A/N: In which Erza speaks out.

"Damn it, Jellal!" Erza cried for what seemed like the millionth time that night. The ultramarine simply opted to stay quiet and stare at his feet, nerves wrecked and heart frayed.

The duo were currently surrounded by thick forestry, their secret meeting place far away from prying eyes and wandering ears. Erza was void of any armour, a rare occurrence; instead, she wore a white sundress that came down to mid-thigh, paired with a pair of white ballerina flats. Jellal wore his usual clothes, having lost his train of thought when she had first walked into the clearing looking like the personification of innocence. Yet again, he wondered how their bittersweet meeting had gone so downhill in a matter of minutes. He had simply came to say his goodbyes before he and Meredy departed to see what they could do against Zeref's demons. He hadn't expected Erza to put up such a fight against his plans.

Erza stood across from him, cheeks flushed a rosy pink from shouting at him. Hands clenched at her side. she stood there with a glare on her face. She knew she was dangerously close to tears, a reaction nobody but Jellal could manage to gain from her.

"Erza," he murmured quietly, stepping closer to his childhood friend. The ends of his cape fell around her form, curling around the bare skin and shielding her from the unforgiving winds of the night. She suppressed the urge to shiver. "You know about my past. You know…you know what weare. Having a friendship with you is more than I deserve already, I'm not going to push my luck."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he placed a finger against her lips. Emerald met amber, and she sagged under the weight of the determination in the eyes of the man she loved and pined for endlessly. "There's nothing you can say or do to make me give up on this, Erza," he told her firmly albeit softly. "I've done too much in the past for any of it to be atoned for."

"Bullshit, Jellal!" She hissed angrily, feeling the not-so familiar sting of tears. She ripped herself away from him, the wind slicing across her skin, and stalked across the clearing, more than ready to leave. She wanted to be in the safe haven of her dorm before she cried for heart out.

Cursing and growling under his breath, he grabbed her arm and spun her around, pressing his lips against hers roughly. She stilled in his grip, not responding at all. Desperate to prove his point, he let go of her arm and buried his hands in her hair, deepening the kiss. Soon, she started to respond, her movements equally filled with carnal desire. The duo let go of all their bitterness, regret and anger, channelling it into the one kiss. This was nothing like the one they had shared on the island; this was filled with all the negativity brewing in the dark recesses of their heart after being denied a chance at freely loving each other for years. Long, long years of lonely, cold nights.

After a while, the duo pulled away from each other, needing air. Jellal gazed down at the redhead, finding her with flushed cheeks, swollen lips and tiny, diamond-like teardrops running down her face.

"It's not what you've done," she whispered hoarsely. "It's who you are."

She pressed her trembling lips against his again, silent sobs shaking her body as they embraced under the lulling moonlight for what they thought would be the last time. Jellal couldn't stop the feeling of defeat as he began to think that maybe, just maybe, she was right.

Then again, there was never a time where she had been wrong, was there?