(ignore the lateness, I totally forgot to upload this)

Day 6, Demons.

Content Warning: Mentions of cutting, anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse

This is completely different from what I normally write. The CWs mentioned above are in touched on in the story (no vivid detail). Everything has been taken from my personal experiences, with friends or others. Sometimes those closest to you suffer the most, and you have no idea. What I've learned is to always be supportive no matter what. Support can come in different ways, like spending time with the person or even sending a quick text to see how they're doing. Things aren't always as they seem.

Gray inhaled nervously. He counted to four, and then slowly exhaled. He took another breath, ignoring the nauseous feeling sinking over him. He closed his eyes, trying to assure himself that everything was fine.

"Gray? You okay?" Natsu asked, standing behind him. The pink haired boy frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Gray shook his head. "I- I can't- "

"We'll all check on her, don't worry. She's the smartest person I know." He patted his shoulder. "Let's enjoy tonight, okay?" Gray opened his eyes as Natsu gave him a comforting smile. He smiled back and walked inside the restaurant, following their friends that had already gone in. Natsu smiled as his best friend walked in, but his smile quickly faded. Please, please let her be okay… he prayed, before following Gray inside.

She was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, no matter what. It was never her fault; it was something that she had carried over from her childhood. It was the fact that her environment was the robber that was beating her down. She was stripped to a stage of vulnerability too soon, too early, her legs too skinny to stand up for herself.

Erza woke up to darkness: all that surrounded her were white sheets and the shadows of the fast-approaching night. She sat up slowly, realizing she was the only one in the bed. "Gray?" she called, but was responded by only the silence around her. She looked out the window, seeing raindrops softly coat the glass. She held her arms nervously. It was dark.

Almost too dark.

How do you cure what seems incurable? He had no idea what he was getting into, what demons she was already fighting when they entered their relationship. She had always been strong for him, for all their friends. That was what he admired about her in the first place- she always led him to whatever good there was. He had no idea she was so broken.

"Whoa. Check that out." Natsu breathed, pointing out the window. The rain clouds they had eyed on their way in had bloomed into the beginnings of a harsh storm. The rain was pouring, making everything shiny in the dark night.

"Wow. Not quite the 'little storm' they said it was going to be, huh?" Lyon chuckled.

"Definitely not. Thank goodness we're inside." Gajeel nodded.

I never liked this. Gray stared outside, frowning. Nothing good ever comes when it rains like this.

She's remembers her childhood, the friends she made, but above all that she remembers the pain. The pain of being pushed into the very corner of her mind, failing when her limits were tested. And then she remembers the first time she did it, thinking that by giving herself pain she'd somehow outweigh the pain someone else gave her. She's haunted by the way she coped before.

Erza stepped onto the floor, buttoning one of Gray's shirts around her. She stepped out of the bedroom and into the dark hallway, met with nothing but silence. "Gray?" she called out again, making her way to the kitchen. No one's home. She was about to leave, when a loud buzzing sounded beside her. Her phone rested on the counter, screen lit with a new message.

Still out with the guys. Will be home soon. Lv you.

Right, he mentioned that. she remembered, and quickly texted him back. She reached for the lightswitch, flicking the knob, but no light came. She frowned. Power's out? At that moment the boom of thunder clapped throughout the house, the rain getting louder. Frowning she walked to the living room, only to step into a small stream of water. Oh no...

He remembers when they started dating. Everyone had congratulated him, telling him how lucky he was lucky to have her. And he knew it- she was perfect. She loved him, cared for him no matter what the situation was. She had seen him at his darkest moments and saved him from whatever he was fighting. She made up a huge part of the person he was today. Naturally, everyone saw her as that: powerful, strong, and kind. Yet no one knew anything about her.

But he knows. He watches her, knowing exactly when a dark thought passes over her serene face. She feels like she's missing something when she's done everything, and he knows. He sees an air of unease around her, feels her constant sense of insecurity. He tries to ease her pain, share the load. Of course it warms his heart when she smiles through it, holding his hand as she tells him she's fine, everything's okay. But she's still holding something back.

"Gray?"

Gray looked up, Loke staring at him across the table. "Sorry, what?" he apologized, looking up from his phone. He was in the middle of texting Erza back, making sure she was okay.

"Is everything okay?"

He nodded, tucking his phone away. "Yeah, of course. What were you saying?"

Loke smiled. "We were just saying it's nice you're here. That we're all here. It's just like old times, huh?" he chuckled.

"Jeez Loke, you're making us sound too old. We haven't even hit 30!" Natsu whined.

"I dunno know, Natsu. You're hair's lookin a little pinker than last time. Hiding a few white hairs, huh?" Gajeel snickered, pointing at Natsu's head.

"Nuh uh! And besides, my hair isn't pink, it's salmon." Natsu boasted proudly.

"Hey, but really." Lyon smiled, everyone looking at him. "This is quite nice." He looked at Gray, raising his glass. "I'm glad you're here, Gray." Everyone nodded in agreement, raising their glasses too.

Gray smiled at his friends, raising his glass as well. He took a sip, knowing that he felt right at home here. He felt his guilt subside, slowly fading away with every raindrop that hit the window.

Over time, however, she had become better. He helped her, they all had. There were even times when she helped herself. Slowly, but surely, she had taken hold of the life she wanted to lead. But within a second, it happened all over again.

Erza rushed forward, water ice cold against her feet. She knelt to the floor, beside the culprit: an open window in the living room, letting the rain in. "We always forget to close this one…" she muttered, struggling to shut it. She winced as a cold breeze hit her. She paused, staring outside. It was pitch black, raindrops falling in silver lines. It's so dark out… she realized. She tried to distinguish shapes, a tree, a familiar rock, but nothing came to her. She watched the rain flow through the streets in a hypnotizing stream. She felt herself close her eyes, an eerie feeling sinking in the pit of her stomach. I've seen this before…

She was shot back to when she was a child, surrounded by the same darkness. She remembered looking out into the blackness, seeing familiar shapes come her way, only when she reached her hand out she felt nothing but the cold rain against her pale skin.

She gasped. Her eyes shot open, fear filling her body as the deja vu passed. Still staring out the window she backed away shakily, the same fear that held her when she was young now locking her body in place. "No, no...it can't- " A clap of thunder rumbled through the house. She gasped, jumping back. I can't stay here… she thought, crawling to her feet. She passed through the kitchen, wanting only to go back to bed. I need Gray, I need him, I need- She paused, noticing a certain clear bottle. It was well hidden, but now that she saw it it had all her attention. She stared at it, a dark thought crossing her mind.

He remembers the first time he left her alone. It was stupid- they had gotten into an argument, and Gray ended up leaving in an attempt to clear his head. Looking back, he was impatient- he should have comforted Erza. But instead he dismissed her needs, because he didn't yet understand them. She wanted company, and he had left her alone.

He remembered coming home to rain, and after acknowledging the eerie feeling he had rushed to the bedroom. He ran, only to find Erza curled on top of the sheets. It would have been fine, if the red lines on her forearms weren't there. And for the first time since they started dating, he felt fear. He remembers how his arms ached, trying to wash the blood from the sheets…

"Hey, Luce just texted me, apparently there's a power outage in our apartment." Natsu announced, looking up from his phone worriedly.

"No way. Meredy and I might be affected too, then." Lyon frowned, searching for his phone.

Gray's face fell: he remembered how dark it was the last time he left Erza alone. He pushed his seat out, frowning. "I'm gonna call it a night."

"You won't stay for another drink? We already got dessert." Loke asked.

Gajeel shook his head. "Nah, he's right. We should probably get going. Storm's only getting worse."

"Yeah, you're right." Loke nodded, grabbing his coat.

Gray bit his lip nervously as he attempted to call Erza. His frown deepened as he heard the dissonant ringing on the other end- no service. He clenched his fist, anxious. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and for a second time that night, saw Natsu next to him. "Go." he told him.

Gray gave him an appreciative nod, before rushing out of the restaurant.

After that there were no secrets between them. And for a while, he was what made her happy, and what made her life better. But it seemed the better her life got, the worse her memories became. She was sailing away, but stayed stuck at shore by the forgotten anchor. Happiness during the day meant paranoia by night, her dreams plagued by fear she hadn't felt since she was younger. The smallest of things would trigger her, to the point where she went back to her first way of coping.

She learned to keep secrets. He had kept the obvious things out of reach and out of sight, but she had her own ways of getting what she needed.

Erza stumbled into the dark bathroom, the only light the dull gray coming from the window. She flicked on the light, but cursed- still no power. She sat on the closed toilet, bottle still clenched in her fist. She looked at it hopefully- I don't want to fear anymore. she thought, twisting the top open. She closed her eyes as the harsh liquid filled her mouth, drinking quickly as it coated her stomach.

She pulled it away from herself, her tongue left with a buzz that was new yet familiar. She took another long gulp, her head beginning to spin.

She pulled it away again, feeling the liquid drip on her shirt. "Oh god, I...I can't…" she stammered, standing up. She stumbled to the sink, putting the bottle on the shelf in front of her. She looked at herself in the mirror, and immediately heard Gray's worried voice echoing in her brain.

She leaned forward, gasping in disgust at her own reflection- she didn't need alcohol, she needed Gray. She needed his warmth, his support, him right next to her… She fell to the ground, clutching her sides. "How could you do this?!" she spat. She shook her head, opening her tear filled eyes to see something glint under the sink. It was small, taped to secrecy on the white porcelain. She reached forward, ripping with desperate force. She tilted it towards her, the small blade glinting at her. A wink- it was their secret. She bit her lip as she drew it across her forearm, tears staining her cheeks.

The hardest thing for him to do was to tell their friends. He found himself making excuses for their absences at any get-together, because he didn't know how much they knew. He was shocked when he found Erza's darkness, and he had no idea how they'd react. But something in the back of his mind told him that they always knew- whether it was the random phone call in the middle of the day or going out of their way to spend time with her, his friends always made an effort to keep them both sane.

Gray drove as fast as he could, rain pelting against his windshield. Amidst the chaos he sighed in relief as his call to Erza finally went through. "Come on, come on, pick up…" he muttered, only to be answered by the same dissonant ringing. He dialed it back immediately.

Usually, he wouldn't be this worried. After all, she had already checked in with him earlier in the evening, telling him she was fine and to bring some dessert home. But after three missed texts and a voice mail, he became concerned. Shouldn't she be answering? … He shook his head, hanging up and redialing again. Please, please be okay...

She's improved, but she hasn't grasped the fact that what she craves for has taken her friends, her future, and her sanity away. The craving is hard to ignore for the both of them; her face pleads him, begs him to say that it's a suitable solution. But hunger turns into embarrassment, and she knows the last thing she wants to do is embarrass him. So she lies, telling him that things are fine, that she knows what she's doing and where she's going.

And he believes her, as his mind immediately jumps to the times where she did fix herself. When she put her own needs aside and was there for him. He wants to believe her. But deep down he knows: she can abandon her past, but she can never forget it.

It hurts...a lot.

Erza opened her eyes, hearing a rhythmic buzzing in the distance. She frowned- her phone was ringing. I must have left it in the kitchen… She tried standing up, when she stumbled. She looked around hazily. The light had turned on, but her vision was skewed, her surroundings blurring together in the yellow light. She took a step forward. "It's Gray, I have to answer- " She fell again, on grasping to the edge of the sink. She cried out, feeling a strange pain stretch across her forearms. She looked down.

Everything was blurry, but her clouded vision couldn't hide the red lines across her forearms. Her eyes widened. How could I… She saw the open bottle of vodka on the shelf in front of her. She shook her head in shame, grabbing it from the shelf. "I have to throw it away, before he gets home- "

Erza stumbled, the bottle slipping out of her hands. She watched as it fell. The glass crashed to the floor, shattering into a million different pieces. The tiny shards glowed at her, mixed with the clear liquid on the hallway floor. She stared down at her hands, completely unaware of what had happened. She reached forward, trying to clean it up, but her vision and the mess in front of her blended into the dark hallway. She gasped, putting her hands to her face as she backed away. She sank to the floor, back running down the cold wall behind her. She felt another tear fall down her face as she closed her eyes, giving in to the fog around her brain. I'm sorry, Gray...

Gray ran into the house, slamming the door behind him. "Erza?" he called out worriedly. He dug his nails into his palm. Please, please be fine… He stopped in the living room, noticing the water on the floor- his eyes stopped, seeing the open window. Guilt gnawed at him as he rushed to slam it shut.

"Erza?" He called in the kitchen. He saw her phone on the counter, and grimaced. That explains it. He stepped into the hallway, about to call again, when he saw a light. The bathroom down the hall was open, light pouring out of it.

He started running. He was outside the bathroom door when he heard a crunch beneath him, the sound piercing the silence. He nervously lifted his foot and saw a small fragment of glass crushed under his shoe. His face fell as he looked around- it suddenly occurred to him how many fragments were on the floor. He paled as he recognized it as the remains of a broken bottle. He turned to the bathroom door, and felt his stomach drop.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Erza was there. That alone was enough to make him happy. She was on the floor, eyes closed. But unease filled his body as soon as he saw the red smears on the white sink.

"Erza!" he exclaimed, rushing towards her. He propped her upper body on his lap. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. His eyes fell on her arms: he almost didn't notice, and almost hoped he didn't. Cuts lined each forearm, staining her porcelain skin with red lines that screamed for help. Terror filled his body as he realized what had happened- he hadn't seen this in a year, but it was still all too familiar.

"Erza..oh my God, Erza, what happened here?!" he gasped.

"Gray…" she murmured, tears falling down her cheeks. She put her hands to her face, covering her eyes as she cried. "I don't...I don't know…"

He did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his toned arms around her, her face tucked in his chest. Her frame remained frozen, but he still held her tightly.

He'd been with her this whole time, right by her side as he helped her walk up every step, but deep down he couldn't ignoring the aching in his gut that somehow told him this was his fault. Within a sunset they were back to square one, all the days of treatment and consolation gone to waste. He wants to cry, he wants to scream, he wants to talk to her. Convince her that this wasn't the way, that she wasn't meant for this. But he knows he can't. His mind races as he thinks of the next step, the potential excuses, the possible solutions, but the same doubt clouds his mind: how much more can they take?

He doesn't know what their future holds, or even the next minute. But he knows one thing: no matter what, he will always fight her demons.

I really liked this prompt because without meaning to, it connected to a lot of situations I've seen in the past year. I was nervous to post this, not because of how it would be received, but because it felt too real. I love writing light and funny things, but I think it's important to shed light on the dark experiences too.

Love u all, thank u for always supporting me. (I've been trying to type out a heart but for whatever reason ff won't let me so imagine a big ol' heart right here _ )

-Pinky