AN: Hello all, this chapter was requested by a guy called Silver on the Discord server I reside in, so here I am back with another chapter.
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( - )
(Last Time)
"Ha, don't tell Minerva that," Sting snorted with laughter.
Rogue smiled. "I won't. But it is true though."
"Tell me about it, if it's anything, it's an understatement. If you ask me, she is more than a match for Iron Rock Jura, too." Sting chuckled, shaking his head in amusement as he sat up and looked around at the field of destruction the two of them had left in their wake.
"You do realise she'll never date you? It doesn't matter how much you suck up to her, or compliment her. She's not interested." Rogue said, dryly.
"Maybe, but it's not going to stop me from trying." Sting shot back with a smirk.
"It might if she decides to kick the shit out of you. Oh, and before you ask no, I wouldn't step in to help you. I like to think I'm brave, but not even I'm brave enough to get between the Sky Goddess and her prey." Rogue shivered.
"Too true," Sting muttered, "too true."
( - )
Chapter 35
( - )
(With Percy)
It was raining as he walked through the quiet town.
The only sound he could hear was the heavy droplets of rain as they dashed against the stone flagging, forming large puddles in the deserted streets.
The town was nice, and would likely have been quite lively were it not for the stormy weather.
Looking around he could see that there were hundreds of well-kept grey stone buildings spreading out in all directions from the large castle and church in the centre of the settlement.
The streets were clean, and there were hanging baskets full of colourful flowers swinging about in the wind, and well-trimmed trees lining the main boulevard, softening the austere feeling the grey stone gave off.
All in all, the place looked pretty affluent.
But right now the town was empty.
Everyone had fled indoors to avoid the driving rain, with only the foolish braving the raging maelstrom outside.
Looking around as he came to a stop in the town's partially flooded market square, Percy took a moment to gather his bearings.
This was his first time visiting the town of Gazania.
But in part that was because he'd never really had a reason to explore the town before.
After all, other than being quite a pleasant place to live with a bustling economy, there was not much else to say about Gazania. Especially since the town was somewhat off the beaten track, with it being nestled in a valley in one of Fiore's more mountainous regions, with only one road heading to and from it.
Still, now he did have a reason to visit.
Looking out across the town, his eyes shifted over the intimidating castle that sat in the centre of the settlement and passed the gothic-looking church next to it, before finally focusing on the next biggest structure; a large, tier complex of sturdy-looking granite grey buildings that sat like a squatting thug at the far end of the town, looming intimidatingly over the surrounding houses and shops.
Sighing and bracing himself for what was to come, he set off walking through the rain-dashed streets once again, only this time he headed for the distastefully large guild building at the edge of the town.
From where he was standing he could already see the multiple soaking-wet banners hanging limply on the sides and top of the building, all of which showed the snarling head of a sabretooth tiger, loudly and obnoxiously proclaiming just who the complex belonged to. As if the massive stature of a pouncing sabretooth tiger didn't already do that.
Rolling his eyes at the petty power play, he rested his hand on the hilt of his borrowed sword and continued his journey along the street and through the gates that led to the Sabretooth Guild's compound.
With every step he took, he felt his gut clench and twist slightly.
It had been a long time since he had felt this nervous.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed his worries aside for the moment and forged ahead, passing through the stone archway and heading towards the looming, set of ironclad wooden doors that led to the main building.
In many ways, he'd already left things too long.
The survivors of Tenrou had already been back in Fiore for a couple of weeks now. Time enough for the returnees to sort out their living accommodations, settle their debts, and ease their way back into the swing of things.
The scars of their absence still remained, as while they had been stuck in stasis for seven years, time had marched on, and people had died, or had retired, and others had been born or joined the Guild.
He grimaced at that thought, even as he remembered Lucy's reaction to learning her father had passed during the time she had been absent.
Life was a bitch sometimes.
None of them had asked for what had happened to them and yet it had happened all the same, which meant that all they could do now was live with what had happened, even as tried to make the best of their new circumstances.
Or at least that was very much the philosophy he was encouraging the others to take.
For some like Natsu, Erza Scarlet, Erza Knightwalker, Cana, Gildarts, Gajeel and Gray this had been easy to accept. For others, however, like Mira, Levy and Lucy, not so much. After all, the former hadn't left behind any family or close friends, unlike the latter, who'd left behind siblings, parents and best friends, all of whom had grown older, died, or changed in the seven years that had passed.
Mira, he knew, was struggling with how much of her siblings' lives she had missed. Elfman was married and had a young son. While, Lisanna had grown from an awkward, gawky teen into a confident beautiful woman, one who was now older and more experienced in life than her older sister.
Levy too had been struggling to reconnect with Jet and Droy, especially with all the time that had passed, and how the two of them had changed and matured during the last seven years. That, and from what he could see, she was struggling with the new Team Shadow Gear dynamics now that the membership had swelled to include both Laki and Max.
He felt bad for them and offered advice and a non-judgmental ear when needed.
But honestly, he wasn't sure that it was enough.
Makarov had always been better at that kind of stuff, as too had Precht or at least he had back before he became an utter asshole, and Mavis too. He wasn't a natural leader like those three.
Sure, he could command a team in combat quite easily, and act as a battlefield commander.
Positions of authority related to combat or high-stress situations were very much his forte.
But acting as a pseudo guidance councillor, a role model, and a mentor during times of peace… they just weren't things he excelled at.
He lacked the patience and empathy needed.
Especially since his experiences were so very different from their own. After all, their lives constituted barely a fraction of his own. He had lived centuries, and in that time he had fought literal gods, and waged war against armies of monsters beyond the ken of mortal minds. He had traversed worlds and roamed through a hellish dimension that broke even the strongest of minds. He had fought against dragons, and had loved and lost more than any other being alive could imagine.
In his time he had seen and experienced so much that it made empathising with the struggles of those so much younger and less experienced than him hard sometimes, and it wasn't because he was callous, or dismissive. No instead it was because he didn't know what to say or what to do, other than repeat verbatim the same mindless platitudes that they had probably heard a thousand times before.
He grimaced at that thought, even as he came to a stop in front of a set of large, iron-studded doors, his hand gently resting on the worn, damp wood.
Yes, he'd put this off for far too long.
He spent too long drinking in the guild hall while swapping maudlin musings with Laxus, Gildarts and some of the older members of the Guild, or messing around on the training fields giving tips to both Erzas, Gray, Natsu and Lucy. That, or he'd been trying to sort out in his own mind just what was happening between him and Erza, and what he would do about the other Erza's not so subtle hints.
Looking back now, he'd been procrastinating.
All those things were important in their own way.
But so was this.
This conversation had been seven years in the waiting, and yet he'd had the temerity to leave it even longer while he geared himself up for it.
He was acting pathetic.
Stiffening his shoulders, and bracing himself, he took one last deep breath and pushed open the doors to the Sabretooth Guild.
( - )
(In the Sabretooth Guild Hall)
Laughing along as he listened to Sting's boasting, Olga Nanagear couldn't help but shake his head in amusement at the younger man's antic, his long mane of wild, spiky green hair shifting about behind him as he did so.
Lounging back in his chair, Olga slipped his arms around Cherie, one of the latest groupies that had cosied up to him, and grinned as Sting continued to prance about like a clown, his stupid, flying cat, cat friend Lector following the blonde's lead as he once again started going off about how big and tough he was.
It was always funny to see just how idiotic Sting could be.
The blonde dragonslayer thought he was tough shit.
He thought that he and his bum-chum, Rogue, were the toughest in the Guild.
It was laughable.
He was easily stronger than them, as was Minerva, their Guild Master Jiemma, and of course so to was the Guild's Ace and their most powerful wizard, the Sky Goddess, Wendy Marvel.
In terms of the hierarchy, they were barely in the top five, as even that pansy Rufus Lore, was probably around the same level as the two dragon brats.
Grinning, as he saw Sting drag Rogue up onto the table with him while the rest of the fodder cheered along and pumped up the two dragonslayers' already inflated ego, Olga just shook his head in disgusted amusement.
He still didn't understand how the two idiots actually believed that Dragonslayer Magic was superior to Godslayer Magic. It was literally in the name, gods were far superior to dragons, and every moron with half a brain knew that. Admittedly, Wendy Marvel, their Ace, primarily used Dragonslayer Magic. But she was just an anomaly and an absurdly strong freak of nature.
He allowed black lightning to crackle around his fingertips at that thought, his pale green eyes following the small black arcs of electricity, even as the pretty young thing beside him flinched away from his display of power.
Smirking down at the trembling girl, he released his hold on his magic and dragged the young groupie onto his lap.
In the end, it didn't really matter.
He would allow the deluded idiots to strut around with their assumptions. After all, the twin dragonslayers of Sabretooth were still stronger than the average civilian. Plus they were members of Sabretooth, the greatest and most powerful Guild to have ever existed.
Coping a feel of the groupie's firm arse, he lowered his head and peppered a few soft kisses along her quivering neck.
It was good to be on top!
Closing his eyes and grinning, he was soon, and annoyingly, distracted from his musings by a loud 'thud'.
Looking up irritably, Olga watched as the crowd in the guild hall suddenly quieted down as those present in the main chamber looked over to the source of the disturbance.
Scowling, he too looked over, only for him to see an unremarkable-looking figure step into the room.
The guy was relatively tall and well-built, but was otherwise pretty average. He was decent enough looking, in a shiftless-bum kind of way, and dressed the part too, with him wearing plain brown boots, dark slacks, a button-up grey shirt with an open collar, and a worn-out and faded-looking coat.
There was no flamboyance or flashiness to his outfit, which immediately gave him the impression that this man wasn't a wizard. After all, it was almost a tradition that wizards dressed up in flashy and spectacular outfits. From his experience, the more flamboyant and theatrical their ensemble the more powerful the wizard tended to be.
This guy, however, dressed like an average civilian, wearing the kind of thing a shopkeeper or out-of-work teacher might wear.
Hell, the guy didn't even have a magical presence.
He lacked the aura of power that the truly strong gave off.
In fact, the only thing about the stranger that gave him pause was the ordinary sword at his side. That, and the man's unnatural green eyes. But even those peculiarities didn't make up for his sheer lack of magical presence. He might as well be a magicless loser like the rest for all the presence he had.
Though that did beg the question of just why some weak loser with a sword had so boldly entered the Sabretooth guild hall without permission...?
Smirking, he shoved the girl off of his lap and stood up, his towering height allowing him to easily look over the heads of the other guild members as he confidently shoved his way passed them, ignoring Sting and Rogue as they followed in his wake.
He had been growing bored of just sitting around the guild hall waiting for the rain to stop anyway, and so had been hankering for entertainment.
Fortunately, the intruder was just the distraction he needed to cheer himself up, and what was a better diversion than humbling a weak, arrogant bumpkin that thought themselves tough enough to join the number one Guild in Fiore!
"Oi, you!" Olga shouted, his booming voice silencing the interested muttering from the hangers-on as he shoved his way to the front of the crowd and toward the approaching man.
In response, the stranger just tilted his head to the side, his unnerving green eyes scanning him up and down, before looking away, an unimpressed expression quickly flitting across his face, as he instead continued to look around the Guild.
Growling at the lack of respect, Olga ignored Sting's snickering, and instead took another step forward, rolling his shoulders as he looked down at the shorter man.
"Is Wendy Marvel here?" The man asked suddenly, cutting off Olga's follow-up before he could give voice to his growing annoyance.
"What?" Olga snapped, his irritation flaring, as he once again saw the newcomer wasn't paying attention to him.
"I'm here to see Wendy Marvel, is she here?" The man continued, his gaze finally returning to him as he tilted his head up and steadily met his gaze.
There was no fear in his eyes, but there was something similar there though, maybe nervousness?
Scowling, Olga took another step forward until he was right in front of the stranger, his chest now at the other man's eye level, as he forced the newcomer to tilt his head to look up at him.
"I think you've got the wrong place," Olga said, stabbing his finger into the man's chest.
It felt like he was poking a slab of solid steel.
The other man didn't move an inch.
"No, I'm pretty sure she's in Sabretooth." The man replied mildly, his gaze shifting dispassionately down to Olga's extended finger, before moving back to his face. "And don't poke me again. It's weird."
Olga held back a snarl as he heard several hastily stifled sniggers behind him, one of which definitely came from that little shit, Sting.
"I don't know who the fuck you think you are," He forced out a laugh. "But you don't just waltz into the Sabretooth Guild and start demanding shit. You ask before you enter, you wait until you're given permission, and then you hope we're nice enough to give you the time of day."
The man gave him a flat look. "You done with your peacocking?"
Olga's hands clenched into fists at his side.
"Because, I really don't give a shit about your guild, or about who you are big boy. I'm not here for a fight, or to get into an argument. I'm here for one reason, I'm here to see Wendy. So, is she here?" The man pressed on, his voice infuriatingly calm as he stared down him, Black Lightning Olga, and the vast majority of the Sabretooh Guild, without seemingly a care in the world.
"You hear that Olga? He doesn't give a shit about who you are!" Sting guffawed, his irritating feline hanger-on cackling along with him.
"Watch it, kid!" Olga snarled, his eyes narrowing as he glared back at the grinning blonde.
Rogue at least looked as calm, composed and bored as ever, even as his mentally retarded cat, Frosch ran around his feet, probably chasing some imaginary butterfly or some other asinine made-up bullshit.
Clamping down on his rising temper, he turned back to the stranger and forced a grin.
"Yeah, you're after Wendy, right? Well, why the fuck would she want to see some weak loser like you? I mean, you do know who she is, right? She's the fucking Sky Goddess, one of the most powerful wizards in Fiore, and Sabretooth's Ace!" Olga continued, his temper still mounting, even as he struggled to keep it under control.
As far as he was concerned might makes right, which meant that there was probably only one human in all of Fiore that was strong enough to tell him what to do, and that was Wendy. Since first, fuck Jura Neekis. The old monk was overrated and nowhere near Wendy's level – hell he reckoned he could probably beat the fat slaphead – and secondly, because he had first-hand experience of her strength, and so knew he wasn't quite at her level yet either.
"Yep, that sounds like her. Though, she seems to have gone up a lot in the world since we last met." The stranger replied, an odd, almost proud smile playing across his lips, before with a frown he looked back at Olga. "Can't say I think much about the company she keeps though…, not that she probably cares much about my opinion nowadays…."
Cracking his neck, Olga finally lost his cool as he grabbed the front of the guy's shirt and tried to lift him up to face level.
Tried, being the operative word, as the moment he reached for him, the man's arm shot up blisteringly fast and caught his wrist in a painfully tight grip.
"Don't start something you can't finish." The man said softly into the sudden silence that spread throughout the guild. "Words are just hot air and can be easily ignored. But actions, well they can't be so easily dismissed. So take a step back, and calm down. I've not been intentionally rude to you, and you've not done anything yet that truly offends me. So, tell me-"
With a snarl, Olga cut the man off with a punch to the face. Black lightning danced across his flesh as he deliberately lowered the strength of the blow to only 25% so that he didn't accidentally rip the man's head off with the blow. Roughing up an arrogant twat was one thing. But actually killing a guy…, that was on a whole other level.
In response, the stranger clenched his hand into a fist and twisted Olga's arm away from him, even as he lunged forward and head-butted the punch.
With a loud crunch, Olga let out a roar of pain as he felt several knuckles in his hand pop, even as a sharp jolt of pain radiated down his arm from the site of impact.
"Fuck!" He roared, shaking his stinging hand as he took a step back and glared at the stranger, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the man looking quite un-phased, the only sign that he had been hit was a slight graze on his forehead, from where the rings on Olga's fingers had probably glanced off.
"Huh," The man muttered, his fingers dancing across the slightly reddened patch of skin. "That's…. unexpected…."
"Who the fuck are you?" Olga growled, clenching his injured hand into a fist and bringing it closer to his chest.
"Yeah," Sting walked up to his side, his blue eyes locked on the stranger. "You better start talking, because if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."
Licking his thumb, the man wiped it across the red mark on his forehead. Only for that very same mark to disappear the next moment, leaving nothing but unblemished skin in its wake.
"Just a random guy off the street," The man smiled, his eyes icy cold as he looked around at all the wizards arrayed before him. There wasn't a hint of fear or apprehension in either his bearing or in his gaze. "And I'm here to see, Wendy."
"Wendy isn't here." Jiemma Orland's voice boomed out in response.
Like a shifting tide, the assembled Sabretooth wizards moved aside to make way for their gargantuan Guild Master.
For all that Olga was tall, Jiemma all but dwarfed him.
The old man was massive and almost grotesquely muscled. He stood well over seven feet tall, with arms that were almost as thick as an average man's full body, and a thick white beard and moustache covering his pointed facial features.
But all of that was just window dressing, as the most unnerving thing about the man was his pure white eyes, and his overwhelming magical aura.
Age may have slowed him down, allowing both himself and that man's daughter, Minerva, to become stronger than him. But despite that, he was still a formidable powerhouse, one that even made him second-guess himself when the old man confronted him.
"Oh, well do you know where she is?" The stranger asked with a smile, easily sidestepping Olga as he instead looked over at the approaching Jiemma.
"No," Jiemma said, his deep voice reverberating around the cavernous hall. "She left a few days ago to complete an S-Class mission, and to do some training out in the wilds where there will be no collateral damage."
"Ah," The other man said, his smile slipping away, as a more regretful grimace replaced it. "That's, well that's just how it is I guess. Do you know when she will be back?"
"No," Jiemma boomed, his white eyes narrowing. "Now I think you should leave."
"Yeah," The man muttered to himself. "Yeah, I think I probably should. I guess I'll just have to catch up with her at the Grand Magic Games."
"Do as you wish," Jiemma said bluntly, his biceps bulging as he folded his arms. "Now leave, and never return here."
Smirking, Percy looked up and met his gaze steadily.
"Ah, I see… I thought we'd met before…" He said an almost mischievous gleam entering his sea-green eyes.
Jiemma's beard twitched, and the aura of power he naturally exuded, intensified for a moment.
"Looks like you've risen much further than I expected." The man continued with an evaluating look. "Congrats I guess. Though hopefully, you've grown inwardly since we last met as well, and have learned that power isn't everything."
"Hmm," Jiemma hummed non-committedly, his giant hands clenching into fists.
All around the room, every member of the guild watched the ongoing confrontation with a mixture of confusion, anticipation and nervousness. None of them knew the history between the twenty-something year old stranger and their grizzled, sixty-odd year old Guild Master, but whatever it was had evidently left bad blood between the two of them.
Giving their Guild Master one last smirk, the newcomer's eyes flitted over to him next, the amusement in his gaze intensifying as it flickered down to where he was still nursing his injured hand.
"I'd put some ice on that if I were you," The man smiled, before with a last curious look around the hall, he turned and left the same way he entered without another word.
"Who the hell was that guy?" Sting spoke into the silence that follow the stranger's departure, his attention now on their scowling Guild Master.
"Someone dangerous," Minerva purred from where she was lounging against a nearby pillar, a cat-like smirk on her flat, make-up caked face as she turned and looked him up and down.
"No shit," Olga snapped back, flexing his still stinging hand. He'd definitely broken something.
"Nah, he's not so tough!" Lector sneered, "He just got lucky with whatever gimmicky magic he uses. If my man Olga had been serious, then he would have blown that pipsqueak away!"
Huh, maybe the cat wasn't so bad, Olga thought as he nodded his agreement.
"Master?" Rogue asked quietly. "Who was that man?"
"His name is Perseus, also known as 'The Destroyer' and 'The God of Fairies'," Jiemma finally spoke up. "And he is not a man. No, he is an abomination of nature, a true monster that hides behind a thin veneer of humanity and geniality."
Shock and a slight sliver of fear flooded Olga's being, even as murmurs began to spread around the guild hall as news of just who they had met spread throughout the room.
They'd just met a living legend, and the former most powerful human in Fiore, someone who was said to be on a par with even the Gods of Ishgar.
At the far side of the room, he could see Minerva's eyes lighting up with interest.
"Him? But he didn't look that much older than me?" Sting shouted in denial.
"Transformation Magic, maybe?" Rogue muttered.
Olga however, shook his head. His magical senses were heightened due to the nature of his chosen branch of magic, and so he knew that he would have been able to sense the Transformation Magic in Perseus' form if he had been using it.
"Looks can be deceiving," Jiemma growled, his gaze still fixed on the door that Perseus had left through. "And there is none more deceiving and more deceitful than that monster his human skin."
"Monster?" Olga frowned. He'd heard that the God of Fairies was ruthless and brutal, but otherwise, he'd only heard good things about how he had saved people, killed demons and torn down Dark Guilds and slave networks. He'd never heard him described as a monster before, except when people were describing his raw power.
"Never you mind," Jiemma snapped, his tone suddenly angry. "Perseus is an enemy of the Sabretooth Guild, and is not to be trusted or spoken to."
Another ripple of surprise spread through the room at his words, even as Minerva's smile became practically feral.
The woman was seriously unhinged.
Shaking his head, Olga looked back at the Guild Master. "Why did he want to walk to Wendy, and what do we tell her about it?"
"The truth," Jiemma snapped. "He came here and caused trouble, attacking several people, and all because he wanted to beat her down and drag her back to Fairy Tail where he thinks she belongs."
Unease spread through Olga's gut as he absorbed the words.
But despite his discomfort, he just nodded his head like the rest of the sheep and agreed to follow the Guild Master's word on the matter.
( - )
(Sometime Later at the Fairy Tail Guild Hall)
Settling down on a bench, Percy forced a smile as he watched the ongoing frivolities as the Fairy Tail wizards partied and drank themselves silly.
He'd only just returned from Gavinia, and his mood was still low.
It was his own fault really.
He'd left it too late and had missed his opportunity to talk to Wendy and open possible lines of communication with her.
It was a bit of a gut punch, but at the same time, there was still the Grand Magic Games.
They were still a couple of months off, but she'd definitely be there and hopefully, then he'd have a chance to speak with her.
Taking solace in that fact, he turned his attention back to others, his gaze shifting over Gray and Natsu as they arm-wrestled nearby, even as Mira, Lisanna and Lucy chatted about something or other at a nearby table, while Levy and the rest of the expanded Team Shadow Gear discussed their next mission. Cana and Gildarts meanwhile, had headed out into the Magnolia to grab a drink somewhere quieter. As for Erza Knightwalker, she was off on a mission kicking the shit out of a nearby gang of bandits.
On the second level he could see Laxus looking out over the guild hall, even as he conversed with Freed and Bickslow, while on the other side of them, Evergreen was shouting at Elfman about something, even as she carefully perched her white-haired son on her hip.
All was well with the Guild.
Everyone was happy or on the road to recovery.
Things were looking up.
But despite that, he still felt like something was missing.
Or rather he knew someone was missing from the picture.
Wendy.
Sighing, he took a large sip of ale.
"That's a big sigh," Erza Scarlet said from beside him, drawing his attention as he turned to look at her.
She wasn't wearing her usual armour but was instead wearing one of his spare T-shirts and a pair of shorts. It was a very casual look compared to her usual skirt and blouse combo, but he still liked it. Then again, one of the annoying things about Erza was that everything suited her. She could wear a pantomime cow outfit, and could somehow make it work.
Smiling, he reached over and gently wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer to him.
With a smile, she lay her head on his shoulder, her long, red hair splaying down across his chest.
"Just thinking," He said softly, taking comfort in the warmth she provided.
"About Wendy?" Erza asked, taking his free hand in her own, her long, delicate fingers absentmindedly dancing across the callused palm of his hand.
"Yeah," Percy admitted. "I'm just annoyed at myself for not going straight to her the moment I found out where she was. I shouldn't have waited, I should have just grabbed my coat and gone."
"You were nervous and still finding your feet after Tenrou. It happens." Erza said, her voice strong. "Besides, she might still come to see you. We've been back for a while now, and you know how news spreads?"
"Maybe, but I doubt it. She's probably angry and hurting, and it's all my fault." Percy muttered.
"Oh?" Erza replied, her voice suddenly hardening. "I never realised you could throw out island-destroying blasts of magic?"
"What?" He frowned, a bemused smile playing across his face.
"Well, that's what happened, isn't it? Someone blew up Tenrou and forced Master Mavis to use Fairy Sphere. So are you telling me that you were the one that destroyed the island?" Erza replied, expanding on her previous point.
"No. I can't say that I was the one that destroyed the island." Percy said, his lips twitching upwards as he saw what Erza's angle was.
"No, you and Natsu were too busy dealing with Hades and Zeref, as in the literal Black Wizard Zeref, the bane of mankind…" Erza said, trailing off expectantly. "So pull your head out of your ass and stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over."
"Ha," Percy snorted, shaking his head. "Sorry, I guess I was being a bit-"
"Pessimistic, maudlin, depressing…" Erza said, her lips curving into a smile as she brushed some of her scarlet red hair out of her face, and sent him a warm smile.
"All of the above," Percy admitted.
Sighing softly, Erza reached up and cupped his cheek, even as she laid a soft kiss on his lips.
She tasted like strawberry cheesecake.
Smiling into the kiss, Percy took her hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Thanks."
"I don't know what you mean," Erza said, smirking. "All I did was shout at you."
"You know, you're not as mean or as scary as you think you are?" Percy said lightly, bringing his hand up to gently caress her face as he moved a lock of her red hair behind her ear.
"Well, that's your fault," Erza replied, her cheeks going pink. "You bring out a softer, gentler side in me. You make me feel comfortable enough and safe enough to, well, let my guard down."
Her cheeks continued to redden, as she abruptly turned and looked away, her eyes narrowing as she suddenly glared threateningly at a gawking Gray and Natsu.
With an amusing amount of synchronicity, both young men turned away at the same time, their eyes shifting to the rafters as they both pretended they hadn't been staring.
"I wouldn't worry about them," Percy said, mildly. "I'll be taking them to the training fields." He looked around and caught sight of Mira, Lisanna, Lucy and a couple of other nosey guild members looking over at them too. "Along with a select few others, and will be giving them a… hands-on lesson in fighting…"
Both Natus and Gray went pale, even as they both made their excuses and quickly scarpered.
Lucy. Mira and Lisanna meanwhile, went suddenly pink and abruptly remembered that they had other places to be.
Laughing softly as she watched their friends flee, Erza turned back to him. "Do you fancy heading out?"
Draining his ale, Percy nodded. "Yeah sure, where about are you thinking?"
"I was thinking we could go back to your place for some coffee?" Erza said, her eyes glimmering with mischief, as her hand suddenly came to rest on his chest, right above his suddenly rapidly beating heart.
"Oh, ohhhh," Percy replied, understanding flooding him, even as a smile spread across his face. "Coffee back at mine sounds nice."
"Yes," Erza purred. "Yes, it does."
( - )
AN: So there we go.
Not going to lie I was planning for this chapter to have some action, but was instead distracted by the need for interaction.
This means that the next chapter will have the planned, as Percy takes Erza Knightwalker up on her request, and give Gray and Natsu some long-awaited sparring. There will also be some more fluff between Percy and Erza. And a little drama with Lucy and Lisanna.
So yeah, a busy chapter, but this does mean that in two the Grand Magic Games will start, and shit will begin to hit the fan.
Hopefully, you enjoyed reading the chapter/ story, and continue to do so. If not, then please do tell me what you didn't like, or what you thought could have been done better. Please leave a review if you can, they are very useful. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to hit me up.
Also, I am on Discord with a load of other writers, the invite is at the top, please feel free to pop in and say high.
Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later.
Seagate.