The mounting temperatures had prompted him to take a riverside stroll, and Gray wasn't one to say no.
He left the crowded guildhall behind him, having said his goodbyes for the night. Everybody was pretty excited. The S-Class exams were almost upon them, and everyone had been working overtime to make sure they were taking part. Now that the participants had been announced, they could all kick back for a while. Enjoy themselves. And if there was one thing that the members of Fairy Tail knew, it was how to enjoy themselves.
Evening fell silently around him, soaking up the noise from the guild. The streetlights came alive as he walked past, doing what they could to hold off the darkness. To make everyone feel safe and secure. Yet, only when he left the city centre behind and took the shadowy path did he share the feeling.
Gray had been coming down there ever since he was a little boy. He knew every turn and bump on the road. Back then, when people were more comfortable with the darkness and less obsessed with illuminating every corner, he would come here – oftentimes alone – and sit in the tall grass. The river was quiet and, bathed in the pale moonlight, struck a rather mesmerising picture to his young mind. And on some rare nights, as he made his way through the grass, he would dislodge and disturb hundreds of fireflies, who took to the skies in protest. Surrounded by the soft, blinking lights, Gray never felt threatened by the darkness. He doubted that would ever change.
Shame nobody new comes by, he thought, humming. The riverbank had a remarkable way of lifting one's spirits. It had an eerie talent for attracting the prettiest things to its bosom. That night seemed to be no different.
Erza was there. Of course she's here, he thought, coming to a halt. She sat under the shade of a tree, making it look as if the moonlight was bending around her presence. The thought made him smile, but he believed it. If anyone could command moonbeams, it would be Titania.
She sat leaning back on her arms, her feet stretched out and her head tilted back. Over the gurgling river, he could hear faint musical notes.
Erza was humming.
It wasn't very often, if at all, that Erza exhibited any musical talent. Once she was hyped up, sure, but never without prompting. She could be rather shy when it came to that sort of thing, despite what people said.
He stood there on the path overlooking the slope, listening and swaying to her humming. It was a tune he recognised – an old love ballad about a soldier coming home, and his wife tidying up the house and making his favourite treats to mark the occasion. Gray knew very well Erza's love for romance. Seeing it up close now… well, it was rather adorable.
When the song ended, Erza sighed and sat up straight. She pulled up a leg and wrapped her hands around her knee. Her mood had shifted and before she got lost in whatever else was now clouding her mind, Gray stepped onto the slope. The crunching grass made enough noise to alert her of his presence and she swivelled her head around.
"Of course you're here," she said, the corner of her lips quirking up into a smile that was almost a smirk. "Come to challenge me?"
"Perish the thought," Gray replied with a grin and made his way down to her. "My days of fightin' for self-worth are done. This seat taken?"
She shook her head. "Help yourself."
So he did. He sat beside her under the shade if the tree. Close enough to breathe the sweetness of her scent, but not so close that they would accidentally touch. There were boundaries. For him, at least.
"I'm proud of you," she said when he'd settled in. "Two years in a row you've qualified for the S-Class trials. Excited?"
"As much as I can be, I suppose," he replied, somewhat hesitantly. In truth, he really wasn't all that excited anymore. "Just wanna get one over ol' scaly brains, is all. If I do that, then I'm a happy guy."
"The best way to do that would be become S-Class before he does, no?"
"I suppose."
"And you've picked a good partner." She nodded to herself. "You and Loke complement each other's abilities well. You always do your best fighting around a melee combatant."
Gray shrugged. "You could say that. We were friends before he became Leo full-time, and he owed me one."
"Still. Among all the other teams, I think yours stands the best chance. Martial ability wise." Erza paused and coughed into her hand. "Not to say that I'm biased, of course."
"Of course," Gray chuckled and turned towards her. "Titania havin' a favourite in the race would be just unethical. Who knows, ya might just start goin' easy on people."
"That would ruin the sanctity of the test." She shook her head rapidly, as if vowing to herself. "I want everyone to succeed, but me going easy would help nobody."
"I know, Erza. Are you excited? To be one of the tests, I mean."
The tests were different every time. This year, the Master had roped in the guild's three S-Class mages to act as roadblocks to be overcome in the first round. The prospect of having to fight Erza had deflated him when he heard the news. Apparently, Erza didn't feel the same way.
"I am. It gives me a chance to personally gauge the progress of whoever comes my way." She looked right at him. "I hope it's you I face."
Gray had known Erza for over a decade and liked to think that he knew her rather well. He knew that she didn't beat around the bush. Her idea of diplomacy involved headbutting people. And yet, her bluntness still somehow managed to take him by surprise.
Seeing the shock etched on his face, Erza chuckled apologetically.
"Sorry, that was too direct. Allow me to rephrase." She cleared her throat, then smiled at him and patted the grass between them. "It was here that you found me that day and became my friend, Gray. It was also the day that you stopped challenging me. I know just how accomplished a mage you've become in the time since. I've seen it myself."
She stopped abruptly as a sudden breeze blew her hair into her face. Sighing irritably, Erza let her hair down over her shoulder and started picking out the leaves that had gotten caught in her locks. Gray, though he appreciated the break in her explanation, found that he couldn't look away.
"As I was saying, I've seen personally just how much you've improved. You've become a strong mage. You're strategic, and that, paired with your efficient and versatile nature, makes you dangerous. And I want to test myself against you," she said nonchalantly, combing her fingers through her hair slowly and systematically. It was almost hypnotic to watch. "I've heard all the rumours as to why you don't fight me anymore. Some say you're afraid. Some say you've figured out the secret to beating me and don't want to throw it in my face. Some even say that you're in love with me."
Whatever trance Gray had worked himself into fled at those words. As panic rose to replace the wonder in his heart, he sat a little straighter.
"You, uh, you don't believe any of that, right?" he asked cautiously, dreading the answer.
"Of course not," Erza replied, much to his relief... and some disappointment. "I don't believe anything unless I hear it directly from the person themselves." She offered him a smile. "I won't press you for answers, but I'd be lying if I said I was never curious."
Gray stared at her. One of the things he so admired her for was her honesty. She just... said things. It was a simple, straightforward thing that he was often jealous of. And sometimes, he hated himself for not being able to return the favour. No matter how much he wanted to.
There were moments, however, when he knew that if he didn't say something, it would go unsaid. Almost always, invariably, that had been the case. Besides, there were worse fates than telling someone how you really felt about them. He trusted Erza enough and knew that if it came down to it, their friendship would remain intact.
But that wasn't what frightened him.
"I... have my reasons," he told her eventually. Then he stopped and took a deep breath. Here goes. "Actually, Erza-"
"Shush."
He blinked, surprised. "But-"
Erza shook her head, still plucking leaves and twigs out of her thick locks. She smiled gently. "I don't need to know. Not right now."
"Then?"
"Hmmm. I believe, Gray, that when two warriors cross blades, they communicate on a much deeper level than usually possible between two people." She turned her face up and smiled at the sky, closing her eyes. "Yes. I believe it. In battle, there is no margin for error. No room for falsehood. There is nothing purer, more noble or more truthful than an honourable duel. There is only action and response with only seconds to think. You can scarcely get more honest than that." Then, she turned that smile his way. "And I know that when we fight next, I will know why. It's why I hope it is you I fight."
For a very, very long moment, Gray sat transfixed, digesting the enormity of what she had just told him. She wanted to fight to get to know him at his most primal, at his truest. Stupid as it may have sounded from anyone else, Erza's conviction really painted the notion in a romantic light. And he knew that she was being sincere. She was always sincere.
Slowly, he reached out and peeled off a single leaf from the side of her head that had eluded her. His fingers grazed the shell of her ear, and he swore he felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his arm. It was absolutely exhilarating. Was this what she meant?
Looking at her gave him no answers; she had ducked her face, letting her hair fall over in front like a curtain. Whether it was to hide or to more efficiently hunt stray leaves he didn't know, but not having to make eye contact gave him a small boost of courage.
Gray pulled his hand back and gulped. "All right," he said. "The next time we fight... whenever we fight... you'll know." He was silent a moment. Then he added, a touch more quietly: "And I'll have your answer."
If what she said was really true, then that sort of communication went both ways. If he was at his most primal, then she would be, too. In any fight, extra weight would slow people down. So they went in, holding on to the things that were most intimate, the intangible things that defined who they were. Things they couldn't do without.
If he was going to be that open, Erza would be, too. Everything that needed to be said would be said without speaking a single word.
Gray liked that. It was, after all, how they worked.
And in the silence of the shade, by the riverbank they both held dear, he heard a muttered reply from the woman who had stolen his heart.
"Yes," Erza said, straightening and throwing back her hair. She smiled, somewhat shyly. "You will. The next time we fight."
Gray nodded, returning the smile. "The next time we fight," he repeated.
On that summer's night, a gentle promise was made between star-crossed souls, with only the river as their witness.
And in that moment, Gray was never more grateful about how nobody came by the riverbank anymore.
A/N: So, this was my second and final submission for the Grayza Zine project - a free to download fan magazine containing a bunch of fics and fanart. It was a last hurrah for a lot of old shippers before we moved on from the ship - including myself. If you haven't read it, or are unaware of its existence, head over to tumblr and look for the grayza zine. The blog has the download link. Enjoy!