notes1 and here i am again with something else. i finally managed to write something for my otp, like, wow
notes2 yeah, in case it isn't clear, this is kinda post-eclipse gate chaos party!au, because gray already knows about ultear and erza does too (and i'm pretty sure my imagination of the castle is different)
inspiration Strangers in a Waiting Room by reminiscent-afterthought, there are monsters by underlings, Guardian Angel by xXChiasaHimuraXx, Yearning by alberonas and countdown by Ice of Kitsune's Fire — catch all the references you can
dedication to misheard song lyrics, i mean come on
disclaimer applies
pairing gray&erza, microscopic gray&ultear and gray&juvia if you squint
yesterday was a pleasant dream
.
.
.
won't you stay a little longer with me?
.
.
.
He's standing by the balcony, looking out over the endless sea of green that sprawls in front of the mansion like a carpet. She's not quite sure if he hears her light footsteps approaching over the roar of the party as the bright light fades away into the midnight sky.
Resting her arms on the parapet, she steals a quick glance at him. Physically present, check. Mentally absent, check.
"Gray?" her voice is soft like the wind, the usual sharpness in it gone for fear that it would startle him.
He jumps at the sound of her voice and turns his head to look at her. Silently, she's thankful for her decision — she doesn't want to know what would've happened had she used her normal tone. Though admittedly, it might've lightened the thick tension hanging in the air.
She cracks a small little smile and asks, "What have you been thinking about?"
His mouth opens to say something, but he closes it and shakes his head slowly, lowering his head. Reluctance to speak, check. Moodiness, check.
"It would be good to talk about it to someone."
She takes note of how he hesitates for a moment before he replies, "I…suppose."
"You know you can talk to me," she plays with the dead leaf sitting next to her right elbow with her left hand mindlessly. "Natsu would be happy to not have his party crashed so early. I'll go in a little later to beat him up."
"I know."
The leaf struggles in the blowing wind and she lets go of it, eyes trailing after it as it swirls away from the balcony into the wilderness. More leaves on the tree branches overhead rustle and she feels at peace for a moment.
"It's…Ultear."
He looks like he's trying to swallow the lump in his throat and tell her more, but she understands and starts talking instead in an attempt to put him at ease.
"She was a great person. Just like Ul. She may have been our enemy before, but she was just a victim of all the injustice in this world. Had things been different, she could've been our ally from the start. Maybe…maybe a lot of things wouldn't have happened. There are a lot of 'what-ifs', after all. Like, 'what if the dragons hadn't left'?"
"Maybe Natsu wouldn't have joined Fairy Tail," Gray smiles wryly. "Then he wouldn't have met Lucy, and Lucy wouldn't have joined Fairy Tail. Well, not that early, I guess."
"She wanted the best for you, and you know that, Gray."
"She gave up her life to save mine. You can't just pretend that never happened."
"I can't," she murmurs, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Nobody can. But she wouldn't want you to be brooding over her death right now, would she?"
Silence falls over them and she closes her eyes, tipping her head to the sky.
"Gray-sama! Where are you?"
"You should probably get back to Juvia."
He doesn't respond, but she sees him push himself off the parapet from her peripheral vision. The corners of his mouth twitch into a light smile, but she can still see the strain behind it. An odd mix of hurt and solace stirs in the pits of her stomach, and she makes sure her face is painted with a smile too.
"I guess you're right."
She watches as he heads towards the door of glaring lights and throws a smirk her way, disappearing past the entrance as he turns off the lights, and her heart crumbles to dust.
.
.
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i always believed you wouldn't choose me in the end
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.
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(and i know it's true when i open my eyes in the morning)
end notes ohmygosh i love this too much be gentle please