I actually wrote another version of this, that after some editing I will be posting as the first chapter in a long fic. But for the meantime, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Title: Near Miss
Pairing: Erza x Lyon
Requester: boogey56
Prompt: no prompt
Erza was silent on the boat with the others, headed back to civilization proper. She felt strung out, and raw all over. As if her armor had been stripped from her.
Wrapped up in her thoughts of the ordeal the coalition had just survived, she didn't hear the approaching footsteps until she saw boots in the corner of her vision. Erza glanced up, to meet the guarded gaze of Lyon Vastia.
He indicated the space beside her with a graceful sweep of his hand. Really, why must ice mages always be so… Gray was like this too, even during his gangly adolescent phase. Did it come from the fact that their magic was one of creation, not destruction? Of artistry, not broken bones and blood?
"May I join you for a minute?" Lyon asked, his voice level, with barely any inflection to betray his thoughts.
Something about that quality resonated with Erza. It was something she knew well.
She nodded at him, and repeated his gesture with her gauntleted hand. "Be my guest."
He sat down beside her, and a tense silence befell them.
"Did you need something from me, Lyon?" Erza inquired after a minute or two.
Lyon hummed a moment. "I was just coming to see how your arm was holding up."
Erza gently touched the limb with her other hand. The agonizing poison had long since departed, but still… it was if she could yet feel the echo of the coarse, burning liquid clawing its way through her veins. "It is healed, thanks to Wendy," she informed him. "Although whether there will be other side effects, only time will tell."
He nodded, accepting her answer. "I'm… glad. It would have been a shame to maim a warrior of your caliber."
A smile pulled at the edge of Erza's mouth. "And yet you seemed more than ready to do so. Thank you for that, by the way. For understanding." In the split second they'd made eye contact on that hill, he'd understood what had needed to be done. And was willing to do it. She was grateful. So grateful for that. "The others…"
"Would have hesitated, or been unable to deliver a clean blow," he finished. "Though I must admit, it's odd to hear you thanking me for that."
Giving him a half-shrug, she explained, "There are prosthetics on the market that I could have made do with. Their quality is superb, and I have the funds. Aside from which, my eye is already false. It matters little if more of my body becomes so. I will not be a hindrance to my comrades."
"You're incorrect there," he said. "It matters. Regardless, I'm pleased it didn't come to that."
"Likewise."
They spent the rest of the trip in companionable silence.
