The wind was agreeable, not too cold but fresh enough to keep her awake.

" That was nice."

She blinked not sure of what he was talking about, but the unpleasant beats of her heart enlightened the lack of understanding.

"She is far different when there is no one around. Just her and me. She is calmer and patient she's still clingy but at least she didn't cry over a possible loverival or an other insecurity. Sometimes it's nice she tried to repress her temper and give me space. She is understanding and sweet."

She knew tiredness used to make her less self conscious and snarky. So she tried to process the whole thing and concentrate on keeping her mouth closed until he finished. Regulate her emotions was harder than when she was in full possession of her faculties. But she refused to appear desperately jealous.

" Sounds nice indeed."

He tried to suppress the hurting of hearing her tried to make her tone happy.

"It must be difficult to imagine I guess."

"Not so, she is like that when she is with us, between girls : calmer and optimistic but sometimes lonely. She is obstinate and clever when she fights. You just arise her passionate side when you're near. So, you rarely have the opportunity to see this aspect of her. But it seems that she get confident enough with you to reveal her true self. It's a proof of trust. "

He was surprised, Erza was a private person, reluctant to share her feelings and careless about how much she valued them - a survival response to her traumatic childhood's abuses. So he never imagined that she could be so perceptive to other people's feelings.

She was smart and he had always assumed her skill to read people was due to her keen sense of observation ; that she balanced her lack of emotional perception by learning to associate some recurring behaviours to specific emotion, developing schematics answers. Which could explain her poor discernment of love, which was a complex construction of sometimes paradoxical and often irrational behaviors.

But it seemed he had mistaken and that she was far more aware of other's feelings which made her decision to trample his heart more hurtful and less easy to pardon.

"I guess she does trust me."

"So, you owe her a proper answer. You still have not rejected her. Maybe a part of you is curious."

So it was yes. So far he had assumed she was attracted to him even if she kept denying it but it seemed she really was indifferent to him. Because he could never have pushed her towards Jellal as she was doing with him towards Juvia.

"How could you know ? Maybe I did during our mission."

"Well," said she with amusement "no tsunami, no more than any inexplicable rainfall. Such rejection would have at least cost to Magnolia to be the next Atlantis."

He smirked then his expression darkened.

"She likes me."

"You said it as if it was a burden."

"I guess you were right. I must be ruder than I think."

"Not of purpose. You're avoiding a conversation since too much time to not be rude with her, but not considering her feelings properly is worse. She needs a rejection to move on or an encouragement to keeping loving you."

"Funny, you're not so bad at advising."

"I know."

"What a pity you can't apply them to yourself."

She swallowed hardly. It was both the nastier thing he could have say to her and the truer. She couldn't deny it, she was terrible at assuming her feelings. She was the fool with brains but no heart, he was the fool with heart but no brains. They could have been complementary but they only make the other suffering.

"The worse sinners make the best advisors."

"We're mismatched," he looked away laying his eyes on an invisible point. "She feels everything intensly. Her emotions are always close to breaking out. She constantly needs approval to feel safe and I need solitary and silence. We suffocate together. I feed her insecurities."

"You could be complementary."

"Opposed doesn't mean complementary."

"It could."

"Not for her and me."

"But maybe…"

"Don't do that, please. Don't push me towards her."

She looked at him articulating a reluctant positive answer, before glaring back at the horizon.

They arrived near the river, the silver moonlight shone on the surface of water, they were crossing the bridge when she remembered an old poem.

Love is flowing fast away,

just as these flowing

waters flow away

slow as life itself flows by

And when the night's bell tolls

the days take their departure -

I alone remain

The dvays passing by,

the weeks passing by - and yet

neither our past time

nor our loves return - under

Mirabeau Bridee flows the Seine -

"You seems pensive."

"I was. Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It's just surprising since you're always on alert. I have rarely seen you get so deeply carried away by your thoughts."

"And yet it happens sometimes when we're alone ; I know I don't need to be so vigilant when you're in the vicinity," she yawned discreetly making a tear roll in the corner of her sleepy eyes.

"So my presence make you feel secure ? I thought protectiveness sounded like misogyny for you."

"I'm under a serious lack of sleep, Grey. Don't pay too much attention on what I said."

"Cause you could be honest ?"

She sighted. Yes, was he satisfied ? She had a weak control on her emotional state. She was tired and less and less self conscious. She stopped walking to confront him. Originally, she had just planned to glare at him until his will to continue this conversation vanish. However, she stumbled against a paving stone, trying in vain to catch herself. Sleeping three hours in thirty six hours was clearly not enough. Fatigue slowed all her reflexes and, unable to get up, she waited for the impact that never came.

He had moved swiftly to catch her up, wrapping an arm around her waist making her fell into his chest.

"I get it. I stop the mischievously retorts for tonight."

He was murmuring into her hair, it was soft and deeply attractive and instead of moving back she allowed herself to lean on him. His arms provided the safest place she could have dreamed for, she felt the warmth wrapping her, and an irresistible wave of calm reached her. He reflexively squeezed her tighter, appreciating the unexpected hug.

"Okay sweetheart ", he motioned to pass his right arm under her knees and carried her. She was lethargic.

"humm…what are you doin…?".Her voice sounded terribly asleep.

"Shh…."

She was too tired to really protest all her body was craving for rest that he gladly offered. She struggled again some seconds before closing her eyes, finally letting Morpheus win. They were at one maybe two hundred meters of his house. She was deeply nestled against him. He looked at her softly surprising himself to smile.

"Hey…Er'z, you've to wake up. Come on sleepyhead I've to open the door."

She moaned in protestation before open her eyes, he let her go and open the door, inviting her to enter first.

"Go on the floor, first door on your right. I'll take the couch."

She was leaning her head against the threshold of the living room, arms crossed and eyes half closed.

"It's okay I can take the couch, keep your bed."

"Go to sleep Erza. No more discussion."

He had never dared been authoritative with her so far, she didn't know of where this sudden confidence come from but she was too tired to complain.

"Thanks."

"Night Er'z"

"Good night Grey."

She woke up sensing the sun rays playing on her face. Her closed eyes began to chatter.

"Hey. Good rest ?"

"Humm. Yeah. Well, sorry for yesterday I was exhausted."

She crossed the room absently rubbing her eyes as she tried to fully awaking herself. He swiftly looked away, she was only wearing one of his tee and it revealed a lot of skin when she raised her arms to stretch.

"No problem. It's always a pleasure to be able being so close to you."

She laughed with a dry and snappish giggle before narrowing her eyes.

"Really funny."

"I was teasing you. But I really didn't see you that tired for a while. You sure everything is okay ?"

"Yeah. I just pushed myself a little too hard. So what are you cooking ?"

She approached the countertop behind him as he was preparing pancakes. She finally moved closer to him and started to pick some blueberries in the bowl next to the plates where he heap up the pancakes.

"Stop, you are eating everything."

"You're exaggerating, I just took one or two."

"Yes multiply by ten."

"Hey ! It's impolite to count the food a woman eat." She nudged him and he smirked.

"Well, because it's polite to eat the berries that I prepared before I can even used them on my recipe ?"

She rolled her eyes, exaggerating feigned boredom as a smile struggled to stretch her lips.

"Make me stop if it's so maddening."

A spark of astonishment lightened his eyes during a second. He was not really accustomed to her being sassy.

"Sure ?"

She frowned looking at him, his tone was a bit too serious. He placed the spoon back in the preparation, then he turned right towards her. He caught her off guard by suddenly grasping her hips, she yelled of surprise while he sat her down on a clear area of the wood countertop with an adept dexterity and a smoothness that were a little too much appreciated by the lady.

" You're blushing."

" I'm…I don't."

He leaned towards her, a sly smile playing on his lips, his hands placed on the each side of her on the countertop. She shivered feeling the warmth of his forearms against her naked thighs. He was too close, so much that she could feel his breathing hurting her chin. Their eyes locked with a dangerous intensity. She saw his look drifted towards her lips during two heavy seconds. He bit his lips and she realised she was doing the exact same thing.

"You're too close."

She barely recognised her voice, it was so quavering.

"Really ?", his tone was suave. His eyes deeply anchored in hers. He teased her a last time leaning a little closer.

"Really."

She finished her sentence by lightly blowing on his lips before rising her eyes up. A sassy move that he hadn't predicted and that forced him to draw on all his mental strength to restraining himself of devouring her perfect lips, swallowing hardly before he moved away brutally.

He returned behind the stoves finishing the preparation and gave her a plate hoping she would be too absorbed by eating to remark his haste. He finally achieved to finish all the pancakes and execused himself for escaping to take a shower.

"You sure you don't want to wait we finished ? You hadn't eat yet."

"Yes sure. I just need some minutes."

"Hey Grey"

"Yes ?"

"I missed you"

"I missed you too"

"So you two had finally smoked the peace pipe ?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Was it that obvious ?"

"That you were on bad terms? More like yes, in ten years of friendship I've never seen you angry with her."

"Yet it happened twice."

"Yeah, Lucy told me for the tent in Galuna, but I couldn't believe her when she told me you had defied Erza. When was the second time ?"

He looked at him hesitating.

"It was about you. I reproach her to put too much faith in you. Lucy had separated us"

Natsu looked at him puzzled.

"Thanks man, with such friends no need to have any enemy."

"Jeez Natsu. If you were a little less brainless sometimes that wouldn't happened."

"So it's my fault "

"Yea…No. Argh…In fact I did trust you but you had said nothing to no one and…I'm sorry"

"You what ?"

"You had very well understood"

Narsu smiled before he took a more serious tone. Of course he like when Grey was apologetic but he was not cruel and he really hated seem him so guilty.

"Don't justify yourself. It's okay, you were here when I needed it all that matters."

He nodded.

"Well this two times aside all I said it's that you never have been on bad terms. So it was pretty noticeable especially for you."

"Oh shut up. You're too oblivious to notice this kind of stuff."

"Oh you sure ? Because I'm pretty sure you were more pesky than usual."

"In order to completely change the subject, how did you figure it was over ?"

"Next time she sleeps at your place don't let her wear your clothes and use your debonair shampoo if you don't want that someone know she spent time with you. "

Damn, he closed his eyes not preparing for such answer.

"Oh fuck you're flustered. Your face is priceless ice cube."

"Lucy is calling for you."

"She's not."

"Well so Happy."

"He doesn't either."

"Natsu, go away."

The girls were happily smiling. Erza had announced them that she thought to go on mission and had proposed them to accompany her. Lucy had asked if the guys could join and finally Wendy had been ravished by the idea to reunite the team. Home sweet home. Everything was going back to normal.

"What's happening?"

"We go on mission together," said Lucy with a joyful tone.

"Really ?" Natsu looked.

"Yes."

1 - Dostoyevsky, the Idiot : "I am a fool who has heart and no mind, you are a fool with mind but no heart; we are both unhappy, we suffer like each other."

2- Guillaume Appolinaire, 1913, Alcools, Le pont Mirabeau