"You know that I still received messages asking me when I organise another event like the one on Valentine's Day."

"It was weeks ago."

"And yet. Nobody had seen Hibiki Leithis for a while before and after my party."

"He became famous; it's pretty normal that his appearances are rarer, right? By the way, how did you get him here?"

"He still owes me some services from the time when he was a model too."

"You really have a crazy address book."

"Of course I do. I'm a national cover model and the chief administrator of the country's first guild too. Of course I know some people.

Cana smiled at that. Yes, Mirajane was formidable. However, she wasn't sure if another party was such a good idea. It has been almost three weeks since Valentine's Day, and some of their teammates still seemed affected by it. She didn't know what had happened between Grey and Erza, but he had gotten closer to Juvia and further away from Erza. Truth be told, the two had grown apart, and the more days passed, the worse it got. The dynamics between them were electric.

And if only they had been the worst, but there were Lucy and Natsu, who weren't far behind. Their team were completely fragmented to the point that the master had refused to send them on missions together.

Wendy had tried to save them from self-destruction in vain. Erza had come to her once; she had told her that it wasn't her role, that she wasn't there to save them from themselves, and finally advised her to work with another team for a while or just with one or two of them separately.

Wendy had felt like her heart was being broken. She hadn't tried to save them out of the goodness of her heart, although that was largely why, but also out of selfishness. They were her family; among all the members of the guild, they were the ones she was closest to, and she didn't want to have to endure another abandonment.

"Why not? It was a pleasant evening, with all the mages from the five most powerful guilds at the same place and without any master except Sting. It was fun."

"Not for everyone."

" Lissana is sad, and I think that a party could help her. "

"I don't think so."

Mirajane looked at Cana, puzzled. Usually she was the first who wanted to have fun and drink.

" It's just that something has changed since this party. And your idea of kissing our dance partner at midnight wasn't your best idea either."

"But the aim was to encourage them to take their bravery to invite the one with whom they truly wanted to spend Valentine's Day the next day. And it was only a suggestion; I didn't force anyone. Besides, no one complains about it".

"Are you sure of it?"

"Well, Cana, if it's to make me reproach, I still prefer not to talk about it."

"Like you want."

Wendy came at the same time; she sat on a stool next to Cana. She looked in the void. She had not left on a mission for a while, and she was wondering if she could still handle this situation any longer.

"You should ask Lucy."

She raised her eyes towards Mirajane.

"She needs money for her rent."

It was not a bad idea, but they were a team; they always had been.

"I don't want to leave without all of them."

"Grey and Erza can manage to go on a mission together; the real problem will be with Natsu and Lucy. I'm serious; if you ask Grey and Erza together, they will say yes. They have always been like that, too prideful and secretive to admit they have a problem together. Lucy could accept the real problem will be Natsu. He intends to leave on a mission alone for a while." Said Cana.

Mirajane frowned; this idea was terrible. They had always been close friends: her, Cana, Grey, Natsu and Erza, and it was well known that Grey had had a crush on the beautiful redhead when they were younger, but he had gotten over it. It was the reason why they had been able to work together; they had become good friends and Natsu had joined them, and they had remained friends. Just friends.

But when Lucy had arrived, the dynamic between them had changed; they had become closer. Unconsciously, they had compensated for the proximity between Lucy and Natsu. They had started spending more time together first during missions and then even in their daily lives. Mirajane didn't know where he lived but had no doubt that Erza did. They had truly become best friends. He was the one who knew her best, and she trusted him more than anyone. He had almost died for her twice.

And recently they had started flirting; Mirajane had caught them several times at the guild, late in the evening. It was subtle; sometimes they didn't even notice. She liked to observe them for a few seconds; she rarely saw Erza as relaxed as when she was with him. She wondered if they knew how obvious it seemed when looking at them. He was always trying to get closer, and she laughed, stopping him in extremis in a playful way. They were playing a dangerous game, and she worried about them. Love was never easy and rarely painless.

She wondered how it could be well finished. So when Cana assured Wnedy that she just had to force their hands, she had seriously doubted Cana's common sense.

"Are you sure of it?" asks Wendy.

Cana turned towards Mirajane, sure to find support, but only saw disapproval.

"No"

Wendy looked at the barmaid who had spoken fiercely but was now smiling with bittersweetness.

"Don't do anything, and as much as you can, try to act as if you knew nothing. The decision is theirs. Don't interfere. Trust me, and knowing Erza, she already must have implied it to you."

"Okay, and for Natsu and Lucy, what I do. Because if he leaves, I don't know how we are supposed to act. I mean the last time he was gone; because of the dissolution of the guild, no one had ever known where he had been. Are we supposed to let him go once again?"

Cana sighed and poured herself a glass under the death glare of Mirajane, who hated that people served themselves behind her bar.

Juvia had arrived early. She wanted to be there to greet Grey; Mirajane's wonderful party had brought them closer. At least she felt closer to him. At least she felt closer to him. He hadn't rejected her when she had asked him to dance with her, and they had even stayed together after that. Grey wanted to talk to his brother, and he had let her join them. The three of them spent the evening together until Grey left them and came back twenty minutes later, annoyed.

They had tried to find out why, but neither she nor Leon had succeeded. Eventually, he had managed to hide his irritation. She remembered having suppressed a sigh. He always did that even when they lived together. He hid his true emotions from her, building an invisible wall between them. She had tried so hard to reach him, but with time she had learnt to stop trying. She knew that he needed someone who could tolerate his silence without asking him anything.

Jubia finally swept her thoughts away as she saw Erza coming out of the library. She wanted to talk to her; in fact, that was the other reason she came so early.

"Erza, Erza!"

The redhead sighed discreetly before turning to Jubia. She had been avoiding her lately and even more so since she felt Jubia's gaze weighing on her, a little too regularly. It was obvious that she was trying to get her attention, surely because she had something to ask her.

Erza, for her part, was trying to ignore her, pushing the conversation away. Normally she would have provoked it or at least let Jubia come to her, but she had seen the spark in her eyes. The one that announced that she was going to talk about Grey.

"Yes."

"I have something to ask you."

"I'm all ears."

"Maybe we could sit down."

No.

" and take a cup of tea. You like tea?"

"Of course."

She smiled politely. It wasn't like her to be so hypocritical, but she had to be honest with herself; being mean was much more unusual. And if she had to choose, she preferred hypocrisy to meanness. Juvia needed her, and even if she didn't want to, she had to help her. So she sat down in front of Juvia's seat while she ordered two cups of tea at the bar.

When she came back, she was smiling.

"So I want to organise a surprise for me and Grey."

Oh. So not even an introduction. or any preparation time. Erza was grateful for the degree of control she had over herself. She was collected even when her heart was not.

"Okay, and?"

"I need your help. I want to prepare him a nice little dish like I used to do when we lived together and make some pastries. But for that I will need time, and I would like you to keep him busy until tonight. If he is at the guild, I will not be able to concentrate."

"I don't think I'm the best person to help you. Plus, I'm pretty busy at the moment."

"Erza I can't ask anyone else. Natsu and he can't stay just together for more than one hour; Lucy is a rival, and I need Mira to help me, so Levy and Lissana will be busy with the bar. Pleas"e

She knew she would regret it.

"Fine. I will do it."

"Perfect! So go to his home and prevent him from coming here for the rest of the day."

"I won't go to his home."

"And how will you prevent him from coming here, then?"

There were two things she wasn't prepared for: this discussion and Juvia being right.

She walked quietly through the city, greeting the merchants who smiled at her. She loved this city; she had grown up here, it would always have a special place in her heart, and it was her home. She went down an old stone staircase between two period buildings and arrived near an avenue that she walked along until she found an alley that led to the maze of pedestrian streets.

He lived in a semi-detached house that had been inhabited by a famous architect. She stopped for a second to look at the house in its entirety, closing her eyes and sighing; she didn't want to enter. Since their little fight they hadn't spoken to each other, and she had come to the conclusion that maybe it was for the best.

They needed to get some distance from each other, and if he got closer to Juvia during that time, then they could go back to being just friends. That was her plan, so why did Juvia feel the need to intervene ?

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, finally closing the gap between her and the front door. She pressed the doorbell ; he hadn't put his name so as not to be bothered by unwanted visitors.

"I come."

His voice seemed distant; she hoped she didn't wake him up. The door finally opened.

"Tell me that I'm dreaming."

She tried to ignore his bad and cynical disbelief by turning it into a joke.

"Am I to understand that you often dream of me?"

Not even the hint of a smile appeared, and his tone became even sharper. Two weeks of no contact was definitely not her best decision, nor was her unprepared comeback.

"What do you want?"

It was cold, but she would not give up.

"Depends, will you let me enter?"

He hesitated.

"Come."

He lived in a cozy house. She had always liked the decoration; he had agreed with the former architect to let him decorate the place before leaving.

Walls were in beton like the floor, but they have been covered with a cream-colored and terribly soft carpet in the living room. The vintage sofa and the LC3 armchairs in dark brown leather were incredibly luxurious. The wooden coffee table recalled the symmetrical wall covered with wooden cleats of different thicknesses : first two large panels and smaller ones towards the center until converging towards a monumental painting still in ecru tones, under which a niche had been made to accommodate a record player and several vinyls and even some crystal alcohol bottles.

She had taken off her coat and her black heeled boots and was wandering around the living room while he was off doing God knows what.

There was a bookcase that ran the length of another wall; she let her fingers run over the edges of the books. He read a lot, much more than she did anyway. She loved it when they would just sit on his couch and he would read a book and stroke her hair while she rested her head on his lap, filling out paperwork or reading it to correct mistakes. They had done this many times; Gramp always relied on her for the administrative side.

Mirajane helped her whenever she could, and sometimes Laxus would come to their aid between missions, but he never stayed long enough to take over. Still, the three of them could spend hours, sometimes all night, in the library, doing the accounts, putting the supply registers in order, writing the mission reports that everyone forgot to do, taking care of the invoices, and doing the rest of the administrative tasks. Some other time, none of them were available, and she worked alone. It was in those moments, when she was really tired and needed company to stay awake, that she came here. Grey slept little; he was always willing to welcome her.

She smiled nostalgically and abandoned the bookcase to putter through the living room admiring the plants. There was even a shrub. They brightened up the decoration and brought life and color. She wondered who came to water them and keep them alive when he left on a mission.

"You could have taken a seat."

"I know, but I wanted to walk a little."

He smirked. He had always loved watching her saunter from room to room. She brought warmth and peace behind her; it felt good, like at home.

She looked at him, perplexed. He was wearing a leather jacket and dark jeans, and above all, he held a key.

"You are leaving?"

"You can stay here if you want; I have something to do."

"Even before the daybreak?"

"Apparently"

He could be really annoying. She prevented her from rolling her eyes. The anger was legitimate, but she hated when he was so secretive. She hated this distance between them. But maybe it was the meaning of only being friends.

"How long will this last?"

He finally looked at her. They were not talking about his gateway anymore; her voice was too weak.

"I don't know, Erz."

She repressed some unpleasant tears, which tickled her eyes. Why was she so overwhelmed? She turned herself, pretending to look at something, anything. Then she found the painting; it would be her anchor. She inspired deeply still back to him. No tears. No matter what. No tears. Then she turned towards him again.

I miss you.

"Can you just promise me one thing?"

His gaze softened against his will. His feelings for her were stronger. They always were.

"All you want "

"Don't go to the guild today. It's a request from Juvia. I was supposed to stay with you as far away as possible, but"… Her voice broke, but nevertheless, she had continued. No tears. "…but apparently you won't be around anyway, so I have nothing more to do here."

She cracked a smile but couldn't hold his gaze; she glanced at the painting at the back of the room and eventually turned towards him. Saying goodbye was harder when one didn't intend to come back.

It was the better decision; she needed time and space to forget the feelings she had tried so hard to chase for months. Her heart was aching, but she still couldn't figure out why; nevertheless, she knew she needed to end things well. He deserved a proper goodbye.

"Goodbye, Grey."

She left the living room; he heard her slip into her boots, the first zipper, then the second, like a countdown.

She was leaving. He closed his eyes. She had only to put on her coat, and she would be out, out of his house, out of his life.

She was leaving, and he was there, motionless, like a spectator, but the film was his own life, and it foreshadowed a dramatic ending.

Yet he could have made a move and caught her and changed it, but he didn't move. She was putting on her coat, a black one.

The countdown was coming to an end.

The words had brutally erupted from him as he was wrapping his hand around her wrist.

"Stay with me."

He had acted before his mind caught it. He couldn't let her go. She turned abruptly. At only inches from him. They looked at each other intensely, then the distance came back. She looked at her wrist and at him until he let her go.

"Sorry."

He finally freed her wrist, not without letting his fingers stroke her skin. Then they looked at each other deeply until she stepped back. He takes his distance too and tells her they need to pass by her place.

"I can't let you come with me dressed like that. You need to change".

She frowned, looking at her clothes. She was wearing a long-sleeved black top with a boat neckline and a khaki green felt miniskirt with a thin black belt. She raised her head and looked at him, but no explanation came : he was testing her patience.

She sighed. If it had been anyone else, she would have left already or demanded answers; instead, she took it upon herself not to start another argument.

"So mysterious."

Her voice was irritated and a little resentful. They left his house and didn't talk until they reached her apartment.

"So how am I supposed to dress?"

She was still annoyed and didn't hide it. It was beyond belief for her to let someone choose for her. She was stubborn, not submissive.

"Something comfortable that covers your skin correctly and is warm."

Of course. She left him in the living room and went to her bedroom. She found a jean and a navy blue pullover that she threw on her bed, adding a black ski jacket on the top of the pile. But instead of putting them on, she kept her clothes and went back to the living room.

He sighed.

"I won't change until you tell me what you are planning to do. I'm serious. If you want to be in a huff with me and cold, then okay, but I won't do anything until you speak to me".

"We take my motorbike. I need you. Don't ask for more."

She didn't. Something in his gaze prevented her from doing it. He needed her. He hadn't planned to bring her with him, yet he didn't want to be alone, or more exactly, he wanted it, but she was the one with whom he wanted to be alone. It was not about affection; it was about comfort.

So she left, pulled on other clothes, and they went back to his house. He gave her a helmet and started the engine. She scrutinized his moves, analyzing where she could put her feet. She was struggling with the strap under her chin but didn't ask for help.

"Sorry, I'm not very attentive today. Come here".

No, indeed, but she didn't blame him and just walked over. He steadied the bike by putting his feet on the ground. His fingers had swiftly and gently brushed her chin when he helped her fasten the buckle of her helmet.

"You put your feet here and…"

"I got it."

He looked at her and snickered : She seems particularly confident for someone who never did it before.

"Okay, then climb."

There was a spark of challenge in his eyes, and that was all it took to motivate her to prove him wrong. She placed her hand on his shoulder and waited for him to nod so she could take support. In a split second she was behind him, wondering where she could put her hands.

"Hang on to me."

She half smiled; she had forgotten how pleasant it felt when he could read her mind like that. She wished she could do the same. She had seen the veil of sorrow that covered his eyes, but she didn't know what ghost haunted him.