A/N: This takes place during the Phantom Lord arc and it's the last one-shot. I hope that you liked this little collection :)
Summary: After the fight against Phantom Lord, Gary confronts Erza about her actions, but of course she isn't one to just take that. With both of them almost sacrificing themselves in the past, confessions are made.
For a moment Erza didn't know what to do. Their master was defeated. Never before had that happened and Erza had always had trust in their master's strength. Seeing him helpless was such a heartbreaking sight that Erza couldn't keep her tears from falling. This was her fault, she shouldn't have let the master go alone to the fight.
Before she could blame herself more, she was pulled from her thoughts by the magicians from Phantom Lord who were attacking them. This was hardly the moment to wallow in self-pity. She needed to be strong for the guild and be the leader as long as their master was in this condition. Thinking quickly, she ordered her guild to retreat. It wasn't like she didn't want revenge, because she clearly did for what Phantom Lord had done to her friends and to their master, but this wasn't the moment for it. So many of their members were seriously hurt and their master needed a healer as soon as possible, so the smartest move was to retreat.
None of the guild members was very happy about her decision. They all wanted to fight, just like she did, but they need to regroup and help whoever had gotten hurt. In the end most of them accepted Erza's order and she was thankful for that, but then she saw Gray. Of course he would be the one who would disagree with her, but she needed him the most right now. He had always been her safe haven and she needed him more than ever now where their guild was weakened and it was up to her to be strong for them all. She was sure that everyone expected her to be their leader as long as their master was in this condition and she wouldn't disappointed them.
If she was completely honest with herself, she didn't only approach Gray to stop him from continuing the fight, but also because she wanted to be close to him, even if it was just for a second. She hadn't mean to break down in his arms, but the moment when she touched him and he embraced her, she couldn't help it. He was there for her like he had always been and lent her his remaining strength.
It was a short moment shared between them in all the pain and desperation, but it gave her the strength to be the leader that they all needed right now. When she pulled away from him, they looked at each other for another moment, both exhausted but finding strength in each other. Gray squeeze her hands for one last time before they left the building. With newfound will to protect the guild and save their master's life Erza lead her friends back home.
When they arrived at the guild, Erza made sure that their master was brought to the best healer in Fiore and that everyone was treated. Not even when Lucy and Natsu arrived safely back at the guild, she wanted to leave her friends alone, but then Gray insisted that she should take a minute to relax. She wanted to protest, but the concerned look in his eyes and his caring words convinced her otherwise. It had always been easy for Gray to change her mind and deep in her heart she knew why she had a soft spot for him, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
After she had stepped into the shower and let the water wash away her tears, she felt helpless. Their master was in no condition to fight and no one knew if he would even wake up. Most of their friends were badly hurt and Phantom Lord would surely attack again. The situation was bad and she was the one who everyone trusted to make the right decisions. The other two S-class magicians wouldn't come to fight alongside them, so she had to protect them all.
Erza hated feeling helpless, but having so much responsibility for all the people that she cared so deeply for was too much. However when she remembered how fearless everyone had fought and when she remembered the feeling of being in Gray's arms, as short as it had been, she felt her strength returning. She would protect them all, no matter the costs.
Gray knew that it wasn't Erza's choice to retreat, she only wanted to do the right thing for their guild. It was awful for Gray to see Erza so broken and desperate, but he was glad that he was the one she came to for breaking down. Only a second ago she had sounded like her normal demanding self, but now Gray could see how much this situation affected her.
This reminded him so much of when he had found her at the river when they had been children. He had promised himself to never let this beautiful woman cry ever again, but here she was in his arms crying. No matter how much he wanted revenge for Levy, the master and their guild, he would postponed it because Erza needed him right now. Gently he pulled her more into his arms and let her have a moment of vulnerability. He wouldn't leave her side until this was over. She would be a great leader in their time of need and he would support her as best as he could. He would lent her his strength.
It seemed to work when after another moment in his arms, she pulled away and looked at him. Her eyes were still glazed, but now there was determination in them. He squeezed her hands one last time before they left the building together. When they went outside she was back to the fierce leader that they all needed right now, but he still stayed by her side the whole way home.
Erza helped everyone get medical help as soon as they were back at the guild and made sure that they were all taken care of. He was sure that she was exhausted and deeply saddened by their master's defeat, but she still cared for others first before she thought of herself. Seeing her like this made Gray's heart swell with adoration. She was such a caring person behind her armor.
Even after Natsu had brought Lucy back, she didn't want to rest, so it was up to him that she took a moment to herself. He pulled her aside and, away from prying eyes, lay his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring manner and told her that they would be alright and that she should take a moment to herself. At first she wanted to protest, but when he looked deep into her eyes, she finally agreed. With worry he watched her leave. He wished that he could take all her pain away, but at least he had given her a moment to collect her strength.
When Phantom Lord attacked again Erza didn't hesitate to fight for them all. It was hard for him to see the woman, that he cared so much for, place herself between the guild and the most powerful weapon anyone of them had ever seen, but he knew that she had to do it. He was sure that she blamed herself for their master's condition and their situation and this was what she wanted to do to protect them all. No matter how much he wanted to call out to her to step back and get to safety he trusted her to be strong enough.
It was hard to see her fight so fiercely for them and get so hurt during it, but even now when she lay beaten up on the ground after such a powerful attack, she was still the one who gave all of them the strength to continue the fight. Gray had seen how Lucy had fought with herself if it wouldn't be better for her to surrender herself to Phantom Lord for the safety of the guilt, but after Erza's words of encouragement, Gray saw the celestial mage stop hesitating. However what happened next made Gray freeze in fear.
To everyone else it might have seemed like he had fainted after the attack, but the truth was that he was awake the whole time, he just couldn't move. It was horrible to watch Erza fight with her last strength after she had already protected them all from Magical Convergent Cannon and had defeated the strongest of the element four.
As always she was great and if it hadn't been for her wounds she would have surely won against Jose, but considering her condition she lost in the end and no matter how much Gray willed his body to move and help her, he couldn't. With utmost horror he saw Erza's sword move and Gray knew what she had in mind. She didn't want to break the hope, that she had given the guild with her words and actions, if they saw her like this. She was willing to take her own life without hesitation and Gray felt just as helpless as when Ur had sacrificed herself. His only thought was that he couldn't lose Erza, not her of all people.
Thankfully their master showed up at the right time to save her from sacrificing herself. Now that the master had healed their woulds with his magic and he could move again, all Gray wanted to do was go over to Erza and demand answers. Why had she been about to do that? However this wasn't the right time for that, because two of the most powerful magicians were about to fight and they had to get out of here. As always they followed Erza's orders without a second thought and left.
Gray smiled when the master came to them and announced that Phantom Lord was finally defeated. This called for a victory celebration and despite that most of them were hurt from the battle, they wouldn't be Fairy Tail if that bothered them. However Gray's good mood vanished immediately when he remembered what had happened right before their master had shown up.
Now that the battle was over and everyone was mostly fine, he had to talk to her and when the small victory party was over, he immediately approached her.
"I'll walk you home." It wasn't an offer nor a question.
Erza raised an eyebrow at him in challenge, because no one ever talked to Titania like that. However when she looked deep into his eyes, she saw that something was bothering him. It had always been hard for her to deny him anything. The latest proof for that was that she had let him finish the mission on Galuna Island. This time was no difference so she just sighed and let him walk with her. It had been a hard battle and even though she would never admit or show it, she was quite exhausted. Not only the fight itself had taken a toll on her, but also their master's condition had upset her. Considering that, she was almost glad that Gray walked her home.
Gray watched her the whole way to her dorm from the corner of his eyes and she was clearly exhausted, but he couldn't just let it go. Almost losing her had done greater damage to his heart than any of the attacks that the enemy had landed on him. He had known for a while that his simple crush, when he had been a child, had turned into so much more, but today had made it painfully clear to him.
It seemed that Erza knew that he wouldn't leave until they had talked, because when they arrived at her dorm, she didn't even bother to invite him in, but rather left the door open after she had entered. Normally she was strict when it came to male visitors in the dorm, but now she didn't seem to care and Gray was more than okay with that.
When the door finally closed behind him, Gray couldn't hold his anger and desperation back any longer.
"Why did you do that?" He demanded and when she looked confused at him, he only got angrier. "Why did you want to sacrifice yourself in your fight against Jose?"
"So you saw." Erza whispered more to herself than to him.
"Why?" Gray stepped closer so he could met her eyes.
"You heard what Jose said, didn't you?" When he nodded, she continued. "The others would have seen me in that awful condition and they would have lost hope. Do you really think that I would have let that happen?"
"So your solution was to sacrifice yourself?" Despite that he had already assumed that this was her reasoning, hearing her confirm it made him even angrier.
"What does it matter? You wanted to do the same thing on Galuna Island." Erza had finally enough. How could he blame her for almost sacrificing herself when he had wanted to do the same thing a few weeks ago. Did he even have a clue how much her heart had hurt when Natsu had told her that he had almost used his ice shell and what effect this would have had?
Gray was rendered speechless for a moment. Of course Natsu couldn't have kept his mouth shut even for a second, but that he had to tell Erza of all people was even worse. She was right, he had no right to judge when he had wanted to give his own life away only a few weeks ago, but that didn't mean that she could just do that.
"That's different." He finally said. "I had a good reason. Deliora caused me so much pain in the past and he is the reason why Ur and my parents are gone."
"So you think that my reason wasn't good enough? What do you even know, Gray? Maybe I was a burden for someone before and I never wanted to see someone suffer because of me again." She almost screamed at him and turned away, so he couldn't see her eyes.
In that moment Gray's anger left him completely. Of course did she have a good reason to do what she did, this was Erza after all. The last thing that he had wanted to do, after everything that had happened today, was upset the woman who meant more to him than anyone else. It was risky what he was about to do and he knew that he was risking losing his best friend, but after today her friendship wasn't enough for him anymore.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." He said softly and stepped closer to her until her back collided with his chest. Gently he embraced her form behind and leaned closer to her ear. "I was just so worried that I would lose you that I couldn't think clearly."
For a moment she stiffened in his arms and he was afraid that she would hit him, but then she turned around. Her eyes were shining for the first time since Phantom Lord had attacked their master and it gave him hope that his feelings for her weren't as unrequited as he had thought.
"Gray." His name was the only word that left her lips, but it was enough for Gray to finally tell her what she meant to him.
"Erza, I care about you, more than I should. You're the most important person for me."
It wasn't a direct confession, but he knew that she wasn't ready for that just yet. However when their eyes met, they spoke to each other and communicated more emotions than they could have said with words. Slowly he leaned even closer to her and when he saw her eyes flutter close, he softly pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. He had wanted this for so long and he couldn't be happier when she returned his kiss and encircled her arms around his neck to pull him closer.
When their kiss ended and Erza's eyes opened, he could see the same feeling that he held for her reflecting in her eyes. This night Gray stayed with Erza and they fell asleep almost immediately in each others arms. They were both powerful magicians who had fought a hard battle and came close to losing each other, but in this moment they were just a young couple in love.