be (y/n), young man?"

You nodded your head, but just to be sure, she asked, "The one that took three weeks to complete a four-day mission?" Again, you nodded unenthusiastically. She let go of your shoulder and turned you around so that you two were face to face before bowing slightly and giving you a small nod. "Forgive me," she said, "I've been so busy lately I forgot to personally welcome you. I'm Erza Scarlet."

When she told you her name, you inwardly shuddered. This was the Titania? Sure, she looked a little (a lot) different from the monstrous description Natsu had given you, but you couldn't help but feel your shoulders tense and your muscles tighten as your body involuntarily prepared to run. Erza gave you a confused stare, her brown irises asking Why are you staring at me like that?, before her gaze softened and she cast you a small smile.

"I remember my first job," she said breathily. "It was a lot harder than I thought it would be but I pulled through in the end." She glanced back up at you, her stoic expression back in place, and continued, "The first few are always the hardest, but we're all survivors. Another job won't kill you."

You shuffled your feet awkwardly before giving a half-hearted nod and shoving your hands into your jean pockets. "I guess…" you mumbled.

Seeing that she hadn't convinced you, she sighed and ripped the flyer you'd been looking at off the board. You jumped when she slid her armored hand into your soft, fleshy one and started pulling you out the guild.

"Wha—"

"We're going on a job, right now."

Ignoring your protests, Erza pulled you all the way to the train station, never letting go of your hand until your tickets were bought and you two were sitting down in the train itself. You rubbed at the lines her death grip had left behind and groaned, feeling a headache coming on. You looked up at her and opened your mouth to speak, but you were almost immediately cut off.

"What type of magic do you use?" she asked. She crossed her legs and you blushed when her bare thigh brushed against your own denim cloaked one.

"I'm, um, a (y/f/m) mage," you said uneasily.

She nodded and said, "Perfect. It'll do us good in this mission."

You raised your eyebrows. "It will?" you ask incredulously. "That job seems really tough if you ask me. I don't see how my magic will help us in the least."

"It's a two day job, (y/n)," she pointed out, to which you rolled your eyes.

"Yeah, my point exactly. Or have you already forgotten my other job?"

With a smile, she mused, "Your magic is useful, though. You just need to train a bit more. I'd be willing to help train you, if you wish." After a moment, you returned her smile.

"That'd be nice, Erza. Real nice."

The job, much to your amazement, only took four days with Erza around. When you were handed the reward, Erza refused the half you offered to her, saying that you deserved all of it. You two travelled back to Magnolia on another train, talking and laughing the entire time and you actually found that she wasn't at all like how Natsu had described.

It didn't stop there. As she had promised, she helped you train. It took a while (if that's what you call seven months), but soon you were jumping into guild brawls like everyone else, going up against people like Elfman and Freed. You once tried a surprise attack on Erza from behind, but that ended in a black eye and a split lip from when she lashed back in surprise.

Later on, she formally introduced you to some of her closest friends, now your best friends today, who you immediately hit it off with. But while you spent time with each of them, you noticed a while ago that your gaze would linger on her longer than anyone else. It didn't take you, or anyone else around you for that matter, very long to realize you had feelings for her. In reality, anyone that could see from both eyes could clearly pinpoint your involuntary little signals; the blush that always seemed to appear when she was around, how you're breath would hitch when she got too close and how you'd just sound so dumb when talking to her sometimes. Hell, Grey even caught you with a fucking boner for Pete's sake… which he still teases you about today.

Almost everyone in the guild knew. All except for one very important person: Erza herself.

So when she left for a week long mission, you resolved to find a way to confess to her. The problem with that plan though was that you had no idea how to confess.

Not knowing what to do, you decided to ask your friends for advice, which proved to be even less helpful than you thought it would be. When you asked Grey, he told you to hold all the mushy crap and just straight out seduce her. "That should be easy enough for you, (y/n)," he had snickered, pointing at your crotch. "After all, you've probably had more perverted thoughts about her than Juvia has had about me."

You accidentally knocked out one of his teeth when you punched him.

Gajeel told you to just straight out tell her your feelings. "Don't be afraid of getting rejected and just spit it out, (c/n)!" he spat out, loudly chewing on your house keys. (When the hell did he get those?! Whatever…)

You countered with, "Easier said than done, metal-head. I bet you could totally do that with Levy any day of the week without breaking a sweat." You turned and walked away, leaving a gaping iron dragon slayer in your dust.

Natsu, much to your surprise, gave you the best advice out of the three men; when asked, the pink haired boy shrugged and told you to ask Lucy about it. "She's better at this than I am," he had reasoned.

So, following his oh-so-wise words, you found yourself sitting down next to the blond and Levy at the bar.

"Hi, (y/n)!" Mira said from where she stood behind the bar counter, wiping at an empty whisky glass. "What brings you here? You usually only hang out over here when Erza's with us."

"Well," you started slowly, unsure how to word what you wanted to say, "I kind of want to talk to you about that." The three girls looked at you expectantly as you inhaled sharply before continuing, your cheeks heating up considerably. "IkindamaybemightbeinlovewithErza!"

The girls blinked, each taking a moment to absorb what you just said, before doing what you had very stupidly forgot to prepare for: they squealed at the top of their lungs and pounced on you, firing questions a mile per minute.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me sooner? How many dates have you two been on?"

"I—uh, haven't c-con—"

"You haven't confessed yet?! Why aren't you with her right now, then?"

"I—"

"She took a job yesterday, Lucy. Get your facts straight."

People were starting to sneak glances at your little group and you felt your face flush. Most of them snickered, knowing who you four were screaming about, while others still had no idea about you liking anyone up until then. If they find out about my feelings for Erza, they'll surely tell her before I do.

"But, Mira, (y/n) could've gone on the job with Er—" You cut Levy off by clamping your hand over her mouth. After a minute or two, the rest of the guild subtly returned to their own conversations, awkwardly pretending that they hadn't been listening, though Gajeel sent you and Levy a curious glare. You removed your hand from her mouth and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry," you said as quietly as you could, "but I don't want any more people knowing about my feelings before her." You swung your gaze over to the other two girls and added, "That goes for you as well."

Lucy and Levy nodded while Mira tried protesting again. You quickly shushed her and she reluctantly agreed. You sighed, feeling a headache coming on before continuing. "I need to confess to her soon, and I thought you three could help me figure out a fool-proof way of getting through to her."

Levy quirked a blue eyebrow and asked, much more quietly than before, "Why don't you just straight out tell her you like her?"

You rolled your eyes. "You and Gajeel really do think alike, Levy. Even though you two are total opposites."

"What?!"

You shook your head. "Never mind. Besides I tried that already and it didn't work all that well." All three girls arched their eyebrows in surprise. "Really?!" Mira sputtered. "What happened?"

"Well…"

FLASHBACK

"You really don't have to carry me, Erza!" you stammered, feeling your face redden as her grip tightened on your legs when she slipped. With your chest pressed flush against her armor, you wondered in embarrassment if she could feel your heart beating uncontrollably.

The red-head readjusted her hold on you for the fifth time before starting off again, the light rain turning the firm dirt path into a mud pool. "Of course I do, (y/n)," she said, grunting as she lost her footing yet again. "You can't walk on that leg and you know it."

This was the third job you two had ever gone on together since you'd figured out how you felt about her. It was fairly easy considering it had only taken you two half the time it was supposed to take to subdue the bandit, but the fact that the man had been a script mage wasn't mentioned in the flier you picked up. You guys had been chasing him when he'd whipped out a magic stylus and shouted out "HOLE!"

The word started off as a golden wire of light, confusing you before it hit the ground. Most of the letters burst in a mist of gold dust except for the 'O', which widened and became a hole the size of a large closet. Erza jumped over it easily, unfazed by the display, but you skidded over the edge and tumbled head over heels into the hole. While it wasn't too deep, as you rolled down you heard a horrible snap and pain erupted from your ankle, increasing tenfold each time it repeatedly hit the ground.

At some point you stopped, lying at the very bottom on your stomach and groaning like you'd woken up with the worse hangover of your life. Except directed at your limp ankle. You considered getting up, but stopped yourself when the pain grew to be too much. So you lay there and hoped Erza would come back for you.

Unfortunately, Erza had continued chasing the bandit, not knowing that you were suffering at the bottom of a pit somewhere. Only after she'd knocked him unconscious did she come back, showering you with upset apologies and an embarrassing amount of concern that went straight to your cheeks, probably hotter than Natsu's fire by then. She helped you up and, together, you two turned in the bandit and collected the reward, Erza once again giving you the larger share. After that, you two took on the route back to Magnolia.

So that led to Erza carrying you on her back. Erza said she would have preferred getting you to doctor right away, but your client lived practically in the middle of nowhere, meaning that you'd have to wait until Porlyusica could check out your ankle. Trains didn't run in that area, so you two had to. Or, rather, she had to walk while carrying you as though you were as light as a feather. To make it even worse, it had started raining.

"But, Erza—" you started before the equip mage shushed you. "No buts about it, (y/n)! Besides," she added, her tone softening ever so slightly, "this doesn't bother me in the least. It's the least I can do, however, for leaving you behind like that."

You flushed, glad that she couldn't see your face at that very moment; while she often kept her strict, emotionless side up, she'd always smile at least once when she was with you, her walls crumbling for a few seconds each time. "Fine," you muttered, resting your head on its side so that your ear pressed against her armor painfully. With your ear pressed to her, you could actually hear her heartbeat echoing beneath her layers of metal, steady and strong. Just like she is, you thought with a soft smile.

After a moment, Erza stopped, turning to look at you with worried brown eyes. "You okay, (y/n)? You're awfully quiet." You raised your head and met her gaze. "Yeah," you said quietly, "I was just, um, thinking… about how…" You stopped, losing your nerve. You can do this, (y/n), you thought before continuing. "I really… like you."

Erza blinked, silent a moment before giving you a radiant smile. "I like you, too, (y/n)," she said, almost making your heart burst when she continued. "You're one of my closest nakama and I'd hate to lose you." She turned away and started walking again.

Your eyes widened. "N-nakama?!" you protested. "No, that's not what I—" You paused as she turned again, looking at you curiously. You gulped and averted your eyes, giving her a weak smile as you murmured, "Yeah… yeah, nakama. That's what I meant." She gave you another small smile and continued on her way, the rain seeming to get heavier with each step.

"Ever since then, I've been trying to find a way to tell her how I really feel," you finished. "But I can't figure out how to do that without chickening out like a wimp."

The three girls looked at each other, then you, before squealing like teenage girls at a boy band's concert, drawing everyone's attention back to your group once again.

"(Y/n), you're definitely smitten!" Mira cried, making your cheeks burn. "We'll help you no matter what!"

"You can totally count on us, (y/n)-kun," Levy agreed, nodding her head and making her blue waves bounce vigorously.

You waved your hands dismissively, furiously whispering, "Yeah, yeah—I got it alright? Just stop screaming!"

"We won't let you down," Lucy giggled. She quickly stopped, serious again and frowning. "But what can we do, though? It can't be anything major because she's coming back this evening."

Each of the girls quieted down, thinking hard. You sweatdropped as you watched them, unsure of what to do when Mira snapped her fingers, a smile making its way onto her face. "The party!"

You and the other two girls stared at her, confused, and you asked, "What party?" Mira's eyes were sparkling as she quickly explained. "Master realized that when Erza returns today she will have completed her five-thousandth solo-mission, so we're holding a surprise party in her honor!"

"So?"

"SO?" Mira shook her head, disappointed that you hadn't figured out what her brilliant idea was yet. "There'll be lots of singing and dancing. You could dedicate a song to her, (y/n)!" Lucy and Levy beamed, both excitedly agreeing that it was a great idea. You in turn quickly shook your head.

"I can't write a song, much less sing one!" you protested, to which Levy tapped her chin, thinking a moment. "Maybe you can't sing, but Mira can," she suggested. "She'll just say it's from you before she starts. As for the writing part, me and Lucy can easily do that for you; we'll just need to ask you a few questions first."

"I-I guess…" you sighed, trying and failing to find something wrong with their plan. Your gaze snapped back up to theirs a second later, though, and you found yourself asking, "Wait—what kind of questions?" Levy shrugged, retrieving a notebook from her bag along with two pens. She tore a page from the book and handed it and a blue pen to Lucy before flipping to another random page and opening her black pen.

"Just one question, really; how exactly do you see Erza?"

You froze up, your face turning beet red. How do I see Erza? You squirmed in your seat, averting your eyes from the three girls. "Well…" you started, unsure of what to say, "I guess that… you could say that there's not one other person I've ever felt so strongly about in my entire life. Not only is Erza beautiful, but she's the strongest person I've ever met," You smiled, "in more ways than one. She's confident, determined, and only thinks about others at all times; she's who I wish I was sometimes. Even when she's covered with injuries, she'll get right back up again if it means she can help someone as weak as me. She's wonderful." Your smile faded away as you continued. "Sometimes I worry that she'll realize that she's so wonderful, though, and that she'll forget about the weak (y/f/m) mage she found a year ago and run off with someone else that'll tell her just how much they love her." Your (e/c) eyes softened. "That's why I've got tell her how I feel as soon as possible."

When you looked back up, you were startled by the tearful smiles and flushed cheeks you saw.

"Tha… that was beautiful, (y/n)!" Mira cried. Lucy nodded, swiping at her eyes, while Levy stuffed the notes and pens back into her bag. "Don't worry, (y/n)," Levy said, giving you a reassuring smile. "We'll have the song ready by tonight. When it comes on, that's your cue!"

You stiffened. "Cue for what?" you asked, but Lucy and Levy had already rushed off, giggling the entire time, and Mira jogged over to Freed to take his order. You sighed, unhappy that your question had been ignored, though you already knew the answer.

You were just scared of the answer.

After a few moments, you got up and went back to your apartment, changing your clothes for the evening and thinking about Erza the entire time. Much later, the sky now a dark indigo, you made your way back to the guild to wait for Erza along with everyone else, ordering a drink to pass the time. You still had barely taken a sip of it, though, your nerves going into overdrive with each passing minute.

The guild suddenly erupted in cheers and you turned around just in time to see Erza's surprised face as she walked through the guild doors. She flushed as she took in all the banners embroidered with her name hanging everywhere and her already halfway drunk guildmates surrounding her. "W-what's all this about?" she stuttered, looking around wildly. "Good job on completing your five-thousandth mission, Erza!" Lucy cheered, followed by everyone else almost immediately after.

"What?"

"Mira pointed out to me that you've just completed a large milestone in your career here as a mage and I thought you deserved a little recognition. Feel free to celebrate all you want; you deserve it!" You'd finally backed away from the bar counter and joined the group when Master Makrov finished, sending the guild into chaotic caterwauling and cheers, blasting you to deaf. When you looked up again, Erza's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean five-thousandth?" she inquired, tilting her head to side. "This was my five-thousand-sixth mission."

The entire guild fell silent and you felt your left eye twitch. After a minute of stunned silence, you all turned to look at the guildmaster and Mirajane as they quickly huddled, whispering furiously. They eventually parted and Master Makrov cleared his throat, gaining the guild's attention. "Listen up, brats!" he started. "Even if there was a slight misunderstanding, we've put our blood, sweat, and tears into preparing this. Pairing this with Erza's latest mission, I say you should all take advantage of this situation and party the night away; we've earned it!"

At this, the guild burst back to life, laughing and talking and throwing shit at each other as they fought. Erza blinked, obviously still not fully understanding what had happened, and you smiled. "Erza!" you called out, making your way to her. Her brown eyes met your own and she in turn smiled, turning to you.

"(Y/n)! It's been a while." She paused as you stopped, studying you before chuckling lightly. You reddened a little and asked with a frown, "What's so funny?" She stopped laughing and, smirking, she simply replied, "Your clothes."

"My wha…?"

"Your clothes," she repeated. "You're wearing the exact same thing as when we met last year." You looked down and your eyes widened when you realized she was right. While getting dressed before, you had unconsciously put on your favourite pair of (jeans/sweats) and a (f/c) t-shirt with the Fairy Tail guild mark printed across the front. Heck, you were even wearing the same pair of sneakers as the day you had met the equip mage. You burst out laughing and sputtered, "You're right!" After a few seconds, you stopped and stared at her curiously. "Wait," you said, "you actually remember what I was wearing a year ago?"

Erza flushed so slightly that you barely noticed the raspberry tint on her cheeks. "Of course I do, (y/n)," she murmured. "Why wouldn't I?"

You felt your face burn and you'd just started leaning forward when a spotlight shone down on both of you. You jumped as you heard Mira's voice. "Good evening, everyone! I've got a few songs for you guys, but first…" You groaned and Erza looked at you curiously. Damn Mira. "… A song dedicated to Erza Scarlet from none other than (y/n) (l/n), entitled 'Love to Erza'."

Catcalls and whispers rumbled from the crowd and you felt as though your face had caught on fire. One glance at Erza's face showed that her face was just as hot, her cheeks even redder than her hair. Mira started strumming the first chords of the song and began to sing.

"All I'd wish to be

Is what she is to me…"

You turned to Erza, stared at her pink cheeks and wide chocolate brown eyes as your own face cooled down slightly.

"(y/n)…" she started.

"But what if she never knows this?

What if Cupid missed

And another man made her his?"

You leaned forward, closing the distance and holding her close to you. She tensed and looked up to your eyes. "Are you…?"

"Maybe it's a chance, a risk

But I couldn't stand it if she never knew

How she makes me feel so lovesick…"

"…In love with me?" she squeaked. To that, you gave her your sweetest smile.

"So I sent my love to her…"

Instead of answering her, you pressed your lips to hers, your eyes closing. She returned the kiss just as the last lyrics of the song was sung and the guild clapped and cheered.

"I sent my love to Erza."

…

I was just listening to a song when I realized that when the group sang the main line, it sounded like 'Love to Erza' instead of 'Love Treasure', and so I wrote this story.

Did you guys like my story? If so, plz review! :3