A/N: I am trash. Got this as a prompt on tumblr and it got out of control. Hope you enjoy the lesbians tho and very thirsty Minerva.
The mission request called for a meeting at nine o'clock sharp in the morning at the square of some small town. Erza arrived promptly, and while she expected the person who sent out the job request, she was met with someone else different entirely.
"Erza?" Minerva had called out almost incredulously upon spotting those infamous red locks, confusion so clearly spelled out upon her face.
Erza turned to see Minerva, she too being quite shocked, "Minerva? What are you doing here?"
"A job request. It said to meet here at nine o'clock, so-" She gestured around her with that elegant air of hers, "Here I am."
"Strange…" Erza mused, glancing off to the side, "Mine said the very same thing."
Minerva let out a drawn-out sigh, stepping closer, "Let me guess. You're here on an S-Class mission to exterminate the band of dark mages that are thinking of making a guild out of themselves, aren't you?"
"...It says 'capture' on the request, but yes, that's the gist of it." Erza said, closing her eyes in disapproval.
"Well, Titania. It looks like we're partners for this one." Minerva said with a hint of a laugh, a sly grin forming on her features.
"I hate to disappoint, but I'm afraid not. The request was sent out to two guilds, which is illegal. I'm not sure I want to get caught up in more legal fiascos than I already have."
Minerva only laughed, "True, but that still doesn't erase the fact that there are dark mages out there that need crushing. It's the right thing to do." Her smirk only grew and her chin dipped slightly, "If I'm the one on the moral high-ground here, then you've fallen quite a-ways, Titania." She teased, snickering all the while.
"Don't 'Titania' me." Erza countered, "We've been through too much." Eventually she caved and let out a defeated sigh, waving her hand, "Fine, I'll join you for this, Minerva. That doesn't mean I'll be letting whoever sent out this request off the hook, though."
"Nor would I expect you to." Minerva let out a content sigh, moving to Erza's side and draping her arm over Erza's shoulder, "Now...if you were a dark mage, where would you and your pathetic gang of fellow losers be hiding?"
Erza closed her eyes and groaned, crossing her arms and tensing at the contact, "I wouldn't know. You were the dark mage among the both of us. I'd ask yourself that question." There was a ghost of a smile on her lips after her playful remark, and she opened a sole eye to gauge Minerva's reaction.
Minerva deadpanned, eyes shooting daggers at Erza before she shoved the Fairy Tail mage away, "Forget I asked.."
Erza only broke out into a laugh.
Their first day of searching turned up no leads, frustratingly enough. Nightfall was upon them before they knew it, and they realized they'd need someplace to retire until morning; that, and with how the clouds were looking, it was looking like a storm was to come. They- or Erza, rather -chose an inn to spend the night and asserted that if they truly were going to be partners on this mission, they'd do it like Erza would with any other Fairy Tail mage she'd accompany on a job, so that meant sharing a room, even if Minerva protested.
Minerva was seated on one of the beds, wringing out her damp hair after a shower while gazing outside. Rain poured as the storm was finally upon them, though Minerva didn't pay it much heed. She fell to her thoughts and stayed with them until she heard the shower stop and Erza step out of the bathroom, already requipped into pajamas. Minerva gestured for Erza to come join her with a tilt of her head, and Erza sat beside Minerva at the edge of the bed, combing through her hair.
"I never truly greeted you this morning. It's good to see you again, Erza." Minerva had said in a quiet tone, one softer than normal.
Frozen in action, Erza just blinked a few times before regaining her composure and returning to combing her hair, "It's good to see you too. It's been awhile since the last we've met."
Minerva turned her gaze toward Erza and flashed a brief grin, "It's been over a year since Tartaros."
Erza simply nodded, "I'm glad to see you've been holding up well since then. I know that adjusting after everything can't be easy...but I knew that you, of all people, could pull through." A warm smile curved her lips as she spoke.
In a rare display of bashfulness, Minerva let out a soft laugh and ducked her head, "Well...there were some people along the way who helped me out a great amount, so…" She lifted her eyes so she could meet with Erza's own, "I kept going through even the toughest parts of it all, knowing that they were supporting me with every step."
"Aww," Erza said quietly with a laugh laced with her words. She held out her arms in search of a hug, "So aptly put, even." She teased.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Minerva just leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Erza, drawing in a content sigh all the while. She nearly scorned herself for being reduced to some sort of smitten schoolgirl with how she was acting, but she brushed it off, for having Erza with her was worth the slight change in her personality. "I meant every word of it, too." Minerva whispered, closing her eyes and tightening her hold on Erza. Let her reputation be damned; she'd take her spellbound air around Erza over not having her around at all.
"I'm sure you did." Erza pulled away after a few moments of the embrace, though she left her hands on Minerva's shoulders for a little while afterward, "I get the feeling that this is a side of you very few get to see. I wouldn't take anything you say like this as a lie, or mollified truths."
A bit unsettled that she may have been too transparent with what feelings she harbored inside, Minerva simply drew her lower lip in between her teeth, "Is it that obvious?" She questioned, though she was quick to amend as to not be too overt with it all, "That I don't act like this around too many people, that is."
Erza merely shrugged, pulling her legs up onto the bed and laying down, head near Minerva's lap. "Oh, I don't know. I just said I got the feeling that it was."
Minerva let out a silent, relieved sigh that she wasn't found out too easily, and that Erza was mostly oblivious. She moved her legs and crossed them so they wouldn't be in Erza's way as she laid the way she was. "Hm." She hummed in halfhearted acknowledgement, propping her elbow up on one of her knees so she could rest her head in her hand. She gazed down upon the redhead that was laying with her, not moving her eyes from off of her, "You're different than the rest." Minerva offered as slight explanation for why she showed Erza this side of her. It wasn't a lie, though she didn't divulge the whole truth- or at least, not yet.
Erza tilted her head, quirking a brow in curiosity, "Am I?"
Minerva nodded, the smallest of grins ghosting her lips, "You are. You've done so much for me, after all.. It's only natural that it sets you apart from everyone else."
"I only wanted to help you." Shaking her head with a laugh, Erza stopped when some hair fell onto her face, and she tried to blow it away, but to no avail.
"And that you have. More than I think you'll ever come to know." Moving against the voices in her head telling her to stop, Minerva went to gingerly clear the hair from Erza's face, causing her hand to brush against Erza's cheek ever so slightly and softly. Even when the hair was brushed away, Minerva still played with those gorgeous scarlet locks absentmindedly, her manicured hands delicately moving any stray strands of hair away. "I've become attached to you like I have with no other. That's why I show this side of me." She said quietly, finally allowing her hand to fall upon the mattress.
Warmth rushed to Erza's cheeks and her mouth fell slightly agape, lips parted so subtly to let out a soft gasp at the contact. It was all strangely intimate, and Erza was finally starting to pick up on it all, "So, I really was right in saying that before?" She asked, that red shade upon her features only becoming more and more obvious.
"I don't like anyone seeing me so soft...vulnerable," Minerva began, "but with you, I can't seem to bring myself to stop.."
Erza's eyes fell half-lidded and she shook her head, staring up at Minerva and speaking with a breathless, low voice, "Just what is this air between us…?" Her question was more rhetorical than not, for she was starting to reach a conclusion herself.
Minerva brought her hand back to brush against Erza's cheek, though she then brought it to drift softly up Erza's neck, "Why don't you figure out for yourself…?" Erza was already arching her back from off the bed, using her elbows to keep herself upright, and Minerva leaned down to meet her halfway, but just as their lips were close to brushing against each other, lightning from the storm struck loudly and roared, jostling Erza at the last moment. Minerva closed her eyes and turned her head away, let down by the close encounter, but she soon recovered to check to make sure Titania was alright.
Erza was sitting up at that point, and she moved herself further away, breathing uneven and heavy. Minerva merely raised a brow and tilted her head, "You're afraid.." She mused. Her tone made it appear as if she was asking a question, though she could already tell the answer.
"No...not of lightning itself." Erza let out a deep sigh to try and level her breathing, "The unexpectancy and noise from it...it just resembles so many other things.." She lowered her head and hugged her knees to her chest.
Minerva leaned forward, placing a hand firmly upon Erza's shoulder, "Hey.." She began, and Erza turned her head to face her which was enough for the tigress to continue, "I'm here with you. You can feel safe. I'd never do anything to hurt you, never again, and I'll never let any harm come to you, not while I'm still here." There was something in her eyes that flashed while she spoke, only supporting her determination.
Erza smiled weakly, nodding, "Thank you.. I needed that."
Minerva returned the smile and squeezed Erza's shoulder lightly, "Of course. Anything for you." Another loud cackle of lightning sounded, and while Erza was trying to seem unphased, Minerva saw the slight way that the knight winced and jumped. Knowing that Erza would probably be continuously startled like this throughout the night, Minerva wet her lips and cleared her throat, shifting in the bed and patting the space next to her, "You can stay with me, if it makes you feel safer. I don't mind."
Erza was caught mildly off-guard at the offer, but she was quick to recover, and she crawled over beside Minerva and settled in beneath the covers. Minerva turned out the light that was illuminating the room faintly before returning and sliding in next to Erza, getting situated so that she had her back to the redhead. She shuffled a little bit before letting out a quiet, "Good night, Erza."
"Night." Erza replied, exhaling a soft sigh and staring at Minerva's back. She remained still for a little while before there was another burst of lightning from the storm, and she just clenched her jaw and let it pass. Erza could see Minerva's head turn slightly, as if to be sure that everything was alright, and it brought a sliver of a smile to her lips. Before she knew it, she ended up whispering, "Hey."
Minerva turned to face Erza fully, but she wasn't given a chance to say much before Erza had placed her hand upon the tigress's cheek and softly pressed her lips to Minerva's own. Minerva let out a surprised moan before finally pulling it together enough to return the kiss, her hand moving to beneath Erza's chin. It was so incredibly soft, the kiss, and it was gentle, too. It broke before long, though they parted slowly. Minerva was to first to speak after she laughed softly, "Now, I am- under no aspect of the word -complaining…"
"I'm only finishing what we started before." Erza interjected, grinning slightly before turning over.
"Fair enough." Minerva jested, throwing her arm over Erza's waist and moving in closer, "Don't be afraid to wake me if you need anything." She paused, moving so that her lips were dangerously close to Erza's neck, "Or if you want to continue with anything.~" She tried to snicker, but the elbow that Erza playfully drove into her stomach stopped her and made her cough out a startled 'Oof.'
"Sleep." Erza just laughed, and Minerva wasn't going to put up a fight.
Even with the storm raging all night, Erza didn't stir much after that.