A/N: You’re about to read 11k words. Just a heads-up.
Sitting in a sunlit cafe and having cake was Erza’s favourite post-mission celebration routine. As a general rule, party members got to tag along – her treat. After a particularly gruesome quest involving a codpiece, a leprechaun, polka-dot bikinis and flying crabs, Gray and Erza were doing just that. He didn’t know whether the cake was helping Erza blot out this particular quest from memory but with the help of his trusted black coffee, Gray was halfway there already.
As he started on his twelfth cup, he could feel the details of the quest fade away with every sip and gulp. It was magical.
It was a windy autumn’s evening and the weather was pleasant. People were out for strolls and walks, making the most of the breeze before winter ruined everything. Prominently featured in this crowd were couples. Hand holding, giddy smiling, face eating couples. Never had Gray seen so many couples out thronging the street. They were probably out on a protest march of some kind, and he looked over to Erza to ask her thoughts on the matter, but stopped himself.
She sat with her chin on her hand, watching the couples wistfully. Gray, partly amused and partly confused at his development, cleared his throat. “Couple-watching sure is a popular pastime nowadays, innit?”
Erza sighed. “Would you look at them?” she commented as another couple walked by their table, arms around each other. Erza sighed again and looked down at her cake. “I’ll never find a boyfriend. Die an old maid.”
Then she took an aggressive bite out of her cake and chewed mournfully.
“You won’t die an old maid,” Gray reassured her. Then he paused. “Maybe an old spinster-cook.”
She looked at him and smiled tightly. “Wow, thanks.”
“Besides,” he said and leaned in, placing his elbows on the table. “Worst comes to worst, I’ll be your boyfriend.”
Gray meant it as a joke, of course, but when Erza burst out laughing, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit miffed.
“Yeah, right,” Erza replied as she took a sip of her tea.
Gray cleared his throat, though he was still smiling. “Why is that so funny?”
“You made a joke, right? So I laughed.”
“Yeah, a little too hard.” He repositioned himself on his chair and placed his forearms on the table. “What, am I not boyfriend material?”
“No,” replied Erza, still smiling and shaking her head. “You’re Gray.”
“You know.” She reached out and playfully punched his bicep. “Gray.”
“Okay, so we’ve established my name and hit me,” he replied with a chuckle but sobered up. “But theoretically, you know? What if we weren’t friends? What if it was a blind date and I showed up at your door?”
“Then I would tell you that I don’t date strangers.”
Gray had nothing to say to that. But the conversation was far from over.
Gray found himself back to back with Erza as the goblins surrounded them. They’d stolen a shoe of a local noble’s daughter and they wanted it back. Apparently shoes were very important to these people.
“So I was wondering,” Gray said as he fashioned himself a spear made of ice.
“What?” Erza asked as the goblins slowly advanced.
“Why couldn’t I be your boyfriend?”
“Gods, Gray, are you still on this? It’s been a week!”
“You bet your butt I am! What, am I not good enough for you?”
“No, I’m just not that desperate.”
“…you know, even by ice mage standards, that was cold.”
“So,” Gray began as he twirled a bottle of ale in his hand and poured Erza a drink. “Still don’t think I’m boyfriend material?”
“Saw you checkin’ me out at the King’s game last night.”
She looked at him, amused and incredulous at the same time. “What?”
Gray flipped his palms and sat down beside her, sighing heavily. “I have literally no idea what I just said.”
“You poor baby. Do you need a hug?”
Erza was slicing a tomato when Gray sat himself down on the counter and asked, “So I know I’ve asked you this before-”
“A hundred times before!” Erza slashed into the tomato with her knife, enunciating every word frustratedly before looking at him.
Gray calmly took the knife from her hand and put it away. “How am I not right for you?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, laughing in frustration. “I like guys like…” she sighed. “I guess I just gravitate to men who are more mature.”
“Oh, so I’m not mature enough for you?” he asked, imitating her childishly. “Erza needs someone more machoor!” Then he stopped and sat silent for a moment. “You know, I think you make a good point.”
“Thank you. Now can I have my knife back?”
“All right,” Gray said as the train came to a halt at their destination. “Let’s say there’s a world ending apocalyptic event and I’m the only other human left beside you. Would you go out with me?”
“Ehh,” Erza replied as she got off the train.
“Oh, come on!” Gray followed suit. “I’d have canned goods!”
Stakeouts were usually boring for the most part. Watching the same thing got tiresome after a few hours, so Gray had broken out the playing cards but even that did nothing to stimulate him.
“Gin,” said Erza triumphantly and placed her cards on the floor between them.
Gray looked at her. “We were playing gin?”
Erza merely chuckled and started gathering up her cards.
“You know, if we were a couple, we could play this game naked,” Gray said with a smile as he slid his cards over to her.
Erza shook her head. “Will you stop?”
Gray raised his hands. “Sure. All right.”
“Okay look,” she said, looking at him earnestly. “I think you’re great. I think you’re sweet and you’re smart.” She paused to smile at him. “And I love you.”
Gray did not know where this was suddenly coming from. “Uhh.”
“But you’ll always be the boy who threw his undies at my face and ran away after losing a fight.”
“Hey, we don’t talk about that!”
Gray looked up from his drink. “So…?”
Erza smiled at him. “It’s been two days since you last asked me if you could be my boyfriend. Are you cured now?”
Snorting, Gray finished up his glass and smiled back. “You know, it was nice while it lasted but we all have to move on some day.”
She punched his bicep as she sat down beside him. “What was all that about, anyway? I know you were just teasing, but you were really persistent.”
He laughed at that. “Yeah, just… I don’t know what to say.”
“What you said last time. That you loved me. I guess that’s all I really needed to hear, y’know?”
“How do you mean? Surely, you already knew that.”
“Big difference between knowing and hearing,” he replied with a shrug and lifted his glass to his lips, only to find that it was empty. “Erza, I’ve known you a long time. Longer than Mira or Natsu, and better than Cana or Laxus. I’m glad we met, and I’m glad we became friends. But for a long portion of that time, I’ve had feelings for you. Kept ‘em away and under. Didn’t wanna bring ‘em to light. As a consequence, I never really dealt with them properly as I should have.” He hummed and closed his eyes. “Now, I probably might regret saying all this in the morning, but up until very recently, those feelings were always there. On a leash, but ever present. After you said what you did, I thought to myself, ‘This ain’t so bad. I can live with that.’ You know what I mean?”
Gray sighed deeply, opened his eyes and grinned sheepishly at Erza, who looked stunned. “I guess what I wanna say is that thanks to you, I’m ready to put that behind me now.”
“I… wow. I really don’t know what to say, Gray.”
“You’ve already said everything I needed to hear,” he replied as he got up from his stool. It was time to go home. “G’night Erza. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Erza looked back and smiled when she saw him. Then she patted the grass beside her, inviting him to sit. When he had, she said, “I am all healed up, Gray.”
“Well, that’s good to know but I wasn’t talking about that.”
“I know.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I just don’t know what to think, honestly. My parents were never part of the picture, so I was never very curious about them growing up. Now, after all that, I just… I don’t know what to make of the fact that I came from her… that she suffered as she did because of me.”
“Don’t forget that she was ready and willing to kill you, Erza.”
“I know,” she repeated weakly and leant her head on his shoulder, surprising him. “I have no idea what to make of this.”
“We don’t choose our parents, Erza,” he said after a while. “I like to think that people aren’t born evil, that time twists them into what they eventually become, but after everything I’ve see, I dunno whether that’s wishful thinking.” He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. “You mother suffered for you at one time, and that means that she did love you, regardless of what happened. It doesn’t excuse what she did, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, we’re not our parents. They were never around enough, for whatever reason, for us to be inspired to be like them. You’re you because of the choices you made. Nobody can take credit for that. You fed the right dog. She didn’t.”
She looked up at his face. “The right dog?”
“Ahh.” Gray kept his gaze focused before him. “When I was in Avatar, there was this guy, a grunt basically, called Reynard. He’d grown up in an orphanage, and various foster homes. He was… troubled. So we were talking one day, and he told me that there was a philosophy among the boys growing up in his orphanage, that every person had two dogs inside them: the right dog and the wrong dog. Whichever one you fed more dictated your actions.” Gray sighed. “He fed the wrong dog.”
“Yeah. Whatever your mother did and whoever she became was her choice and hers alone. You had no impact on her, and she had none on you. So don’t beat yourself up, okay? As far as I’m concerned, she was just another stranger whom you had things in common with.”
“It makes sense when you put it like that. I am just unused to meeting parents I’d assumed dead.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.”
Erza sat up straight. “Gray, I didn’t mean-”
“I know. Don’t sweat it.”
She sighed. “You are much too nice to me.”
“You haven’t given me a reason to throw my undies in your face and run away again.”
“I thought we didn’t talk about that.”
“Yes,” Erza said quietly after a moment. “They sure do.”
Gray then felt an unexpected peck on his cheek, and turned to find her smiling at him.
“I hope you did not mind, Gray.”
“I, uh, I wouldn’t…” he scratched the back of his head, scrambling for words. “Not exactly the word I’d use, no.”
“Then I am glad.” Erza got up and started walking up the grassy slope back to camp. “Goodnight, Gray.”
Gray emptied his champagne glass in a fern. He signalled to one of the guys carrying drinks of trays and gave him the empty glass. He then went out onto the balcony, which was empty. Everyone was inside, either mingling or eating. Gray just needed some fresh air.
Lucy’s book release party was a big deal, he knew, but he and crowds of posh pricks never really got along. The only reason he’d lingered after giving her his present was because she wouldn’t want him to just duck out on an important event. But he really couldn’t take it anymore. He had nothing against crowds – he wouldn’t be in Fairy Tail if he did – but he preferred to sit down with a drink and not be bothered. That was hard to do with girls constantly making passes at him and asking him to strip.
He would stick around for a few more minutes. Then he’d jump the fence. Women in cocktail dresses asking him up to their rooms every three minutes got really tiring after a while.
The things I do for my friends, he thought as he leant his elbows against the balustrade and shook his head. No power of friendship bullshit works in these situations.
“I can’t believe you escaped before me.” Gray glanced back over his shoulder to find Erza coming up to him, smiling. “A fat editor insisted on talking to me about gerunds for fifteen minutes.”
Gray snorted. “Your most ruthless adversary, I’m sure.”
She hummed as she came and stood beside him, a wine glass held delicately between her fingers. “Are you thinking of running?”
“In a few minutes, yeah.”
“Shall I defend your honour?”
“I would like nothing better,” he replied, laughing. “But this is Lucy’s night. We shouldn’t steal the spotlight.”
Gray smiled at her. She looked stunning in that red dress. “Still waiting?”
Erza said nothing. It had been a long time since Jellal and his mates had been pardoned by the princess. Erza had been hoping that he’d drop by and that finally they’d have something but, so far, nothing. Gray nodded to himself and looked up at the sky.
“You have to be stationary to wait, you know. You move, and you might leave them behind. In other words, you’re stagnant. You’re not moving, you’re not evolving, you’re not growing. All you’re doing is gathering moss.” He paused a moment. “I won’t tell you to not do it. I’m just asking you to consider how long you’re willing to sacrifice your own growth and development for something that may or may not happen, because standing around idly while life leaves you behind is the wrong way to live.”
“I know, Gray,” Erza said with a sigh. “I think about it a lot. I’ve waited a long time, and sometimes I wonder whether if I want it badly enough to sacrifice everything else, or whether I’m just in love with the idea. It’s all I’ve wanted for a long time.” She sipped from her glass. “I never had a normal life. I never had stuffed animals, and neither did I dream of being a princess. I never had that luxury. But now, when I see housewives and mothers, I wonder whether that’s so bad. Is it bad to want a simple life? I like cooking. I enjoy doing the chores around the house, making sure everything is tip-top.” She rolled her glass, smiling wistfully down at the spinning wine. “A house in the country doesn’t sound so bad. A pool for the summer, and a lawn in front with old trees…”
“And a small path in front of the house where the many mini-Erzas can learn how to ride their bicycles without fear of being run over.”
“Exactly,” she smiled at him. “Have you ever thought about having a family, Gray?”
He shook his head. “I’m not cut out for that sorta thing.”
“I have… issues, let’s say.”
Gray sighed out of his nose. It’s only Erza. “I’ve just seen too much fucked up shit happen to people who don’t deserve it. You know what I mean? As long as I’m by myself, I don’t have to worry about any of that. I can take my risks without all that much thought. But a family? Suddenly you have everything to lose, and not all of it is in your control. You wanna do your best but you’re always wondering whether you fucked them up some way, you know? And kids, fuck. The responsibility for moulding another person’s life and personality and thoughts? Actually inspiring them?” He shook his head. “I dunno, Erza. I just don’t have enough balls for that. It frightens the fuck outta me, thinking I’ll ruin the lives of others.”
“I don’t know, I think you have the correct amount. Anatomically speaking.”
That surprised him into a laugh. Erza smiled and drank from her glass.
“You can trust us with your lives, but not your potential family?”
“No, I just wouldn’t trust them with me. There’s a difference.”
“Gray, that’s ridiculous. There is nobody I would rather have watching my back than you.” She placed her hand on his and squeezed it gently. “Give yourself more credit.”
“Yeah, well, you’re different. You don’t need anyone watching your back.”
“That’s not what this is about. Even if I were powerless, I would still trust my life to you.” She smiled at him. “I trust you, Gray. More than perhaps you trust yourself.”
“Perhaps,” he said quietly. All this focusing on his insecurities made him uneasy. “But I’d best get going now.”
“Oh.” She removed her hand, sounding a bit disappointed. “All right, then. Will you say goodbye to Lucy?”
“And wade into that stampede again? You wish.”
Erza smiled and finished her wine. “Then I wish you a good night, Gray.”
“Yeah.” He made to walk away, but Erza stayed rooted to the spot. “Not gonna return to the fold?”
“Oh. No, I just want to stay here a while.”
“Gerunds really scare you, huh?”
“Heh. Something like that.”
There was more going on under the surface, but Gray wasn’t one to pry. He just wished there was something he could do to make her feel better.
And he chanced upon the perfect thing, too.
Gray bent and the waist and held out his hand, smiling. “May I have this dance, Lady Erza?”
She stared at him, though the corners of her lips twitched in amusement. “Are you serious?”
“I mean, unless you’d rather deal with gerunds and infinitives and past participles.”
Laughing, she placed her hand in his and said, “You make a solid argument, Sir Gray.”
“I know,” he said and led her o the middle of the balcony before pulling her close and placing his other arm on her waist. “I am pretty great.”
“Yes.” Erza placed her hand on his shoulder and her cheek on his chest. “That you are, O Great Gray.”
He chuckled, but didn’t say anything. He just swayed with her to some imaginary tune, holding her close, her scent overpowering. Somehow, it didn’t feel wrong.
“Hey,” he whispered into her hair.
“What?” she responded, equally quiet.
“I know. We’ll both be all right.”
When Gray heard the knock, he was changing into his pajamas. Though it irritated him, he went and opened it. A knocking door, like a ringing phone, only added to annoyance if left unattended. On this occasion, he found himself flabbergasted for Erza stood at his door, still wearing her dress.
“Cute PJs,” she commented, grinning widely. “Really living it up, huh?”
He chuckled. “I wasn’t exactly expecting company after,” he glanced at the clock, “nine-fifteen.”
Erza laughed as he moved aside and let her in. “Getting ready for bed, huh?”
“That’s… what normal people do,” he answered as he closed the door. “Listen, you’re still not upset over what the people said, are you?”
A gossip writer from Sorcerer Magazine had snapped a picture of them dancing together and had attempted to interview them about their newfound love. While it hadn’t ended well for him, it had drawn comments from other people about a variety of topics, most notably about Erza having moved on from Jellal after a few drinks. Erza had taken that to heart and had raided the wine cellar in retribution. He’d had to stop her and walk her to Fairy Hills before she went nuts.
And now she was back. At his words, she ducked her head.
“Look,” he said carefully. “It’s been an emotional time. You’ve had a lot to drink. You just hafta let that go, okay?”
Gray shrugged. “It’s a cheap magazine, Erza. They thrive on this stuff. Forge their professional reputations from rumours. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. And besides,” he said with a smile, “if they do start rumours about us, at least I’ll be paired with the most beautiful woman in the room.”
She looked at him. “You really think that?”
Gray chuckled. “You kiddin’? You’re the most beautiful woman in most rooms-”
He had no idea what happened next but suddenly Erza had her arms around his neck and was giving him the hottest, hardest kiss he’d ever received in his life. Surprised as he was, his body responded before his mind caught up and he kissed her back on instinct.
But then his mind did catch up, and he pushed her away.
“Whoa, whoa , whoa, what’s going on?” he said, alarmed. He pointed at her and then at himself. “We just made out! We’re making out?”
“Not anymore,” Erza replied quickly, still catching her breath.
“I know, I just thought it would be fun!”
Something occurred to Gray and he squinted, taking half a step forward. “How drunk are you?”
Erza’s answer was prompt and rapid. “Drunk enough that I know I want to do this. Not so drunk that you should feel guilty about taking advantage.”
Gray spent two seconds adding the two sentences up. Ah, fuck it. “Well, that’s the perfect amount.”
He took her hands in his and ran to the bed. He sat her down on the edge of the bed and sat beside her before kissing her again. Erza wasn’t shy about holding back. She tangled her fingers in his hair and moaned against his mouth, sending tingles in places Gray knew not what to do with.
“Do you know what’s weird?” she asked with a grin when they separated for breath.
“This doesn’t feel weird!” Erza laughed light-headedly.
“You’re a really good kisser.”
“Well, I have kissed more than four women.” Her giddiness was contagious and Gray found himself grinning along. “Wanna get under the covers?”
It felt less like sensual exploration and more like playing a game to Gray as they both tried to get under the sheets before the other. Gray went the extra distance and shed his pajamas while he was at it. In record time, and that too while under covers. When he was done, he found Erza looking at him, highly impressed.
“Wow, you are really fast.”
Gray snorted. “The wonders of practice, what can I say?”
Gray reached out and turned off the lights.
“Well, I’ve never done that with you before.”
Everything was awkward. Everything. It was as if the glitter of awkwardness had rained from the sky and drowned them in it. Gray wanted to die. But he also wanted to make sure she was okay.
“So how are ya? Are you, uh, are you okay?”
“Oh yes. You?” He stopped and looked at her. “We did you.”
It was morning, and they both lay beside each other, trying to make sense of everything and adjusting to all that had happened the previous night.
“Well, I, uh, I better get going,” Erza said.
Erza made to get out of the covers, but stopped and looked at him. “Could you not look?”
Gray looked away. “I don’t wanna look.”
Later that day, Gray sat down next to Erza at the guild’s bar with his drink and cleared his throat. She didn’t look at him.
“What we did last night was…”
“Yeah, I mean, totally crazy stupid.”
They both drank simultaneously. Silence fell between them, but Gray felt he had to break it.
“You’re coming over tonight though, right?”
Later that same day, after learning of the impending hundred year quest, Gray went to talk to Erza again.
“Listen,” he said as he sat down trepidatiously. “I know we had plans to meet later tonight, but I’m worried about what it might do to our friendship, you know?”
Erza nodded grimly. “I know what you mean. Especially with this quest… how could we have let it happen?”
“Mhm.” Erza sighed. “Maybe it was just because we were drunk.”
“Yeah. And it was a very emotional time.”
“Hundred year quests are pretty scary, too.”
“Fearful counts as emotional.”
“Who knows what might happen, you know?”
“And we’re still hungover and getting drunk.”
“And while we’re still drunk and emotional,” Erza looked at him. “We can still keep doing it, right?”
Gray shrugged helplessly. “I don’t see that we have a choice.”
“But when we’re not drunk and emotional-”
“-we don’t do it.” Gray nodded. “You know, the wine-cellar’s empty at this time of day.”
Erza considered this. “I’ll meet you downstairs in two minutes.”
While on the train to their quest, Gray liked the fact that they got complimentary gin. Little bottles, but it was still something. Travelling first class sure had its uses.
“You know, I’m really upset that Wendy gets sick on a train,” he said as he finished his little bottle of gin in one gulp, drawing the attentions of both Erza and Lucy, though he knew from Erza’s eyes that she knew what he was getting at.
“I get rather upset myself,” Erza stated, finishing her bottle of gin and getting up. “And must therefore go to the bathroom.”
“Natsu’s in the bathroom,” Lucy told them. “And Wendy’s in the other one. You’ll have to cross into the next compartment. I’d be careful, though. Some sorta royal newlyweds are travelling with us and they booked up the entire compartment. You wouldn’t wanna intrude.”
“Aye,” Happy added. “Last I heard, the woman had lost one of her pet guinea pigs and the staff was looking all over the compartment for it.”
“I’m gonna go help them search,” Gray said readily, rising to his feet. “For at least thirty minutes.”
Erza said, “Or forty-five.”
“Well,” Gray smirked. “In forty-five minutes, we could find the guinea pig twice.”
“Mhmm. You want to do some searching with me, Gray?”
“Sure, I’ll… do it with you.”
Once inside the royal bathroom, though, Erza said, “Should we really be doing this here? The newlyweds would-”
“Oh, Erz-Er-Erza,” spluttered Gray in his hurry to interrupt her. “This is the honeymoon bathroom. The bathroom expects sex. It would be disappointed if it didn’t get sex.” He spread his arms pathetically. “All the other honeymoon bathrooms would think it was a loser.”
Laughing, Erza said, “Okay.”
Gray grinned and stepped closer to her. “Wow, your laughter-”
“Not enough time,” she said and started pulling off his shirt.
As soon as they’d checked in to their rooms, Natsu had grabbed Lucy by the wrist and ran out to explore, Wendy in tow, leaving Gray and Erza to deal with the luggage.
“Well, we’re certainly alone,” said Erza nervously as Gray helped her drag in all the suitcases to the girls’ room.
“Yeah,” Gray replied as he looked around to check that all the bags were in the rooms they were supposed to be in. Then he smiled at her. “Good thing we have that no-drunk rule.”
“Right.” Erza chuckled and came up to him. “Listen, while we are on that subject…”
“I just wanted to tell you that, uh, well, I was having a hard time that night.” She rubbed her left bicep with her right hand. “And just-”
“Right,” Gray cut her off. He didn’t want her to have to say it all again. She smiled at him.
“I just… that night meant a lot to me, and I just want to thank you, I guess.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Gray stuck his hands inside his pockets. “That night meant a lot to me, too. Not because I was having a hard time or anything, but because… you’re really hot.”
Erza stared at him wordlessly before she broke out giggling.
Gray chuckled. “Is that okay?”
“Yes,” she replied, still laughing. “That’s okay.”
He leaned forward mischievously. “And I’m cute too.”
“Heh. Thanks. All right, I gotta go unpack,” he said and held out a hand. Erza smiled and slapped her palm into his. Gray pointed at her before turning away. “Bye.”
He closed the door on his way out and leaned back against it, sighing deeply. It was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? Getting out while the going was good? Before anyone got hurt?
Gray shook his head. Ah, fuck me.
He turned and opened the door, only to find Erza on the other side, a few paces away from the door herself, looking up at him in surprise. It seemed like she’d been on the way to opening the door as well.
Gray gulped as he entered, shutting the door with his foot. “I’m still a little buzzed from the gin. Does that count?”
Erza nodded vigorously. “Oh, that counts.”
“Oh, good,” he managed to mutter as he kissed her.
The clock said it was three in the morning when the knock came. Gray had been pacing by the door for about three minutes, so he opened it before the knocking could even fully end.
Before Erza could say a word, he crashed his lips into hers, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in. He fumbled to close the door and pushed her up against it as she moaned into his mouth.
“What took you so long?” he asked her breathlessly after his spirited greeting.
“They wouldn’t fall asleep,” she replied. “But I’ll knock them out tomorrow.”
Natsu had sleepwalked himself into the girls’ room a half hour ago. Something about her scent being nice. He and Happy liked using her as a pillow. Usually Gray would feel sorry about Lucy but he was too busy feeling other things for Erza to care.
“And… it’s been two weeks…”
“So… where is this… going? Are we… just having fun? Or…?”
“Hmm. Where do you want us to go?”
“I asked the question. You answer me. It’s only gentlemanly.”
“All right.” Pause. “I know that I don’t want to stop, that I want to spend more time with you. Outside of sex, you know? That I care about you very, very much.”
“Mmm. Then we want similar things.”
“So, do we tell the others?”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Can I be your boyfriend now?”
“Hey,” Gray said as he sat down beside Erza in front of the fire. “The others all asleep?”
“Mhmm. Natsu is asleep in Lucy’s bedroll. The Exceeds are in Wendy’s tent. Not a peep out of any of them for a while.”
“That’s good news all around. Anything going on?”
“No. All quiet.” Erza looked at him. “You sure you got enough sleep?”
Gray shrugged as he poked the fire with a stick. “I’m good. You?”
“I was supposed to wake you in an hour.”
Keeping watch at night was basically their shared responsibility. The rest were pretty useless in that department. Out in the open, anything could swoop down and make everything miserable.
“This is nice, though,” he said with a smile. “Nice and quiet. And I get to spend time with you.”
“And none of the others are around, so we don’t have to hide.” She smiled back. “We can be a real couple. For all of two hours.”
“Long enough for me to do this,” he said smugly and took her hand in his. “Because that’s what boyfriends do.”
Erza laughed quietly and shifted closer.
“And I can do this.” She pecked him lightly on the cheek and lingered, rubbing her nose along his cheekbone. Gray turned and kissed her forehead, before gently cupping her face kissing her slowly.
It was hard, being around each other all day but being unable to do anything unless the cover of darkness came to their aid. Even then, they didn’t have the time to do all they wanted to do. It was insanely frustrating.
Erza sighed softly when he pulled away. “Can we lie down for just a bit?”
The night sky was in spectacular form. The moon had gone to sleep, leaving her children to illuminate the vast canvas of darkness. And the stars did not disappoint.
“You know, back when I was training with Ur, I had trouble sleeping,” Gray said after they settled down. “All that was on my mind was Deloira, and how I was gonna avenge the destruction of my village. I spent my nights plotting, thinking how I would do what I had to do. Even despite the gruelling training, I couldn’t get myself to sleep.”
Erza said nothing, though she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. Gray sighed.
“And I was going nuts, y’know? Obsessing over revenge… I was seven. Maybe eight years old.” He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Anyway, we all used to sleep in this one room, right? Ur had a fire going and we’d all sleep on the hearth. I’d always sleep next to the window, and one night, I was really tired of everything – the training, the plotting, everything. All I wanted was to sleep for a day, but I couldn’t. So I look out the window, and all I see are stars. I started counting them. Just randomly. I was asleep before I knew it.” He was silent a while. “I never saw stars like that in the city. They never twinkled as they do when you’re outdoors.”
“I never saw the stars until after I escaped from the Tower,” Erza said after a while. “The rooms we were made to sleep in had boarded up windows. We could only make out lightning through the gaps between the boards, and sometimes rainwater would slip in. That was the most contact we had with the outside world.” She snuggled into his side and Gray put his arm around her neck. “When I was out, and I saw everything for the first time, I didn’t understand anything, and I knew nobody that I could ask. So after joining the guild, I spent most of my time reading, trying to understand the world and the people in it, how things worked and all that.”
“And you assumed I thought I was too good to be mixing with you guys.”
Gray grimaced. “Yeah, about that-”
“It’s okay. You were young and stupid.”
“It’s funny, though,” he said after her giggling had subsided. “I was having a bad day. Lost my wallet and fell in a ditch. And Cana gives me a reading for my future, right? And she tells me that I would have ‘brilliant luck’ that day. And I scoffed at her.” He smiled to himself. “And just a few moments later, you walked in.”
“I didn’t know this,” Erza said softly, though he felt the smile in her voice. “Fancy that.”
“Yeah. Fancy that.” He kissed her forehead. “It took ten years, but I guess it finally came true.”
“Mhmm. I am tired of sneaking around though. Shall we tell the others once we get back?”
“So, Gray,” Mirajane began with a grin as he sat down at the bar. “Did you hear about Erza’s new secret boyfriend?”
“Uhh.” Gray glanced at Erza, who sat in the stool beside him, nervously sipping her ale without looking at him. He looked back at Mirajane. “I, uh, may have heard a thing or two about him.”
The barmaid’s grin broadened as she turned to Erza. “So when do we meet this mystery boyfriend man?”
“Oh he’s very shy,” Erza said. “He may not be up to meeting everybody yet.”
Gray nodded. “Yeah he’s definitely not up to meeting everybody yet.”
“I don’t care,” responded Mirajane as she served Gray his drink. “I wanna meet this guy who makes Erza the happiest she’s ever been.”
“Really?!” Gray exclaimed gleefully, downing his drink in one go and crossing a leg over another. “That’s what you heard?” He rounded upon Erza, grinning broadly. “You said that?”
Erza smiled back forcefully, and though Gray could see her brows twitching, he didn’t really care.
“I might have said that,” she replied carefully.
Gray started laughing. He placed a hand around his abdomen and covered his eyes with the other as his body shook violently with every guffaw, tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Why is that funny?” Erza asked, unimpressed, and slapped his shoulder.
“Because I’m very happy for him,” Gray replied, still recovering. He slapped Erza’s knee lightly. “And you, ya lucky dog!”
Neither of them noticed the twinkle in Mirajane’s eye.
Now that the quest was done and they were back in Fiore, Gray had more time to spend with Erza even outside of quests and meeting at the guildhall. Sometimes they took quests together, and sometimes they just met up wherever the other was.
It was closing in on six months since they’d first hooked up, and Gray was happier than he’d been in a long time.
“Hello, children,” he greeted Lucy, Erza and Mira with a grin as he joined them at the bar. “Got a quest in Crocus for the weekend. I’m taking the night train, so fill me up with ale before I leave, Mira.”
“That’s so funny,” Mirajane replied as she poured him his drink. “Erza was just telling us about this quest she’d taken in Crocus for the weekend.”
“That is funny,” Erza said, smiling sweetly at him. “It seems like Gray’s quest could’ve been in Cedar or Clover Town.”
Gray smiled back. Don’t blow this now. “I’m not in charge of where the quest giver resides. Do you want people to think it’s a fake quest? It’s a real quest.”
“Of course,” Erza replied as she stood up. “But I take the evening train and I promised Lucy that I would help her with her landlord, so I shall see you after your quest, Gray.”
When both she and Lucy had gone, Gray cleared his throat. “Small world, huh?”
Mirajane placed her elbows on the counter and leaned in.
“Mhmm. Very small, indeed.” She smiled warmly, her eyes lingering on his chest. “That jacket looks great on you.”
“Yeah,” she replied, running her hand down his sleeve. “The fabric’s so soft-oh. Hello, Mr. Bicep! Have you been working out more?”
“Y’know,” Gray laughed. “I try to squeeze things.”
Mirajane broke into a giddy laugh. Gray didn’t know what was so funny about what he’d said. Was she drunk?
“Mira?” he asked concernedly. “Are you okay?”
“Well, if you really wanna know,” she began but stopped herself, holding up her hands. “I can’t tell you.”
“Mira, it’s me.” He smiled at her. “You can tell me anything.”
“Well, actually, you’re the one person I can’t tell this to… and the one person I want to the most.”
Gray squinted at her. “What’s going on?”
“I think it’s just that, you know, I haven’t been with a guy in so long and you know when sometimes you’re looking for something and just don’t even see that it’s right there in front of you sitting on a stool sipping ale.”
Gray had been bringing his glass to his lips but stopped and put it down. Mirajane smiled at him shyly.
“Oh no, have I said too much?” she asked coyly, covering her mouth. “Oh well, something to think about.” She straightened. “I know I will.”
Then she turned around, Gray still staring at her, smiled winsomely over her shoulder, tossed her hair, and walked away.
“What the shitcakes?” he asked himself as he sat there, horror-struck.
“I think Mira has a thing for me,” Gray announced after they’d finished with their questing for the night.
“You know. A thing. Like a crush or something.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, after you left the guildhall the other day, she was hitting on me.”
Erza propped herself up on an elbow, smiling incredulously. “Are you sure?”
“I’m telling you, I felt the vibes, okay?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just… Mira has always thought you were charming in a brother-y sort of way.”
“Oh, I can’t hear that enough.”
“I’m sorry, I just… I think you misunderstood.”
“I didn’t misunderstand okay?” Gray said and sat up, frustrated that she wouldn’t believe him. “She was all over me. She even touched my bicep, for fuck’s sake!”
Erza raised an eyebrow and pinched his bicep. “This bicep?”
“Well it’s not flexed right now.” Gray sighed. “Why is it so hard for you to accept that Mira could be attracted to me?”
“It’s not. You are very handsome. It’s just…” Erza stopped, her eyes widened and she sat up as well. “By the gods, she knows about us!”
Gray stared at her in alarm. “Are you serious?”
“Yes! She knows and is messing with us! That’s the only explanation!”
Gray licked his lips. “But what about my rugged good looks and bulging biceps?” He slapped his bicep. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Erza nodded grimly. “What do we do?”
“Hold on.” Gray dug out his phone from his bag and called up Mirajane. It wasn’t all that late, so he was confident he’d get her. She picked up on the fourth ring.
“Mira, this is Gray,” he said, putting his finger to his lips to signal Erza to remain silent. She nodded and he put the call on speaker. “Listen, I’m here alone in my hotel room, and I couldn’t help but think about what you said to me.”
A pause on the other end. Then a strangled, “Ehhh?”
“Yeah, that thing you said before? Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.”
“Really?” Mirajane replied. She sounded panicked.
“Yeah, so how about you come over after your shift the day I get back and I’ll let you feel my bicep.” He paused for effect. “And more.”
A long pause. “I’ll have to get back to you on that okay bye.”
As she clicked off, Gray tossed the phone back into the bag victoriously and lay down. “Two can play that game.”
“She thinks she’s so slick, messing with us.” Erza said in-between giggles as she snuggled up to him.
“Well, the messer just became the messee!”
Gray thought about it. “More questing?”
“So, Gray, I would love to come over tonight.”
Gray almost spilled his drink at Mirajane’s words. He threw a sideways glance at Erza, who was seated beside him, and asked, “R-really?”
“Yes,” Mirajane replied, her voice sultry and eyes bright. “Shall we say around… six?”
“Good. I’m really looking forward to you and me having sexual intercourse.” She bit her lip and winked at him before floating over to the other patrons.
Gray stared helplessly at Erza, who patted the air, signalling that it’d be all right. Gray, who had never taken much on faith, took refuge in his drink.
“It’ll be fine,” Erza told him as she folded his collars properly. “You just make her think that you want to sleep with her and it will flip her out.”
“Yeah, but how far am I supposed to go?” Gray asked uncertainly.
“Don’t worry about it,” Erza replied as she sprayed breath freshener into his mouth. “She’ll crack way before you do!”
After he was done choking on the spray, Gray croaked, “How do you know?”
“Because you’re on my team! And my team always wins!”
Erza rolled her eyes. Whatever she was about to say was cut short by the knock on his front door. Gray felt his stomach clench up.
“Go get some!” Erza pecked him on the lips and clapped his back lightly to encourage him. “Go!”
He waited till she was safely hidden in the bathroom before he went to get the door, getting his sexy smouldering look on as he went.
Mirajane stood on his doorstep in a sizzling black dress, the top button of which was open. She had her hair down, and smelled great. Overall, she looked stunning. Gray did his best to not crack up in laughter. Instead, he pocketed his hands and leaned against the door.
“Mira,” he said, deepening his voice.
“Gray,” she replied, her voice a tad breathless.
“C’mon in,” he told her, jerking his head towards the inside of the house and winking at her.
She smirked at him. “I was going to.”
Gray closed the door as she walked in, telling himself that it’d be all okay in the end.
“I brought some wine. Would you like some?”
“Sure. I’ll get some glasses.”
He gave her the glasses and, barkeep as she was, she uncorked the bottle and filled the glasses.
“So, here we are,” she said as he handed him his glass. “Nervous?”
“No. I want this to happen.”
They clinked glasses, smiling at each other, and started to drink. Neither stopped until their glass was drained.
“That went right to my head,” Mirajane said with a quiet laugh. “Makes me wanna rip that shirt right off you.”
“Well, then,” Gray rallied, “why don’t we move this to the bedroom?”
Her smile faltered for just a second. “Really?”
Gray now smelled blood. “Oh, do you not want to?”
“No,” Mirajane replied quickly. “First I wanna… take off all my clothes and have you rub lotion on me.”
“That sounds… nice.” Gray imagined it for just a second and shuddered internally. “I’ll go get the lotion.”
Then, making sure his stride didn’t exude panic, he went into the bathroom to consult Erza, who was waiting with lotion in hand.
“This is totally getting outta hand, okay?” he hissed as he took the bottle.
“I tell you, she’s not backing down!”
“Doesn’t matter!” Erza replied maniacally. “You got out there and seduce her till she cracks!”
“All right, fine!” Gray sighed and looked around, finally noticing something. “Did you clean up in here?”
“Of course,” she replied like it was the most obvious thing, and pushed him out.
Gray scanned the room for Mirajane and found her facing away from him, halfway to the door.
She turned around, and he saw with horror that most of the buttons on her dress were now undone.
“Not without you, luv-er,” she said, though Gray could tell from her tone that it was unnatural. She kept looking at him and down at her chest as she walked up to him. “So, this is my bra.”
Gray had no idea what to say. “It’s very, very nice.” He held up the bottle of lotion. “Well, c’mere.” Oh my fuck what the gods. “I’m very happy we’ll be having all the sex.”
“You should be,” Mirajane replied after a slight pause. “I’m very bendy.”
At that moment, Gray was acutely aware of his brain rolling over and dying.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Mirajane said and came even closer.
“Not if I kiss you first,” he replied mechanically, his voice cracking at the end.
Mirajane placed a hand on his waist, so he placed a hand on her waist. She responded by cupping his rear so Gray went upstairs. His hand hovered over her chest before he gave up and settled for her shoulder.
“H-h-here it comes,” said Mirajane.
Gray gulped. He stared at her face, doing everything he could to not look down. Then as she leaned in, he glanced her glistening lips and squirmed out of her grip.
“Good gods, Mira, cover up your boobies I can’t look,” he said in a high-pitched voice. “I can’t kiss ya, okay?”
“Hah!” Mirajane jumped while rapidly closing buttons. “And why is that?”
Mirajane stopped her victory jump, her mouth falling open in shock. Even Erza came out of the bathroom.
“That’s right,” Gray declared, throwing his arms about. “I love Erza.” He pointed at her. “I! Love! Erza!”
“What?!” Erza and Mirajane exclaimed in unison, causing Gray to panic even more.
“What?” he asked. “I said I couldn’t kiss her and then I just stopped talking!”
“You just said you loved me, I can’t believe this,” Erza said as she walked up to him, arms outstretched. Gray shrank away, laughing nervously.
“You love me,” Erza said, waggling her finger at him, grinning broadly.
“Stop it, stop it, stop it,” Gray kept repeating as he started jumping in one spot. “I can’t even think anymore!”
“I thought you two were just doing it! I didn’t know you were in love!” Mirajane exclaimed happily, covering her face with her hands.
Erza finally wrapped her arms around Gray and hugged him tightly. “I love you too, Gray,” she said quietly.
A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over him and Gray sighed deeply.
“Yeah,” he muttered into Erza’s hair. “I love you three, but I just wanna lie down, okay?”
“Erza, your husband’s here,” Cana called as soon as Gray walked through the doors. He glared at her, but she stuck out her tongue at him.
Mirajane had been sworn into secrecy, so of course everybody knew. Not that there was much shock or otherwise overboard behaviour. If anything, Gray was astounded at how many people had been betting on him and Erza getting together, Wakaba chief among them. It was revealed that he had placed his bets the very day Gray had gotten his ass handed to him by Erza for the first time. It was mind-boggling.
Other than that, though, it was business as usual.
“But just imagine!” Mirajane said with a laugh and a clap of her hands as he sat down beside Erza. “If you two ever have kids-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Gray stopped her before she could get going. “We’re having kids?”
“I call Godfather,” announced Loke from a distant table.
“Lyon might have a problem with that,” Mirajane pointed out. “He is next-of-kin, technically.”
“Hey, if he bothered to call Godfather first, I would consider it, but I don’t see him around. Do you?”
Gray buried his face in his hands. Thankfully, Erza came to his aid.
“You’re all a few steps ahead of us.”
“Yeah,” Gray added. “Big, zero-gravity, moon steps.”
“Oh!” Mirajane exclaimed, undeterred. “I just thought of the greatest wedding present for you two!”
“I’ll go in on that with you,” came Cana’s voice. “I couldn’t think of anything.”
He knew they were joking around, but it was an eventuality. Well, a probable eventuality. They didn’t necessarily have to get married. For whatever reason. Maybe they would break up. Maybe Jellal would finally show up. The future wasn’t something he could control. Especially those of others. And if they had kids, who was to say he wouldn’t fuck everything up? What if he hurt her enough for her to turn away from him? Or the kid?
I’m not cut out for that sorta thing.
The responsibility for moulding another person’s life and personality and thoughts? Actually inspiring them? I just don’t have enough balls for that. It frightens the fuck outta me, thinking I’ll ruin the lives of others.
He leaned forward, pushing his fingers against his eyes until he saw stars against the back of his lids.
There was no air. No sound, either. Except the drumming of his heart in his ears. He opened his mouth and took a breath to steady himself. Felt a hand on his back. Whispered words against his ear.
“Yes,” he replied instinctually. The world was coming back to him. The chatter, the smells, the feeling of people staring at him. Gray opened his eyes and looked at Erza. There was so much concern in her eyes that it broke his heart to have caused that, for even a miniscule moment. She did love him, and the least he could do was be truthful. “No.”
At that, Erza stood up and barked, “Quiet!”
Immediately there was pin-drop silence. Even in his state, Gray almost smiled. As Erza sat down again, he shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts, but they were there to stay. They had been waiting to haunt him and now that the honeymoon phase was over, they had reared their head.
“What’s the matter?” she asked him.
Gray didn’t know what to tell her. So he placed his hands on the counter and pushed himself to his feet.
“Take a walk.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll talk to you later, I promise.”
She knew he was good for his word. He saw from her face that she didn’t like it, but she trusted him, and she nodded.
Gray walked out of the guild and turned left. When in doubt, go left. That had always worked for him. He didn’t remember where from he’d picked up the habit, but he stuck to it.
Was he really going to think about abandoning her and all he had with her? Was that something he was seriously about to consider? Gray shook his head, both angry and ashamed at himself. Then he took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets.
Don’t analyse data you don’t have, he reminded himself. So what do you know for certain?
Erza wanted a normal life. House in the country, lawn, pool, husband, kids. That he knew because she’d told him herself. And that was the natural progression, wasn’t it? People who loved each other mostly got married and had kids. Evergreen and Elfman, Gajeel and Levy, Alzac and Bisca… examples were all around him. He didn’t know for sure, but he guessed that he himself was the product of the union of two people who loved each other.
Gray didn’t remember his parents. All he had were faded memories. He couldn’t put a face to his mother’s name, and while he’d had to fight his resurrected father, there hadn’t been enough time for a meaningful conversation. Ur had taken him in when she didn’t have to. She didn’t fear the responsibility.
He passed a playground to his right. Kids aged four to eight were playing. Swinging on the swings, going around the merry-go-round, slipping down the slide, running around trying to catch each other. He smiled to himself and kept walking.
All the faces had displayed hopefulness and happiness. Happiness stemmed from security, and security from knowledge that there were people you could trust back home who had your back.
What did he have in his heart when he was their age? Vengeance and violence. Trauma from a demon having stampeded through his village and slaughtered everyone he knew. And that hatred in his heart had gotten Ur killed. It was a choice she’d made. That was something parents would do for kids. That was something he had done before for Erza and the others.
I trust you, Gray. More than perhaps you trust yourself, she’d told him. What had she seen in him? What had she seen that he didn’t? What did she know about him that he didn’t?
Gray passed by a store with a glass front and instinctually stopped and stared at himself. He couldn’t see what Erza had seen. Not really. Other than the fact that he had a similar facial structure to Jellal, nothing came to mind. He’d known a long time that they were similar looking. Jellal had had Erza’s heart in his hand, so to speak. He’d chosen to throw it away due to reasons both selfless and selfish.
Am I going to do the same? Am I doing the same? Am I pulling a Jellal and rationalising this as me not being good enough for her?
There were never enough answers. Never enough, if any at all.
He shook his head and when he looked back at the glass, his eyes focused on what was behind it instead of on his reflection. And he couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was a shop that sold baby products, with little shirts and diapers and soap and cots displayed behind the window. He wondered what all he’d grown up with, whether he’d been a handful. At least he’d had people to raise him. Erza never even had that. The Tower had fucked her up for good and still she wanted to bring new lives into this world. That took courage. Like Ur, she was willing to take responsibility when she didn’t have to.
Gray stared at the little shirts on display. He reached out and placed his palm on the glass against a white shirt with the face of a cartoon cat on it. It was marginally bigger than his hand if he stretched his fingers out.
Something this small can’t be that scary… right?
He moved on before the shopkeepers thought he was a potential customer. Not today, Devil.
For all his thinking, he only came away with two conclusions. The first was that Erza had never personally told him that she wanted marriage and kids right then and there. It was a conversation they would have in time, when they were ready for it. It was a nonexistent problem, and freaking out over it was a waste of time.
The second was more personal. I’m no Jellal.
So after a few more minutes spent walking around aimlessly, Gray set his course for the guildhall. Everything fell silent as he entered this time but he didn’t look at anybody other than the redhead at the bar who stood up. She came forward and opened her mouth to speak but he held up a hand to stop her.
“I have serious commitment issues,” he began. “I’m not ready for marriage or children, and that shit still freaks me out, I won’t lie. I’m all fucked up in the head, I guess.” He shrugged, smiling. “I have no idea how to be a good husband or a good dad. Honestly, I’ve never even been in a relationship that’s lasted as long as this. To get past the beginning and still want to be with each other is all new territory for me. And you know what?” He took her hands in his. “I’m excited, and I’m happy because all this is happening with you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s scary but in a good way, you know? And I want you to know that with time, I’ll figure stuff about marriage and parenthood. I do want to give you the life you want, but I can’t get there alone.” He sighed and looked down at their interlinked hands, then up at Erza’s attentive, albeit emotional, face.
“I’m not the best at this,” he told her. “Not by a long shot. But I’m trying, okay? So be patient with me because I think I’m capable of doing this.”
Erza responded by barrelling into his chest and wrapping her arms around him as the hall erupted in applause, whistling and sobbing. Gray was stunned momentarily.
“I know you are,” Erza told him. “Same for me, honestly. I’m figuring it out as I go along, too.”
Chuckling, Gray returned the embrace. “Lend me any books on babies you might have.” Then he turned and glared at Loke. “And no, asshole, you don’t get to call Godfather.”
Erza laughed giddily into his chest at that. As far as Gray was concerned, the world was a little bit more right than it was when he’d woken up, and that was good enough.
“Did you ever realise that a house is just a place where you keep your stuff?” Gray asked Erza as she stepped out of the shower. She looked at him incredulously.
“No, think about it. A house is a place to keep your stuff. If you didn’t have stuff, you wouldn’t need a house.”
“That is… a fairly true assessment.”
Gray nodded to himself. “Have you also realised that your shit is stuff and other peoples’ stuff is shit?”
Erza laughed as she dried her hair. “Is there a point to this, or are you free associating?”
While she could requip anytime she wanted, Erza still kept some of her things at Gray’s place. A toothbrush, a few spare clothes, a towel or two, a sword here and there. Normal, everyday things. Gray always made room for those but this was getting ridiculous.
So he’d decided to bring this up. And after two weeks of planning, he’d finally acted.
Gray got up and walked over to her. “Well, I was just wondering…”
“Where d’you keep all your stuff?”
“Huh. So you don’t need stuff lyin’ around all over the place,” he said cautiously. “Technically speaking.”
She looked at him. “Not really. I can just summon whatever I need.”
“So you don’t need palatial suites to live or anything, right?”
“Gray, is this about the underwear I left at your place last week?”
“What? No, no. Nothing like that. I was just thinking what it’d be like if all your stuff was here.”
“Then I’d be going back and forth all the time,” she replied, tilting her head left and right as she considered it. “Wouldn’t make much sense.”
“Okay.” Gray sighed. “How about we live together? Does that make sense?”
Erza immediately ceased all action. “Live together?” she asked uncertainly. “We didn’t talk about this. Are you sure?”
She immediately threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, laughing mirthfully. Gray couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“Yes,” she replied eventually when he stopped spinning her around and let her down. She looked really happy as she said it. “Yes, Gray. I would love that.”
“I would, too.” He kissed her gently. “It’s been a year, you know? About time we took the next step.”
“Well, I was tired. Now we can totally be naked all the time.”
“It wasn’t the only motivational factor, I swear!”
Gray knew it was only a matter of time. He had known this could happen. He had thought about it endlessly. What had kept him from acting when he knew it was a very real possibility, he didn’t know. Almost a year had passed since Erza had moved in with in. More than two since the first time they’d gotten together. They were happy, but things never stayed the same for too long.
Two years was a long time, and he should’ve seen it coming.
It had all started so normally. So innocently. She made dinner. His favourites. She did that at least four times a year. Nothing suspicious about that. But she was tense. He should’ve noticed her body language, sensed that something was off.
One minute they were eating and laughing, the next she was on her knees, holding up a ring.
And all Gray could do was gawk wordlessly.
“Gray,” she began, smile firmly in place but voice shaky. “In all my life, I never thought I would be so lucky.” She sniffed. “As to fall in love with my best-” She covered her mouth with her hands and then flapped them in an effort to regain composure. He saw her tearing up and felt himself tear up as a result. “To fall in love with my best-” She stopped again, and when she spoke again, her voice was too heavy to be understandable. “There’s a reason why girls don’t do this!”
It’s your time, Fullbuster! Take the spotlight! Slay the demon! Marry the princess! Make it or break it, kid! Wax on, wax off! The Force is with you! Erza: the final frontier! Freedom!
He fell to his knees and took her hands in his, sniffing as he did so.
If you screw up now after that pep talk, Imma thump you.
“Okay, okay,” he said quickly. The words came to him without him even having to think about it.
“I thought,” he began, but choked up immediately. He held up a finger. “I can, I can do this.”
Erza laughed through the sniffing and nodded. Gray swallowed the lump in his throat.
“I thought that it mattered what I said, and where I said it.” He looked at her, ignoring the fact that his eyes decided to leak without his permission. At least he could see her face clearly. “But then I realised that the only thing that mattered was that you make me happier than I ever thought I could be.”
He looked at the ring in her hands. It was a simple silver band. No stones. He loved it.
But it wouldn’t do. So he took his hands away from hers, and squished his palms together.
“And if you let me,” he said as gentle white light radiated from between the gaps of his fingers. “I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way.”
He held the ice ring between his thumb and forefinger and took her left hand. The ring was cold, but it would have to do for now. Erza chuckled when she saw it, so she wouldn’t mind it much.
“So, Erza Scarlet, will you marry me?”
“Well,” Gray said, hands on hips, after the last box was unpacked. “That’s that.”
“Mhmm.” Erza came and stood beside him, putting an arm around his waist. “That’s that.”
The house was a bit pricey – real estate was always tricky – but it was a good investment. It was a good neighbourhood, and not too far from the city. Two stories, plenty of space, lots of sunlight. There was no pool, but there was a lawn, and a little winding road dotted with oak trees that led down to a stream. It was nice and quiet, something Gray had no problem with.
“Marriage, house,” Erza said, looking around the living room. “Not bad.”
“We’re growing up,” Gray replied. “Now all we need is kids and we’re adults.”
Gray looked at her. She was smiling.
“Welcome to an adult relationship. Is it everything you hoped and dreamed it would be?”
Gray said nothing. Erza placed her hand on his chest.
“Yeah,” he replied after a while. “Just thinking what colour I should paint the swing set Imma build.”
There was no fear now. There was no room for it. Not anymore.
As he picked up his giggling wife bridal style and peppered her face with kisses, the only thing Gray Fullbuster felt was excitement.
The good things had only started happening. And they would enjoy every moment that came their way.
