Hi, I'm back! How's everyone's school year going? For me it's been pretty busy, but I'm happy to have time to write. This chapter is based off of some of my own experiences...basically I wanted to focus on that instead of keeping Gray and Erza as much in character as they usually are...did that even make sense? Oh well, hopefully it did. Also, the sections in italics take place in the past.

I hope you enjoy, and leave a review! OH, AND WAIT TILL THE END FOR A SURPRISE ok bye enjoy

. . .

Erza was laying down on Lucy's bed, staring at the pink ceiling in deep thought. "I thought we were hanging out." she frowned.

Lucy sighed. "I know. But I told Natsu and he said he had an open house and wanted you to come...Don't you want to hang out with us?" She turned to her. "You need it."

Erza's frown deepened. "I need it?" she repeated, clearly insulted.

"You're hurting, Erza."

Realizing what Lucy meant her expression softened. "I'm fine."

"I know you don't mean that." Lucy responded, giving her a pitied expression.

Erza cast her gaze to the floor. "...I don't like them. And I never will." she revealed.

Lucy sighed sadly. "I know. But you missed your chance, Erz. You gotta get past it; you can't keep complaining." She walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. The redhead remained silent. Lucy was right.

"They're dating. They've been dating, and there's nothing we can do about it." she continued, "Please, hang out with us. I promise to bring strawberry cake. And strawberry alc. And Natsu won't have any of it!" the blonde added enthusiastically.

"Well...is it okay if I go out on my own at some point? Sometimes I need to get away from everything, and..." Erza asked.

Lucy nodded with a cheerful smile. "Of course."

Ignoring her sinking feelings Erza nodded, accepting her offer. She watched Lucy happily prance back to her phone, probably texting Natsu. "T-thank you, Lucy." Erza spoke.

She turned back around, giving Erza another one of those pitied smiles. "You deserve it."

Panicked, Lucy opened the bathroom door. She had checked the lunchroom, the courtyard, several classrooms, anywhere in school that Erza could be. She sighed in relief when she saw the redhead standing at the sink, dabbing her eyes with paper towel.

"Erza!" Lucy called, flocking to her friend.

Erza turned to her, and Lucy almost flinched. She was crying, the skin under her eyes a soft pink and the whites of her eyes now slightly red. "I'm sorry, I...I had to leave." she murmured.

Lucy put a hand on her shoulder. "Erza, it's okay, it's really okay." She motioned to the floor. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Erza nodded, and the two of them walked past the sinks and sat down on the tiled bathroom floor. Lucy reached into her bag and handed her a tissue.

"I don't know what's gotten over me," Erza apologized, delicately dabbing her eyes, "It was just so suffocating in there, and I-"

"Erza, it's fine. Really." Lucy assured her.

Erza cleared her throat before continuing. "I just...I don't see how he could do this to me. They're dating, but...We're best friends, and I clearly liked him." She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "It doesn't make sense."

"Erza, we knew you liked him, we all did. And it kills me to say this, but what's done is done. Right now you need to move past it."

The redhead gulped. "What do I do?"

"You just accept it. I'm sure Gray will come to his senses in one way or another, but for now there's nothing more you can do than live with it." Lucy gave her a bright smile. "And we can help you! We're here for you, and we'll make sure you're okay."

"...Okay. I'll do that."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Erza! Erza, come on, look!" an excited voice called.

Erza reluctantly rolled over the fluffy white sheets from her spot on the bed. She found herself laughing as she saw Gray on the other side of the room, energetically waving his arms back and forth. He danced in front of the huge window of Natsu's room, his black-tube-socked feet prancing around the wood floor.

"Now this is why you lost the dance-off." the redhead joked, propping herself up on her elbow as she watched Gray continue his lively actions.

"Excuse me, Scarlet. I woulda beat Natsu if he hadn't cheated."

Erza snorted. "I don't think it's cheating, I think you need to deal with the fact that we detest your dance moves."

Gray flung himself onto the bed, shaking the surface as he landed next to Erza. "Whatever. You still like me." He rolled back to the edge reaching a hand toward the floor, and pulled out a flask. "Strawberry?" he asked, looking at her promisingly.

With a calm expression she took the container from him and took a swig, feeling the sweet, heavy liquid travel down her throat and stick to the sides of her stomach. She passed it to Gray, watching as he took a swig too, laying next to her.

The night had consisted of their usual game playing, story sharing, and casual drinking. Erza was honestly enjoying herself. But there was a point when the laughter was too loud and the alcohol was too strong, so she left to Natsu's room.

She wasn't sure how he got here. One minute she was alone, calming herself down, and the next Gray was at her door, rambling that he was 'about to leave but saw the light on and decided to come in.' He was obviously a little under the influence, but then again she was too.

Gray stared out the window, his dark blue eyes watching the quiet nightlife outside with a childlike curiosity. As he gazed at the twinkling stars he leaned back, his head comfortably resting on Erza's shoulder. Her heart beat louder in her chest, her emotions tossing and turning. She studied his pink lips as they met the small end of the flask once more.

She wanted to kiss him, and he wasn't even her fucking boyfriend.

What did that make her? A traitor? An enemy?

Honest?

She gulped. She had been fighting it for this long, there was no reason for her to suddenly give in now. She was Gray's friend, his shoulder, the one he could always count on. It was meant to stay that way, and everyone made sure it did.

But his warm hand was now wrapped around hers, rough skin over soft. It was a simple gesture that was questioning the reality she had tried so hard to maintain.

She wasn't supposed to be with him, but god, did she want to.

"You know how this will look." Erza told him in a tone that was supposed to be a warning, but she couldn't bring herself to make it sound like one. Nevertheless she took another sip from their drink, another tally mark to the amount she had earlier that night.

"I know." he replied. It was a simple statement that she could have answered herself. She was about to leave when she felt his hand gently squeeze hers.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked.

She almost flinched at how raw he sounded. His tone didn't fit his outgoing personality, his cheeky grin, or his loud behavior. This was vulnerable Gray, clearly-under-the-influence Gray, but also...honest Gray.

Honest. What did that even mean anymore?

"What?" she asked, trying to keep her tone steady. She didn't want him to know she was still thinking about this.

"It's stupid." He chuckled to himself before facing her. "I think I love you."

She felt something catch in her throat as she faced him. She knew where he was going with this. It was something she had imagined countless times...She couldn't help the hopeful feeling rise in her stomach.

She studied him carefully; the way his perfectly messy locks framed his face, the way he smiled when he was relaxed and happy. She remembered their hands, and she knew what she was supposed to say.

Thinking carefully she put her other hand on top of his, knowing that this night would change her life in one way or another.

The first time she ever witnessed their relationship was by accident.

Sure, they had already been dating for a while, and they had all hung out as a group. But no matter what, if they were there Erza made sure that she didn't see them.

It was typical Saturday at Natsu's house, eight of them hanging out in the pink haired boy's basement. She remembered Gray and Juvia leaving up the stairs, but like usual, she ignored it. And between the movie and the talking and the many laughs, she forgot that they had left.

She went upstairs to grab food, only to stop on the wooden steps as she heard angry shouting coming from the kitchen. She thought back to Lucy and the others, but waved it off: with the surround sound they probably couldn't hear any of it.

But she thought of her promise, the promise that she wouldn't care about Gray anymore. He had moved on, and she would too. She turned to walk back downstairs.

"It's Erza, isn't it?!"

She froze, eyes widened in shock. Why would she come up in their fight? She turned back and crept up the stairs until she made it to the door, carefully peering outside. Gray and Juvia were, in fact, in the kitchen, too angry and too far away to notice her presence.

"Erza has nothing to do with this!" Gray shouted back.

"Then explain what I saw in your messages to Natsu!" the blue haired girl shouted back. A single light was on, but Erza could see her face clearly, her cheeks red in a frenzied rage.

"What- you went through my phone?!"

"You told me to find his address, and I found this shit instead!"

"That was private!"

"Private- privacy shouldn't be an issue! We're dating, Gray! You can't talk about other girls like that!"

Erza's eyes widened again. What could he possibly have said about her?

"Oh my GOD-" Gray turned away from Juvia, holding his head in exasperation, "We're in his freaking house, can't this wait till later?!"

"No Gray, it can't! You said some amazing things about her, and I just…" She crossed her arms around herself. "You never talk about me that way."

"Of course I do!"

"You don't!"

"That's not true-"

"-You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Erza clasped a hand over her mouth. She watched Gray with the same expectant expression as Juvia. Gray stared at the ground, silent.

After a while he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Juvia.

"No."

A aching pain stabbed through Erza's chest. She felt the tears welling up as she stood from her crouched position. Lifting her sleeve she blotted her eyes gently, hastily leaving her spot before she could hear the rest of their conversation.

She avoided hanging out with the group after that.

"What's wrong?" Gray murmured, turning to her as soon as he felt her other hand on top of his.

Erza looked at the white sheets, her eyes drooped sadly. She pushed his hands away. "You know we can't." she told him, her lips quivering. She couldn't give in. Gray wasn't hers, and he wouldn't be.

Gray frowned, sitting up across from her. "I thought this is what you wanted?" he asked, almost confused.

"I do want this, you know I want this." But she shook her head. "This isn't the time, or the place. You know that!" She angrily spat the last part. She wanted to forget all her feelings for him, but she couldn't ignore the thousands of thoughts that were running through her brain, telling her otherwise.

She turned to him, seeing the disappointment on her face. She searched for the feeling of relief she was supposed to feel, but to her dismay felt her heart sink instead.

You love him!

Move!

You're not being true to yourself!

She gulped her conflicting thoughts away, resting a hand over his. "We missed our chance." she spoke, trying not to let any of her thoughts show. She shifted away from him. "I think you should leave-"

She remained on the bed. Gray's hand was planted over hers. "Fuck what they think."

"Gray, s-"

"We haven't missed it yet."

She stared at him in disbelief.

Is this what she had been waiting her whole life for?

Between her conflicted thoughts and the unbelievable reality in front of her it was impossible to focus, but all ceased when Gray's lips suddenly crashed into hers.

Gray finally caught up to her, falling into step as they walked down the sidewalk. He frowned, noticing that Erza hadn't bothered to even bat an eyelash at his sudden presence.

"We need to talk." he told her, his tone serious.

"We can talk." she shrugged.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Seriously."

"Who said I wasn't being serious? If you say it is, I believe you."

"I just...I need to know if you're okay. That I'm dating Juvia."

"I'm fine." was all she replied, quickening her pace.

Gray matched it. "C'mon, Erza, talk to me. It's about us!"

"About us? If I recall correctly, you stated that there was nothing between us anymore." She finally met his eyes, only to glare at him. "Isn't that why you started dating her in the first place?"

Gray sighed. "You're right, but...I needed to ask you."

"You asked me the day it happened, in the lunchroom, in front of all our friends. Why do you need to ask me again? To rub it in my face?!"

"I need to convince myself!"

His sudden outburst made her freeze. She watched as his eyes fell to the ground, grimacing. He wasn't lying.

"Sorry, Erz. I didn't mean to yell like that…"

She saw his pained expression and felt the sudden urge to hold him. He looked beyond sad, almost defeated. But she clenched her nails into her hand, keeping herself from extending him a caring arm.

"Look, I know you made that promise to yourself, but for what it's worth…" He looked at her with a humorless expression that almost made her flinch. "I feel like if things were different, I'd be with you."

She remembered crying a lot that night.

She fell onto the bed, Gray's legs straddling over her. Their hands roamed about, soft skin gripping soft skin with a hungry curiosity. She had been craving this, and clearly Gray had as well.

She gripped his navy locks, trying to pull his lips closer to hers. Her other hand was on his chest, nails clenched around his black v-neck. One of his hands ran up and down her stomach, massaging the smooth skin under her sweater. She gasped as she felt his other hand grip her thigh, his thumb hooked around the edge of her shorts, achingly close to a different source of heat.

They pulled apart. "Is this okay?" he panted, making sure she was alright.

She gave him a frantic nod, almost pulling his head back in too soon. But Gray responded just as desperately, roughly pressing his lips into hers in a way that was sure to leave bruises. She laughed lightly as Gray moved downward, his teeth ruggedly grazing into the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. She could just see the purple marks that would be left on her ivory skin. His toned chest pressed into hers, warm body on warm body.

For a second time they pulled apart and stared at each other, the only sound in the room their heavy panting. He didn't have to ask if she wanted to continue. They somehow found energy to smile at each other, almost laughing at how badly they both needed this.

Gray's lips crashed against hers once more. She felt her eyes well up with tears, but for the first time in her life she didn't feel sad. She closed her eyes blissfully, finally giving in.

She didn't hear the shouting.

"Gray mentioned you the other day." Juvia told her, arms crossed from her seat on the other side of the cafeteria table. It was just the two of them so far, their other friends yet to join them.

"Okay." Erza responded. It wasn't rude, it wasn't haughty. She had nothing else to say.

"He talks highly of you."

"That's nice."

An awkward silence fell between them. Erza contently continued eating her lunch while Juvia stared at her. The blue haired girl suddenly sighed.

"Can I ask you something? And can you be honest with me?" she asked, leaning across the table.

"Sure."

"Do you like Gray?"

Erza sighed this time, putting her sandwich down. She glared at the other girl, her irritation obvious. "Why would you ask me that?"

Juvia leaned back in her seat, watching Erza carefully. "You guys have always been close, everyone knows that. Really close."

"So?"

"I see the way you look at him, Erza. I see the way he looks at you too."

"We're friends, Juvia."

"Look, I know our relationship was sudden, but you had your chance."

"Are you accusing me of stealing your boyfriend?"

"Of course not." She locked eyes with her. "I'm telling you to get your feelings straight."

"What? What feelings?" Erza was beyond annoyed by now.

"Things are different now, Erza."

Just as she spoke the rest of their friends sat down next to them, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.

"Hey, we miss anything?" Lucy asked cheerfully, sitting next to Erza.

Erza looked across the table at Juvia, who was now joined by Gray, the boy looking into his girlfriend's eyes just as adoringly as she looked into his.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

If she could do it all again, she wouldn't mess up. If she wasn't thinking about Gray's sudden focus on her she would have heard the slamming doors and hysteric yelling coming from the staircase. She would have stopped and told him that it was wrong, that this wasn't the time or place, but that it could be. She'd ask him to leave with her, to meet her at a place that wasn't so compromising.

But the minute she allowed herself to look into his dark blue eyes she had lost all control.

"Juvia, please, stop!"

"He said he left, but his car is still here; I know exactly where he is!"

Before either Gray or Erza could react they heard the successful click of the turning doorknob. All it took was a second, and the shouts that the door had muffled were now inside their room.

"Juvia, stop!" Lucy shouted as she tugged the blue haired girl back, but the rage on Juvia's face was indomitable.

Gray and Erza pulled apart quickly, but nothing could hide their compromising positions. The room fell silent, so silent Erza could swear the digital clock was ticking. Juvia stared back at them, her forehead etched in fury, her jaw completely dropped. Erza could see the tears form in her eyes as she stared at them in disbelief.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" she shrieked. Her anger was pointed directly at Erza. "YOU...YOU BITCH!" She charged at the redhead, hand raised. Gray stood up between them in an attempt to protect Erza as Lucy held Juvia back.

"Juvia, stop!" Lucy repeated.

"I'm the one that's dating him!" Juvia yelled, her tone so brash her words stabbed into Erza's brain. Erza remained silent, although she stared at the blue haired girl through slit eyes.

"You had your chance with him, but he's mine now!" Juvia continued to shriek, angrily stomping her foot. "Why hasn't that ever gotten through your thick skull-"

"-Juvia, enough!" Gray shouted, hoping to quiet her.

But Juvia looked to him with the same hatred. "And what the fuck am I supposed to say to you?! You fucking cheated on me! With her! You said you were over her, but you just...you fucking liar!"

Gray started shouting back at her, just as angry. Natsu had jumped in, both him and Lucy trying to calm them down. Erza, on the other hand, stood up. She understood that Juvia was angry; she had every right to be. But it wasn't a reason for her to stay. She was done.

Juvia narrowed her eyes as she saw the redhead walk away from the bed. "And where are you going?" she demanded.

"I'm done."

"How can you be done?! YOU FUCKING STARTED THIS!"

Ignoring her angry shrieks Erza moved past her, almost at the door. But Juvia followed her, shouting relentlessly.

"Don't you dare leave! Not after you pretended to love him!"

Pretended. Erza clenched her fist. She saw it now: to Juvia this was all an act, a ploy so Erza could steal her boyfriend from her evil ways. Erza spun around to face them, her anger surpassing Juvia's. "That's a lie."

"What?!"

"I did things tonight that I never, ever would have thought of doing. But I never pretended to love Gray." she seethed, glaring threateningly at Juvia. Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, even Gray stared at her in disbelief. Even Erza couldn't believe that she had finally admitted the feelings she had held back for so long...and she realized it was stupid. So, so stupid.

To everyone's surprise, even her own, she started laughing.

"E-Erza?" Lucy asked cautiously, taking hesitant a step toward her best friend.

"I'm sorry." she apologized, but her awkward laughs continued.

"You're sorry?!" Juvia spat.

"I didn't mean to, but," she spoke, her gaze directly on Gray. "I fell in love tonight."

The room filled with a deathly silence. She turned around to leave, squeezing past their other friends who had gathered around the door to see what the commotion was. Judging by the looks on their faces she could tell that the sight in front of them was not what they expected.

The room erupted into an uproar again, Juvia screaming at her to "get back here" and Lucy's shouts to calm the other girl down. Erza ignored them, but turned around just before she left. Amidst all the chaos she locked eyes with Gray, dark blue and caramel brown. She looked at him the same way he had looked at her minutes before, a look that told him exactly how she felt. He gave her a slow nod.

A second later she turned her back to him, walking out of the room. No one stopped her.

She was going somewhere, anywhere she could be herself. Somewhere where she didn't have to make promises that were impossible to keep. No matter where that was, she was leaving: it was up to Gray to follow her.

. . .

I hope you all enjoyed. Now, SURPRISE TIME: As some of you noticed, I deleted my Teamwork chapter from my Grayza Week entries because...I'm writing a Grayza highschool AU based off of it!

Okay yeah I know this surprise doesn't consist of cookies or cake or anything like that, but tbh I'm just as excited about it. In addition to updating the new story I will also be updating this collection, so keep checking back because I'll be active on both! I'm still planning out the chapters, but I am beyond excited to be writing it because high school AUs are my faves.

Also, it'll be a multiship story. That being said, please tell me who you guys ship Cana, Loke, and Mira with! I haven't watched that far into the series to really ship them with anyone myself, but from various fics and tumblr posts I see people ship Cana with Hibiki, Loke with Virgo, and Mira with Laxus/Freed? Let me know what you guys prefer...fr I have no idea so help is very much needed thank u.

I hope to hear from you guys soon :) Have a great day!

~PinkKoala213