*whispers seductively in your ear* When life gives you Grayza lemons, you take it.
Oh did you mean a lemon like this seductivegrayzaanon or… ?
In her defense she really did try to ignore him. She wasn’t interested in men. Or women. Or whatever he was selling. She wanted to be left alone so she could simmer in her own frustration. Why couldn’t he understand that? Why was he making this so hard? Erza decided she hated Gray.
She hated the way he’d smile at her from across the guild hall. She hated the way he was always nearby but not really close enough for his intentions to be obvious. She hated the way he acted the exact same way as before but with a subtle dash of… of… something. Whatever it was, Erza hated it.
The rain fell in sheets around her and mud sloshed over the toes of her boots. Her cart of luggage seemed to increase in weight with every step and for the first time ever Erza wondered if perhaps she’d brought too much.
Without warning the cart jerked downwards, and several suitcases fell onto Erza’s back. She desperately tried to keep them from the mud in the road, and managed to save all but one from a messy fate. Her wagon, however, was in a much sorrier state. The front left wheel had fallen into a pothole and become solidly lodged. With all of her strength Erza couldn’t budge it even a smidge. With a frustrated cry she kicked the opposite wheel. Of all the times to misstep on a road she’d traveled possibly hundreds of times.
“Erza!” The very last voice she wanted to hear called to her from a distance. “Hey, Erza!” As Gray’s voice drew nearer her anger started to boil over. “I thought it was you out here. No one else travels with so much stuff.”
“What do you want, Gray?” She wouldn’t look up at him. She would not.
“Hey, did you know your cart is in a hole?”
“No, Gray, I hadn’t noticed that at all. I’m just enjoying this delightful spring rain because I like it so much. Thanks for letting me know. You can move along now.”
But he didn’t move along. No, he continued to stand there and stare at the sunken wheel.
“I could help you with this, you know.”
“I’ve already tried to get the cart moving again, and it’s no use.”
“Nah, that’s not what I meant. That wheel is going nowhere without mechanical assistance. But I can shelter the stuff we can’t carry back to that last village until the rain lets up.”
Erza finally looked up at him. “You’d do that?”
“Yeah, why not?” Gray shrugged and pulled some of the suitcases loose. “I don’t know about you but I’m damn sick of the rain. Get your ass in gear.”
The village was tiny and just as muddy as the road. Both Erza and Gray were soaking wet by the time they reached the small lodging, and all Erza could think about was a bath and a bed.
“I’m sorry, but we only have one available room. Will your wife be okay with the mid-sized bed?” The innkeeper smiled as best she could, but Erza’s scowl was terrifying.
“Oh. I apologize. I just assumed-“ The older woman fidgeted and her shaking hands checked the pages of the ledger again.
“It’s fine,” Gray interrupted. “We’ll take the room. My friend’s just had a really bad day.” Erza continued to glare at the innkeeper while Gray paid for the room and accepted the key. “Thank you so much, ma’am.”
“Of course, young man. The baths are on the first floor just down the hallway, and your room is up one flight.” She nodded at them both once more before disappearing around a corner.
Gray turned around and grinned. “Come on, wife. Let’s find our room. I want a bath.”
“If you call me wife again, I’ll run you through with every blade I have.”
“Shameless flirting just after refusing the title of my wife? Those are some pretty mixed signals, Erza.” He laughed and led the way to their room. Erza hated him even though he’d gotten her out of the rain.
The women’s bath was exactly what she’d hoped. It was small to be sure, but Erza was its only occupant so she didn’t suffer for its size. She sank beneath the sweet smelling water and felt the last of the rain’s chill leave her body. She wouldn’t think of the luggage left on the road or the humiliation of wrecking her cart or the fact that she had to share a room with Gray… Damn it, Gray. They hadn’t been alone together for more than a few moments and he’d already teased her about the innkeeper’s mistake.
Erza had a sinking feeling in her stomach that he’d make their time together even more problematic if given half a chance. She was right, of course. Gray sat on the edge of the bed they were meant to share wearing nothing but a towel.
“You will wear actual clothes to bed or sleep on the floor.” She announced before throwing open several of the rescued suitcases hoping one of them contained appropriate sleepwear. Her requip space was disappointingly empty of anything but armor. “And you’d better dress soon before that towel dampens the sheets. If I want a wet bed, I’ll sleep outside.”
“You’re welcome,” Gray stated plainly.
“I would’ve been fine without your help.”
“You’d still be out in the rain lugging suitcases back and forth. So, yeah, you’re welcome.”
Erza sighed heavily. “Your assistance, however unnecessary, was most appreciated. Thank you.”
“This doesn’t have to be awkward, you know.”
She turned to him, clutching the only nightie she could find in the hodge-podge of luggage they’d dragged back to the inn. “You’ve been making it awkward for weeks.”
“No, you made it awkward by ignoring me.”
“Erza.” His grin made her eye twitch.
“What is it that you want from me exactly?”
He stood and shrugged before stepping closer to her. “You’ve been tense for weeks - ever since Nirvana, actually, and it’s putting everyone around you on edge.”
“No, you’re not. I know things got pretty gnarly and messy for you because of Jellal, but you don’t have to be so wound up.”
“And I suppose you’re under the impression you can help me out with that?”
Gray’s mouth twisted into a grin. “If you’d rather me be under, that’s fine, too.” He took another step towards her.
“You’re still the worst with puns. I hope you’ve improved in other areas.” Erza leaned back against the chest of drawers.
“Aw, come on now, Erza. We were fifteen. You can’t have expected much from me!” He deflated just enough to make her laugh, and tug him forward by the towel around his waist.
“I want to make a few ground rules.”
Gray grunted in response but still stepped into her personal space to pull her hair from its topknot, and press his nose to her neck.
“First of all, I’m not talking about my feelings. And neither are you. None of that.”
“Hmm, no feelings. Got it,” he mumbled.
“Second, no semi-permanent marks anywhere on my body.”
His mouth opened on the skin of her neck, and she shivered when his tongue flicked out. “Promise.”
“Third, I’m not cuddling with you afterward.”
“If you think I’m here for cuddling,” he murmured as his hands stole into her robe, “then I think it should be me giving the speech.”
“And finally, I am not calling you The Gray.”
That got his attention. Gray stopped himself, and pulled back a few inches. “You’re unbelievable, Erza. We’re not kids anymore, and I could toss out a few zingers, too.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her ear. “Maybe I’ll try and get you pregnant with a kiss. Or with my fingers.” He pushed the robe over her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.
Erza scowled. “Enough talking.”
“So the great Titania Erza can dish it out but not take it?” Gray pushed her fully against the dresser and slipped his hand between her legs. She gripped his shoulders and gasped when his fingers slid inside. Erza squirmed against him and exhaled harshly. “Pregnant yet?” he whispered.
He chuckled darkly and pressed his thumb to the throbbing knot of flesh as his fingers curled against her slick inner walls. “Nothing to say?”
Erza clutched at him and she broke her own rule. Gray’s shoulders would surely be marked by her fingernails. The tension in her body broke with a force and her knees trembled in the aftermath. She quickly recouped, though, and yanked the towel from his waist before shoving him backwards onto the bed.
“Damn, Erza, you don’t have to be so rough.”
“That’s Queen of the Fairies to you.” She didn’t give him a chance to reply, and instead grasped his hardened length skillfully before impaling herself on it. Erza didn’t wait for Gray’s input to set a fast-paced rhythm. His hands found her hips, and breasts, and eventually the still pulsating place at her center.
It was difficult for Gray to reconcile the woman above him with the fumbling girl he remembered. They’d only been together a handful of times and – at least on his end – it hadn’t ever been more than the curious explorations that were bound to happen between two young people who’d known one another as long as they had. He was relieved that despite the obvious changes in Erza’s body and skill level, she wasn’t harboring any messy feelings towards him. He had enough to deal with in the Juvia department. Erza was simple and he knew her heart couldn’t ever belong to him, and that was fine.
Her thighs started to tremble, and she braced herself against his chest as she convulsed around him more intensely than he anticipated. Gray flipped Erza on her back to finish himself. He couldn’t resist a mouthful of bouncing breasts before emptying himself inside her. A terrible thought seized him.
“Erza-“ he croaked out. “please tell me you’re on contraceptives.”
Her laugh was breathless. “It’s a little late for that, you idiot, but yes. I am.”
Gray thrust inside her a final time before pulling out and crashing to her side. “Thank fuck. I didn’t even think about that.”
Her hand slapped him lightly on the back. “You probably have a pack of kids roaming the countryside. Don’t make that mistake with Juvia. Her uterus is probably primed for your babies.”
He groaned and settled against the pillows. “You’re scaring me.”
Erza didn’t respond for several minutes. Finally, she yawned loudly. “I was serious before, by the way.”
“You better put on some underwear or I’ll kick you to the floor.”
Gray sat up and frowned at her still naked form next to him. “But you’re not dressed!”
She shrugged and rolled over. “Do it.”
He rolled his eyes, and dug around in the pile of clothes on the floor for the stray pair of boxer shorts. The air of tension had completely eased out of the room, and in the darkness Gray’s eyes drifted shut.
“By the way,” he heard Erza whisper, “thank you.”
