Night fell over Fiore, the sole illumination being the glorious amount of stars dazzling in the sky. Since it was such a late setting, majority of the kingdom had already turned in for the night, opting for a pleasant sleep. The same went for the infamous, rowdy guild known as Fairy Tail. For them, the only members that were still present at the guild were an Ice Mage, a drunken - and unconscious - brunette, a Lightning Mage, and the barmaid. Everyone else had left for the night, or were away on missions, and haven't yet returned.
Gray Fullbuster, one of the few present guild members, was planning to leave for the night and return to his home in town, but not before he spends a last few minutes hosting a conversation with the barmaid, Mirajane.
"Don't you think she ought've returned by now, Mira?" Gray asked, fishing in his pockets for enough jewel to cover his tab.
"I don't know...but this is Erza we're talking about. She probably just got distracted by a cheesecake shop on the way!" A sweet giggle left the barmaid's lips, a hand raising to cup her cheek in an effort to lighten the conversation.
Placing the jewel on the bar and sliding it towards the other, he couldn't help but exhale a sigh, "I would've thought that too, if she hadn't been gone for three weeks. I know S-Class missions tend to take a lot longer than normal ones, but c'mon, this is just ridiculous."
Mira's hand slid from her face as she let out a sigh as well, hands placed lazily upon the counter as a look of concern overcame her features, "I know… I...I really don't know what to say, Gray. The only thing we can do is merely hope she returns soon. It's gotten lonely without her.." Her voice trailed off while her gaze drifted to the ground. She had started to miss her former rival; Fairy Tail just wasn't the same without its renowned Titania.
"Right.. Well, I'm gonna head home, now. A good night's sleep ought'ta pass the time until she returns." The mage stood from the stool he was seated upon, making his way to the doors while giving an aloof wave as a goodbye.
A forced smile was plastered upon the white-haired mage's lips, the wave returned, "Good night, Gray! See you tomorrow!"
With that, Gray made his depart from the guild.
Only a few minutes passed since he left Fairy Tail, hands placed in his pockets as the raven-haired male stode home with languid steps. His eyebrows knit together as his gaze plastered itself upon the ground, and Gray succumbed to his thoughts, becoming lost in the maelstrom of worry and concern. What happened to Erza, and why hadn't she returned, or even wrote to ease everyone's growing anxiety? It ennervated Gray to be so helpless, and even more so that he couldn't shake the redhead from his mind. All he wanted was a peaceful, simple day, but he was unable to have had one ever since she left on her mission. Why did she have to plague his thoughts?
The crackling noise of leaves crushing beneath his boot snapped him out of the violent vortex that was his mind, the Ice Mage coming to his senses only to see he began to stray off the stone path and on to the grass while he was trapped in his thoughts. Shaking his head and kicking a stray pebble, he let out an annoyed grunt before returning to the path, childishly stomping for a few steps before managing to calm down. He continued his walk home, trying to refrain from thinking too much, for his own sake and any pedestrians that would dare come near him in such a state.
His gaze once more was focused on the ground, but rather the stone impressions than just a default place to look at while thinking. However, another sound caused his head to shoot upright, this time because of a low groan of pain from someone nearby. Due to the nighttime setting, Gray was unable to fully see the figure in front of him; he was only able to see the outline thanks to the streetlamps that were scattered throughout Magnolia. The good Samaritan inside him made him jog lightly over to the figure in an attempt to offer a hand.
Closing in on the figure, he made out its femininely curves, deducing it as a woman he was approaching. Likewise, he greeted her while he jogged towards her accordingly, "Hey, miss? Is everything all righ-" His voice cut off once recognizing the woman, the trademark cerise hair giving her identity away, "Erza?!"
Her only response was a weary groan, head barely managing to lift enough to catch a glimpse of his face.
"Erza!" Gray's light jog turned into a full-blown sprint, reaching her side in a mere second, "What happened to you?! Are you okay?!"
She couldn't even speak a word, only in weak groans. A different red, which Gray immediately recognized as blood, alerted him of her current condition, which was...not that great. Her figure was gently taken in his arms, adjusted carefully into a bridal position. With her safe, the male burst into a run in the opposite direction he came from, making a direct trajectory towards Fairy Tail to get aid for the wounded knight.
The dual doors of the guild were kicked open by Gray, grabbing the attention of the remaining, conscious members, to which he responded with a commanding yell, "It's Erza! She needs help, now!"
Mirajane was the first to come to their aid, cupping the injured mage's cheek out of concern and worry, "Oh, Erza.. What happened to you?" She whispered, tears threatening to fall before she turned towards Gray, "We have to get her to the infirmary before she gets any worse!"
He nodded, following the running white-haired mage into the infirmary, placing Erza softly on a hospital bed.
Adopting a leading role in treating the wounded redhead, her unusually stern voice issued orders quickly, "Gray, grab a roll of gauze and some water. I'll tend to her wounds. Hurry!"
A bit shocked at her sudden change in demeanor, he nervously nodded while heading towards the washroom to get a tub of water, carefully giving the filled container to the barmaid to clean Erza's wounds. He gave her the gauze after finding it soon after. While standing at the bedside, he noticed the different clothing the redhead wore, and that the gauze currently wrapped around her forearms were tattered, meaning it was either for show, or she continued to fight even with injuries. It perplexed him, and it certainly piqued an area of his interest.
Time managed to move slowly until Mirajane had managed to clean out Erza's every wound and bandage them, and she exited from the infirmary to inform Gray, Laxus, and the newly-awakened Cana of Titania's condition.
"She's...healing. There were so many cuts, I'm surprised I managed to find and bandage them all..." She whispered, head lowering.
Laxus was the one to reply to the disheartened barmaid, his rather tough demeanor still managing to show, "Erza ain't one to go down that easy. She'll be back before you can even say 'Titania'."
"I hope you're right, Laxus…" Mira sighed, hastily walking away to return back to the bar. Cana followed her to be her support and company, leaving just Laxus and Gray to themselves.
A scarred eyebrow of Laxus's raised at the Ice Mage, the older male noting the other being wrought with worry, "Oi, lighten up, would'ja? There ain't nothin' to worry about."
"I can't help it!" Gray hurriedly snapped, immediately turning defensive, "How would you feel if one of your closest friend's was on death's row?!"
"Hey!" The Second Generation Dragon Slayer flashed an annoyed expression, sneering, "I know for a fact that they'd get through it. Why don't you for a change? You're worryin' yourself to death about nothin'. Open your damn eyes." Straightening himself from leaning against the wall, he walked over to the bar, not wanting to deal with Gray at the time.
The Ice Mage let out an irritated grunt, turning away with a huff and crossing his arms. He had every right to be so concerned, so why couldn't Laxus see that? It annoyed him to no end.
The languid groans of Erza coming to snapped Gray out of his brief tantrum, the male wasting no time in running to her side, "Erza!"
Her eyes managed to refocus, landing upon the raven-haired mage beside her while she was barely able to form a smile to ease his worry, but her voice remained weak, "Gray…"
"Don't push yourself." He hastily commanded, pulling up a chair to sit next to the bed, "Talk only if you can. I don't want you to reinjure yourself by talking to me."
She shook her head, shifting in her bed slightly to position herself for conversation, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. How did I get here?"
"I saw you trying to make your way to the guild. I carried you here when you began to lose consciousness. If that was okay, I mean."
"No, no. It's fine. Thank you for that. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't."
For the first time since she returned, Gray smiled, "Heh, it was nothing. If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"
"The job I originally thought I was taking turned out to be a ploy. A bunch of mages took me captive, and blackmailed me into fighting for them in a revolution. They said they'd destroy Fairy Tail if I refused, and I couldn't take that chance. They used me for publicity, to persuade people into joining their cause. I thought that was all I had to do, but they made me lead on the front lines, and they wouldn't let me wear my armor. I had to wear one of their uniforms. It was the worst mission I've had to date, if you'd even consider that a mission." Erza said drearily, not the most content about reminiscing.
His expression dropped, sympathy welling inside at the other, "That's...horrible. I'm sorry that ya' had to go through that, Erza."
"Don't apologize. I managed."
"Still, it doesn't change the fact that what happened to you was completely unfair and cruel."
"Gray, stop worrying. I'm here now, and that's all that matters."
"Not for me." He blurted out, not considering the consequences for his blatant disagreement.
"...Excuse me?"
Gray took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before jumping headfirst into a reply. He had to word things carefully as to not convey the wrong message, "Erza, it's not all that matters to me. What matters to me is your well-being, and while you're here, you're not healed. You're injured, and obviously not well. I can't tell you how...how worried I was while you were gone. Not a day went by where I hadn't feared the worst. Once I saw you wounded, it shattered my heart into a million pieces. Nothing hurt me more than seeing you in such an awful state, and you're still not well again. I'm sorry, but I'm still not going to stop worrying until I see you back to how you were before you left."
His words came as a great surprise to the red-haired mage, her gaze shifting off to the side while her expression turned more serious, almost angered, "I need to rest. Good night, Gray."
The male's eyes fell closed, knowing that he had upset her, and he stood, leaving without a word.
After a rough night's sleep, the sun's rays cast inside through the window, awaking the raven-haired mage. A jaded grunt left his lips, arm moving to rub his eyes as he sat up. Gray wasn't able to get much sleep the night before, since he was worrying too much over Erza's condition and how he had upset her. He felt like an idiot, and he would have to suffer as so until Titania was on her feet again.
Hoisting himself out of bed, he walked to his closet and opened it, scanning for clothes to wear that day. Most of his attire had hints of red in it, and it kept reminding him of the scarlet knight. It ennervated him, so much that he threw on a blue tee and a pair of black jeans to avoid running into the vibrant color. With that, he exited from his home, but in no particular rush to get back to the guild any time soon.
Gray had already been resting at Fairy Tail for a decent amount of time before word travelled that Erza had awoken, to which he pretended to pay no heed to. However, Mira had already noticed.
"Gray, you want to go see her, don't you?" She asked, a small, warm smile on her lips. It was far more genuine than the normal one she had, eyes mirroring the same warm expression.
He let out a huff, raising his glass of soda to his lips, "Is it that obvious..?"
"Only to someone as perceptive as I am. I think you're safe otherwise."
"Fine, fine… I do want to see her, but I'm afraid to. I might've gone too far talking to her yesterday and ticked her off."
"Well, what did you say?"
Gray shot her a glance indicating that he would rather not touch on the specifics, "Stuff."
To his dismay, the barmaid could form a good idea for herself on what happened, Mira then resting her arms on the counter and leaning closer, "You know, I don't think you made her mad. I think you just made her feel guilty."
"Huh.." He started, piecing the signs together, "That kinda makes sense, actually…"
"Gray, I know it may sound odd, but I know Erza far better than most people here do. I guess that's just because of our old rivalry when we were younger. We'd always have to learn the specifics of each other to tear them down." Despite the cruel words she was saying, she let out a giggle, "I'm sure she isn't mad at you, just mad at herself."
"If that's the case, then how do I fix it?"
"Thiiiiiink."
"...What?"
"Strawberry cake, Gray! What else?" Mira's eyes closed in an amused bliss, exhaling another giggle, "The armor to her heart can be taken down with the simplest strawberry!" She said, dabbing her finger on the Ice Mage's nose.
"Heart? Who the hell said anything about that?" He countered defensively, gaze shifting to the side.
"Oh, please! I know the way you look at her, the way your lips slightly curl into a grin upon gazing at the color red, the way you always have to bring her up in conversation-"
"Alright, enough!"
"...Anyways, I know how you feel. I think you'd be surprised to see how she felt, too."
"What's that supposed'ta mean?"
"Why don't you go see for yourself, silly?" She bid Gray one last smile before walking towards the other patrons at the bar, leaving the male to his own thoughts. He upped and left, too, heading through the guild doors to roam the town of Magnolia.
Returning to the guild about an hour later, the raven-haired male had his arms behind his back to hide something, and Mirajane sent the male a knowing smile before resuming her work. He merely rolled his eyes, making his way to the infirmary where Erza lain.
The sound of a visitor surprised the injured female, head turning to only catch a glimpse of the Ice Mage, which made her turn the other way, "Gray…"
"Erza, you don't have to say anything. I know I messed up yesterday, and I shouldn't have said the things I did. I'm sorry." He said in a solemn tone, eyes falling shut.
A heavy sigh was exhaled from the female, Erza shifting awkwardly in the hospital bed, "...Don't apologize. I should be the one apologizing for yesterday. You didn't deserve to be treated as such upon my return if I did cause you that much worry, so I apologize."
His lips curled into a small smile, "Heh, some things just never change with you, Erza." He took the upbeat atmosphere to his advantage by revealing the strawberry cake he hid behind his back, showing it proudly to the female in front of him.
Her face immediately lit up, Erza hurriedly adjusting into a sitting position in order to eat, taking the plate in hand and using a fork to separate its strawberry goodness into a small enough morsel to chew.
Gray sat at her bedside, crossing his arms over his chest while watching her savor each heavenly bite of the cake. It was relaxing to see the knight in such a happy state again, and it brought the brightest of grin's to the onyx-haired mage's face.
After finishing the godly portion of bakery heaven, the S-Class set the plate on a table nearby her bed before leaning forwards, pulling Gray into a tight embrace with the largest smile upon her face. It eventually shrank, forming a more sweet, genuine grin the tighter she wrapped her arms around the male's neck. Even though the movement brought great pain to her, she would tolerate it as long as she would need to in order to feel the oxymoronic and strange, icy warmth of Gray. His arms eventually returned the embrace, settling just above her waist while his head buried itself in the female's voluminous, scarlet locks.
It pained him to have let go once Erza had loosened her grip on the other, but he had to let her rest, and he would despise himself if she were to push herself too far just to appease him. He leaned back against the chair he brought over, crossing his arms once more.
The redhead was far less calm about the whole thing, a rather nervous chuckle leaving her lips once separating from the male, "Eheh, sorry about that… That was too sudden for you, most likely. I won't do that again."
The last thing Gray wanted was for her to feel guilty again, so he rushed to reassure her, "I didn't mind. I actually kinda liked it."
"You did?" She said, head tilting in relative shock, "Oh, well… I can do it again sometime, I suppose…"
"Heh, don't worry too much about it. You can hug me all you want once you're better."
"In that case, remind me to give you one once I'm out of this blasted infirmary." She jested in her usual manner, her usual grin upon her visage.
"I'll be sure to make a note of that, heheh." A content sigh left the Ice Mage's lips, closing his eyes while allowing his head to rest back, the male situating himself rather comfortably.
"Don't you look comfortable." Erza teased with a sly chuckle.
"Yeah, pretty damn comfy at that."
"You look as if you could fall asleep right on that chair."
"Hey, I probably could."
"Speaking of sleep, I think I might get some more rest. I still feel exhausted."
Gray nodded his head, standing up and returning the chair to where it was before he moved it, "All right, I'll leave you to it."
"Thank you." She leveled herself with the bed, turning so that she was facing away from Gray and the door.
"No problem. I'll see you some time soon." He said, barely reaching the door-frame before halted by the other's voice once more.
"Gray."
"Yes, Erza?"
"...Stay with me."
"Er..what?"
"Stay here. Please."
Gray awkwardly scratched the back of his head while turning towards her, walking closer to the bed, "Like here?"
Erza didn't even have to face him to know that he wasn't close enough, "No. Closer."
He did as he was told, pulling the chair back to the bed, "This better?"
"Gray, take a hint. I'd rather not sleep in bed alone, not with the nightmares plaguing every night's sleep I try to have." She blatantly put, hopefully in terms the moron with her could understand.
"Oh… Right…" Face now flushed of color, his shoes were discarded on to the floor, Gray lifting the cover to slide in next to the injured mage, who shifted accordingly to his presence, "Have I finally got it now?"
A slight chuckle left her lips, letting out a content sigh soon after, "Yes, you do." She said as her eyes closed, Erza beginning to drift into sleep. The male watched her chest rise and fall until the breathing mellowed, becoming calm and rhythmic. His own eyes fell closed, until he heard a shift of the person beside him and an arm fall upon his chest, a sole eye opening to see the redhead turned towards him, snuggled up beside the male and holding on to him. Gray could feel warmth rise to his cheeks, growing flustered at the sight. A displeased groan could be heard from the female, which served as Gray's motivation to turn and face her, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close. In their intertwined positions, both mages fell blissfully asleep.
Countless nights passed, the surmount coming to about a month's worth of nightly visits Gray made to the infirmary to coax Erza into sleep and to comfort her whenever her dreams were plagued by dark memories of the revolution. After the month had passed, the cerise-haired mage was finally discharged from the infirmary and allowed to move around on her own, yet she still wasn't quite certified to take missions again. Normally, she spent her time in the guild catching up her teammates while donning regular clothing.
One day, while sharing a casual conversation with Mirajane at the bar, Erza spotted Gray go to leave, and she placed a small interruption in the chat to run after him, albeit with a bit of difficulty. The white-haired barmaid merely flashed a knowing smile, watching her leave as she let out a content sigh.
"Gray!" Erza called out once she was close to the Ice Mage and outside where the rambunctious guildmates would not bother them, waving a bandaged arm to catch his attention, "Wait!"
"Huh?" He turned, raising a curious eyebrow, "Erza?"
The female didn't stop running until she was mere inches away from the male, and she stood on the tip of her toes, placing a hand on his cheek while pressing her lips softly against the other.
Gray breathed out a gasp, the familiar warmth rising to his cheeks as she pulled away, prompting the mage to nervously scratch the back of his head, "W-What was that for?"
Erza formed a small smile, tilting her head, "Just my way of showing my gratitude for everything you've done for me these past few weeks. Thank you, Gray."
"Oh, well…" A nervous smile took over his visage with a chuckle to match, "It was no problem."
The knight returned inside the guild to the bar, whereas the other merely smiled a goofy grin to himself, walking the other way.
Mirajane had her head resting in her hand, watching Erza contently as she returned to her barstool, "You should've kissed him on the liiips.~" She merrily hummed.
"Quiet, Mira!"