Day 10: Winter
Erza stood at the edge of the frozen mirror, staring at her own anticipated reflection. She had requipped into winter attire: fur coat, gloves, earmuffs, and ice skates. It was a winter day in Magnolia, and the perfect time for Fairy Tail to cause some ruckus. Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, Gajeel and Lily, and the Raijinshu decided to hike out. Shadow Gear, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy went snowboarding. Juvia, at first wanting to be with Gray, was dragged along to have a girls' day shopping in the other towns with Laki, Wendy and Carla, and Cana (Cana having harshly warned her overprotective father to bother someone else, preferably Laxus).
Erza had nothing to do, and with most of the guild gone, she was left alone. That was, until Gray had invited her to go ice skating with him. In a fit of social awkwardness (and blushing anticipation- Gray was stripping, again) the scarlet headed Mage (forcefully) invited two unlucky others: Max and Warren.
"I-I can't believe we were dragged along as the third wheel..." Max grumbled, staring at Erza and Gray opposite the frozen lake. Warren nodded, rubbing his temple.
"If we stick around too long, we'll make things weird for them," Warren explained. "Plus, if word gets around, Mira's never gonna stop until she chokes us for details. We have to leave as soon as they're distracted." Max nodded. Neither of them wished to go against Erza, but this was something they really did not want to be a part of.
Meanwhile, Gray was soon beginning to realize that Erza had only ice skated a few times, and lacked enough skill to skate on a natural rink.
"I'm sorry, I should have told you before I accepted..." Erza sighed.
Gray shook his head. "It's fine, really. I just wanted you to have a good time today. We can do something e-" Gray began to walk back, but he was yanked by the collar by his fellow team member.
"Gray, I want to learn. Can you teach me?" Erza looked at Gray, eyes large and figurative tail wagging behind her. Gray rubbed his chin. Sure, he was taught to ice skate by Ul, but it came so naturally to him that he wasn't sure whether or not he could teach Erza.
Still, why not give it a shot? "Sure." Gray replied. Erza nodded, attempting to calm her quickening breath. What was so frightening it made her heart skip a full set of beats? Titania could not figure it out, so she attempted to ignore it for the time being.
Gray got his skates ready. "First, I'll demonstrate." He checked the frozen pond by taking a few strides. The ice was a bit rough, as it was natural. "Hm... It probably isn't safe enough for a beginner. I'll take care of it." He used his Ice Make magic to refreeze the pond and make it much smoother for the knight.
Gray motioned for Erza to come on the ice. He noticed that she was comically braiding her hair to keep herself distracted (she was rather good at it, he also noted). He chuckled. "You're funny. Come on, Erza! Don't be shy, this is my magic you're skating on."
Luckily, Erza's past experiences with testing out ice skating had given her the luxury of being balanced on ice, and she ever-so-carefully walked over to Gray. Erza's hand immediately latched onto Gray's arm, and that motion made both of their cheeks warm up.
"J-Just show me already, Gray."
"Hahaha, okay. Just be patient. We've got all day to ice skate." Gray said slowly, then smirked.
Warren and Max huddled further away, out of sight from the scarlet woman's eyes. They watched the couple in wonder.
"Good job, Gray." Warren muttered and posed a thumbs-up.
Max rolled his eyes, but he also kept his eyes on them. They looked like they were having fun, even if Erza tripped and fell every five minutes. Gray was always there to catch her.
Max crossed his arms and said, "I have to say, I'm almost jealous of their bond."
Warren smirked and choked up a laugh. "Not as jealous as Juvia's gonna be, if she hears about this."
Happy Double Update Valentine's 3