Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. INHALE— Exhale…

You can do this. You're Erza Scarlet.

Erza. Freaking. Scarlet.

You can do anything!

Erza fisted her knees through the fabric of her skirt. She pushed up the bridge of her framed glasses and lightly slapped both cheeks with her palms. Tucking the ends of her side swept bangs behind an ear; she combed her lithe fingers through her long straight hair. Going undercover meant forging most of her employee documents, however there are two things that Erza absolutely refused to change about herself. One is her name, and the other is her waist-length scarlet hair, the latter of which she was once lovingly told to be her most beautiful asset.

You can do this!

They all believe in you!

HE believes in you!

Do not screw this up!

Hidden in the dark corners of the school auditorium backstage, Erza glanced at the other woman sitting next to her. The white haired beauty is busily applying a rosy tint of blush against her pale cheeks. She has been fixing her appearance with her portable makeup kit for quite some time now. The amount of skin visible through her low cut blouse and minute pencil cut skirt bore a stark contrast to Erza's white three-fourth button up loosely tucked in her blue flared below-knee length skirt. It wasn't her intention to judge, but Erza was certain even teachers had dress codes to abide by.

"First time?" her albino seatmate asked in the midst of drawing her eyebrows.

"Y-Yeah…" Erza stuttered. "What gave it away?"

"Well, you've been audibly pep-talking yourself the entire time," the woman giggled. "Also your clothes are too tacky for this line of business."

Erza blinked, unsure whether to be offended or not. "Uhm, what 'business'? You're a new teacher too, aren't you?"

"Sure am. I'm talking about the youth business, of course! You can't possibly expect these kids to welcome you with open arms dressed like that!" The rude woman snidely raised her now perfectly drawn eyebrow at the redhead. She then stood, flipped her silvery white locks at Erza's face, and clicked away in her heels. Erza cringed and wondered what exactly that skank was expecting them to be doing here in the first place.

Fairy Academy is a fairly well-known high school in their country. It allegedly housed students of high caliber and has an above average passing rate when it came to nationwide exams. Although Erza didn't exactly seek out this particular school when applying for her first job— to be honest, it was the only available option given her not-so-pristine background. Thanks to the friend of a friend who held a high position in this school, an outstanding referral was submitted on her behalf.

"Instructor Scarlet?"

A long ebony-haired woman dressed in business attire tapped Erza on the shoulder, prompting the redhead to rise and shake the woman's hand. "Ms. Milkovich, thank you so much again for helping me land this job. Seriously, I never knew applying for a real job was so hard these days."

"You're very welcome. Frankly, I do owe you-know-who quite a number of favors myself, so really it's the least I could've done for him in return. Please, just Ultear is fine." Erza beamed at the pleasantly mannered, sophisticated woman, who just might've been her first friend in her new work place.

Ultear was previously introduced to her as the personal secretary of the academy's principal. Despite her connections, the woman must've pulled some serious strings to get her inside with the bare minimum of one personal interview with Principal Makarov alone. The aging man spent an hour giddily squeezing her for stories concerning the past illegal dealings of her former "profession". Erza, who was never the best liar, could've sworn she totally shot herself on the foot and left his office believing she's better off washing dishes in some food joint. Imagine her surprise when hours later, Makarov called her personally and said she was hired.

"Erza, I believe it is a given that we cannot— under all circumstances— allow your background to leak in our campus," Ultear reminded. "So far, only the principal and I are privy to this information. If word got out to our students or god forbid their parents, we might be forced to take dire measures and terminate your contract."

"Yes. Absolutely, I understand," Erza nodded and gestured to her attire. "As you may have noticed, I'm doing my very best to blend-in the school setting." Ultear eyed her clothes in equal distaste as the earlier albino woman, but was kind enough not to say anything.

"PIPE IT! YOU ROTTEN PIECES OF SHIT!"

Erza jerked in surprise. The blatantly course language of a loud masculine voice blasted from the auditorium speakers. She sneaked a peek on the front stage from her vantage point at the back. Holding the mike was a tall, burly blonde man at the center of the stage. Erza squinted to confirm that his face was indeed decorated with a lightning bolt shaped scar running down his right eye.

"That's Laxus Dreyar our school's Head Teacher and your boss by the way," Ultear helpfully supplied. "Principal Makarov is grooming him to take over as principal someday when he retires."

"Seriously?" Erza rhetorically asked. "He speaks like a delinquent himself." Ultear merely forced a smile dripping in fakeness and shrugged.

"Gather around, dipshits! Today, we'll be introducing the two new high school teachers of Fairy Academy. I expect you all to treat them both with the utmost respect. First up! Our new Chemistry teacher, Instructor Strauss, please introduce yourself to everyone."

As soon as the new teacher's long pale creamy legs came into sight, a rupture of cheers and applause erupted from the student body crowd— mostly contributed by the hormonal teenage male population. Gray was suddenly knocked forward, when the campus' number one playboy hooked an arm around his neck and shouted "DIBS!" directly against his eardrums.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" Loke stammered in a horny induced panic. "Dude, you are not touching that babe on my watch!" Gray simply cringed and found himself wondering once more why he was friends with this moron.

"Don't worry, Loke. I doubt Gray's interested in a teacher, if you know what I mean," the blonde girl offered. "Although, you're not exactly the best student around to be hitting on one either..."

"You're just jealous, Lucy! Mark my words, guys. This lion is officially that teacher's pet from this day forth," Loke proudly proclaimed.

"Eh? That's your type? But she looks so... fat," the pink haired moron gestured like he's holding a pair of giant melons up against his chest. "Like Lucy-fat."

"Eugh! Natsu, you idiot! Stop calling me fat!" The blushing blonde strikes her pink-haired best friend at the back of his head.

"Hi guys! My name is Mirajane Strauss. I'm twenty-three years old, and incidentally I'm single!" she teasingly sang in her high pitched voice. "I'm very excited to meet you all!" She then blew out a flying kiss to the wild crowd.

Gray quirked his brow at the bold display of this new teacher. It wouldn't take a genius to see the appeal she's going for. Hundreds of thirsty teenagers in that hall were in the concentrated process of stripping her with their eyes. Though she's admittedly pretty hot, Gray remains indignant of her title as Lucy has accurately foretold. Loke's hand exaggeratedly shot to his chest as though an arrow struck him directly through the heart. "MIRA-CHAAAAN!" His infatuated roar distinctly stood out among the rest of the male students' cheers.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, DICKWADS!"

Mira made her retreat as Dreyar once again held the mike. "Next is our new Math teacher. Instructor Scarlet, get over here and introduce yourself!"

The giddy faces of the male students one by one contorted to dismay then to disgust as the aptly named scarlet haired woman mechanically walked towards the mike. Gray squinted to study this dorky looking creature that suddenly graced the stage. She appears to be shaking uncontrollably, not to mention vigorously hyperventilating. A deafening screech was heard when she took the mike entirely off the stand.

"H-Hello everyone. My name is Erza S-Scarlet… It's a huge honor to… Uhm… Fairy Academy is… a dream place… school… a dream school. You…. people... are important… to me … as my first ever stud—"

"Who let their lame ass mom in?!" Someone sneered from the other end of the room.

"Is that a plus size shirt? She dresses like my gran."

"Bitch! Get out of our sight, we don't want you! Give us back, Mira-chan!"

The crowd erupted into a unanimous chant of "go home, bitch" looped in repeat. The redhead seems taken aback by the wild commotion surrounding her as the whole student body began to clap along their insults. On stage, Dreyar is seen exasperatedly dragging a palm down the whole expanse of his stupid face. Mira is demurely stifling her giggles. Principal Makarov remains asleep in his seat at the very middle of the stage, snoring peacefully since the beginning. Gray snickered to himself. It appears that his contribution won't even be necessary, if this keeps up.

Erza bit the inside of her cheek. This was not how she imagined her month-long-rehearsed introductory speech to crash and burn. Stage fright was one thing, but her extremely immature audience were behaving like plain bullies. Desperately, she tried to salvage her horrendous performance and thought of what exactly gave her predecessor that earlier standing ovation. "Ah!" she called out in sudden epiphany. "Incidentally, I'm also single!" she proudly parroted over the mike.

The whole auditorium instantly fell into pin drop silence, and Erza mentally fist pumped in victory. Excitedly, she turned to eye the ebony haired secretary she left behind the stage and sneaked a small thumbs up from the ruffles of her skirt. Oddly enough, Ultear appears to be frantically signalling for her to retreat asap. Erza tilted her head in confusion when the loud boisterous guffaws of literally every soul present resounded throughout the entire auditorium.

"Who the fuck is this dork?!"

"Well, somebody's desperate."

"Not enough money in the world would make me wanna tap that dull, boring bitch!"

Nostrils flared and knuckles clenched as white as sheets; a vein popped in Erza's head. She aggressively squeezed the mike and stomped to widen her stance, ready to give these damn brats a humongous piece of her mind. However, just as she's about to explode into a scarlet volcano, the mike was suddenly snatched away from her.

"SHUT IT, YOU FUCKING DIRTBAGS! IT'S USELESS TRASH LIKE YOU WHO POLLUTE OUR MODERN SOCIETY WITH YOUR SPOILED ROTTEN EXISTENCE! You think you're so goddamn cool to be picking on us adults, huh? Guess what, dipshits?! You're nothing but a bunch of whiny ants that I can literally crush under my foot! Huge favour that'd do our shitty world, the moment every last one you fucktards dropped dead!"

Erza finally released the breath she's been holding, since her alleged boss began his ruthless verbal abuse of the students. The crowd surrounding them is seething at the tall blonde man like a hungry pack of wolves ready to devour their prey. Blood thirst in their eyes, yet their silence is palpably docile akin to a tamed wild animal. Laxus huffed in satisfaction and returned the mike on the stand. On his glorious retreat, he purposely bumped her shoulder. "That's how it's done, Instructor," he smugly gloated through his shit eating grin.

Laxus Dreyar, the Head Teacher, himself has personally coined their batch as "special". In the longest history of their distinguished academy, all class levels ended with the section E. They were the chosen pioneers of the hastily formed delinquent reformatory probation camp thereby appropriately dubbed as Class F. Their claustrophobic janitor closet-sized classroom houses the most notorious students ever to set foot in the academy's grounds. Since the beginning of the school year, five homeroom teachers were driven out to voluntarily resign within a month thanks to their combined team effort. Three of which, he, Gray Fullbuster, had coerced to quit teaching altogether.

Gray tugged at the suffocating tie of his uniform and grimaced. It appears they had finally driven Fairy Academy's respected Principal Makarov to his wits ends, when his latest recruits were basically a scantily clad tease and a blubbering dork. He wonders which of the two will be blessed with the grand fortune of becoming their next homeroom teacher. The wall clock ticked languidly to yet another lazy morning in the classroom of 3-F.

"Damn that bastard, Dreyar! I've had enough of that cocky fucker!" Natsu growled atop his desk where he sat cross legged. "Oi droopy, did you catch the douchbag's eyes twinkle under those bushy blonde caterpillars of his?!"

"Sure, squinty. Unlike you, I have eyes," Gray groaned and simply waved off his rival.

"Then why the fuck aren't we doing anything?! All this effort wasted on ousting small fries when bastards like him rule over us like a fucking tyrant!" Natsu vehemently protested.

Lucy sighed from her seat and turned to face the idiot on the desk. "Because, Natsu, we're students. I don't know about you guys, but I have no plans of getting expelled anytime soon— being on probation is bad enough," she gently reminded them.

"What are you saying, Luce? That asshole's the one who put us here in the first place! We get rid of him and problem solved!" the dimwit proudly presented his logic. "How about it, stripper? You in? It'll be a better use of your time and brain cells instead of this public eyesore you're currently doing…"

A scandalized feminine gasp pierced through his ears. "G-Gray-sama is taking his shirt off!" his abhorrent admirer joyously squealed. Gray cursed and hastily buttoned up his uniform. He chose to discard the tie completely— as if he won't be losing it eventually thanks to his annoying stripping disorder. Juvia was already in the process of digging for her phone to snap "candid" pictures of him like a total creep. In a desperate attempt to be spared from this nonsense, Gray instead turned to his back mate.

"Yo. Cana, do my fortune," he practically ordered the tipsy brunette who's busily chatting with her clique. Lucy was his usual go-to scapegoat whenever Juvia acts up. Lately though, the bluenette seems to have caught on with his ruse, due to the blonde girl's arguably not so platonic relationship with his idiot rival.

Cana simply quirked an inquisitive brow at him and rolled her eyes. Gray was almost certain she'd shoot him down. They haven't really spoken to each other for years, not since they were kids. Thankfully, she chose to indulge him and laid out a plethora of tarot cards on her table. "Brilliant luck," she simply said, staring blankly at the card on her hand.

Simultaneously, their classroom door swung open, revealing the ecstatic face of their new homeroom teacher. Loke, who's been crossing his fingers and grinning like a maniac at the door the entire time, violently slammed his desk upon her entrance. "Fucking hell! Really?! We officially have the shittiest luck ever!" he whined out loud. "It was fifty-fifty, man! Of course, we just had to get the lame one!"

Scarlet.

Despite being bad at names, Gray distinctly remembered, because her hair was a dead giveaway. The redhead completely ignored Loke's tantrums and approached the teacher's desk. "Good morning, everyone! I am your new homeroom teacher," she smilingly announced to a room of twenty students— all of which refused to acknowledge her presence. "I would like to reintroduce myself, but before that can everyone please take their proper seats?"

Gray's eyes automatically darted to Natsu who's been sitting comfortably atop his desk like a hen nursing its nest. The idiot didn't budge and pretended not to hear her by drilling a finger to clean his ear hole. Scarlet sighed and took out her trusty seat plan. "Mr. Dragneel, civilized people sit on chairs," she firmly lectured.

"Ha?" Natsu instantly hopped off his desk and approached the teacher. Grabbing the woman by her shirt, he tugged her towards him and snarled, "You calling me uncivilized, bitch?"

To her credit, Scarlet didn't even blink at all. "Only if you count yourself as 'people', of course," she monotonously replied.

Gray raised his brow at the gall of this woman. Natsu had her on a death grip and was literally one punch away from knocking her to oblivion. Their previous larger male teachers were scared shitless of the guy. Did this woman honestly think the idiot was merely bluffing? The moron took a whole minute to process her reply. Eventually giving up, he released her and obediently went to take his seat. Gray scoffed at his rival's saddening lack of wit. Scarlet was obviously implying that Natsu was nothing but trash much like her boss did so eloquently a while ago.

Satisfied with her accomplishment, the redhead turned to the board and began scribbling her name with the chalk. "My name is... Er—za Scar—let," she spoke as she spelled, "I am... twen—ty... three... years... "

In his peripheral vision, Gray saw Natsu bracing himself into a pitcher's pose, knee-up and fully armed with a baseball. To produce the strongest impact, the idiot swiveled his arm as far back as possible and threw the ball straight towards the back of unsuspecting teacher's head.

Nanoseconds to certain collision, Gray's bored, droopy eyes widened. Lucy yelped on her seat. Natsu's jaw hung slack. All the idle chatter in their room died into complete silence. With her face on the board and her back completely facing everyone, Scarlet smoothly tilted her head mere centimeters sideways. She successfully dodged the projectile— and caught it. One hand now held the baseball squarely in her palm.

Erza clicked her tongue and sighed in disappointment. These stubborn brats truly meant business. She wasn't planning on brute forcing her way into them, as her asshole boss so kindly demonstrated earlier. However, this shameless act of cowardly violence left a distinctly sour taste in her mouth. What if that albino skank got assigned here instead of her? Hell, they'd be rushing her to the hospital on her first day of work.

Slowly, Erza turned to face her bewildered students. Her smiling countenance now replaced with a deadpan expression. "Who threw this?" she flatly asked.

The question was easily rendered rhetorical, as Dragneel remained frozen on his feet in the direct line of the projectile's path. Erza chose to ignore her common sense and continued to press for a direct confession. "I'm asking you brats, who's the filthy coward who threw this?" she reiterated, raising her voice. The blonde girl seated beside Dragneel frantically slapped his immobile leg, signalling for him to sit his ass immediately. Erza once more chose to play dumb. Selecting her words carefully, she spoke, "I want the person who did this to please come forward this instant, or else—"

"Or else what?" a bold masculine voice challenged. Erza narrowed her eyes at its source. In the central back area of the tiny classroom sat a spiky raven haired boy. His uniform looked very unruly compared to everyone else in the room. She immediately grabbed her seat plan to check who this smug brat is.

"The name's Fullbuster, Instructor," he sarcastically offered. "So tell us, what are you going to do when you find your culprit? Are you gonna punish him? Give him detention? Or maybe— you'll tattle to your hotshot boss, and have Dreyar march all this way and beat them up for a public display?"

Erza blinked in confusion. Did this guy just imply that the Head Teacher was into beating students? "What are you talking about?" she cautiously asked.

"Spare us, bitch and stop playing dumb!"

This time the one who answered was the same blonde haired four-eyes, who very vocally cursed his luck upon seeing her. "Surely, you've heard him shouting profanities next to your ear up there. Asshole's not just the Head Teacher. He's his own self-established Disciplinary Committee, and he's super keen on using violence to crush us ants."

"That's enough, Loke," Fullbuster cut in. "She's obviously on his side. No need to bother explaining the situation when the bastard sent her here to do his job."

"Excuse me?" Erza approached the middle of the classroom to stare down this haughty punk named Fullbuster. The guy crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

"Teachers these days are all alike," he began. "You all lack empathy. This is not a military camp where you bark orders and get results. You can't keep treating us like we're beneath you, because we're far from ants. Our favorite Head Teacher makes the most exemplary role model, don't you think? We'll fight you back— violently— if we have to. If you teachers can do it, why can't we?"

Fullbuster then stood to full height and narrowed their distance, until he's staring her down from his taller height. His angry dark blue eyes bore down into her. "Trash like us? Fighting is the only thing we're good at, as we're— very— frequently reminded by this school."

A rupture of applause followed his speech. Dragneel has regained his confidence and was back to deviously smiling at her. "Heh. That earlier fluke's on me. This one's puny. I wonder how long she's gonna last against us," he maniacally threatened.

The brunette sitting behind Fullbuster lowered the cards she's been cradling and sarcastically grinned at Erza. "For your information, Instructor, among the five teachers who last left us, one attempted suicide, one was gravely injured, and one ended up joining a cult. I can only imagine how an adorable first-timer like you would end up."

Erza stood motionless at her spot. It suddenly all clicked into place. No wonder she landed this job with such ease. The principal clearly needed someone with her specific set of skills to survive this chosen herd of problem children. Spoiled brats who think they're entitled the world and wouldn't shy away from using violence to get what they want. This class is right down her alley. Erza darted her slanted eyes to meet Fullbuster's diabolical grin. Her lips involuntarily tugged upward. She had always been the competitive type, and this was a challenge she won't be backing down from.

Following the first ever showdown with her new class, Erza is back at the faculty office busily setting up her new work space. Even though the empty cubicle seems tidy enough, it appears that her garbage can came with an overflowing pile of candy wrapper. Politely, she tapped her airhead chewing seatmate to point out this discrepancy. In response, the blue-haired psycho or Bickslow as his faculty ID says simply stuck out his disgustingly elongated blue tongue at her.

"So Instructor, how did you find your class?" Ultear knowingly inquired, appearing next to her.

Erza groaned. "A small warning would've been nice…."

Ultear chuckled, "Principal Makarov has very high hopes for you. He believes you're the miracle solution our school desperately needs to make Class F graduate by the end of the year."

"Did somebody say Class F?" a bronze haired woman dressed in green and thick makeup called from the opposite cubicle. "My, what terrible luck you have, newbie!"

"That's Evergreen our Biology teacher," Ultear helpfully whispered. Erza noticed that not unlike Mira, Evergreen is also sporting a large amount of cleavage in her body-hugging micro-dress.

"Got that right, Ever. Pops must've been raiding the stash again, when he hired this nerd behind my back," Laxus Dreyar, aka her boss, added.

The blonde ape-sized man has been unabashedly flirting with her fellow new hire, Mira, even before Erza entered the office. The albino tease is in the process of whispering something suspiciously indecent to the man before she left. All the while, Laxus' eyeballs remain glued to her accentuated swaying ass. Erza cringed at the thought of working under such a perverted asshole. Boldly, she approached her distracted boss. "Sir, I've heard a rumor that you've been conducting violent means of correction to my students. Is that true?"

Laxus broke out of his trance and raised a bushy brow at the audacity of this new teacher. "Absolutely true," he grinned at her. "What about it? Got an issue with my methods, Instructor?"

Erza firmly stood her ground before the towering man. "With all due respect, physical bullying of students is unacceptable. Is the principal aware of your actions?"

Before Laxus could even growl out his reply, a long green haired man appeared out of nowhere and stared Erza down. "You vile woman! Did you even read your employment contract? Laxus Dreyar is the grandson of Principal Makarov Dreyar. A noob like you has no right to be questioning the living legacy of Fairy Academy!"

Laxus merely raised a palm to silence the green-haired man and smirked at Erza. "How's your first taste of our academy's best, Instructor?" he sarcastically asked. "I'm sure those dirtbags already gave you your much needed rude awakening. Students like those are nuts. I bet you think my trash talking was enough— but no. Class F is special. The only language those fuckers respond to is one that involves our fists."

Erza bit her lip and slowly shook her head. "I disagree. These are highly immature children. It's our job as adults to come up with a better, smarter way of disciplining them. What you're doing is brutally forcing them into submission. That's a short term solution at best, and a long term problem in the making."

"Wake the fuck up, Instructor! These shitheads ARE a long term problem of this school! They're literally trash! You know what happens when we leave filthy garbage lying around? They'll contaminate the whole environment with flies! I'm not just gonna sit back and watch these fuckers tank what my family started," Laxus vehemently proclaimed.

"Well said, boss. It would be best for Fairy Academy's reputation, if all the delinquents in Class F got expelled post-haste," the green-haired man snottily added.

Expelled?

Erza couldn't believe her ears. The Head Teacher himself is openly advocating the expulsion of her students. Inside that faculty room, all the other teachers were eyeing her in mocking amusement as though she's the puny villain challenging their almighty god. Sensing her evident distress, Ultear gently squeezed Erza's tense shoulder and approached Laxus.

"Laxus, I was instructed to hand this to you," the secretary said, while holding out a small yellow bag. "Inside is the money we collected for the first year's field trip. Principal Makarov wants you to deposit it in the bank for safekeeping before you head home."

Laxus rolled his eyes in exasperation and grabbed the bag. "Whatever," he grumbled. Tucking the bag under his arm, he walked past Erza and maliciously grinned at her once more. "Let it sink in, Instructor. In due time, you'll personally come crying for my help."

Gray used his index finger to once again manually count the number of zeros before his eyes and frowned. "Yo squinty, are you sure we're in the right place? There's no way in hell I'm washing dishes in this hotel."

At the front of the line, Natsu turned to face their group. "Geez, for the millionth time, droopy— YES! I gotcha all covered."

Between the boys, Lucy scratched her head in doubt. "Well, you can't really blame us, Natsu. I mean this is the first time— ever that you offered to treat us to, well— anything. And then you bring us here— of all places."

Loke frantically slapped Gray from behind. "Dude! Dude! Check out all the high-class chicks! Holy shit! Thank god, we had the proper sense to dress for the occasion!"

Gray narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Apparently, Natsu woke up at the wrong side of the bed that day and is feeling exceedingly generous. Not only did he invite Lucy, but apparently the idiot is loaded enough to include him and Loke in their after school pig out. For the past thirty minutes, they've been waiting in line outside a fancy five-star hotel's eat-all-you-can buffet in Shibuya. The dinner rate for one head is a glaring 20,000 yen. Gray kept nagging Natsu to triple check his basic multiplication skills, but the moron kept insisting he had the cash.

"Oh well. For all the times you borrowed from me and never returned it, I'm eating my heart out tonight!" Lucy happily declared.

Gray nonchalantly shrugged and decided to take Lucy's sound advice to heart.

Erza raised the butt of the beer bottle and forcefully slammed it against the counter. "Wally! One more!" she demanded in a slur.

Behind the counter, a rectangular faced man wearing sunglasses and a purple tux peered at the drunken woman in concern. "Erza, I know we're friends, but you're starting to drink me out of business!"

Erza groaned and banged her forehead on the counter. "Just put it on my tab, I'll pay you when my salary comes in— if I make it for a month," she whined.

Following the horrendous disaster of her first day, Erza went to seek out a familiar face after work. Wally Buchanan, a long-time friend from her golden days, is the proud, "dandy" owner of a small karaoke bar in the sparsely populated part of town. The bar's dark maroon interior is decorated with various neon Christmas lights as expected from its owner's quirky taste. Due to its quiet location, Erza highly preferred drinking at her friend's humble start-up. It helps that the owner is very understanding when it comes to her capability to pay for her bills.

"I'm guessing your speech didn't go so— dandily?" Wally jokingly asked.

"Let's not talk about it..." Erza muttered with her head still bowed.

"Hmm... I was hoping to ask you how your first day went, but I guess that's not a good topic either…"

She hummed and idly drummed her fingers against the wooden table. "I wasn't expecting school to be this complicated," she started. "It's true. Teaching was never my first option, after we disbanded. You all told me this is my calling, so I gave it a shot anyway…"

Pushing herself up with both elbows on the counter, Erza dreamily pressed her chin on her laced fingers as though in prayer. "My students hate me for the simple fact that I'm their teacher. My boss and colleagues are all convinced my entire class is a lost cause," she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Hey Wally, are you open to hiring me in the kitchen, in case my career doesn't pan out?"

"Erza Scarlet, you most definitely— do not— belong in the kitchen!" Wally passionately chided. Turning back to grab another beer from the fridge, he slid the bottle smoothly in front of her.

"This is your calling, because your heart is big. Even if your students hate you— even if everyone else thinks they're hopeless— you don't. You never lost sight of doing what's right. You never stopped believing that there is good in all of us." Awkwardly scratching the cleft of his block-like chin, Wally chuckled. "I imagine the boss would've said something dandy like that, if he were here right now."

Erza smiled and nodded to herself. Her heart is suddenly swept by an overwhelming feeling of longing and nostalgia. Wally is right that was exactly what he would've said. "Thanks, Wally. That's exactly what I needed to hear."

Through a commonly unknown pathway at the back of Inokashira Park, Erza happily hummed her way back home. It was truly amazing how the mere thought of him completely altered her mood like no alcohol could've ever done. Yes, it would be unlike her to surrender just like that. Her terrible first day is probably just a result of an accumulated series of Monday blues.

By the dimly lit lakeside, Erza caught sight of four silhouettes loitering by the stone benches in the now abandoned park. Checking her phone, she confirmed that it was indeed past midnight. A group of people hanging out this late could only mean trouble, and she isn't in the mood of dampening her recently uplifted spirits. Turning the other way, Erza was about to ignore the spectacle when she accidentally heard the group's conversation.

"So what do you guys think of Instructor Scarlet?" a feminine voice asked.

Erza blinked and her ears were instantly magnetized to listen further. Of course. Who else would be stupid enough to be out at this ungodly hour save for her precious students. She stealthily approached the unsuspecting group and squinted behind a bush to properly discern their identities.

"Dull. Lame. Boring," the blonde haired four-eyes from earlier in class enumerated. "I could go on," he yawned. The delinquent is lying flat on a bench while puffing a smoke.

"I dunno, Loke. She was able to catch Natsu's homing strike earlier in class," the blonde girl pointed out. "She seems pretty tough to me."

"No way, Lucy! That was totally beginner's luck! You guys wanna bet, if I could land a bull's-eye on that bitch tomorrow?" Natsu smugly gloated.

"I have a better idea. Why don't we run the usual bet instead?" A flurry of smoke followed his proposal. Erza narrowed her eyes at the other smoking delinquent. Fullbuster. There was no doubt about it. She'd recognize that spoiled brat's voice dripping with entitlement everywhere she goes.

Lucy was the first to raise her hand. "I call one month!" she confidently said. "I stand by my assessment that she's tougher than she looks."

Loke raised a single digit to the night sky. "One week. Max."

Natsu broke into a fit of laughter. "You guys are a bunch of softies! One DAY for me! I'm going all-in! 400,000 yen says the bitch won't be back tomorrow!"

Fullbuster, who has been keeping track of their bets, sneered at the pink haired guy. "Piss off, idiot. You don't have that much money, even if you sold your soul."

"Do too, stripper!" Natsu retorted in defense. "Look, guys, I wasn't planning on showing you this—" He grabbed his bag and excitedly began to dig through its contents. "—but just to rub it in pervert's face that I'm not shitting anybody—"

"Evening, Fairy guys and gals. How 'bout you twerps hand me that bag? I'll be more than happy to check for you," a new masculine voice creepily leered.

Erza, like the other four present, was jolted by the sudden arrival of the unfamiliar man. From her hidden vantage point, she is able to see that a tall masked man in a black turtleneck is dangerously cornering her bewildered students. His equally black mask covers the entirety of his face except for the two eye holes. Despite her conscience telling her to jump into their rescue, Erza willed herself to wait it out this time. The three boys instinctively shielded Lucy with Natsu standing front and center.

Natsu confidently cracked his knuckles in a show of intimidation. "In your dreams, creep! You totally picked the wrong students to rob. Three-versus-one. This will be a cakewalk." The boy then charged straight at the robber. His fist collided squarely at the masked man's jaw, though to his surprise the guy barely flinched.

The man's muffled voice laughed maniacally at Natsu's saddening attempt to knock him out. "True that. Three-versus-one is totally unfair, isn't it? How 'bout we even the odds?" On cue, three more thugs fully dressed in black suddenly emerged from the dark.

"The fuck, dude? H-How is this fair?!" Loke exclaimed in a wild panic.

"Well technically, there's four of you," the masked man pointed out, tipping his head to the cowering girl at the back.

Instantly, Natsu's entire face contorted with savage fury. "Don't you fucking dare touch Lucy," he threatened with a death glare. "I'll thrash all of you myself, if I have to. Leave her alone!"

The four thugs took Natsu's words to heart and brutally pummeled him first, until he kissed the ground. Fullbuster and Loke immediately rushed to his rescue. Loke was knocked out cold with a single punch to his face and laid unconscious on his back. Fullbuster took a couple of blows to his head, until a direct body shot to his stomach sent him to his knees. Lucy, now the only one left standing, is on the verge of tears as she shakily approached her beaten up friends.

"SHIT! Lucy, run away! Now!" Fullbuster managed to scream before another thug violently kicked him into the soil. Lucy remained on her spot literally paralyzed in fear. One of the thugs appeared behind her and hooked his elbowed arms through the girl's underarms in one fell swoop, locking her in place as she kicked and flailed helplessly.

The masked boss of the thugs picked up Natsu's long abandoned bag and stood before the shrieking captured girl. "How 'bout it kid? The chick or the bag?" he mockingly taunted.

"Get the fuck away from Lucy, you asshole!" Natsu weakly seethed. His bruised face is harshly pinned on the ground by a thug's heel digging through his cheek.

"Hm. Not clear enough." The masked man creepily nuzzled the traumatized girl's face. Then in an act of pure provocation, he partially lifted up his mask, revealing his mouth. Gradually, he extended his elongated tongue with the clear intention of grossly licking his victim.

"TAKE THE GODDAMN MONEY!" Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs, a second before the psychotic pervert was able to molest the crying girl.

The masked man instantly backed away. "'Kay. If you say so." He casually slinged the school bag over his shoulder and turned to leave.

Erza remained vigilant from her hiding spot, objectively analyzing everything that transpired so far. Oddly enough, the masked robber was ready to call it a day. All this time, he was only interested in taking Natsu's belongings. It would've been just as easy for him to nab the other defenseless student's wallets at this point. So, why stop there?

The masked man stopped in his tracks and faced his lackies one last time. "Oh, by the way, as payment for you three. Help yourselves on that chick," he diabolically offered, and then he was gone.

Lucy's shrieks exponentially magnified in terror. Tears were perpetually streaming down her pretty face as the three thugs surrounded her. Natsu is desperately crawling his way to her rescue, and Fullbuster is screaming colorful obscenities to the scoundrels.

It was then that Erza finally decided to make her entrance. "That's far enough," she flatly warned the three ignorant thugs who were in the middle of unbuckling their belts.

"E-E-Erza…?" Lucy whimpered through her reddened face. Natsu and Fullbuster instantly froze their wriggling on the ground. Both their widened eyes locked on her.

"Who the fuck are you bitch?!" One of the thugs was audacious enough to ask her.

"Me? I'm the homeroom teacher of these brats you so thoroughly messed up," she casually replied. Rolling up the sleeves of her white button up, Erza began to audibly crack her dormant knuckles.

The thugs broke into a fit of laughter. "The fuck are you playing at, you puny bitch? You blind or something? See this decorated spread of dead bodies? You really wanna join the pile so bad?"

Erza completely ignored the group of maniacs and eyed the still conscious boys on the ground. "You two, is there something you want to say to me right now?" she bluntly asked.

"W-What...?" Natsu stuttered still in shock.

Fullbuster remained silent, scowling at her in a paradoxical mixture of hatred and expectation.

Erza scoffed at the brats' stubborn persistence despite their current predicament. "A person lacking empathy, such as I, can't possibly comprehend what you're feeling right now. I wonder if it is fear? Hopelessness? Desperation? Or perhaps you're finally starting to develop a proper sense of humility?"

"The fuck…?" Fullbuster croaked and eyed her in utter disgust while clutching his side in pain. "You want us… to fucking beg for your—"

"PLEASE!" Natsu screamed to the sky as his tears flowed freely. "Please, Erza! Save, Lucy!"

Erza smiled at the pink haired boy's heart-warming resolve. "Alright then." Taking off her glasses, she flung it away into the air. "Once more, let's even those odds."

Under the single lamp post illuminating the moonless park, the lone woman danced gracefully against her three assailants. Fiery scarlet threads fanned and fell as she smoothly dodged the flurry of fists thrown at her. Gray could only watch in dumbfounded awe as the "puny" Erza Scarlet singlehandedly incapacitated three muscled men who are significantly larger than her.

With one hand on his back collar and the other on his belt buckle, she effortlessly lifted a fallen thug and literally tossed him into the center of the lake. The heavy splash of water woke the remaining thugs out of their battered stupor, as the other swam his way to the distant horizon. She glanced at their bruised cowering forms, and the two fuckers immediately broke into a quivering sprint for their lives.

Once she finished cleaning up the park, the herculean amazon casually stretched her locked fingers and dusted off her hands. Lucy had already raced to Natsu's side and supported him into a sitting position. Bawling her eyes out, the blonde girl hugged his conscious yet catatonic state. Gray gathered the remainder of his strength and willed his aching body to move. Dragging himself to check on their long forgotten friend, he repeatedly slapped Loke's face to wake him up, but to no avail. "Shit. The fucker's not waking up," he muttered under his breath.

Looking towards their unexpected savior, Gray noticed their ever responsible instructor was in the middle of getting herself not one— but three canned beers from the park's vendo machine. He cringed in disgust. "Hey! Check your priorities, you drunkass bitch! We need to get your student to the hospital right now!"

Erza merely raised an innocent brow in response. Grabbing two of the three beers she's cradling, she threw them straight at him in rapid succession. Gray managed to catch the two cans a split second from breaking his skull. Erza then turned to Lucy and threw the last one to the blonde girl— gently this time. "Press it against those bruises. It's not as effective, but it should still do the trick," she instructed. "Hospitals would only lead to police, which would only lead to more trouble. In case you forgot, you're minors out loitering at the wee hours of the night."

Gray blinked in confusion. Apparently, frozen canned beers are this crazy woman's makeshift ice packs. Lucy immediately followed her teacher's instructions and dabbed her can against Natsu's cheek. Natsu remained silent, staring blankly into space. Erza huffed in amusement. "Besides," she continued. "Four-eyes has been awake since forever. He's been playing dead the entire time."

On cue, the lifeless lion before Gray suddenly rose from the dead. "W-Wha—What did I miss?" he stammered for shamelessly being caught so red handed.

Gray wasted no time on clobbering the coward back into the dust. "You chicken wuss! I legitimately thought you fucking died! Lucy almost got raped, and you just lay there warming your ass— waiting for shit to happen! What kind of self-conceited, irresponsible asshole are you?!"

"Oh, he's not the only one."

Gray's fist froze in midair, and he turned to face the smug redhead proudly standing with her arms crossed a meter away from him.

"I've been hiding behind those bushes— watching, since that masked pervert first showed up," she plainly stated.

"What the fuck?" Gray growled in disbelief. "How could you wait for shit to escalate this bad?!"

Erza's smirk widened and her slanted eyes narrowed knowingly. "You should be thankful I even bothered to save your sorry asses. From what I heard, fighting's all you brats are good at, so here I thought you got this all covered. Turns out though, you're not any good at it either— not even close. Dreyar was right. You really are a bunch of no-good fuck ups."

Seething in rage, Gray forced his numbing legs to carry him to where she stood. With both arms, he fisted her shirt and tugged her centimeters away from his deadly glare.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Loke hastily warned.

"I don't fucking care!" Gray vehemently spat and shook her violently. "So what, huh?! So what if we're trash!? What if that's all we'll ever be!?"

Erza's smirk gradually morphed into a smile. For the first time ever, she sincerely regarded him with no malice and no defense. "Exactly. 'So what?' That's who you are. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to move on," she gently answered. "If you're angry with how things are, why don't you do something about it? If you really don't care what those useless adults say, why are you bending to their expectations now? Don't just bitch and whine like a spoiled entitled brat, channel that anger to prove them wrong. Because unlike them— unlike you— I don't believe that's all you'll ever be."

Gray's breath hitched in his throat. His glare wavered. His grip on her shirt involuntarily loosened. The tension in his shoulders dissolved into the night air. For the first time ever, he too regarded her with no malice and raw vulnerability.

"Thank you."

All of their attentions were suddenly diverted to the pink-haired boy who just recovered his voice. "Thank you, Erza, for saving Lucy," Natsu humbly repeated in pure sincerity. And then in a shocking turn of events, the delinquent sat himself upright and lowered his head before their scarlet-haired instructor.

Lucy, who has long stopped crying, once again wiped the fresh set of tears spilling from her brown doey eyes. She too turned to face Erza and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for saving US! Not just me, but all of us!" she cried.

Lost in his muddled thoughts, Gray watched the pair before him bend their pride to this teacher they all swore to hate earlier that day. Suddenly, warmth began to enclose his cold fisted hands. On instinct, he turned to meet Erza Scarlet's determined gaze, as she completely pried off his grip from her shirt. Untangling his closed fingers, she placed a single coin at the center of his palm. Gray furrowed his brows at the dilapidated 500 yen and looks at the woman in guarded confusion. "I want in on your bet," she simply said.

The single lithe digit of her index finger proudly stood for all of them to see. "One. Year." she boldly declared. "I'll whip you all good and make sure every single student in Class F graduates within the year."

Dark blue eyes flinched and his permanent scowl threatened to fade. The weight of the flimsy coin resting on his palm is light. It's slightly dented and had long lost its sheen. Its value today is laughably cheap. However, this teacher— unlike everyone else that came before— claimed to be willing to invest her time and effort on their sorry lot for a change. One year. Gray wonders if he dared to believe— to wait and see, if this particular coin's value would miraculously appreciate within that period of time.

"Don't be tardy tomorrow."

Chapter Text

Sakura petals danced fleetingly in the air, marking the beginning of spring. Erza peered outside the bus window, as the row of trees change their crowns from pink to green. Spring heralded the official start of the school year across their country. Adorable preschool students being escorted by their doting mothers were now a common sight in her early morning commute. She smiled as a small billboard plastered with a neat grid of political posters came to pass. Among the many distinguished smiling faces, one stood out above all the rest.

Blue hair, perfect teeth, no tattoo on his handsome features, and listed under his alias name.

Spring also marked the beginning of their country's electoral campaign season as it seems.

Finally.

Finally, he's out there fighting the good fight. It was high time he made his long-anticipated public debut, and she couldn't be prouder— couldn't be happier for him.

Jellal, I've decided. Like you, I'll continue fighting my own battles too. I'm taking on these brats until the very end.

Erza confidently nodded to herself. Frankly, it wasn't as terrible as she first imagined. Since these kids are currently stuck at rock bottom, that only means they have a larger room for improvement. She preferred it this way, though. Unlike being assigned to coach a bunch of snotty honors students, her class required her to get as "hands on" as possible. She highly doubts the events of last night were going to be a one off thing starting now. These kids desperately needed her. This was a job that only she could do. It's been forever, since Erza last felt a greater sense of purpose to her life. Surely, with the Titania's strict guidance, even delinquents can become the next miracle success story of their generation.

After all, they lived in a world where their former ringleader is in the running for a seat in the national council.

"What insolence is this? Late on your second day? Scarlet, grab a chair! Immediately!"

Checking the wall clock, Erza confirmed she still had a couple of minutes before the bell rang. Everyone else simply came in earlier and is panicking so early in the morning. Huddled around a long rectangular table in the middle of the faculty office, all the staff members sat in deep contemplation. At the head of the table, Principal Makarov is vigorously admonishing an oddly quiet Laxus.

"What do you mean you don't remember?! Think, you giant oaf! When did you last had it?" the old man pressed.

Erza used the ongoing commotion to stealthily seat herself next to Freed Justine, the same man who broadcasted her entrance a minute ago. Ultear told her two things about the guy. One is he's another teacher next in line for the Head's position. The other is he is Laxus' number one suckup, clinging to his boss almost like a shadow. Apparently, Laxus runs a campus posse comprised of her fellow teachers Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow. The green haired man shot her a glare upon sensing her presence. "It's part of our duty as teachers to attend daily faculty stand-ups, Scarlet," he spat.

"At least she made it. I don't see Instructor Bickslow at all," Ultear pointed out from across the table.

"Bickslow messaged Ever that he had bank errands to run this morning. He will be here by lunch," Freed flatly answered.

"Mhm. He was responsible enough to inform us in advance, unlike somebody," Evergreen sarcastically added.

"Shake that big fat noggin of yours! What am I supposed to tell those parents? That my dimwitted grandson slipped inside a manhole and suddenly got amnesia!?"

Erza turned to the other "unaffiliated" teacher to her side. "Hey, Mira, what is happening?"

"U-Uhm… W-Well... the Head Teacher seems to have lost the school's field trip money," the white-haired woman meekly replied.

"What!?" Erza's gasp was loud enough to divert the whole table's attention to her.

"That's right, Erza. My idiot grandson managed to make 500,000 yen disappear without a single trace overnight," Makarov ranted in frustration.

"500,000 yen?!" she reiterated in shock. Her one-track mind automatically converted the currency to how many months supply of strawberry cheesecake that would be equivalent to.

Makarov groaned, "I expect you teachers to fix this among yourselves. Meanwhile, I'm gonna lock myself and brainstorm a more sensible excuse for those parents than what we currently have— which is 'my grandson happens to be part goldfish'!" The tiny man stomped towards his glass partitioned office and slammed the door behind him.

Laxus bonelessly slumped into his chair. When no one dared to speak, Erza cleared her throat. "Well, where did you last see it? Maybe we can narrow it down somewhere." Beside her, the white haired woman squirmed in apparent discomfort. Erza managed to raise her brow in suspicion, when Laxus interrupted her train of thoughts.

"At school..." the rattled man slowly answered. "I'm a hundred percent sure I had it before I left the campus— so that could only mean that a student took it while I wasn't looking," he concluded with a firm nod.

"Isn't there some kind of major leap in your logic, Laxus?" Ultear asked, while waving a hand in thin air.

"No. Not at all," the blonde man defended, gaining confidence. "In fact, I bet it's those fucktards from Class F who stole it!" he proudly presented his bare bones theory to the table. "Those rotten pieces of shit!" he added for good measure, when nobody initially responded.

"Wait!" Erza stood from her seat. "On what basis are you blaming my students?" she countered in utter confusion.

"Basis?" Laxus scoffed."How about the sixth sense I developed from my five years of dealing with those scumbags?"

"You're a genius, boss! Of course! Those damn rascals from Class F are once again out to terrorize this school!" Freed was quick to paraphrase his god's words.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Theft is a major crime in our country, you know. They've really done it now," Evergreen commented in the midst of checking her nails.

"What the hell?" Erza turned to the teacher who has yet to make her stance. "Mira, you're not buying this crap, are you?"

Refusing eye contact with everyone present, Mira bit her lip and hesitated. "I agree... It must have been them…" she softly answered.

Erza's defeated glare met Laxus' triumphant leer. His diabolical grin is akin to a crazed caricatured villain. Not wasting a second more, the burly man charged out of the office towards the direction of the classrooms.

"Are you fucking wearing makeup?" Gray cringed at the glowing porcelain skin of the campus playboy.

"What? Boys can't wear makeup?" Loke snapped in defense. "Fuck you and your obsolete double standards! This is all your fault, dude! After I went through all that trouble of keeping still! My face happens to be my greatest asset— scratch that— it's second only to my—"

"Shut your face right now, if you don't want me to bash it in again," Gray sneered.

Loke raised both hands in surrender and retreated to his seat. As it turns out, this self proclaimed king of the jungle is more similar to the cowardly one from the Land of Oz. Gray rolled his eyes and winced from once again unconsciously cradling his bruised cheek.

"Gray-sama? Juvia wants to offer this."

Upon seeing the blue ice pack being shoved in his hands, Gray cynically chuckled. Due to his constant frequency of getting roughed up, Juvia had made it a point to always carry a giant cooler of infinite ice packs before leaving her house. Perhaps, he ought to give the girl some props for this— more often than not— disturbingly blind dedication to him. He tipped his head in gratitude, and the girl happily skipped back to observing him from afar.

The soothing cold against his aching cheek brought back the bitter flavor of Erza Scarlet's canned beer; the aftertaste of which remains until now. Being in debt to her is frustrating as hell, even though it was ultimately his idiot rival who begged on his behalf. The boy and the girl seated in the front row were too quiet this morning. Aside from Loke's petty bitching, none of them spoke of the events last night. He wonders how Natsu is coping though. Lucy has always been the moron's greatest weakness. Thanks to Erza's timely intervention, his allegiance must've greatly shifted in her favor. Lucy, on the other hand, has always been too damn nice for her own good. Gray often considered it to be one of the world's greatest mysteries how Lucy got herself stuck in their class of degenerates.

"It's been fifteen minutes, guys. Has our darling Instructor broken all our past records and given up after her first day?" Cana cheekily announced, after the bell rang.

"Juvia expected no less! Scarlet was shaking in fear before the Great Gray-sama yesterday! Juvia believes she cried herself to sleep all night!"

Gray snorted at Juvia's totally distorted view of reality. If only these girls knew, what they had witnessed last night. Erza intercepting Natsu's homing strike was no fluke. The thugs she flawlessly chucked into the lake weren't able to land a single hit on her. This woman they're dealing with is far from the average nerdy homeroom teacher she poses to be. The second her glasses came off, she transformed into something out of the pages of a comic book— and to be honest, that's his most fitting theory on her thus far— an alien being from a faraway planet blending herself among them delinquents in the day.

Digging out the dilapidated coin from his pocket, Gray began to casually flip it with his thumb.

One year, huh? Well? Was that all a fucking lie or are you gonna sho—?

The classroom door is violently flung open, revealing the most unwelcome guest to set foot in Class F. Everyone's favorite Head Teacher, Laxus Dreyar, strode towards the teacher's desk in all his smug glory. Trailing behind his grand entrance, Gray's scarlet-haired alien emerged at the door. She appears to be panting, though on closer observation her rapid breathing seems rage induced. She approached her boss with extreme displeasure, yet her glasses are back on. Sadly, this implies that no otherworldly theatrics would be befalling on Dreyar anytime soon.

Grinning diabolically, Laxus pointed two accusatory fingers across the room. "There you go, Instructor. These two, if not both, are our prime suspects," he confidently announced.

Gray blinked. It seems like he is yet again at the receiving end of another random accusation from this school. There was little comfort in knowing he wasn't alone, for their other suspect sat quietly in the front row. Natsu's head remained bowed, unwilling to meet the condemning finger pointing at him. Beside him, Lucy's appalled reaction is very minimal compared to the tirade the idiot would have exploded into had he been in his usual self.

Erza stood in front of Laxus and threw her hands out in exasperation. "Again. On what basis? Do you have any other proof— aside from your highly biased sixth sense— that these two specifically stole your collection money?" she grilled.

Laxus smirked and wagged his thick caterpillar brows at her. "Certainly. See those pretty purple decorations on their dumb faces. There's your proof staring right back at you."

Across the room, Loke is tauntingly pointing to his own brain, proud of having the foresight to cover his bruises. Unable to remain neutral any longer, Gray aggressively kicked his desk and stood. "You're so full of shit, Dreyar!" he openly declared. Natsu might have no plans on defending their honor, but he sure does.

At the corner of the room, Juvia too rose in his defense. "Juvia agrees! Gray-sama would never—"

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!"

Instantly, Juvia melted back into her seat like a puddle. Laxus bulldozed his ape-sized body to the middle of the classroom, until he was staring Gray down from his towering height. "It's you. Isn't it, Fullbuster? You're acting a tad too defensive for your own good," he knowingly grinned. "Five fucking years— and finally— finally! You screwed up big time now, dickbag. How 'bout it then? Return the money you stole and drop by the 'disciplinary alley'. Who knows, I just might waive your instant expulsion, depending on how pitifully you writhe and cry in agony."

"What money?!" Gray angrily retorted. "Whatever the fuck it is this time— I didn't do it! I have literally no fucking clue on what you're talking about!"

Laxus seethed through gritted teeth and reached to grab Gray, when Erza Scarlet wedged herself in between the two taller men who continued to glare daggers at each other. With her back shielding the delinquent, she stood unflinching before her boss. "I believe him," she boldly declared. "He didn't do it. His bruises prove nothing."

"Damn straight, it does! I bet this shithead drank away the whole stash and got beaten up in some dark alley!"

"You can't drink away 500,000 yen in a single night," Erza insisted.

"Fine. Kid drank himself stupid and got mugged. That good enough for you, Instructor!?" Laxus sighed; his patience was evidently running thin. "Take it from me, Scarlet. You put yourself out protecting that rabid animal behind you, after knowing him for— what— a fucking day. If you only knew half the shit, that asshole has done to your kind. Mark my words, one day that crazed beast is gonna bite you back, when you least expect it."

Gray swallowed, and his clenched fists began to tremble. His eyes bore into the adamant scarlet crown before him; while in that room, all the eyes of his fellow delinquents were knowingly watching him. They knew, just as the Head Teacher does, that he had always been the leading mastermind on ousting their previous teachers. His classmates were snickering at her sheer stupidity for standing up for him. At that moment, everyone knew that Laxus Dreyar spoke the absolute truth, regarding Erza Scarlet's huge mistake on trusting Gray Fullbuster.

"I believe him," Erza reiterated with pure conviction. "I'll deal with tomorrow when that time comes. Today, I choose to believe him."

Her voice was enough to convey the unrelenting strength of her resolve. However, Gray wished she was facing him instead when she said those words. He wished to see those slanted eyes once again stare into the very depths of his rotten soul. He wished for her to convince him that he could believe in her as well.

"Sure. Humor me then, on what basis? You got some asspull alibi on this fucker?" Laxus asked in sarcasm.

"I do," she simply said.

Gray broke out of his trance. Was she about to divulge last night's events to her boss? How she found them getting beaten up in some abandoned park. It would make for a sound alibi to save his ass, but it would also open a whole new can of worms involving Lucy, Loke and—

Hang on.

Getting mugged was exactly what happened to them. 500,000 yen was the missing amount. Wasn't it Natsu who boasted he had some six-digit cash on-hand last night? 400,000 was the said amount, given his later concussions didn't screw with his memory. On top of the buffet that he particularly remembers to cost 20,000 yen per head, Natsu had approximately 500,000 last night. The idiot's uncharacteristic silence today couldn't be a mere coincidence.

Shit.

"I know who the real thief is," Erza flatly declared.

Shit. No way.

"—and I'll personally bring him to your office. Not here. You entrusted this class to me. These kids are my responsibility. You don't get to pass judgement on my students in my class," she finished.

Laxus broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "What an interesting teacher you are, Scarlet— defender to the filthy pile of rotten scumbags!" he sarcastically proclaimed. "Alright, I'll play along. Bring me this hypothetical thief of yours— not to my office— but to the disciplinary alley as soon as the bell rings. If you don't know where it is, ask that asshole hiding behind you. You have until the end of the day to find yourself a substitute, otherwise— he gets it." He left as grand as he entered with a victorious shit eating grin plastered on his face.

Their instructor didn't even spare Gray a glance. She was already asking everyone to settle down, so they may finally begin the last few minutes of her homeroom period. On her way to the board, it didn't slip Gray's notice that Erza managed to give Natsu's shoulder a firm squeeze. Natsu looked up to her and obediently nodded once.

SHIT.

The idiot is one step away from being sold out by the teacher he foolishly chose to trust.

"What took you so long? For a delinquent, you sure suck at skipping class."

Erza crossed her arms and glared at the distressed pink-haired boy who just entered the school building's roof deck. She specifically instructed Natsu to meet her during class hours to make sure there won't be any eavesdroppers lurking around. Natsu meekly approached her by the netted fence.

"Alright, Erza," he slowly began. "I'll tell you everything, as long as you promise not to get the other three involved."

Erza smiled at the delinquent's honorable dedication to protect his friends. As if last night's events weren't enough proof, there is so much more to these kids than the immoral terrorists the school labels them to be. "You have my word. Now, talk."

Sighing heavily, Natsu leaned his back on the fence and stared at his shoes. "For a long time, I wanted to get my revenge on that asshole for always treating us like scum. Yesterday, after school I saw him enter this old school house. I followed him into the toilets and heard him pounding into some chick inside a cubicle..." he trailed off to let that sink in.

"... Seriously?" Erza cringed. She had a good guess on the identity of this 'chick'. It all made sense now why her fellow newbie was acting extremely awkward and somewhat guilty that morning. Still though, what a hypocrite for that asshole to be calling her out on trusting people on day one, when he practically shagged someone for less. "Natsu, let's agree to keep that information to ourselves. Go on."

"He left the bag by the sink, and I took it without anyone noticing. Right after, I called the guys and told them it's my treat. We spend around 80,000 from the bag. Much later, we found ourselves at that park, and well... that guy appeared and took everything else—"

The roof deck door suddenly swung open. A blonde blur rushed past Erza and hammered onto Natsu's chest. "You! Big! Fat! Stupid! Idiot!" Lucy cried, furiously beating his chest with each word. "You knew I had the money! Why didn't you just tell me that you wanted to pig out at that restaurant? Why did you do something so recklessly stupid!?"

Natsu gently patted the girl's head. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I fucked up. My stupid plan backfired hard. I just… I wanted to give that asshole a taste of his own medicine."

Erza felt a violent tug at her forearm, and she is spun to meet Gray Fullbuster's hateful scowl. "What now? He told you the truth. Are you gonna sell him out? Or are you gonna sell me out? Quite the dilemma, huh? Which trash to throw out first," he venomously spat.

Not bothering to answer, Erza effortlessly jerked herself free from the brat's iron grip and marched straight to Natsu. Wordlessly, she pried the emotional Lucy away from the guy and delivered a single punch directly to his semi healing face. The impact of her blow sent him flying backwards, hitting the netted fence that surrounded the edge of the deck.

"You shameless coward!" she shouted at the shaken pink-haired boy. "Making fun of teachers is fine. Calling them names is fine. But stealing? Throwing that baseball at the back of a defenseless teacher's head? That's a coward's way of sneaking behind and stabbing people in the back!"

Natsu grunted in pain and grabbed the fence to support himself up. "It's the only way, Erza!" he retorted in defense. "It's the only way for us to be strong— to fight back in this shitty school! Dreyar sits on his goddamn throne, flicking us out with his fatass fingers! He rounds us up in an alley and beats the living shit out of us! We're not like you, okay!? Like some— fucking superhero— with your insane superhuman strength!"

Erza sighed to compose herself. Casually raising her clenched fist, she shook it for all of them to see. "If I threw that ball back at you with all my might— If I beat those thugs to death last night— If I used this so called 'strength' to bully back my bullies, what would that make me?" Lowering her fist, she solemnly eyed the pink haired boy. "That's not strength; that's an abuse of power. It's the same way Laxus wields his power to crush you. Gaining the upper hand and showing restraint, that's the greater power in the form of mercy."

Natsu's squinty eyes widened and darts away in shame. Lucy once again approached him. The girl brought out her handkerchief to wipe away at the slight blood dripping from the boy's nose.

"I'm not selling you out," Erza flatly said. "It's true. You fucked up big time, and it would be easy for me to throw you under the bus. But as your teacher, I'll cover for you—" Turning to the other delinquent she still owed an answer to, Erza met Gray's reluctant frown. "—and you. I'll take full accountability and show you mercy. I'm not selling anyone out like a spineless coward," she finished.

Gray steps in front of her, dark brows furrowed in utter dismay. "If Dreyar couldn't get to us, he'd fire you. How the fuck do you plan to get away with this?"

"I'll bring him the real thief as I promised," she replied without missing a beat.

Lucy blinks at her in doubt. "The real? You don't mean... The guy from last night?"

Gray seems to have regained his confidence and was back to tugging her forearm. He leans in to study her face up close. "Are you fucking high right now?" he asked in seemingly legitimate concern.

Natsu released his hold on the fence and rushed to her side. "Erza, it's impossible! Even if you stake out at the park, how the fuck are you gonna drag that asshole all the way here? Before the day ends?!"

Erza knowingly smirked at the group of bewildered children surrounding her. "Never— underestimate the strength of my will, because I am a superhero," she dramatically declared.

Gray rolled his eyes in derision. "You are high," he sneered and turned to Natsu. "Yo squinty, we might as well turn ourselves in. This woman's nuts."

"Shut up, sidekick," Erza bit back, earning her a trademark scowl from the aforementioned sidekick. "Gather around, kids. Since you're all here, we're conducting a special class right now." Bundling her skirt behind her knees, she sat herself on the cement and patted the ground expectantly.

The three students threw each other a couple of weirded out looks, though they eventually relented, sitting themselves before her. Once Lucy found the perfect position to work around her shorter than ideal skirt, Erza began, "There's a major clue on the identity of our masked culprit based on last night's events. When he first appeared what did he say?"

"Eh…? I dunno. Something like cough up the cash...?" Natsu absentmindedly mused while rocking himself cross legged.

"Ah! I remember now!" Lucy cut in. "The creep greeted us with 'Fairy guys and gals'. He knew we were students from Fairy Academy!" she beamed in epiphany.

"Well duh, Luce. We just came from school. Our uniforms are a dead giveaway," Natsu pointed out.

"No— No. She's right, moron," Gray countered. "We weren't in our uniforms. Loke made us all dress up for that fancy place, but the asshole still recognized us."

For a class of failing students, this group was able to piece up that information very quickly. Erza proudly nodded at the three. "Here's one more thing. The guy knew which of you had the cash. He went through all the trouble of hiring thugs just to rob Natsu specifically."

"Woah, the fuck are you saying, Erza?" Natsu exclaimed.

Lucy furrowed her brows in apprehension and decided to lower her voice. "Does that mean Natsu is being framed by someone from this school? Like someone's just waiting for us to slip up?"

"Dreyar," Gray instantly said. "Asshole must've left that bag on purpose, and this dumb fuck was stupid enough to bite into it," he voiced through gritted teeth, all the while glaring daggers at Natsu.

Erza hummed and slowly shook her head no. "It's possible, but I doubt it's him. He seems too shaken up by the missing money to be simply hiding it somewhere safe."

"E-Erm…" Lucy squirmed in her spot. "Actually I do remember something… weird… about the guy..."

"Huh? What is it, Luce?" Natsu asked in concern.

"W-Well, remember when he—" Abruptly covering her mouth, the blonde girl stifled a violent gag. "His-tongue-is-blue," she quickly said in her muffled voice.

Blue. Tongue.

In a flash, the manic face of her obnoxious airhead chewing seatmate fitted perfectly against the equally psychotic masked man's torso. Erza jerked in recognition and immediately winced in disgust. "Right… I'll take it from here. You two, feel free to go home when the bell rings."

Bickslow.

The deranged face-licking pervert is none other than one of the esteemed instructors of their academy. Gray had personally seen to the resignation of a number of dimwitted, yet admittedly innocent teachers in the past, but this conniving asshole somehow managed to slip past everyone's radar. In all the years he spent cursing useless adults, that guy definitely took the cake. They are the biggest disgrace to their own kind. Hiring men to physically and sexually harass their own defenseless students? Since when did the teaching profession decline to this?

Once upon a time, things were different.

Once upon a time, more than anyone else, he looked up to them.

Once upon they— were— superheroes.

One in particular was his very own childhood hero.

Bickslow is a caricature villain through and through. He belongs behind a neat row of bars. Now that they have gathered a considerable amount of dirt on him, it was all up to their scarlet-haired defender of justice to blast him into outer space.

The three students found themselves backtracking their steps to the lakeside of Inokashira park— the exact same spot of last night's crime scene. Natsu and Lucy had already found a comfortable seat by the stone benches. Gray remained stoic, watching the sunset paint the lake's ripples, in the midst of puffing his third row of smoke. It's been an hour since dismissal; an hour since they were given their pardon. Their teacher specifically instructed them to head home and to leave the rest to her. In delinquent speak, that translated to: "corner her on her way home to see if she truly kept her word".

"Hey Lucy? With that 80k you gave her, Erza should be able to clear our names right?" Natsu reluctantly asked.

Lucy twiddled the tips of her shoes and bit her lip. "I hope so… I hope the Head Teacher will let it go, once he learns of Bickslow's involvement."

"Yeah… I just wish that Erza will be able to get off without a hitch as well… Challenging that bastard head on. Heh. That dorky weirdo sure has balls," Natsu weakly chuckled in amusement.

"Mmm... For a teacher to go that far, it's quite unheard of, especially for students like us…" she softly replied, then turned to face their silent friend. "Gray, a while ago she said she believed you. She stood up against her boss in front of our entire class and said she believed you. Will you… Will you spare her— this time?"

Natsu's head instantly jerked to the guy by the lake. "Oi stripper, you better not target her anymore after this. Erza's different from all those other losers. She's on our side. For once— our teacher is actually fighting on— our— side!" he exclaimed, as though he couldn't fathom his own words.

Gray released the smoke from his lungs, yet chose to withhold his answer. It was too early to be counting chickens. His pragmatism told him that her earlier declaration held little meaning; a person who hardly knew him, claiming to have blind faith in him. She's either a generally gullible person or another case of Juvia— of those one is definitely more than enough.

Besides, his believers tend to not fare well in life. Unless Erza Scarlet indeed proved to be the invincible superhero she claimed to be, he refused to voice his answer just yet.

Eight crispy sheets flew and fell on the bare alley ground between the scarlet-haired instructor and her boss's posse. Minus their sole female member, it appears the whole gang had accompanied their leader to conduct his much anticipated "correction program". Freed was quick to collect the scattered bills and examined them against the waning sun. "Boss, this is not even a fifth of the missing amount," he announced in panic.

The burly man clicked his tongue and seethed at the silent woman. "Did you bail those rotten scumbags out of school!? You've got some fucking nerve to be wasting my time like this, Scarlet."

Erza crossed her arms and knowingly smirked at her boss. "Why's that? Am I keeping you from any prior 'after school engagements', Sir?"

Laxus's whole countenance paled before shifting to a darker shade of red. "Fuck it. Your leniency period has officially expired. Fullbuster is dead. Instant expulsion it is."

Erza approached the group and widened her stance. "That 80k accounts for your missing money. The rest of it should already be safely deposited in the bank. Right, Instructor Bickslow?"

Laxus and Freed both turned their attention to the uncharacteristically quiet man by their side. Bickslow's once apathetic countenance contorted to a manic grin. "Eh? What are you implying, bitch?"

"I wonder what's so urgent this morning that made you skip our ever important faculty meeting," Erza sarcastically quipped. "You see, the banks were already closed last night when this psycho mugged my students and threatened to have them raped," she emphasized.

"The fuck?" Laxus eyed his minion incredulously.

"B-Bickslow, what is this woman saying?!" Freed stammered.

"Oh? Ya got any proof on me, babe?" Bickslow leered at the furious redhead.

"You had the fucking gall to lick my student in the face with no decency to brush your disgusting mouth beforehand!" Erza snarled.

Bickslow chuckled and his laughter soon broke into a complete hysterical guffaw. "Woopsies! Though in my defense, I was only looking to get your money back, boss. Her kids did take it when you weren't looking."

"And you took it while I was." Erza countered. "That 80k was all those idiots took. I'm returning it to you nicely. Instructor Bickslow wasn't present when I conducted my own correction program last night, but I believe his men's busted faces would be more than enough to send the message."

Laxus, who has since been regarding his subordinate in raw disgust, slowly composed himself and faced the woman before him. "What message is that exactly?" he solemnly asked.

"Don't fuck with my students ever again." she growled.

"How dare you threaten our boss— your boss!" Freed exclaimed. "This will reflect on your assessment you understand? One word from Laxus and you are fired!"

Erza nonchalantly shrugged. "Come at me all you want, but leave those kids alone. They are no longer for you to 'correct'. That's my job now. This school hired me for that reason or am I wrong?" she challenged.

"Hehehehe! I like this chick. Whatever she's got planned for those kids are gonna be hella worse than what we can imagine," Bickslow added.

Laxus glared menacingly at the man beside him. "You— do not get a say in this," he began. "If it weren't for your involvement, I could've easily purged one or more delinquents off the list. Thanks to your— stellar— initiative, this bitch now has dirt on you that I have to cover!"

"Indeed. What in the world possessed you to use such unscrupulous tactics, Bickslow?!" Freed chided. "Were you that desperate to get on the boss's good side?!"

Erza hummed in agreement. Thankfully, for a couple of douches, Laxus and Freed are still objective enough to see the unforgivable acts that their colleague had committed. "How about it, boss? You protect your lot, and I protect mine. You do realize the consequence of this is far beyond employee termination, right? I'll be more than happy to make sure that pervert rots in jail," she boldly dared.

Gritting his teeth, Laxus forcefully tugged the now manhandled bills out of Freed's grasp. "Fine. I accept your money."

"Stay out of my class," she reiterated her terms once more.

Laxus chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Oh no. It's only begun, Scarlet. From now on, one little fuck up is all it's gonna take. Same goes for their lovely instructor, of course. Sucks for you, bitch. In the end, you chose to play for the wrong side."

Erza resisted the terrible urge to groan, when the familiar shadows of her three sidekicks came into sight. Her footsteps alerted the sleepy couple by the benches. Both perked up and rushed to greet her, while their other friend merely threw her an empty glance and resumed watching the illuminated spring foliage across the lake.

"Oi Erza! Tell us what happened! Did you show that asshole who's boss? Where did you bury the bodies?" Natsu giddily asked.

Erza blinked at the boy in disbelief. "Hey… Weren't you listening to anything I said earlier…"

Lucy automatically slapped Natsu at the back of his head. "He's kidding! At least I think so…" she mumbled in slight doubt. Turning to their teacher the blonde girl fidgeted on her toes. "Uhm… so what did happen? You didn't get into trouble because of us, didn't you?"

Erza smiled at the pair. "Everything's fine. We sorted it out. No one's getting expelled or fired for that matter." Lucy clapped her hands in relief and Natsu fist pumped in the air.

"Not even Bickslow, huh?" Gray grumbled from his spot. Tossing his cigarette on the ground, he thoroughly crushed it under his sole. "I thought you're on our side. I thought you're a fucking superhero. Why'd you let the bad guy go?"

"I am on your side. You're my priority not fixing the school's education system. I'd let a few bad guys slip, if that meant saving your ass," she countered.

Still refusing to meet her gaze, he chuckled solemnly to himself. "Shame, you almost had me buying into the hype. For a second there, I thought you'd be different."

"You're free to think what you want. I did what I thought was right for you," she insisted.

Finally facing the trio, the hateful scowl he wore was far more vicious than the usual one. It reeked of unadulterated rage and bitter disappointment. "Whatever, bitch. I'm outta here," he spat and strode off into the distance.

"Wha— What was that? Hey! Gray! Come back here!" Lucy called after their friend and was about to give chase, when Natsu stopped her.

"Let him go, Luce," the pink-haired boy said reassuringly. "Perv just needs to take a chill pill. He'll come around as always."

Erza crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the angry boy's retreating form. The telling words of Laxus Dreyar's earlier warning in class echoed in her thoughts. Before she could process the dire implications of her new situation, a frozen canned beer was suddenly obstructing her line of sight. "A peace offering!" Natsu proudly beamed and shoved the can in her hands.

Beside him Lucy groaned in annoyance. "Sorry, Erza, I told this idiot we'd get you something else more... useful… maybe…"

Erza chuckled at the bickering pair. "This is fine. I accept your peace offering, Natsu." She lifts the lid and takes a swig. Approaching the benches, she sat herself and watched the glowing reflection of the lake. Natsu and Lucy were quick to join her sitting themselves at her opposite sides.

"Say, Erza…. Will you teach me?" Natsu shyly asked. "Teach me how to be strong like you."

Erza smiled and nodded at boy. "To be strong the first thing you need is something to protect."

"Hmm… that's tough," he absentmindedly scratched his head. "Maybe my cat, Happy? I face each day with a fighting spirit just to make sure that ingrate gets his fish!"

To her other side, the blond girl visibly face palmed in exasperation. Erza chuckled at how dense Natsu can be, especially after the events of last night. "Well, now you have two things to protect," she corrected. "You have to step it up, since more people are counting on you."

"The same way you're fighting for our whole class against that egocentric asshole?" Natsu asked.

Erza pondered the boy's choice of words and shook her head in disagreement. "Actually, if anything, Laxus isn't egocentric at all; he's simply an asshole, when it comes to using his influence to protect those under him. He stood out for me, when I was new. He was looking after someone else's hide, when he decided to randomly blame you guys for the theft. He chose to let go of his petty attempts on expelling you, so that Bickslow can keep his job. He's stepping on others outside of his charge, but the guy is also fighting for things beyond himself."

"But… is it even possible to protect something without stepping on others?" Lucy softly mused.

"It is. You just have to be stronger," she confidently answered.

Natsu leaned forward and peered at the other girl. "Isn't that great, Lucy? Erza's fighting to protect us from now on."

"Not just you," Erza hummed and rose to her feet, completely ignoring the pair's many questions on who else she could possibly be referring to. Approaching the edge of the lake, she stared into the distance and observed the city's vibrant skyline. Sadly, as expected, it wasn't visible from this part of town.

In a distant time, when they were six instead of one— when they were innocent and scrawny— when Wally was more angular than blocky, a handsome boy with a facial tattoo in the shade of blood pointed to the sky. Along the murky waters of their small riverbank stood a tall skyscraper. It's visage similar to a Gothic cathedral. The boy coined it as his Tower of Heaven, a bridge towards his ideal paradise. A means of allowing the heavens to exist in this rotten earth, so that none may suffer like them ever again.

Erza smiled and faced the confused pair, "Say guys, what do superheroes fight to protect?"

Chapter Text

Better judgment convinced Erza not to incur the wrath of her asshole boss again so soon— not if she planned to finish the school year. Cautiously she creaked open the faculty office door to peek inside and survey the surroundings. Oddly, barely a soul was present fifteen minutes before the bell rang. Ultear is leisurely shifting through a large stack of documents on her desk. Evergreen is by her cubicle busy perming bronze tips with an iron curler. Principal Makarov sat behind his large pine oak desk, snoozing as his guttural snore droned through the glass walls of his office. Laxus and the rest of his posse were nowhere in sight.

"What in damnation's name are you doing, Scarlet?" Caught red handed, Erza jolted in surprise and is met by her boss's number one suck-up.

"G-Good morning, Instructor Justine."

"Hmph." Freed pushed open the faculty door and she entered right behind him. "If you're out sniffing for the boss, I'm afraid you're an hour too early."

From her spot, Ultear smiled to acknowledge the redhead's presence and Erza nodded in return. "Huh? I thought we have those daily standups before class," she asked the green-haired man.

"Why yes we do," Freed sarcastically quipped. "Unfortunately, the boss has been taking drastic measures on avoiding the inexplicable nightmare that befalls this school every morning."

"That reminds me, Freed, doesn't this catastrophe directly fall under Instructor Scarlet's jurisdiction?" Evergreen cooed from her seat, while twirling a lock of hair in front of her vanity.

Totally lost on what's happening, Erza furrowed her brows at the pair. "Nightmare? Catastrophe?"

"Here we go again," Ultear called out from her seat and pointed at the wall clock five minutes before the bell rang. Looking directly at Erza, the ebony-haired secretary looked like she was suppressing the urge to laugh. "I suggest you pick a spot by the window to witness what our colleagues are referring to."

On cue a feminine chorus of shrieks and squeals erupted, the vibration of which could only be described as glass-shattering. Erza squinted through the solar flare to see if the world outside is indeed coming to an end. Teenage girls, from various levels and classes, were pouring out like a battalion of ants from every nook and cranny of the school building. Catastrophe was the accurate word to describe it.

Erza's one eye involuntarily twitches. "Erm, I disagree. I highly doubt this falls within my jurisdiction... or my capabilities..."

Ultear appeared next to her by the window. "They want you to fix the root of the problem." The secretary then pointed to the epicenter of the pheromone infested swarm.

A shiny candy blue motorbike stood in the middle. Its bright sheen reflected against the sun like a surge of electric plasma. Perched on the vehicle is the object of the ladies' overt affections. He took off his cycling goggles and combed a hand through his spiky raven hair. Maneuvering himself off the bike, he marched to the entrance of the school like a king ready to be greeted by the plebs.

Erza turned to Ultear in sincere bewilderment. "Fullbuster, really? Guy doesn't even have the common sense to wear a freaking helmet on that thing."

Ultear wagged her brows in agreement. "Mhm. Word is, that's the latest model in the premium line of Kawasaki motors. Apparently, it costs 700,000 yen in the market today."

Erza rolled her eyes in disgust. "Unbelievable. Are all the kids in this school rich and spoiled?"

"Spoiled— yes. Definitely, spoiled."

Gray yawned and extended both arms skywards. Arching his back, he stretched his elbows behind his head. The commotion around him suddenly intensified tenfold. He panicked and immediately checked himself. As he figured, his unbuckled pants are on the verge of dropping way below his waistline. His innocent morning exercise has ridden up his untucked shirt giving his thirsty audience quite the frontal view of his lower abs. He mentally cursed his annoying stripping habit and hastily fixed his uniform.

"Yo partner!" The sea of rabid fangirls instantly parted revealing a highly amused Loke. His pal confidently strutted to greet him, shamelessly basking in the eyeballing of his fans. "I tell ya, man, one day your strip show's gonna be the cause of a school wide heart-attack." Loke then tipped his head to the blue-haired girl, who's— for the lack of a better word— obsessed with him. She appears to be vigorously breathing in and out of a brown paper bag as a means of preventing herself from fainting.

Gray broke eye contact at once, cringing to himself. "Piss off. You know it's unintentional."

"Right. I'm sure all this attention is nothing but a major pain on your ass—"

"It absolutely is," the raven haired boy countered without missing a beat and pushed his way out of the crowd towards the building entrance.

"GRAY-SAMA!"

Juvia's sugarcoated high-pitched voice caused a chill to run down his entire spine. He clicked his tongue in disdain. He wonders if he should just keep walking and feign deaf— never mind that her outbursts were always loud enough to reach the other side of the world. Before he could formulate an escape plan, the girl has already latched onto his arm like a lovesick remora.

"Hi Juvia…." he replied through gritted teeth.

"Gray-sama! Juvia has something to show you!" The girl managed to drag his dead, reluctant weight using her so-called power of love all the way in front of the school bulletin boards. "Juvia thinks Gray-sama will be proud of her work!" Plastered all over the board were multiple posters of Laxus' scarred angry face photoshopped on a hairy golden gorilla's body. Despite himself, Gray choked and burst into a fit of laughter. "Gray-sama's enemies are Juvia's enemies too!"

"Okay, you got me. This is pretty hilarious," he snickered.

Juvia giddily squealed like a child and once again dragged him to the adjacent bulletin. "Juvia thinks Gray-sama will appreciate this one more!" This time she proudly presented him with a wide array of a certain redhead's smug face pasted over a bikini model's torso. Loke, who by then had caught up with him, stood behind laughing his ass off at the spectacle.

Gray's eyes narrowed into slits. He remained silent. His full attention zeroing in completely at that pixelated face staring back at him. Turning to Juvia, he snarled, "It's fucking ugly."

The girl flinched and instinctively backed away. With his arms finally freed, He wasted no time tearing down all the posters at that specific board in rabid rage as the crowd around him could only watch in silence. Once he's done littering the ground with a tall pile of trash, he turned to face his audience and crossed his arms in a show of dominance. "Let's make this clear, Erza Scarlet's my prey. Nobody touches her, but me. If any of you bitches are dumb enough to do something like this again, I'll personally destroy you myself."

Juvia whimpered at his venomous words and camouflaged herself back into the crowd. Loke idly clapped his hands in the corner. "Ohh so it's personal now, is it? How many does this make it now? I'm starting to lose count with your impeccable track record."

A low echo of hummed awe followed as Gray turned to leave. Everyone now dreaded for their darling instructor's well being— as they should. Gray Fullbuster declaring to take matters into his own hands meant she's guaranteed to be gone overnight.

Erza fucking Scarlet. She hasn't left the forefront of his murderous thoughts, ever since she gave that creep Bickslow a free pass. His burning hatred for her is exponentially more than all five of their past teachers combined. She is different alright— different in a way that she is able to get under his skin like no other. She almost fooled him into trusting her too. Luckily for him and unfortunately for her, he had always been guarded by default.

Juvia is so fucking stupid to even think that her shitty photoshop skills are enough to drive that woman out. If there's anything he learned about Erza Scarlet, it's that she should never be underestimated. No amount of physical bullying would bring her to her knees. She is strong— but more dangerously— she is smart. He's admittedly impressed that she was able to play that bastard Laxus out of his own game. All the better, for him. He's grown so bored by all the dimwitted teachers their school only ever hired. A challenge like her is a welcome change. Never before has Gray been this eager to test his personally designed psychological trap on someone.

Their stubborn scarlet-haired instructor could very well be enacting a sermon to a room full of ghosts. She proved successful in unifying their class on one thing— the unanimous goal of ignoring her. His likely intoxicated backmate is in the middle of another fortune-reading session with her clique. Loke is unabashedly flirting with his latest squeeze at the other end of the line— never mind that electronic gadgets were top of the school's confiscation list. His infatuated groupie remains yet undeterred by his earlier explosion and is probably back to doodling her surname hyphenated with his, encircled by a sickening abundance of hearts. Gray cradled his chin in sheer boredom and resumed counting down the seconds before his real day began.

"Alright, if none of you have any questions— at all— which I doubt… No more homework for today, since last time everyone just copied off Ms. Heartfilia's anyway," the redhead groaned in frustration. "Let's make each other's lives easier, and just read in advance, okay? You're all—" The bell rang and almost everyone has literally disappeared in seconds. "—dismissed…" She sighed once and started shoving her books a little too forcefully into her bag.

The pea-brained idiot wasted no time on cornering the teacher's desk and giving her a strong slap on the back, earning him a glare in return. "Woohoo, no homework! You're the best, Erza!"

"Natsu, call her 'Instructor Scarlet' in class!" Lucy hissed next to them. "Erm... Instructor? Would you happen to be free tonight? Natsu and I were planning on trying this new sushi place in Ginza and uhm— Would you like to join us?" the blonde girl stammered, blushing lightly.

Erza furrowed her brows at the pair. "Ginza? Isn't that part of town a little too overpriced?"

"It's Lucy's treat!" Natsu excitedly announced. "Don't sweat it, Erza. Lucy's super loaded, and she splurges on the most useless things. Like this one time, she spent six digits on frilly underwe—."

"Too much information!" Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs.

Gray rolled his eyes and stood to leave. Natsu is a simpleton, and Lucy is simply too nice. He, though, won't be easily swayed by flamboyant speeches and herculean strength. No, he wasn't that shallow.

"Uhm, Gray? Would you like to join us too? It's my treat…" Lucy courteously offered while fidgeting on the spot. The blonde girl hesitantly barred his exit, as she had been doing for the past week, ever since he walked out on them at the park. He felt sorry for her, to be honest. She always made it a point to play referee among the boys. Unfortunately this time, his grudge wasn't directed at the usual dumbass.

"Sorry, not interested."

Lucy's shoulders slumped in defeat. On cue, a slur of jabs and insults were thrown at her face by the atrocious female students still present. They were quick to call her colorful names and mocked her for desperately failing to take the hint. Gray, who's grown utterly sick of this bullshit, turned to open his mouth and defend his friend's honor, but her idiot best friend was faster. "Stripper's a killjoy. Forget him, Luce. 'Sides, we got Erza and she's way cooler than that loser," the moron proudly boasted.

Erza. Erza. Erza. It's always fucking Erza now.

Perhaps the idiot wasn't as dumb as he poses to be. If anything, he damn well knew which particular button to mash at this given moment. Gray drew his most villainous grin and faced his rival. "Yeah? Well, you're a fucking pig, peabrain, always shamelessly leeching off your bitch's coffers." He felt like a total dick for referring to poor, innocent Lucy with such a derogatory term— nonetheless, he had nerves to pluck. Two can play the game.

Natsu literally hurdle jumped over the teacher's desk and was onto him. Although, Gray who's been anticipating this exact scenario to play out was two steps ahead this time. He managed to throw the first punch, sending the loudmouthed idiot crashing into the tumbled chairs. Lucy instantly rushed to her knight-in-shining-armor's side. She threw Gray a look that was the meanest he'd ever seen her give anyone to-date.

Gray instantly averted his eyes from the pair. Oddly, his clenched fist throbbed in pain from that one blow. He was ready to make his retreat and call it a day, when he is suddenly faced with her. In a hilarious twist of irony, Erza Scarlet now bore her infamous glare upon him. Her back completely shielding someone else from his harm. "Apologize," she half-ordered and half-threatened him.

"Or what?" Gray challenged, smirking deviously at her. "You gonna punch me back? Maybe expel my delinquent ass on the spot?" He fisted the front of her loose button up shirt and pulled her up close centimeters away from his diabolical sneer. The intensity of her glare persevered through his own reflection from the lenses of her framed glasses and into the very depths of his rotten soul. She remained silent and stationary much to his chagrin. "No? I didn't think so. Bitch like you? You're so fucking self righteous, letting scum like me off the hook— all the goddamn time," he violently shoved her backwards and finally leaves.

Dusk fell into the horizon of the faculty window, when Erza finally finished the paperwork that Laxus assigned to her— last minute, of course. The office was empty at this hour; her colleagues have all gone home ages ago. She supposed, unlike her, they had other lives to live outside of their jobs. If not here, she would've found herself drowning in another pint at Wally's watering hole anyway.

The phone on her desk buzzed. It was a message from Lucy, informing her that they managed to get a reservation for three in the aforementioned sushi place. Erza smiled to herself and relented, letting them know she was on the way. It was sweet of them to offer, but she definitely had every intention of paying for herself and maybe treating the kids as well depending on the bill. She was in the middle of contemplating whether how much Natsu could possibly fit in that stomach of his, when the faculty door creaked open.

Gray Fullbuster, the same brat who boldly went against her hours ago, entered the room and approached her cubicle. Erza automatically stood to greet him in alarm. "Why are you still here? Do you know what time it is?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he monotonously replied. "Relax, I came here to apologize like you asked."

Erza crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, you're talking to the wrong person. It's Natsu and Lucy who needs to hear your apology. Not me."

Gray nodded as though in silent introspection. "Still, I do owe you one too, don't I?"

"I don't really care," she shrugged and began collecting her things. "If that's all, go home. I'm leaving too." She walked past him, but he immediately grabbed her by the arm, spinning her to face him. "I stayed and waited hours for you, Instructor. Don't I at least deserve a minute of your time?" he pleaded.

Erza furrowed her brows at the boy's sudden change of heart. "Okay...? How can I help you?"

His grin was a little too wide for her comfort, almost like the Cheshire cat's. "There's something I want to show you. Why don't you leave your stuff behind? I promise it won't take very long."

"So Laxus moved his disciplinary camp in here?" Erza squinted inside the pitch black room.

Gray had led her to the library building's back door and into what's seemingly a segregated storage room of antique books. Inside, she could make out the narrow aisles and tall shelves blanketed in thick layers of cobwebs. The shattered windows were all barred with planks and the fluorescent had long expired for what seemed to be years.

"I saw them throw him in the back. They must've knocked him out cold from their beating. Why don't you check if he's still in there?"

Erza bit the inside of her cheek and stepped into the room. It would be highly irresponsible of her not to, in case there was indeed a student trapped in school and left to rot overnight. She made her way into the back. A few seconds passed as her eyes accustomed themselves in the dark, revealing— nothing. The room was completely empty save for her. A loud bang and the click of a lock were heard from behind. Suddenly, darkness was all there was.

"You're pretty gullible, aren't you, Instructor?" the muffled goad of her captor came from the other side of the door. "Did you seriously buy my fake ass apology? I wasn't exactly planning on using this on you just yet. Too bad you really ticked me off earlier."

Erza scoffed at herself. Figures. Brats like these don't change their hearts in a blink of an eye. Just as her boss had accurately foretold, she was now at the receiving end of the beast's fangs.

"Well then, why don't you make yourself comfortable for now? I'll be back to check on you in an hour, give or take— your grace period, out of the abundant kindness of my heart," he sarcastically sang. "You better be ready to resign by then, otherwise it's gonna be a long, cold night for you."

Erza obediently did as she was told. She gathered her skirt behind her knees and found a place to sit on the dust-covered wooden floor. They were quick to call her gullible, but she knew better now. Her hero had faith in her, when he had no reason to. He showed her how it felt to be at the receiving end of such warmth. She, in turn, chose to espouse his teachings on a universal scale— upon every single soul she met, so that none may ever suffer as she once did. She won't be easily deterred by one angry man child's petty tantrums. The light inside of her will be more than enough to illuminate this darkness— and his.

Chocolate dilated pupils scanned through the surroundings like a nocturnal being's in search for the tiniest sliver of hope. Randomly reaching out to her side, Erza ran her open palm against a neat lineup of dilapidated books. Her smooth movement is suddenly obstructed by a single book spine wedging out of place among the rest. Pure intuition compelled her to pick it out.

For the hundredth time, the annoyed Lucy swatted Natsu's wandering hands away from the sushi plates she specifically reserved for their instructor. Erza's last text came in thirty minutes ago, since then their teacher has gone completely radio silent on them. Natsu convinced her that it was probably just rush hour by now. She, though, could no longer ignore the vibrant red flags she'd been sensing from earlier that afternoon.

"Hey Natsu, don't you think Gray has been acting really weird lately?"

"Eh? Has he? He's a pervert at best and an exhibitionist at worst; asshole's always had a few screws loose."

"Sure, but a while ago…."

"You're ruining my appetite, Luce," Natsu grumbled. "Trust me the next time I see him, I'm gonna sock it in him— hard. Bastard can call me stupid all he wants, but calling you that is extremely below the belt."

Lucy sweetly smiled at her admittedly overprotective best friend and slid one of her half-eaten plates to him as a sign of her gratitude. "Listen, I can't help but notice he's become exceedingly worse ever since that day."

Natsu wasted no second thoughts on devouring Lucy's kind offering. "It's normal. The douche's hatred for all teachers is unparalleled— not to mention— borderline mental," he mumbled while unmannerly chewing a fat slice of sashimi. "Chill, Luce. Erza would've single handedly snapped that pervert's neck off, before he could even lay a finger on her."

"I'm not so sure... Erza's gone easy on him a while ago too. She doesn't see him as an enemy at all; not the same way he sees her. What if... you know… What if, he also put her in the room?"

Natsu's jaw went still, the caveman-like munching came to a complete halt. His naturally squinty eyes bore down into Lucy's widely distraught globes. "Shit. It's bloody freezing outside to be using 'Iced Shell' right now!"

Gray hiked his leg over the motorbike and strapped in his cycling goggles. He hated having to wear a helmet, because it hampers the chilling thrill of letting the night breeze pierces through his skull. He set his watch timer to an hour and frowned, incrementing another half hour for good measure. It wouldn't be wise for him to start underestimating her now. Mashing the buttons once more, he set the timer to a solid two hours— double of what he's ever done in the past. Smiling triumphantly, he rode out to greet the evening.

Once upon a time, he was stupid enough to voice his condition to his good friend, Loke; needless to say he immediately regretted it. The dumb fuck just laughed at his face and told him the greatest moments in this world takes place at night. His friend dragged him to club after boisterous club, pointing out which types of women would be more than happy to aid him in his ailment. "Allow her to screw your brains out until you pass out," the lion told him.

He, though, knew better than to give in to fleeting euphoria. Loke's solution was a temporary distraction, whereas he longed to find a permanent cure. He wanted to achieve serenity— a constant peace of mind, yet chaotic dance music and moaning perfumed women are the exact opposite of that. Still, his friend insisted that it was a better alternative to the four suffocating walls of his solo apartment. Ghostly shadows of limbs meshing together into a homogeneous blur was better than being met with the unhealthy pastime of staring at his caving ceiling in total darkness.

He had nothing to say to that, so instead he bought himself a bike.

This is the main reason behind his shamelessly self indulgent purchase. The school's wild reception of his baby pales in comparison to the relishing high he achieves by running his nightly course. Unrelenting stamina has helped him memorize which highways and overpasses are frequently empty by the hour of the dead. He'd ride himself to the point of exhaustion or until the city lights diminished one by one— whichever comes first. Nevertheless, his extravagant means of escape proved ill effective unless he completely knocked himself out with fatigue by the time he hit the cushions.

His nightly sightings often made him wonder if he's the only one suffering from such a curse. Loke and his fellow party animals celebrate the night away dreading the mornings after. He, on the other hand, wishes for the darkness to pass him by. He drowns the eerie silence with the loud roar of his engine, lest his mind volunteers itself by unearthing all his repressed memories. All those things he wished he could've re-winded and done differently. He wonders who the curse that looms over him would swallow next. He wonders when it would end— when it will finally be his turn.

It was the exact same thoughts that led him to develop the psychological trap, notoriously known as 'Iced Shell' among the delinquents. Surely, even teachers no matter how lame and overbearing weren't prone to being driven insane by the darkness. It worked like a charm with the past three teachers whom he had single handedly coerced into handing in their resignation. Lock them up overnight, and it breaks their psyche faster than any other form of bullying could do. Not even physical violence could compare to the fragility of the human mind when forced to confront their own demons— he should know.

Gray rounds his to bike by the curb. He checks the timer, noticing there is still thirty minutes left on the clock. He figures that the spell should've taken effect by now. Another thirty minutes would've made little to no difference. Besides, he's far more excited to see how this one particularly grovels at his feet.

The wooden door swung open with a loud thud. Particles of dust fluttered through the dark moonlit room. By the tiny crack in the barred window sill, on the floor she sat. Legs curled to support her elbows and back leaning on the wall. She appears to be deeply engrossed reading one of the books found within the vicinity. Erza yawned and stretched, upon sensing his looming shadow approaching. "You're late. I've gone through this book ten times since you left," she drawled. Rising to her feet, she patted her skirt using the same book to remove the thick dust.

"Ready to call it quits?" Gray crossed his arms and glared at the redhead's soiled appearance. In spite of her filthy outward look, she's far too composed for his personal liking. Her predecessors would've been kissing his shoes and swearing off their profession by now. "I sure hope you've learned your lesson in the past two hours. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to greet the day as a frozen corpse."

Erza nonchalantly flips her long scarlet hair, fanning it behind her in a swirl of powdered dust. "I've learned three things to be exact— all regarding you. By the way, I'd have to thank you for bringing me into this goldmine of yours."

He snorts in absolute dismay. "Goldmine? Well, someone's snapped."

"First," she smugly cut in. "You're quite the cheapskate, aren't you? All that money you shell on your expensive ride, but not on books? This place is your secret hideout, isn't it? The books are too disorganized for this to be a closed storage space. Apparently, you're too cool to return them in the proper order after reading. On top of that, you've been vandalizing them with your chicken scratch handwriting." As proof she opened the book she's been holding and pointed out his random scribblings.

Gray smirked and raised both hands in a show of surrender. "Guilty as charged. I do have the keys to this place." He brought out his keys and began tossing it up and down, while leaning on the door frame. "As to how I got them, that's a secret."

"Second, you're actually pretty smart. The reading materials here aren't exactly advanced, but you like to read things that are somewhat philosophical. You're not as dense as you pose to be in class. Perhaps the type who greatly excels in the subjects he's interested in, and doesn't bother with those that bore him."

He darkly chuckles in response. "Hm. Seems like I have to murder you now, my delinquent reputation is at stake after all. Either way, you're two-for-two. What else have you discovered about me?" His bitter spite was gradually evolving into amusement.

Erza merely looks him dead in the eye. "You're suffering from a severe case of insomnia, aren't you?" Gray blinked. His smirk faded and his whole face fell. He stopped tossing his keys altogether. She, too, is pretty smart. "Yeah? So what if I am? What's your spin on me?"

"You're smart, Gray. I think you know what I'm talking about." She shows him the cover of the thin book she's been holding.

A Clean Well-Lighted Place

He swallowed hard as she finally approached him by the doorway. Erza stops only when she's centimeters away from him. Her sharp features now illuminated by the single fluorescent bulb that hung above them from outside. "You're particularly fond of this one. Good choice, Hemingway is a genius. I had to read it multiple times to figure out what he's trying to say. At the end, the old man was wrong to brush it off as insomnia."

Gray studied the thick lashes framing her slanted eyes in their proximity. She looked entirely different without those ugly glasses. "You're right," he clarified, entranced by having this kind of conversation with his victim no less. He once again found himself threading a dangerous territory with her. His inner voice screamed 'maybe'. Maybe— just maybe, he was right about her the first time after all. "What do you think it was?" he whispered.

"Loneliness?"

He scoffed weakly and clicks his tongue; his heart ached in pure regret. "Wrong." The shields were once again summoned to surround his icy fortress. "Thirty or so pages and you think you've got me all figured out, don't you?" he vehemently spat at her.

"Not exactly. I'm missing an important piece of the puzzle."

"And that is?"

"How can someone like you be lonely? You have all the money to satisfy your wants. You have people— girls— fawning over you like sheep. You're a jerk, but you're not exactly friendless either."

"Wow. You really do lack empathy, if you think that's all there is to me," he sneered.

"Then tell me what am I missing? Why isn't it adding up?" she pressed.

"Because you're fucking wrong!" he screamed and then sighed, bowing to shake his head in disappointment. "It's not loneliness. It's something else… Read it again. Maybe a billion dozen fucking times until you develop a proper sense of human touch," he deadpanned.

Erza furrowed her brows at him; her expression twisted in painful agony. "Gray, I want to help you, but you're not making it easy for me."

He buried his whitened knuckles deep inside his pants and turned his back on her, walking away from the building. "Maybe that's exactly the point," he mutters under his breath.

"ERZA!" Natsu's voice broke through the night. He swiftly climbed over the fence gate like a berserk monkey and landed on the other side in perfect stance.

"Erza! Gray!" Lucy remained at the other side, repeatedly sizing up the obstacle barring her way. "Natsu, stop!"

"You fucking perverted asshole!" Natsu growled in rage. "How dare you do this to Erza?! How dare you lock her up in your pigsty dungeon like a caged animal!" Natsu ran in their direction fist ready to deliver the punches he's notorious for. Gray still rattled by the earlier conversation stood motionless, defenseless as Natsu's fist hit him squarely in the jaw, sending him to the ground. Natsu didn't lose any second to jump on the guy and rained down his fists in a wild fury. Erza quickly pried Natsu off of Gray, toppling the pink-haired boy to the far opposite direction.

She bent her knees and supported Gray up, her arm around the back of his shoulders. He tried to touch his busted lip, but she gently closed her hand around his fingers and squeezed. Instinctively his eyes meet hers, and he immediately wish they hadn't. Her eyes were laden with worry for him— him who did this to her.

In the distance, Natsu bounced back to his feet and was charging into them at full speed. "Natsu, that's enough. Don't make me hurt you," she snapped. Her eyes remained locked on Gray's guilt-ridden ones.

She didn't even have to turn her head and glare at Natsu for the warning to take effect. He stood dead in his tracks and shouted his anger to the sky. "Erza, don't you fucking dare protect this stripper maniac! I'll clobber him to death myself! No one messes with my friends!"

Your "friend" now was it? She's a teacher, you moron. That's all she's paid to do. I'm your friend, the one you just hit.

Lucy made her way to Natsu's side in hopes of placating him with her mere presence. As to how she's climbed her way over the gate in that skirt, none of them really noticed. "Gray! How could you do this? Can't you see? Even now Erza's protecting you, you big fat dolt!"

Erza finally removed her imploring eyes from his to face the angry pair. "You two. Go home immediately. We're all trespassing school grounds at this hour. I'll deal with this guy."

"Stop it," he pathetically wheezed. Harshly, Gray dug his fingers around her arm and pulled her closer. With his lips directly next to her ear, he unleashed all the venom he could muster while those piercing eyes of hers are turned the other way. "I don't need your pity. I don't trust you. I'll never accept you. You're not my friend. You're just a goddamn teacher. I'll get rid of you yet. I swear it. I fucking hate you, bitch."

Natsu's jaw slacked open, his nose flared with the vivid intent of murder. Lucy eyed Gray as though he was the biggest scum on the planet, and perhaps she is onto something. Though she whom he longed to detest him the most, simply loosened her grip on his shoulder and retracted herself away from him. Laying him on the ground as gently as possible, she stood. She didn't utter a single word. Her breathing was steady. Her eyes were veiled by her scarlet bangs, but he highly doubts that she was crying. She picked up the book she's been using to dissect him and patted it clean from the soil.

"E-Erza…?" Lucy hesitantly spoke.

Erza simply walked towards Natsu who seemed ready to attack his decrepit form and stop only when bones remain. She put a hand on the seething pinkhead's shoulder. "Time to go home, guys." Her voice held no malice, no awkward fluctuation. She merely sounded tired.

Shortly after, they all left him to rot on the ground just as he intended them to. He didn't move from that position for a couple more minutes. The night sky littered with opalescent stars looked so peaceful compared to his tumultuous mind. Surely, his old friend would visit him once more tonight.

Erza can't believe her grand fortune of being once again smothered by the unobstructed view of her boss's giant ass. The burly man is practically bent over the cubicle partitions, flirting with Mira. Regardless, this implied that no one found any rotting delinquent's carcass lying out in the open that morning. She lets out an exasperated sigh and flips back to the book she's been reading over and over since she got home. She wonders if she's anywhere close to achieving— what did he say again— a billion dozen fucking times? Probably not.

A light tap on her shoulder woke her in surprise, as her one true ally finally made her presence known. "Morning, Instructor Scarlet. What's gotten you so worked up this early? That was the tenth time I heard you sigh in a span of fifteen minutes."

"Hey, Ultear, just the usual, dealing with the best class ever…" she winced.

"Oh? Who is it this time?"

"Sorry. I'd rather not talk about it." Erza fisted her scarlet hair and buried her nose back into the book.

"Interesting. It's Gray, I see."

"Huh? How did you— I mean no! It's collective. They're all causing me a major headache!" she stammered defensively.

"Please, I'd recognize that book anywhere. And no. You won't be finding any answers there no matter how many times he tells you to read it."

Erza blinked in surprise, and turned to face the other woman in astonishment. "Can you read my mind?"

The secretary tilted her head sideways and smirked teasingly. "Depends. Are you trying to read his?"

"Yes!" she blatantly exclaimed, slamming both palms flat on her desk. "I'm not a freaking therapist! Why is that brat hellbent on making my life so difficult?!"

Ultear bit her lip in serious contemplation. "Here's my advice, don't take it personally. The boy already came with a ton of mental baggage to begin with. Issues that no one probably can help him resolve…. at least not anymore."

Erza furrowed her brows at her ally. "What do you mean? Do you know something that I should?"

Rubbing her chin in a feigned show of uncertainty, the shrewd smirk was back on the secretary's lips. "Wouldn't it be cheating him out of his game, if I told you?"

Steadily composing herself, Erza released another labored sigh and meet Ultear's obsidian gaze. "I don't care about his stupid childish games. Please. I really just want to help him."

Ultear's teasing smirk gradually shifted to a genuine smile. "Alright then. What I'm about to say might give you your biggest breakthrough yet."

Gray arrived at school on his usual ride, at the usual time, with the usual entourage that worshiped his every stride. He still couldn't comprehend how Erza was stupid enough to even suggest he was this shallow of a being.

Loneliness? Suck my dick.

He'd trade all this revelry for one decent night of sleep. She only ever did see the surface, just like everyone else. He should definitely commend himself for being such a good actor. His standing ovation performance last night left everyone speechless.

That should do the trick— for now.

If she wasn't the type to resign from his "Iced Shell" prison, then at least she'd stop pestering him altogether after that. Having her nose about what's formerly uncharted ground left him admittedly impressed yet equally perturbed. She got extremely close into zeroing down on him given those thirty pages alone. He couldn't ignore the lingering ache he felt, when she eventually gave the wrong answer. For a brief moment, he truly wished she knew better. He wished there would finally be somebody out there who'd deliver the light of dawn into his cold dark suffocating room.

Erza brisk walked out of class as soon as the bell rang. She has a lunch appointment with Ultear that might just be the tipping point of everything to follow. She didn't even bother paying any attention to him in class after the tirade he vomited against her. No, approaching him would have to wait until she had a solid gameplan in motion. Besides, both Natsu and Lucy were already glaring daggers at the guy. She had to pull them aside and specifically threaten Natsu not to kill Gray when she wasn't present.

Still, she couldn't help but think that it was all just for show. It's a stretch, but she could've sworn he was desperately pleading her for the right answer before she messed everything up. He is lonely, not because of the lack of friends or admirers, but because no one truly understood him. For someone who repeatedly claims that she lacked human touch, he too is struggling to form a connection with those around him. Something is holding him back. Perhaps that something was what he wanted her to understand the most.

Ultear was already waiting for her in a brunch cafe outside the school. She demanded strict privacy for what they were about to discuss and Erza automatically agreed.

"Did he give you any more trouble in class?" Ultear cautiously inquired.

"Not really. He just looked... really tired."

"That's nothing new then. He hasn't been sleeping well from what I heard. It's a recurring thing."

"What, like nightmares?"

"Thoughts mostly. Dark thoughts that only visit you at night."

"I get those too. I just drink them away."

Ultear chuckled weakly. "It's different for him— something deeply rooted in his childhood past. You can probably classify it as a type of trauma."

"Wait. How do you know all this? Did you know Gray for a long time?"

"We basically grew up together. He's like a little brother to me. My mom was his preschool teacher, you see. She took him in when both his parents died in an accident and raised him as her own. The boy was only five at the time," Ultear smiled to the distance. "He came into our household as a snotty little rebel, but my mom was patient with him. She claimed the boy had this hidden potential that she wasn't going to allow him to waste— not on her watch. He was subjected through quite the honors student crash course program, and it worked wonders. He was the top of his class in elementary."

"Your mom sounds like an amazing person, Ultear," Erza beamed.

The secretary smile's suddenly turned bittersweet. "You think so? She reminds me of you, to be honest. I wish you could've met her when she was still around. I think you'd get along very well."

"Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't…"

"It's fine. It's been years. I've learned to move on and pursued a career in education in her honor. It is only Gray who's never stopped blaming himself for her death. He feels responsible for yet another accident."

"Another? What happened?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another day after school when she fetched him home. It was a car accident. He was a child, so naturally she shielded him from the incoming bus."

Erza bit her cheek to suppress the urge to express her condolences once more, allowing the other woman to continue.

"He gradually shut down after that. First, he stopped studying, until his grades fell to the point that warranted expulsion. He's been skipping school for years. I personally sought him out and offered to enroll him here. It's what my mom would've wanted. Honestly though, I think he only accepted it out of his lingering guilt towards me."

"You never blamed him though."

"Of course not. I even tried convincing him out of his guilt multiple times, and he still couldn't look me in the eye to this day. My mom who served as his substitute parent specifically lost her life to save his. He believes he's cursed at this point."

Erza nods and looks at the book she's been carrying. Scattered pieces of the broken jigsaw puzzle began fitting into place.

"That book. How did you get it? He put you in the room, didn't he?"

"W-What? What... room?" she tried her best to not meet Ultear's questioning stare.

Ultear sighed. "It's nice of you to keep covering for him, but where do you think he got a copy of the keys? At first I thought he was using the area to study, but recently I heard rumors of teachers being locked overnight in that room. So it was true, after all…"

Erza reached out and squeezed the forlorn woman's hand. "Ultear— please don't do anything. I believe I'm— this— close to getting him out of his shell."

"Really? After all that you've just heard, you're still determined to help him? I told you earlier. It's nothing personal. This is something that can only be fixed by rewinding the past."

"I understand. That's exactly what I'll do," she confidently declared.

Ultear eyed her warily and slowly retracted her hand out of the other woman's grip. "Erza…. You'll tell me, if you're planning anything remotely illegal right?"

She stood and bowed at the other woman. "Thank you so much for telling me this. I promise to bring him home... in one piece."

"What? Wait, Erza! Your bill!"

Erza hastily made her retreat as the astonished secretary called after her. She found herself a secluded corner and speed-dialed one of the quick save contacts in her phone.

"Hey Sho? I have a favor to ask. Can you please tune in my old Kawasaki in your garage? — Yes, if you kindly could. I'm taking it out for a spin tonight."

Chapter Text

Happily whistling with his hands buried in his biker jacket, Gray strode down the steep stairs of his small apartment complex in preparation for another round of the same old nightly burn. Their scarlet-haired instructor hadn't even bothered to glance at him in class, and his idiot rival was too chicken to confront him at all. He won. He fucking won. She was finally through with him and onto her next charity case project. He mentally patted himself on the back, brushing off the fact that he barely slept a wink last night. Ecstatically, he jumped over the last few steps and skipped towards where his iridescent metallic blue motorbike is parked. Guiding his precious baby out the gate, his merry tune abruptly died into silence.

Leaning on a lamp post across the street, an hourglass shaped figure of a lone woman clad in all black held her arms tightly under her well endowed breasts. Her head is entirely covered by a black tinted motor helmet, but she wore a skin tight leather jumpsuit that perfectly hugged her supermodel physique. In his mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Loke told him it would be the greatest crime in the world to pass this up.

"Hey there, hot stuff."

Immediately snapping his head to both directions, Gray confirmed that the street was indeed empty besides them. He pointed to himself, flabbergasted. "M-Me...? I'm hot stuff?"

"I don't see anyone else. Do you?" She pushed herself off the post and approached him. He could only stare as her hips swayed hypnotically with every step she took. "Sweet ride, you got here." His eyes followed the lithe gloved fingers erotically caressing the seat of his motorbike.

"T-Thanks…" Loke's voice once again blasted in his ears, telling him to get his shit together and stop acting like the pathetic virgin that he is.

"But you know what's even sweeter?" Her muffled voice leered, as she traced a single digit teasingly down his chest.

"Y-Yeah…?" Holy shit! He wasn't mentally prepared for this. His room is literally behind him. Just up those stairs and—

"My ride," she finished and pointed at the pitch black motorbike parked far adjacent to them. He blinked and then skeptically squinted at the old junk scrap looking Kawasaki Ninja 300, the same brand as his but easily five years older.

"No, it's not," he automatically countered. The spell that this she-devil cast on him is now broken. "Mine's a 400, in case you haven't noticed," he competitively retorted.

"Oh, I definitely did. However, the machine's only as good as its driver."

Gray furrowed his brows in confusion. Was she still flirting with him? "Hold on. Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" he asked instead.

"I'm merely stating the facts. I didn't mean to offend you," she shrugged.

"I'm not offended. Just utterly confused at how surprisingly illiterate you are for a Kawasaki enthusiast," he bit back.

"Hm. Illiterate you say. Well then, why don't you educate me and show me how it's done?" she challenged.

Gray licked his dry lips and grinned. "You wanna race me, huh?"

"That's exactly what I want," the woman boldly declared.

Gray crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her, lip tugging sideways. "So, what do I get— when— I win?" he cheekily inquired.

"Whatever you want."

"Yeah? I like you," he leered. "Show me your face."

"Just my face?" Her laughter is pleasantly melodious, despite the helmet masking the full volume of her voice. "You're surprisingly easy to please."

"And everything else." he finished, all the while wagging his eyebrows suggestively at her, teeth showing at the size of his lecherous grin.

"That's more like it." She walked away from him and got on her bike. "Now that I've gotten you hooked, take me to your usual course."

Gray wasted no time on bringing his engine to life. Only then did he realize that they haven't exactly exchanged pleasantries. "Hey. You got a name?"

"Call me Titania."

Two motorcycles drove in convoy to the starting line of his nightly track. Naturally, she lagged behind him since he was showing the way. Though to trained ears, the roar of her engine was evidently not on par with his baby. This is going to be a cakewalk. Loke would be dying of jealousy, once he finds out he was able to score this Titania chick for his first time. Gray briefly wondered if he should've probably asked for something simpler like getting her number. Looking back, that might've made for a smarter future investment compared to a one night stand. Oh, fuck it. He's going to savor every last bit of her for tonight. Insomnia be damned.

"We're here," he giddily announced.

Her motor screeched to a halt beside his, and she got off, surveying the area. "Not bad. Where does it end?"

"Well, I usually turn back before the fifth intersection. Supposedly, you can reach the ocean, if you followed the road all the way to the end."

"Fifth intersection, it is. Let's mark that as our finish line."

"Sounds good to me." He fixed his goggles in place and braced himself on his seat.

"Here's the catch, though. I'm clearly at a disadvantage given you picked the course, so we're playing by my rules tonight."

Gray laughed mockingly at her. She is at a disadvantage either way with that scrap metal she's riding. "Sure. Whatever. Lay it on me."

"The game we'll be playing tonight is called 'No Signal'," she began. "It's as basic as it sounds. You are to keep your eyes on the road and nowhere else. Ignore the traffic lights— completely, and no matter what, don't stop until you reach the finish line."

Gray felt his stomach suddenly drop into an endless abyss. Hastily, he removed himself from his precious vehicle as though repulsed by its very existence. "Hold on, I know the street looks empty right now, but trust me in a few minutes it's gonna be jam packed with ten-wheelers. You want me to chase down those huge ass trucks when it's charging straight at me from the intersections!?"

"Only if you want to win, of course. I've done this game multiple times with my ride. Are you ready to proclaim yourself the cowardly loser without even playing?" she mockingly taunted him.

Hyperventilating all of a sudden, his icy palms begin to sweat. Lost staring at the blinking traffic lights, all he sees are the vivid glare of the headlights from his repressed memories. Shit. What is this fucking Titania playing at? This game could very well cost them their lives.

"You chicken? What are you suddenly so afraid of? Dying? Is that it?" she further pressed him on.

'Is that it?' What the actual fuck!?

He broke out of his stupor and stammered in a wild panic, "Well, yeah!? Aren't you?" Glaring at the woman comfortably leaning against her steady bike, he took in her full image once more and paled.

A perfectly sculpted body clad in all-black mounting an equally pitch black motorbike.

Fuck.

Death has literally personified herself outside the dark confines of his room and is now also haunting him in the streets. For all he knows, this chick doesn't even have a face underneath that mask. Maybe, it's all just a black hole inside that thing.

FUCK!

"I'm not," she calmly replied. "And I'll show you why, if you get on your bike and do this with me right now." On cue she hiked her leg over her ride and started the engine.

Flinching dark blue eyes regarded her in utmost fear. Haggard lungs jerked laboriously in heavy staccatos. Trembling fists clenched until they're as white as snow.

"Gray."

Her sharp voice cut through the turbulent storm brewing in his inner thoughts and resounded throughout the night, drawing his attention entirely to her. He could've sworn he never gave her his name at all.

"I promise there's a light waiting for you at the end of this road," she confidently gestured her hand towards the gleaming silver horizon. "So strap on a pair and get on the fucking bike."

Years down the line, Gray wonders what it was exactly that led him to do just that. Maybe he saw someone else's face peering through the dark tinted reflection of her helmet. Maybe he heard a different yet familiar voice from a far away time. Before him manifested the spirit of the woman he once idolized despite her strict upbringing— his all-time favorite superhero. Someone he vowed to follow to the ends of the earth, if only he was given a second chance. He's so damn sure he must've been hallucinating at the moment, but he obediently followed her anyway.

Two engines roared to life and the race was on. Basking on his illusionary high, Gray gradually managed to regain his confidence. There were barely any cars on the streets at this hour. He took her words to heart and kept his eyes on the road— only on the road. He passes a car that furiously bleated its horn as he sped away. Holding his breath in, two more emerged in the distance and he steps on it. A flurry of angry curses echoed behind him, and he chuckles proudly. One more, a relatively small truck this time, slowly revives from stop to go. He bit his lip and passes it too with ease. Laughter burst throughout the streets, it took him a second to recognize it's his. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, igniting his dormant soul.

A couple of more vehicles later, and the road ahead is now clear. He risked a glance at his side mirror to see where his opponent went. Snickering to himself, he found her trailing far behind him. As expected, she's all talk. There's no way her junk scrap stood a chance against his precious baby. He set his eyes back on the road and was met with another truck, a ten-wheeler container this time. It's moving slow enough, and he's speeding way past the limits. From his accelerating vantage point, he's more than capable of making it. He twists the bars and the engine roared in response. Leaning forward, helmetless and headfirst, his body aimed like a taunt arrow passing through its needle hole target.

However the truck, noticing that the road was indeed empty in the poorly lit street, accelerated in turn. Seconds before impact, Gray realized it's futile. He sees his entire life flash before his eyes, sees the blinding pair of headlights that vividly outlined Ur's lifeless body as it hits the cold hard asphalt. He hears his own young, wretched screams that transcended from past to present.

On instinct, he forcefully jerked the handlebars in a sharp ninety degree turn. Wheels screeched against the friction of the cement; the bike skidded through the empty highway in a haphazard U turn. He untangled himself from the vehicle in a wild panic. Discarding the goggles off completely, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Breathing laboriously to regain his composure, he clawed at his chest to steady his rapid palpitations. Nausea crept through his entire body. He felt like puking his guts out.

In the background an engine's roar continued to buzz, he lifts his head in time to see her ride past him, a split second into his peripheral vision. Spinning himself into a complete about face, he sees a single crimson light. She's zooming headfirst into a suicidal attempt to pass the same truck he failed to nanoseconds ago and another that's stealthily emerged from the opposite direction, barreling into the course at high speed.

He opened his mouth to scream. Stop. That's enough. Your life's not worth this stupid game. You'll get sandwiched to death between those humongous ten wheelers! His jaw slacked, yet not a single sound was uttered.

The leather clad woman and her pitch black bike miraculously disappeared, blending into the darkness of the night. The two trucks have crossed over smoothly. The single crimson light blinks yellow, and later green. At the other side of the finish line, the almighty Titania appeared in perfect stance perched on her ride as though she simply vanished and teleported. That would be the most logical explanation of what had happened. However, his eyes were able to witness the smooth curve she took in the last minute and the quick maneuver to another sharp curve drawing a polished S in the blazing trail of her tracks.

Stupefied, Gray left his bike and broke into a sprint towards her. She got out of her bike as he lunged at her with his entire weight, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her in a wild panic. "THE FUCK! You fucking idiot! What the bloody hell were you trying to pull?! Didn't you see the size of those things?! You could've died! You could've had brains splattered all across the streets! You fucking lunatic!" He forcefully shoved her backwards, though she barely staggered from the impact.

"I didn't though, and I won," she smugly gloated.

"Fuck you and your stupid game! I'm outta here! Next time you come up with some twisted death wish, do it yourself!" he cursed and began to march away from her.

"Where's the fun in that? It's only fun when you're putting your life on the line. Don't try to hide it. The roar of the engine was loud, but your laughter was distinguishably louder."

Gray froze in his steps and turned to face her in disbelief. "What?"

She crossed her arms and tilted her helmeted head to the side. "It's fun, isn't it— being alive?"

He groaned back at her in frustration. "You're so fucking annoying. You're starting to remind me of someone I loathe."

"'Loathe' huh? That's quite a strong word," she chuckled.

"Yes, I fucking hate her guts. She preaches like she's lived it all and seen it all. Like we're her herd of broken children, and she's some saint sent to save us from certain damnation. She irritates the shit outta me!" he ranted his accumulated frustrations at this complete stranger.

"Well, why don't you say that to her face next time? Bet it'd make her day, laughing her ass off at your childish tantrums."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, brat."

He gave her one last glare and stuck out his middle finger at her. "Fuck you, bitch."

Having uttered the last word, Gray angrily stomped his way back towards his bike. It was parked near the metal partition at the edge of the road. The night air smelled of salt and a distant chime of waves crashing to rocks can be heard. Too engrossed with the race, he barely noticed they had made it all the way to the outskirts of town, miles past their designated finish line. The sea surrounded the narrow road where they emerged from the last intersection. He took out his phone to check his GPS, but with no luck. There was no signal this far out of town.

"Are you lost?" The annoying feminine voice called out from the distance.

"Shut up!"

"I can show you the way back, if you're lost."

"I said shut the fuck up!"

He extends his phone to the sky and starts waving it in hopes of picking up some signal. He moved to the center of the street and nothing. He moved to the location of his bike and nothing. Begrudgingly, he made his way back to the only direction he hasn't checked, next to the haughty woman and her bike. He could almost outline her smug smirk under that tinted helmet of hers as he approached.

With his eyes steadily glued to the phone and with his brain busily formulating the perfect comeback line, the looming silhouette of another giant vehicle escaped him. By the time he heard the deafening horn, the blindly pair of headlights once again flashed before him as though he were reliving his childhood in full stop motion. He's certain he's somehow made it back in the past, when he felt the familiar impact of a human body shove his catatonic one out of harm's way. Although this time, nothing hit the cold hard asphalt— as two bodies flew past the vehicle, past the metal roadside barricades, and plunged deep into the sea.

Icy water surged through his nostrils straight into his brain, as Gray kicked his way to the surface. He broke out of the murky darkness and cried wheezing for his lungs. Checking his surroundings, he found no one else besides himself submerged in the black waters.

Meters away, he caught sight of a thin strip of beach. Squinting in the dark, he saw a faint black figure twitch against the white sand. It was the woman from before. There was no doubt about it. She lay flat on her stomach hugging the shoreline. The gentle waves ebbed and flowed around her; her body must've washed ashore on its own. Wasting no time, he dived back underneath and swam his way towards her.

"Hey! Wake up! You're alive, right?"

Kneeling beside her with his whole body drenched like a sponge, he shook her repeatedly, yet with no response.

"Hey! Come on, this isn't funny!"

He cradled her shoulder under his arm to pull her closer and shook her again, violently this time.

"WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

He crushed her tightly against his body and began to sob in her chest.

"Shit. No. Please. Not again. Not like this…. Fuck…Fuck... FUCK!"

Another forceful tug on his part caused her helmet to crack open. He stilled for a moment, thinking at the very least he ought to know the face of the stranger who once again sacrificed her life for him.

Gray froze completely as locks of scarlet waves cascaded down his arm, brushing his wet fingers and spilling into the sand. "No." His trembling fingers brush away the damp fringe on her forehead. "T-This must be some sick joke," he stuttered, as he studied the same face he swore to loathe with every fiber of his being. "Titania my ass... Hah…. I should've known… It's always been you huh…? Erza ..."

An overwhelming mixture of guilt, shame, and remorse caused his tears to finally trickle down in streams. Droplets steadily fell on her cheek causing her to stir. He could've sworn it was all an illusion created by his deeply traumatized brain. However, like something out of the pages of a fairy tale, she jerked and grunted in his arms. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking to accustom themselves at the sight of his blubbering, astonished face.

"E-Erza...? Holy shit... Am I… Am I dreaming?" He honestly wasn't sure. She was dead in his arms seconds ago, and now she's staring at him, as though she had just woken up from a deep slumber. As though the universe, upon witnessing him repent and humble his ways, decided it was time to breathe life to the girl wrapped in his arms as a sign that his redemption was finally complete.

Instead of answering him, her brows furrowed, and she gently cupped his watery cheek. "Are you alright?"

"W-What?"

"Are you hurt? Did you break anything?" she reiterated, louder this time.

"N-No…? No... No! You're the one who almost fucking died! The hell are you asking me?!"

Her expression softened to a smile, and she released a huge sigh of relief. "Good… That's... good. If you can yell at me, then you're fine." She pushed herself out of his hold and extends her arms backwards, reclining herself in a sitting position.

"H-Hey, don't push it. You literally almost died— again— twice— in a single night."

Erza simply scoffed at him. "I won't die that easily."

"No shit! You got hit by a fucking truck before crashing miles into the bottom of the sea!"

The crazy woman remains unperturbed by his outbursts and is casually twisting her shoulders on their sockets. "I didn't actually. The momentum of me shoving you out of the way was strong enough to send us both flying out of its path."

"R-Really?" he blinked in confusion. She must have done some sort of Olympic level power tackle for that to even be possible.

"Yep. Nothing broken as well." Anchoring both feet on the sand, she willed herself to stand and immediately braced her body for the fall. He was quick to catch her, steadying her as he too rose to his feet. "Okay, maybe I twisted something," she muttered in embarrassment.

"Shit! You're too heavy for me to drag all the way uphill. Get out of your fucking leather suit. It's like you're wearing a shit ton of armor."

"Oh. Right." Not even pausing, she instantly reached for the zipper on her chest and pulled it smoothly all the way down to her groin. He had to bite his lip from the spontaneous close-up display of her succulent breasts overflowing in their cups. With her one arm slinged around his shoulder, she was basically stripping herself single handedly centimeters away from his thirsty pubescent eyes.

"Once you're done staring, you can help me peel the rest off," she snidely commented. Blushing profusely, he cursed under his breath for being caught. He assisted her in stepping out of the body suit, while she awkwardly leaned on him to balance herself.

Long toned legs shimmered like the finest porcelain under the moonlit night. Wet scarlet hair clung to her damp alabaster skin. Light linings of hardened abs were visible on her taut stomach. Firmly-shaped yet pillow soft breasts brushed against his chest. Her lacy white underwear is soaked to the point of becoming translucent. Gray had to swallow hard, because his throat was suddenly too dry, considering he just almost drowned minutes ago.

Goddamn. God. Damn. She's hot.

No. She's beautiful.

Not even the shopped image of her in that bikini model's body compared to this blessed apparition before him. She's easily the most beautiful thing he has laid his unworthy eyes on in his eighteen years of living on this planet. A tiny voice at the back of his head, which sounded conspicuously like Loke, reminded him that he lost big time in their earlier match. He told it to shut the fuck up. Appreciating the mere sight of this, totally still counted as a major win in his books.

"It's your turn. Strip."

Gray blinked at her repeatedly. He figured he ultimately might've gotten himself concussed in that fall. "What did you just say?"

Erza groaned in annoyance. "You're gonna die of pneumonia if you stayed in these." She pinched his drenched shirt. "I'm serious. Don't just stare at me. Strip or I'll strip you myself."

"U-Uhm…. Right." He figured he's not entirely opposed to getting naked, especially with her being on the same boat. He laid her back down gently on the sand and began pulling his jacket and shirt off in record speed.

"Pants too."

"I'm getting to it! Geez, someone's excited to see me naked." He'd never been prouder of his stripping disorder his entire life.

"Mm. I've seen better," she nonchalantly commented from her spot.

"Excuse me?" Down to his boxers, he proudly put his hands firmly on his rigid waist and glowered down at her. "Chicks swoon at the sight of this!" He gestured at his chiseled six-pack and flexed his biceps.

"Skinny," she deadpanned, a grin beginning to form on her lips. "And too pasty."

He glared and gritted his teeth savagely at the technically naked woman. His stupid, traitorous brain failed to process an appropriate comeback, when she's nothing short of absolute perfection in it's extremely biased perception. "Wha—What are you laughing at?! Bitch, you really tick me off!" He cowered away from her in retreat, uncharacteristically self conscious all of a sudden. Instead, he went to dig for his phone from his drenched pants and found that it was indeed dead. He swore out loud.

Erza sighed. "We have to make our way back on the main road. There should be a 24/7 convenience store nearby if we followed the road to the east. We'll borrow a phone and call someone to pick us up."

"What, like in our undies?" he groaned.

"I never pegged you to have a sense of shame. Wasn't it Natsu who's always calling you a stripper?"

He silently walked back to where she's sitting and squatted to her eye level. "Hey, fine by me, but what about this." He pointed at her overt display of flesh. "Damn, who would've known you're packing all this under those atrocious granny clothes," he smirked and stared openly at her well-endowed cleavage.

The voluptuous woman reclined further backwards and boldly puffed out her breasts invitingly for his viewing pleasure. "You like?"

He had to actively suppress the urge to cover his nose in case a river of blood suddenly gushed out. "Oh, hell yeah, I very like." He didn't even have the energy to be discreet anymore.

She scoffed in disgust and rolled her eyes to the back of her head. "Pfft. Had I known this was all it took, I would've gotten naked sooner with you. At the end of the day, you're just another stupid horny brat."

"Shhhh!" He raised a finger to silence her and continued ogling. "You're ruining it."

She harshly flicked her finger at his forehead to wake him up from his perverted trance. "Quit gawking and carry me on your back!"

Gray cursed under his breath for the upmteenth time that night. He wouldn't be so bold as to declare it the worst night ever, especially with his general abhorrence of the dark, but the dictator perched on his back is making it pretty damn close. She better appreciate his muscles now, as she's not exactly as light as she looks.

"Will you stop fidgeting back there?" he groaned. "Keep still or god help me, I'll chuck you back into the ocean!"

"Your hand's riding up my butt!" she complained once more.

"Yeah?" He gave her firm butt cheeks a light squeeze that made her yelp in a girlish squeal. "T-That's so adorable…" he muttered under his breath.

"Tch. If I wasn't limping, I would've kicked you in the nuts by now," she begrudgingly muttered.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm nothing but a glorified means of transport, doubling as a personal body heater to the almighty Titania," he deadpanned.

"It's called mutualism. I'm keeping you warm too aren't I?" She pressed her pair of luscious melons fully against his back and looped her arms tightly around his neck, making him gulp.

"W-Whatever." Quickly, he thought of literally any other topic that crossed his mind. "So what's your deal? 'Titania' and all that shit from before. You eat thugs for breakfast, ride like a maniac in the streets, and don't even get me started on that stunt you pulled that got us stranded in the middle of nowhere. Are you some kind of former delinquent yourself— scratch that— you're not a criminal are you?"

"I'm your teacher. That's all you need to know."

"Jumping in front of a big ass ten wheeler seemed a bit much though? No other teacher would go so far as to throw away their life for a student, let alone a delinquent."

"Is that so? I'm sure there's at least someone else who'd do the same for you."

All of a sudden, he halted in the middle of his tracks. "You know about that, huh?" He tilted his head to face her, but to no avail as she's leaning hers directly against his nape. "Who told you? Nevermind, I bet it's Ultear. I should've known. You totally cheated," his tone though was more amused than annoyed.

"I wonder. Does Ultear know that you're so afraid of death? Not just your own, but more so of those around you. Does she know that you'd rather be lonely than watch the people you've grown to love die before you?"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "... No," he softly admitted. "She doesn't. Nobody does..."

"Then I didn't cheat." She patted him to keep walking, and he resumed. "I won fair and square," she cheekily added.

"Is that what this is? Challenging me on the road by gambling your own life, just to win me over? You're pretty sick in the head."

"It worked though. Admit it already, you had fun."

"Hm. Maybe." He was thankful now that she couldn't see the growing smile he couldn't suppress any longer. "You've successfully cured my one childhood trauma by replacing it with a shitload more in a single night— I'll give you that," he chuckled.

"You know you actually could have won back there, if you hadn't hesitated. The last truck was nowhere near close to hitting you."

He scoffs. "Winning isn't everything. I deeply value my life. Thank you very much."

"As you should. You've spent so much time obsessing over death that you almost forgot how to live. For the people whom you loved and lost— live your life as if it were theirs. Don't waste it loitering around and terrorizing the school. Surely, there's so much more to your life than making mine miserable."

"For a second there, I almost forgot you're the same woman with a ginormous stick up her ass," he sarcastically quipped.

"I don't really care what you think of me, but there are people out there who genuinely worry about you. Ultear is one. Your friends too, I'm sure. Natsu wouldn't have picked a fight with you, if he didn't care."

"Ah, but that's nothing new. See, it's the whole dynamic of our friendship. We punch each other until there's barely an inch left in us."

"This is what I'm talking about. You're always hesitating," she chided.

"You want me to beat the living shit out of him? You're really a monster in disguise, aren't you?"

"For whose benefit are you putting on that uncaring facade? When Natsu and Lucy stood against you, it hurt didn't it? Why can't you be more honest with yourself?"

He sighed heavily and figured he might as come clean."Because it's not worth it…"

"This again?"

"Yes! It's not just death that's inevitable, you know? Getting close to someone, opening myself to others, letting them in. It's not worth the world of hurt that's bound to follow when they disappear one way or another. It's... easier like this."

"Spoken like a true member of the lonely hearts club," she sarcastically droned.

"Fine. Let's put it in your perspective. Say you do pull off a miracle and have us all graduate. One year later, none of us would even remember you. At the end of the day, it's just another job isn't it?"

Erza retracted her arms around his neck and pushed herself up from his back. "Put me down."

"What? We're almost there. I can see the lights."

"Let me off this instant!" She rocked herself violently. The force of which would've been enough to topple them both, so he begrudgingly relented.

"What now?" he growled in exasperation.

With one hand on his shoulder, she balanced her limping form and looked him dead in the eye. "Gray, do you honestly think I'm doing all this just because it's my job? Because I'm being paid? You're right. I almost died— twice— in a single night. Yet you still think that's the reason!?"

Gray met her resolute glare and once again found himself hesitating. He never really understood it either. Unlike Ur, she had zero prior attachments to him. She knew nothing about him save for what Ultear has told her. He even put in the extra effort of being a total dick to her. Why indeed is she willing to go this far? What exactly is she trying to prove? "Well, what else is there?!" he retorted with the same burning intensity.

Erza's gaze wavered and her eyes flinched. She almost looked disappointed at him. "You really don't know, huh?" It was her turn to ask him riddles it seems. Unlike her, he thought it wiser to keep his mouth shut, when he legitimately didn't have a clue. He merely shook his head no.

She deeply exhaled once, and he swore she was about to erupt into another one of her overbearing lectures. Instead, she shoved him off with her one hand, propelling herself into the general direction of the dimly lit store away from him.

"The hell are you doing?!" he called out and ran to catch her before she hit the cement.

"Fuck off. I don't need you. I'll crawl there myself if I have to!" she shouted and stubbornly flailed in his hold.

Gray simply tightened his grip and hauled her upright by the waist, looping her arm back around his shoulder. He laughed weakly, "Fine. You win. I'm tired of this shit."

"What 'shit'?" she aggressively bit back.

He sighed in defeat and fixed his gaze at the constellations. "You know, what you said— hesitating, pretending not to care— that shit." He turned to face her, expecting to see the smug grin he hated so much, but was only met with a pleasant smile. He blinked and instantly looked away; blushing, despite himself.

"Okay, that's good enough for me. It's fine if you don't know where I'm coming from. I have a whole year to teach you that lesson anyway." She turned her face away from him and back to the light of their 24/7 sanctuary. "Let's keep going, we're almost there."

The middle-aged woman manning the counter eyed them in sheer judgement as they entered the store dressed in nothing but their undergarments. Gray was thankful she merely shook her head in disdain and muttered something along the lines of "kids these days", instead of calling the cops on them. Erza was quick to point out the tourist shirts available for sale near the counter. They each got one, hers over-sized enough to cover her crotch. Luckily, they remembered taking their drenched wallets after leaving the rest of their clothes behind. The mean counter lady refused to touch their gross saturated money, so Erza used her card to pay for them both.

While Erza's on the phone talking to their pickup, Gray went back to the counter and asked for a pack. He damn well deserved it after all the hell he'd been through. He shuffled through his sodden bills, checking for anything salvageable, and cursed. Opting to use coins instead, he aggressively shook his wallet inside out.

A single 500 yen tumbled out and clanked on the table. The price of a pack was 460 yen. The lady automatically reached out to sequester his payment, but Gray was faster. Before he knew it he was pocketing the single coin and returning the pack, saying he changed his mind. The lady simply rolled her eyes and went back to binging her Asian drama at the back of the counter.

Gray stood puzzled by his odd reflex. He, a serial smoker, just said no to a pack of smoke— at what cost? That same stupid 500 yen, he couldn't will himself to get rid off. For all he knew, that one coin is cursed, and the cause of the series of misfortunes he's suffered thus far. He looked at his redhead companion who's still on the phone. She met his gaze and gave him a thumbs up, signalling rescue was on the way.

An hour later an old pickup truck drove around the corner. The driver was a young blonde man with tanned brown skin. A single diamond shaped earring dangled from his one ear. He seemed a little too enthusiastic to see them for someone who's been disturbed so late at night.

Erza insisted that they drop him off first, so Gray and the blonde man assisted her to scoot into the middle of the cramped passenger's seat. By the time he squeezed himself into the truck, Gray had to suspend half his butt cheek in midair, lest the risque woman beside him notice his lack of space and suggest something ridiculous like sitting on his lap. He highly doubts his hormonal, adolescent brain could take that level of skin to skin contact with her.

They drove back into the city at the brink of twilight. Erza casually introduced Sho as one of her long time friends who's working as a part-time automobile mechanic. She then conveniently dozed off, leaving them to converse in awkward silence. Her head bobbed languidly for seconds, until she began cuddling to his side, magnetized by his warmth. Gray scowled and repeatedly pawed her leaning head off of his shoulder. He's incredibly miffed at how tired she appears, given he did all the leg work on their last trudge.

"You must be quite the special case, for your teacher to be working around the clock."

His attention was momentarily diverted from glaring at his seatmate to the other guy next to her. "You're Nee-san's student, right?" Sho inquired, though his question sounded rhetorical to his ears.

He belatedly realized that Erza choose not to mention that he was a delinquent minor out this late, breaking all sorts of traffic rules, mostly at her behest. "...Y-Yeah."

Noticing his discomfort, Sho chuckled. "Relax, we won't rat on you. It's not our style. Saw your sick ride along the road by the way. I hauled it for you in the back."

"Oh. Thanks, man." To be honest, he completely forgot about his abandoned bike. Material things became the least of his worries once faced with a number of life and death situations. Not like he could take anything with him on that one way trip.

"No sweat, dude. Gotta say, I was surprised when Nee-san rang me up the other day. Asked if I still had her decommissioned model. I thought she's suddenly back on the road after her three year hiatus."

"Three years?" he blurted.

"Heh. Your face tells me she's still got it. Wish I was there to see it too."

"About that. Who— or what exactly is she?"

"Nee-san is Nee-san. She's her own breed."

"Yeah, for sure, but that doesn't really answer my question," he insisted. "Also she said you're a friend, but you call her sister. You guys related?"

"Thicker than blood, we're family." Sho glanced at him noticing his frown. "Sorry, but if you're that curious, you can always ask her yourself."

He did though, sort of. She wasn't being subtle either on shutting him down. "Not that curious. Just totally weirded out, I guess," Gray muttered and crossed his arms defensively.

Sho threw him a lopsided smirk. "Oh, you'll get used to it. 'Sides, I can see that she's starting to grow on you already."

Only then did Gray notice the uneven weight of his shoulders. Groaning, he turns to watch her unguarded peaceful demeanor, as her chest rose and fell within the depths of slumber. Suddenly, his breath caught in his throat.

In a span of hours, he was able to witness so many different facets of the same woman. However, this right here was no woman. She didn't resemble that pesky self righteous bitch he swore to hate, not the self proclaimed superhero who soloed the group of thugs, not the lunatic roadrunner who claimed she feared not death, nor the devilishly sexy siren he found on the shore. No, at this moment, she looked like a girl— probably someone passable for his age even— but a girl, nonetheless.

And she looked very, very— cute.

Gray bit his lip and willed down the heated blush that's spreading through his cheeks all the way down his neck. Suddenly, he didn't have the heart to shrug her off anymore. He leaned back on the headrest and shut his eyes, suppressing the urge to overthink the implications of this new discovery. His weariness must be making him delusional. That's probably just it. For now, he's satisfied to have found a veritable cure to his insomnia.

Chapter Text

A sharp kick on his chair unceremoniously popped the reverie bubbles Gray had been dreamily nursing since the beginning of their Math period. Cursing under his breath, he glared at the drunken woman behind him. Wordlessly, Cana is motioning for him to shoo by fanning a deck of tarot cards at his annoyed face. Not keen on being disrupted again, Gray scooted his chair forward, but not before flashing his favorite finger back at her.

Cramped together at the farthest back of their janitor closet-sized classroom, all the students have been taking extreme safety precautions on avoiding the plague that currently stood in front of the board. Natsu had begun donning his scarf like a wild west bandit's mask, since the epidemic broke out. The idiot even graciously donated a matching piece to Lucy, because surely her girly, petite handkerchiefs weren't good enough— not for the unfortunate ones at the front row.

"Oi Erza! You're spraying your germs on us!" Natsu protested for the tenth time that day.

A series of coughs, a gargle of phlegm, and a viscous spit later, the disgusting mess croaked, "Eugh... I keep telling you wimps, it's not contagious!"

Gray cringed and pinched the bridge of his nose in hopes of chasing back his earlier reveries. As punishment for scoffing at the face of death, the bells were now morbidly tolling upon their scarlet-haired instructor in the severe form of pneumonia. It's been a month since their spontaneous "extracurricular excursion" to the beach— or rather to the bottom of the sea, and Gray is almost positive the real Erza Scarlet drowned that night. Based on the characteristics of this greasy-haired, mucus-spewing hag before them, he might have accidentally carried home some urban myth kelp monster in her place.

For the past month, he's been actively debating with his brain on whether or not he vividly dreamt the whole thing. For one, he couldn't seem to picture the gorgeous supermodel body hiding underneath this loom-woven blanket wearing spinster in front of him. Strange though it may be, they haven't really spoken about the events of that fateful night. Even more alarming, she hasn't really spoken a single word to him since.

It wasn't for the lack of trying on his part either. A week in on this nonsense, he was already at the brink of bending his pride and mustering the guts to approach her after class. However, these days she was always the first to disappear when the bell rang. It made sense, he supposed. She must be frequenting the hospitals lately, or busy doing whatever it is that keeps kelp monsters afloat.

Nevertheless, he has to say something— anything really. It's been driving him nuts how she's conveniently acting like nothing changed after all those gut wrenching, sappy feelings he vomited on her. She's literally a few meters away, yet somehow she's made herself exceedingly scarce, after snapping him out of his issues. He wonders if that's exactly what she thought— that she's successfully "fixed" him now, so it's onto the next charity case from here on forth. If only it were that easy though…

The repeated frantic taps of the chalk against the board broke his train of thoughts. Their wheezing instructor has been desperately pleading them to answer the question she drew up, so she can bang her head on the desk for a couple of minutes. He squinted at the jargon of math symbols, and before he knew it, his hand was raised.

Mentally, he berated himself for stooping this low. Nobody, save for kind-hearted, out-of-place Lucy, recites in Class F. So much for his delinquent reputation; everyone's judgmental stares were instantly magnetized to him thanks to his pathetic reflex. Even Natsu and Lucy from the front are regarding him in puzzled astonishment. Gray clicked his tongue and decided it's a little too late to be developing an imaginary itch on his head. The berserk tapping on the chalkboard persisted; all the while the oblivious redhead had been suppressing her harsh coughs with her sleeves. Juvia looked as though she's one step away from erecting the biggest arrow sign bordered with flashing lights, when their teacher randomly called on Natsu instead.

The optimistic hand slumped lifelessly back on his desk. It's official then, she must be pissed at him. He supposed, it made sense too. She may act tough, but she's only human. She's not a saint and not a superhero, as evident by her present dying condition— which, by the way, is undeniably his fault as well. Even after all the words they exchanged that night, he never really bothered to apologize for the terrible things he'd done to her. Perhaps, she's grown tired of waiting for it to happen. Could it be, ironically— now of all times— she's finally reached the breaking point in vouching for him?

The bell rang, and dark blue forlorn eyes could only watch as the scarlet apparition haunting him for a month slipped through his fingers once again. Sighing in defeat, Gray rose from his seat and decided he'd live to fight another day. If she was able to tolerate him through all that, then he, too, had no right to be calling it quits— not now.

"Why so glum, chum?"

Leaning on the door frame, the regal stature of the campus playboy barred his exit and charmingly saluted him.

"What do you want now?" Gray knowingly asked.

"Is that how you greet your best bro ever? I was worried about you, man! You seem so… out of it lately."

"M'fine," he muttered and approached the exit once more.

Loke, however, stretched both arms out to completely prevent him from sneaking away. "You don't expect me to buy that crap, do you? You've changed, man. You don't take your bike out to school. You don't join me clubbing anymore. You don't do your public strip sho— no wait— that shit still applies."

"Well actually, you're right," he proudly countered. "I haven't slept better in ages."

Loke snorts at him. "Dude, geezer much? I tell you time and again the night is for the young! Speaking of, wanna go clubbing tonight?"

"Eh…" Gray cringed upon remembering his last harrowing club visit. "Nah."

"Bro! It's been ages since we last hung out!" the blonde man whined. "'Sup with that anyway? Got some chick I should know about?"

He took a second to process that question. The quasi-woman at the forefront of his thoughts didn't exactly abide by his pal's definition of a "chick". "No. Not really."

Loke's ecstatic grin broke across his entire face. "Perfect. I've a bunch of hot friends I've been— dying— to introduce to you." Before Gray could utter another protest, the lion slinged his arm around his neck and was already dragging him out of school.

"Code Red! I repeat, Code Red has returned! Everyone, masks on!"

Erza scoffed as all her colleagues immediately scrambled back to their cubicles to put on their disposable sanitary masks at Freed's behest. In times like these, she wasn't entirely sure who's more immature, her fellow teachers or her students. Slamming the faculty office door behind her, she dragged her wobbly legs to her desk and plopped down on the swiveling chair. The cubicle beside her had long been vacated, since she allegedly contaminated one of her former seatmate's prized Airheads. So far, this was the only silver lining to her seemingly never ending nightmare.

How much does a sick person's word mean these days?

Not a single soul believed that she was non contagious. Openly declaring so in the bus only made mothers clutch their children tighter to their chest. Mean commuters have been maintaining a meter radius distance from her like she's some sex offender. Wally, himself, had put his foot down and temporarily excommunicated her from his bar, after she scared away his customers that one time.

Never. Ending. Nightmare.

She can't have her booze or her strawberry cheesecake. It's basically school, convenience store, and home these days. Most infuriatingly, the Pizza Hut branch in her neighborhood had recently blocked her number, when their delivery boy apparently called in sick for a week after dropping by her place.

Erza whimpered and stared longingly at the Pizza Hut ad neatly pinned on her cubicle wall. Whoever green lit this new flavor deserves a raise. Finally, the pizza of her dreams had come to life— a pizza smothered in strawberry syrup and cream cheese; it's basically the long lost cousin of her favorite dessert. For certain, the other toppings inclusively listed such as hamburg, bacon, mushroom, onion, pepper, and garlic blended splendidly like a charm.

Crazy Happy Fun Time Pizza, indeed, as its name boldly suggests.

The terrible catch was it's a seasonal product only available within the month, and the promo is expiring this weekend. Meanwhile, this dark cloud overcasting her entire life has no clear intention of leaving anytime soon.

What's life worth living for, if I can't even have my Crazy Happy Fun Time Pizza?

"Talking to the wall again huh, Code Red? Must be sad having nobody in your life. It breaks my fucking heart."

Erza yelped at the sudden appearance of the scary burly man on Bickslow's seat. Her boss leaned his thick arm on her desk and knitted his bushy brows at the ad in scrutiny. "The—fuck— is this giant mutant of a pizza? 646 calories— per slice? Got a picnic planned with your twelve obese cats, Scarlet?"

Willing her blood pressure to subside, she took deep nasally breaths to conserve her waning energy. Out of all the people who treated her like a leper, Laxus Dreyar— maskless as he is now— was oddly unaffected by her condition. Not that the asshole took her word for it; her boss simply continued to prove he's a mightier plague than whatever she caught. Satisfied with his daily fill of tormenting her, Laxus swiveled backwards and clapped his hands.

"Gather up, nerds! Huge announcement incoming!"

All the other teachers reluctantly approached their boss and the germ-infested presence next to him. They stopped short in a circle, upon reaching the ideal sex offender distance radius from them. Laxus leaned back in his seat and blatantly crossed his leg.

"As discussed, this week we're running a springtime 'eliminate delinquency' campaign. Fairy Academy is gonna cooperate with the police in patrolling the business districts at night. Now, since we're technically still understaffed— thanks to all the resignations caused by somebody's class—" he paused to nudge his huge head towards the redhead beside him, "I'd have to require all of you to step up."

"Woohoo!" Bickslow cheered. "Red-light district! Here we come!"

Erza groaned out loud, "Guys, I strongly believe I'm dying. You all do too, right?"

"Not gonna fool me with that shitty excuse, Code Red," her boss bit back.

"Precisely. You're automatically required to participate, Scarlet. You do realize everyone else is sacrificing their precious time for your class," Freed mumbled behind two layers of mask. "This 'eliminate delinquency week' is practically done for the sake of Class F alone."

"This is so unfair!" Evergreen whined, "Last year, I wasn't required for this! This is a man's job! I guarantee you none of my students would be lurking in those bars, or arcades, or karaoke—!"

"Quit bitching, Ever. My order's final," Laxus stressed.

"Actually… I don't think I can make it tonight, Laxus," Mira meekly added.

Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow immediately focused their attention to the white-haired woman at the casual referral of their boss's name. Laxus merely tilted his head in question, "Oh? What's up?"

"Well, I had this long-time appointment with a world-renowned beautician who only happens to be available tonight, so—"

"'Kay. Whatever. You're free to pass."

"What?!" Erza aggressively snapped at the man beside her. "How is that fair? I call favoritism! Who's with me?" she expectantly raised her hand and waited for the trio's violent reactions to erupt.

Sensing his posses' imminent desire to rebel, Laxus immediately slapped her hand down and cleared his throat. "Instructor Strauss is a very valuable asset to our school. All the high school boys have been ace-ing Chem since she showed up. I'm sure this appointment is ultimately done for the good of our students."

"Oh, for sure," Evergreen sarcastically mumbled to the giggling woman beside her.

"Sorry, Ever!" Mira teasingly sang and squeezed the annoyed woman's shoulders from behind. "Welp! Time for me to leave. Maybe next time, I'll let you in on my beauty secrets," she snottily added, before heading for the door.

As soon as Laxus stood to get his things, Freed and Bickslow both piled on Evergreen's explosive rants against Mira. Her fellow female teachers have been nastily butting heads as of late. It all began that month when Mira started missing their morning stand-ups, due to her regular tardiness. Laxus, much like now, simply buys her lame excuses and sweeps it under the rug. Evergreen, on the other hand, insisted that she knew a hangover, when she sees one. A daily hangover, though? Does Mira have some kind of alcoholic problem?

"Loke, this is not a club."

"'Course it is. 'Club'—" he airquoted. "—Serendipity is the city's most famous, top-class hostess—"

"Not. A. Club."

Gray angrily chastised himself for failing to read the glaring clues Loke overtly laid out for him. The guy specifically told him to slap on his most formal attire and hide his baby face behind his trademark miser scowl. He then accompanied Loke to withdraw a thick wad of cash from the ATM. After which, the guy handed him a fake ID and claimed he was now Gray Surge, a twenty-five year old fresh grad working in some IT firm. By the time Loke had dragged his oblivious ass all the way to the bustling center of Roppongi's nightlife district, it was too late to back out of the lion's game.

The glittering reflection of the humongous crystal chandelier momentarily blinded him upon their entrance. A wide red carpeted staircase ran down the center of the open floor. Across the marble-tiled ballroom, numerous half circular mahogany booths are laid out. Seated upon the red velvety sofas are glamorous women dressed in long cocktail gowns and sparkly jewelry that blinded him once again.

"Why the fuck would you bring me to a hostess club?!" Gray yelled at the lion sitting next to him in their shared booth. "Hell, is this even legal? We're minors!"

"Shhh!" Loke hissed, then lowered his voice. "It's cool, man. I've got connections. I swear we won't get into trouble as long as you keep a lid on it, Gray Surge," he emphasized.

Gray groaned and figured he might as well sate his curiosity on how these shady establishments operated inside. Taking in his surroundings once more, he noticed the influx of older salarymen arriving as the night went on.

A middle aged CEO-looking fellow stepped into the lobby, his stern expression wrought with despair. Upon being greeted by the ladies and seated on their booth, all of a sudden, he was a changed man. There wasn't any touching involved— at least not while people were looking. The rouged girls attentively fawned and cooed over his rants— rants, which aren't exactly petty in nature. He spoke of his woes with his snotty in-laws and his demanding boss. Divulged personal secrets, regarding his rebellious teenage daughter's boyfriends and his company being at the brink of bankruptcy. All the while, the girls refilled his glass to the point of overflowing. The empty wine bottles multiplied on his table like a neat line-up of crystal trophies, as they continued to stroke his vulnerable ego. They praised his resilient fighting spirit, saying they were proud of him and he was special. Gray never knew that the same stern-faced old fart could giggle so merrily and delightfully clap like a toddler celebrating his birthday.

He briefly wondered if all these hostess club patrons were alone in their lives. The girls didn't shy away from bringing up the topic of their overbearing wives waiting for them at home, so he highly doubted it. Nevertheless, it was odd. After suffering through hours of overtime, these salarymen would rather flock here than race home to the welcoming arms of their families. They were drawn to this mecca of pin-up goddesses and voluntarily blurted their problems to complete strangers, instead of the rightful ears that deserved to hear it back home. They paid big money for the women's vague, superficial advices which, more often than not, are totally unrelated to their issues. Not that they notice this, of course, as the girls made sure to always keep their glasses filled. Not that it matters, he supposed. Perhaps, the blurry drunken visage of a pleasant, smiling "listener" is enough to convince these wayward, tortured souls that they're not alone in their problematic life.

"What are we doing here exactly?" Gray bitterly muttered.

"Well, you always dissed my usual clubs, so I figured this atmosphere's more suitable for your inner geezer," Loke cheekily smirked.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" he grimaced at sight of the lonesome salarymen surrounding them.

"You're welcome, by the way," Loke chuckled at his evident discomfort. "I went ahead and booked you a chick, 'cause apparently it's too gay to share your problems with your bro these days."

"What?"

"Yup." Loke proudly nodded at his appalled state."I specifically got you their No. 1 girl. Feel free to weep your emo heart out. I guarantee she won't judge."

Before Gray could push himself up and high tail out of there, an elegant white-haired lady dressed in a black lace off-shoulder gown arrived at their booth. She wore a familiar face that made the blood in his veins run cold upon recognition.

"My lion!" she joyously squealed.

"Mira-chan! You look drop dead gorgeous in that new dress!" Loke hastily scooted over to invite the woman into their booth.

Mira pressed herself next to the ecstatic Loke and frowned. "Oh, but isn't this guy...?" she reluctantly asked.

Loke immediately slinged his arm around Gray in a show of confidence. "No worries, Mira-chan! This dude's my bro. We abide by a sacred code of not tattling on each other's girl," he then turned to Gray's panic stricken expression and glared threateningly, "Right, partner?"

A thousand questions passed through Gray's brain, regarding the shocking revelation of finding one of their academy's instructors working in this shady establishment and her "friendlier" than usual relationship with his bro. Sensing his distress, Mira smiled sweetly at him. "Alright, if my Lion says you can be trusted, then yes. I'm actually working here part-time," she offered. "But you can't tell anyone at—"

"He won't." Loke instantly answered before their cover gets blown. He firmly shook Gray's high-strung shoulder once more and retracted his hold.

"Okay. I believe you boys," Mira smiled in assurance, and began running her hand up and down Loke's leg. "So? What has my dashing king of the jungle been up to lately?" she teasingly sang.

Gray cringed in awkward discomfort as Loke vocally ranted about his terrible day with his scarlet-haired "boss" from their "IT department", while Mira fondled him. He totally had no clue this was happening behind the scenes. His friend was never shy on boasting about his latest conquests, but a teacher moonlighting as a hostess is a completely different topic. Loke being a lovestruck fool in Mira's class was one thing, but whatever this is definitely counted as morally skewed on so many levels.

"Ah! There she is!" Loke suddenly perked up within Mira's embrace and frantically waved across the room. "Jenny-chan over here!"

A blonde beauty dressed in a purple slitted sequined gown appeared before their booth and sat herself next to Gray, permanently barring his escape. Her long wavy hair is neatly held together by a ruby tiara. "Loke-sama, is he the sad friend you mentioned?" she demurely inquired.

"He totally is, Jenny-chan!" Loke exaggeratedly whined. "I've reached my wits' end on how to turn that frown upside down! I desperately need you to shower this scrooge with your unconditional love and affection, so he can finally open his heart to someone!"

Jenny turned to the man sporting his miser scowl at full force and sweetly smiled. "Aww. Don't worry, cutiepie. Your No. 1 girl is right here. Has anyone told you how handsome you are?"

Gray glared his extreme displeasure at the purring lion basking in cloud nine brought by the undivided attention of his Mira-chan. Next to him, Jenny wasted no time on filling up his glass— and hers. Mira then turned to Loke. The smile she wore was distinctly shrewd compared to the kind, pleasant ones she only ever showed at school. "Well, my lion? Don't you suppose we should move to our private booth, so your friend could freely open up around Jen?"

"Absolutely! You're so considerate, Mira-chan!" Loke nudged him repeatedly. "Dude, if you needed proof that heaven exists, then look no further! This perfection of a woman is an angel, I tell you!" he beamed.

Gray slapped away Loke's elbow and gritted his teeth. "Hey. You're not really leaving me with this chick are you?" he whispered in alarm. "She's chugging the whole wine bottle by herself."

Loke snickered at the blonde beauty who's by now half way done through the litter. "Chill dude, it's called commission-per-bottle. It's why Jenny-chan's the No.1 hostess in this club."

"There's no way in hell I'm paying for that!"

Loke sarcastically rolled his eyes. "I figured that in advance, hence the ATM side trip. Just tell her to put it on my tab." He rose to his feet with Mira still lovingly clinging to his arm. "Jenny-chan, go easy on my partner, m'kay? He's as 'inexperienced' as they come." Gray could only curse under his breath, as Loke and Mira disappeared through the ballroom crowd.

"Social climbing slut..."

The bitter gripe of a hoarse feminine voice drew Gray's attention to the No. 1 girl's ungraceful hunched form and the now empty wine bottle on their table. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and immediately decided to call for a new bottle— something a little more potent this time. By the time Jenny had single handedly finished their third bottle, Gray had long been attentively refilling her glass to fuel her fiery rants about her co-hostess.

"Heard she's a teacher in the day," she slurred. "Said she was able to make ten times more in her first month with us compared to her salary outside. The madam's advocating her like crazy thanks her so-called appeal with the younger crowd."

"Why is that a good thing? Aren't stu— I mean, don't those fancy dressed old farts tend to shell out more?"

"Only on their drinks. But us girls are being paid by the hour, and that's fixed. These geezers can't party all night long; they have a curfew to their wives. Meanwhile, you, youngsters— with no lives— can roost here until the sun is up. Every time a young guy shows up these days, they'd request for that albino whore, while I— the No. 1 girl— am stuck catering to the woes of disgusting old creeps," she moaned.

Gray furrowed his brows in doubt, "So you're telling me, it's not just my friend who's a regular customer of hers?"

She mockingly laughed at him. "That friend of yours—" she smiled condescendingly. "—is the biggest idiot to ever set foot in this place. He must've spent his entire family's fortune by now, listening to the bullshit the bitch eagerly feeds him. It's almost as if he doesn't get the concept of us. This place may look like the grandest palace in the world, housing the most beautiful princesses out of fairy tales. But hell, it's just a front to keep the fantasy alive; it's basically your adult version of Disneyland. I— never once— gave a shit about your problems!" she drunkenly declared and slammed her glass on the table.

No shit. No. 1, my ass. I should be the one getting paid to listen to your problems.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Gray checks his phone, confirming it's long past midnight. "Where the fuck are they anyway? Can you point me to this private booth, so I can drag my dumb friend outta here?"

The blonde hostess drunkenly chuckles at him, while twirling a lock of her golden hair. "My, you're pretty thick too, aren't you? See kid, private booths don't exist in hostess clubs. It's illegal for you guys to lay your hands on us— within the vicinity, that is."

Gray's countenance paled in horror. "What?"

"Slut's a fucking overachiever," she sarcastically emphasized. "Always going the 'extra mile' past her shifts. I brought it up to the madam, of course. 'As long as they're willing, and as long as they'll pay you' was her answer," she bitterly quipped.

Composing himself, Gray lowered his voice and glared, "I'm gonna ask you again. It's not just my friend, who's a regular of hers? Of this— 'special treatment'?" he stressed.

Jenny tilts her head sideways and regards him in all seriousness. "Here's a trade secret, kid. For us girls, there's no such thing as playing favorites. You're— not— special, no matter how much I tell you otherwise."

Erza popped in her fifth pain reliever pill and drowned it with the third energy drink she purchased since they began their patrol of Kabukichō, the city's biggest and most infamous red-light district. Laxus had split their group into two teams. Unfortunately, he made sure to include her in his team, in case she ever dared to escape when no one's looking. It's been five hours and twelve rounds of marching through the same streets. The loitering crowd had long since morphed from partying teenagers to perverted drunkards and half-naked prostitutes, yet her boss is still hellbent on not letting anyone leave.

"Dammit, Scarlet! Did you fucking tip those retards beforehand?" Laxus accused her once more.

"How?" she challenged. "How exactly could I have done that? You practically dragged me here from school, right after your stupid last minute announcement!"

"Then how the fuck do you explain this otherworldly phenomenon? Huh?" Laxus demanded through bloodshot eyes.

"I don't know. It's, what, 1 AM? They're probably home by now," she sighed. "Trust me, at this rate, I wish just as much as you do that one of my students pop up, if that means I can finally go home!" she whined.

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed out loud. "Fuck it. Might as well call it a day. We should all be back at school in a couple of hours." Checking his surroundings once more, he grumbled, "Where the fuck did that dickbag disappear to now?"

Erza nonchalantly shrugged. Much to their surprise and horror, their other teammate, Bickslow, happens to be a regular in the area. A number of scantily clad chicks who suspiciously looked like whores greeted the man excitedly on first name basis. To say that this new piece of information greatly disturbed them both would be an understatement.

Laxus angrily marched off to hunt down his minion from the brothel lobbies, finally leaving her in peace. Yawning from sheer exhaustion, Erza went to purchase another energy drink from the back alley vendo. Emerging at the adjacent street where she planned to make her escape, an oddly familiar couple suddenly came into sight. The woman's long white silvery tresses bounced freely in the air, while she lovingly clung to her companion's arm. Erza's eyes widened at the man's distinctly short spiky strawberry blonde hair. Before she was able to cross the street and confirm her suspicions, the pair had already entered the red block-like, four-story building by the road. Squinting at the neon billboard sign attached to the building's roof, Erza's stomach plummeted into a bottomless pit.

It was a love hotel.

However, there must be some kind of mistake. No matter how much of a promiscuous tease her colleague poses to be, surely even that woman knew better than to mess with a student. She was already actively doing it with their boss, resulting in his highly inappropriate bias towards her at work. It wouldn't be wise for her to jeopardize such benefits over an affair with a student— and a delinquent, no less.

Erza hastily swallowed back her impending doubts and determined that her brain's cognitive functions weren't exactly the most reliable at the moment. Her delirium and fatigue must've heighten her imagination to the realm of absurdity. That's probably just it.

The following day the boys' roles were ironically reversed. As soon as the bell rang, it was now Gray who barred the classroom exit, lest the lion retreated back towards his newfound haven. Gray forcefully dragged the beguiled playboy to an abandoned classroom and gently spelled out his brotherly advice in this issue.

"I dunno what to tell ya man," Loke shrugged in clear amusement at his agitated friend. "It's real."

"The fuck, it is! The whole idea behind that club is to make brainwashed cash cows out of vulnerable saps like you!"

"Sure." Loke casually nodded. "So how do you explain our glorious night of passion then?" he smugly boasted as Gray's frown squirmed in disgust. "That's right, pal. We did it— thrice— and holy shit! After decades of bedding shitty high school bimbos, Mira-chan has finally opened my eyes to the finer things in life."

"She's got you hook, line, and sinker in some cooked up fantasy!"

"You know what? If our relationship never left the club, then sure— call it fantasy or whatever the hell you want. But like I said, this is real," Loke solemnly declared. "It's real enough for us to look past the rose-tinted glasses and realize 'traditional' assholes like you would condemn us for it," he spat.

"Then why the fuck aren't you breaking it off?" Gray bluntly countered.

"Why?" Loke chuckles at him in pure condescension. "Because we're in love, jackass."

Gray clicked his tongue at the sheer stubborn stupidity of his friend. He was hoping to make him see reason without pulverizing his young tender heart. "You're not the only one," he slowly said. "Mira has been using the same tactics to draw in other students to the club. She's literally whoring herself out."

Loke seems slightly taken aback by his revelation, but then immediately scoffed in derision. "Lemme guess, Jen told you? That nasty bitch is like Mira-chan's biggest hater. 'Course, she'll paint her as some loose whore."

"Well, it's not entirely horseshit given how easily she'd spread open for you," Gray snidely replied. "Tell me, just how much extra did she charge for that 'bedroom service'?"

Loke refused to meet his eyes and turned his back against him. "Just because you're angry and bitter doesn't mean you have to project it to all of us," he growled. "Mira-chan and I share a special bond that a hateful bastard like you could never hope to understand."

"The. Hell." Gray cringed in disbelief. "Why are you bringing— me— into this? I just wanted to slap you out of y—"

"'Cause that's exactly what you're doing, isn't it?!"

When Loke turned to face him, the lion's furious visage bore the clear intention of murder. "You and your fucking relentless vendetta— Mira's just another innocent victim of yours! Do you even realize how batshit evil you are to those teachers? You must be pretty sick in the head to have concocted such an elaborate means of torture to begin with!"

Gray is momentarily shaken to hear Loke, one of his most avid supporters in the past, so brutally criticize him like this. Suddenly, all his month-long insecurities towards a certain redhead are rudely brought out to light. Once more, he is balancing on a thin thread of diminishing hope atop a beckoning ring of hellfire. His confrontational bravado gradually faded and is quickly replaced by the intense mixture of self loathing and shame.

Sensing his evident distress, Loke openly laughs at him. "What? Is this news to you?" he mocked. "All of us are simply putting up with your bullshit, asshole! Natsu and Lucy are fucking sick of having to deal with your pathetic tantrums every goddamn time. Hell, I bet not even Juvia likes you, if the bitch wasn't blind enough to see how irrevocably fucked up you are!"

The lion fisted Gray's shirt and snarled its sharp fangs at its cowering, docile prey. "You think you're so fucking special— always acting like we're all beneath you. You never did let any of us in on that private island of yours," he snorted, then smirked deviously. "Well, congrats, loser. You're officially a self-made castaway, and no one will bother to save you now."

"Golden rolled crust of hot dogs wrapped in bacon and melted cheese. Abundantly topped center of hamburg, mushroom, onion, pepper, garlic, and cream cheese. Two optional topping of your choice, maple syrup or… strawberry syrup..." Gray bit back the involuntary urge to gag. It's as though some slob found the only unexpired ingredients in his fridge and said, 'Fuck it. Pizza, it is.'

Upon seeing the ad lovingly pinned on their instructor's empty cubicle, Gray's initial reaction was to spontaneously burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. While other people had pictures of their significant others, kids, pets, or celebrities, this dork had a huge ass monstrosity of a pizza, serving as her daily inspiration at work.

"Who's a proud member of the lonely hearts club now?" he snickered.

Erza Scarlet always had her own gung ho, yet effective way of solving other people's problems— a tried and tested method which he could personally attest to. Surely, she would know how to pull his friend out of this shithole he dug himself in. In his desperate attempt to save Loke's ass, Gray found himself in the empty faculty office hours after dismissal. Strangely, someone left the lights on and forgot to lock up. Pulling back their instructor's swiveling chair, he comfortably sat himself. He already expected not to find her here, but he had to try anyway. Picking out a post-it from her desk, he repeatedly drummed his pen and pondered what exactly to write.

SOS. Call me. - GRAY

Scribbling down his number underneath, he firmly nodded in assurance. Hopefully, this would be enough to get her attention. "SOS", a distress signal befitting the island castaway Loke named him as. Gray wonders if the guy was right— if he was doomed to forever fling out hundreds of bottles into the ocean, while ultimately no one cares to rescue him.

In retrospect, she was right about him once more. Apparently, he is lonely; none of the people he regarded as his friends truly liked him. As pathetic as it sounds, he is beginning to develop a spirit of camaraderie with those world-weary old farts. He can now sympathize with how they can have families, yet no one to talk to at the same time. Alienated from their own loved ones, these men desperately cough up their hard earned cash for the basest form of human connection.

More than ever now, he wanted to see her. He wanted her to punch him— hard, the same way she punched Natsu that one time. He wanted her to tell him Loke's full of shit. He wanted to hear her say she believes in him, looped into an endless repeat. The last thing he wanted was for her to stop caring now— now, of all times, when he's finally ready.

However, it appears his grace period had long expired. A stinging chill ran down his entire spine, at the memory of when he was last in this very cubicle. It felt like a millennia ago, but he was undeniably the same boy who heartlessly wished for her to freeze to death.

The shrill creak of the office door broke him out of his trance. Peeking above the cubicle partition, his eyes widened at the long white wavy locks of the newcomer. Mira, too, sensed his unnatural presence in the faculty area, and threw him a gentle smile.

"Are you looking for Erza?" she meekly asked, while collecting her things. "She left hours ago for their nightly patrol."

Gray bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. He had a split-second chance to make the most out of this shining opportunity that conveniently landed on his lap. "No, actually, I came here looking for you," he smoothly answered.

Rising from Erza's cubicle, he crumpled the post-it note in his palm and threw it into the bin. Now is not the time to be seeking solace from his shared misery with a bunch of geezers. One more time, Gray summons his exemplary acting skills at full force. After all, it would take a good actor to fool another.

"Oh?" Mira raised a perfectly drawn brow, when he cornered her on the way out. "Well, I'm leaving for my part-time shift," she openly stated. "Is there something you need?"

Gray crossed his arms and threw her his most charming smile. "Yes, Mira-chan, after seeing you the other night dressed so elegantly like an angel. Honestly, you're all I can think of, since you left me in that booth with that blonde bitch." he wisely added for extra brownie points.

Mira melodiously giggled to herself. "My! I'm very flattered to hear this from you, Mr. Fullbuster. I'm sure we can arrange something, if you're that smitten with me," she teasingly implied.

"In that case, I'd love to see you after your evening shift, if you know what I mean," Gray boldly countered.

"Oh. You're interested in that," she cooed and unabashedly eyed him up and down. "I like it— I like it, when men are forward with me," she smirked and clicked her tongue. "Sadly though, I'm fully booked for the next couple of days. How does Friday sound?"

Gray returned her radiant, cheery smile with one of his own. If his stubborn friend demanded solid proof, then he'll be more than happy to shove it down his throat. Everyone already pegged him as batshit evil anyway. He might as well live up to it.

"Friday sounds perfect. I can hardly wait."

Chapter Text

Five more hours until midnight. Six more hours until freedom. Seven more hours until her long anticipated reunion with her bed. One more night of delinquent patrol until this hellish week is finally over.

Her bloodshot eyes had been suffering from a constant seizure caused by the ubiquitous blinking neon signs. Her influenza had significantly worsened the last couple of days. Prostitutes, drunkards, and beggars were now fleeing at the mere sight of her. At first, her intimidating presence brought back fond memories of her days as the Queen of the Tower. Strangely though, not even the most rampant lowlifes in the area recognized her as the same woman who once enacted her infamous Heaven's Wheel judgement upon them. As it appears, Erza Scarlet had officially reached her all time low. The Titania's regal legend had been replaced by the tales of the scarlet-haired zombie haunting Kabukicho's streets at night.

She checked her phone and cursed out loud. Barely ten minutes had passed since they started their patrol. It's the final day of another seemingly endless night of foreboding dread. Her stubborn students refused to cooperate with her active efforts on saving their ass. Even after she gave away their confidential patrol routes, they never failed to show up in the most obvious locations.

The most serious offender had been Natsu and, by extension, Lucy. The other night she caught the pair openly dancing in front of the Robot Restaurant's gaudy entrance. Natsu had been urging the reluctant blonde to copy his impromptu robot dance in tune to the catchy "Roboto" theme song blasting in the speakers. The crowd was beginning to surround the kooky spectacle, when Erza immediately pulled them out of her boss' line of sight. Quickly, she hid the two inside a robot-themed photo booth, a terrible decision on her part. The hyperactive boy's itchy fingers compelled him to press all of the machine's shiny buttons like a curious child going berserk in the elevator. The machine spat out a constant stream of pictures. Although Natsu was photogenically smiling in everything, Lucy claimed she looked constipated in all the shots. Erza had to randomly suggest they visit a cat cafe instead, just to put an end to their overt public bickering. Luckily, Natsu was quick to oblige and dragged the still irritated Lucy with him away from the patrol area.

"Can you believe the audacity of that bitch? Not once— did she contribute all week!" Evergreen angrily exclaimed.

"Ah, yes. I'm beginning to lose track myself. What 'world-renowned' professional was it again this time?" Freed sarcastically replied.

"The dentist! She can't make it, because she has another asspull appointment with a 'world-renowned' dentist!"

Her listless steps came to a pause. Erza carefully regarded the red block-like, four-story building across the street, while the rants of her two teammates droned into the distance. For the entire week, the fleeting mirage she saw continued to bother her. A teacher and a student sleeping together in a love hotel is too ridiculous to be true, even with the alleged parties involved. Loke may be the biggest sleaze on campus; but apart from the innocent hearts he's broken, the boy seems harmless enough. Mira, on the other hand, was someone she couldn't put her finger on. At times, the albino woman's baby blue eyes held a subtle twinkle that seems to hide a greater story; one that's possibly as sizable as her own secret.

"Scarlet! As desperate as you are on getting laid, making puppy dog eyes to a building is just plain sad," Freed snottily called out from the distance.

"Pick up the pace, Code Red, or we're so ditching you!" Evergreen added, and they both continued to walk away from her.

Erza sneered at her colleagues' catty insults. The two had been incredibly edgy, ever since their boss started neglecting them in favor of his elusive albino crush. Huffing to herself, she was about to follow the pair, when she witnessed yet another disturbing anomaly in front of the red building. Hastily, she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

The anomaly persisted to exist. If her hot mush of a brain wasn't mistaken, Gray Fullbuster just casually strolled into a love hotel meters across the street. He was alone, though that hardly served as any consolation to her agitated nerves. Karaoke, arcades, underage drinking or smoking she can condone, but these brats just had to keep materializing at love hotels.

Before she realized it, her legs involuntarily led her to cross the pedestrian lane. She wasn't even aware he had a girlfriend. The idea never occurred to her, because he was such a grouch at school. Maybe he had a recent change of heart, since her drastic intervention. Maybe this was a major sign that she actually did something right. Gray is finally opening himself to others, and she is very, very proud of him. This is positive news for a change!

Nonetheless, the issue remains. Love hotels are an alarmingly huge step in his noble quest of fostering a healthy intimate relationship with his girlfriend. She sure hopes these dumb kids knew how to stay protected. She should check. She'll drop by, sit the couple down, and vigorously threaten them with the horrors of teenage pregnancy. No, she is not overstepping her boundaries at all; this is exactly what a responsible homeroom teacher would do.

Erza entered the dingy red lobby and briskly approached the jaded receptionist, who's in the midst of blatantly watching his porn behind the counter. Upon hearing her claim she's a visitor of the guy who just came in, the apathetic man instantly paused his video to eye her up close. The intensity of his puzzled look made her wonder if she was the one being judged or Gray for his terrible taste in women. Smilingly, she was about to correct his innocent mistake when he spoke first.

"Club Serendipity?"

"Wha—?"

"You a whore?"

WHAT.

Fuck.

Everything— from the walls, to the sheets, to the carpet, to the curtains— literally everything was so blindingly red. The atmosphere of the room strongly reeked of STD. Frantically pacing back and forth, Gray refused to settle himself anywhere within the vicinity in fear of touching something he'd likely regret for the rest of his life. There were visible stains in the sheets and the rugs, the latter of which suspiciously looked like blood that's long dried out.

Fuck.

Willing his spasmic shudders to subside, he once again reviewed his master plan for the evening. As soon as Mira enters the door, he shall play along until she strips to her undergarments. After which, he will collect enough blackmail pictures and threaten to circulate it on campus. It was simple enough. He most definitely could pull this off by himself.

So why does it feel like something's eerily amiss?

Mira agreed to his random proposal almost too easily. What if she saw through his act and was out to blackmail him in turn? A minor student and a teacher's late night rendezvous in a love hotel is equally bad news for both parties involved. Even worse, what if he ends up getting raped? She's quite the cougar herself to be sickeningly petting her domesticated lion. What if she's an insatiable demoness out thirsting for his young blood?

Fuuuuck.

A loud knock on the door jolted him out of his trance, and he briefly calculated his chances of survival from jumping out the fourth floor window. Whimpering a prayer mantra, his jittery fingers reluctantly reached for the knob.

The succeeding second happened in a motion blur of red. A scarlet apparition of a woman emerged from the bloody crimson walls and violently tackled him on the mattress. All of a sudden, his movement was restrained and his breathing stopped. His eyes could only widen, as the object of his month-long thoughts currently sat atop him in the flesh.

"E-Erza…?" he stutters in disbelief.

Her glasses were off, signaling his impending doom. Her nostrils flared, and her glare grew deadlier by the second. However, the seething fan of her heated breath against his skin, confirmed that he wasn't dreaming. When she aggressively slammed him against the cushions, his joy continued to heighten, because he wasn't waking up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I always knew you were a mess— but this!?"

"Hiring a hooker in a love hotel?!"

"What would Ultear say, if she found out?!"

"Do you ever think of your poor sister's well-being!?"

"Her long beautiful hair is prematurely turning white, thanks to all the stupid shit you put her through!"

A total of six repeated slams suffixed each rapid-fire accusation, and she still hasn't disappeared. Gray bit his lip in a desperate struggle to suppress his laughter. This crazy, bipolar woman— one moment she's ignoring his entire existence, and now she's literally straddling and rocking on top of him. She pinned both his wrists above his head, while her toned thighs snugly encased his waist. If she wasn't dripping in snot and if he wasn't lying on a bed saturated in STD, this situation would have been a major turn on.

"Explain yourself, you degenerate! Or god help me, I'll murder you myself!" To prove that she wasn't bluffing, one hand left his wrist and securely wrapped around his windpipe.

His eyes instantly bulged out. His brain shamelessly defaulted to the more deviant connotation of her action. Her grip on his throat tightened, when he failed to speak. "Calm the fuck down! It's a misunderstanding!" he choked out. "I'm not sleeping with anyone!"

"LIAR!" she roared. "You dare still lie to my face, after I caught you prancing around in your birthday suit?!"

Her words replayed in slow motion, and he painfully gulps through her strangling hold. Peeking down in dreadful caution, he, too, began to camouflage with the rest of the room. The worst combination of jittery nerves and neurotic anxiety had unconsciously made him strip— everything. His gaze darted to the long fabric of her skirt, bundled around his naked waist.

Oh shit. What— THE FUCK— is she sitting on?!

"Start talking sense! Right! Now!"

Erza narrowed her eyes into thin slits and nears her snarling face closer to his. Scarlet waterfalls brush his cheek and pools on his chest. A dense mist of red clouds his vision. He's sweating profusely, all of a sudden. Squirming beneath her, he firmly retracts his earlier statement. This is turning him on, regardless of how disgusting she is. His ice cold fingers longed to break free from her iron grip and latch themselves onto her exuding warmth.

Centimeters from his face, Erza blinked once and abruptly pulls away to sit upright. The restraining bind on his neck and wrists are gone. Both hands snap to cover her mouth in shock, and her eyes widened in stark horror.

Oh shit.

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Please don't tell me—!

"I think I'm gonna puke..." she weakly declared from above him, where he lay underneath— directly at the line of fire.

Without a second thought, Gray mustered all his latent strength and propelled her to the far-off distance.

"You're still sick?"

"I'm dying."

"It's been a month."

"Dying— I tell you."

Erza glanced at the now-dressed boy's frowning reflection through the bathroom mirror. Gray had been gracious enough to hold her hair back, while she ungracefully hurled her dinner into the toilet. Once again, it appears that they have evenly humiliated themselves in front of the other. She's been rinsing her face thoroughly in the sink in hopes of washing away her embarrassment, but his persistent, awkward presence behind her in the cramped bathroom wasn't helping.

"Sorry… It's technically my fault, isn't it?"

She knitted her brows in confusion, before realizing what he meant. "It's my immune system's fault," she corrected.

His reflection blinked back at her, then broke eye contact to meekly smile at the tiled wall.

"Is it true?" she asked.

"Yeah. Mira's been profiting off her students by sleeping with them."

"And you didn't exactly hire her?"

His reflection sneered at her. "What kind of lawbreaking delinquent do you take me for? I'm a dick, but I have scruples. I have zero intentions of bedding a whore."

She glared back at the mirror. "Hey. Watch it. She's still your teacher. Don't call her that."

"It's true, though! I did my research, alright? Her main base for conducting recruitment is this super classy hostess club in Roppongi."

"You went inside a hostess club?!" She immediately turned to face him and is slightly taken aback by his actual, closer proximity compared to the reflection.

"Once," he stressed. "There's this chick in the club who tells me shit when she gets really drunk."

"Uh huh," she narrowed her eyes at him. "And you thought she was a reliable source, because…?"

"Look, Mira will be here by midnight as soon as your stupid patrol ends—"

"Heh. It's cute that you think it ends by midnight," she begrudgingly muttered.

"—If that's not enough proof, I don't know what is."

"Right. So your brilliant plan this time is to blackmail your teacher into resigning? Are you seriously still out to get us all?"

Gray instantly backed away as far as he could in the tiny space. "No… This is different. I want her to break it off with Loke. That's it," he clarified. "I don't give a flying fuck on who else she shags, but Loke is my friend. Asshole's a sleazebag himself, but the bitch is literally running him dry, and he's too caught up living in denial— claims they're in love and all that bullshit." Sighing heavily, he stares at the tiled floor. "I get it, you know… You— especially, have every right to suspect my real intentions, but—"

"Okay. I've heard enough," she cut in. "If you say it's true, then it's true."

His dark blue gaze wavered at her. "Really…?"

"Sure," she smiled to reassure him. "I'm just pissed that you went out of your way and did all this without telling me first."

He bitterly scoffed at her. "Oh trust me. It wasn't for the lack of trying."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He scratches his head in frustration and glares at her. "You do realize this is the first time we've spoken for like— a whole month."

She openly mused on what he said for a minute. "Hm. Guess so. I haven't really noticed."

Gray huffs at her in disgust and stomps out the door, finally freeing up her personal space. Was it insensitive of her to have said that? It was the honest truth. What did he expect? She's been drifting half-awake through life these days. Was he seriously upset just because she failed to engage in some dumb idle chatter with him? That would be incredibly shallow and immature even for a guy like him.

Following him back into the bedroom, she was suddenly overwhelmed with the temptation to pull her hair out. Once more, Gray was in the process of vigorously tugging his belt loose. Subconscious stress reflex or not, it's a disturbing, perverted spectacle to walk into unprepared. Allowing him the benefit of the doubt, she tightly grasped his fidgeting fingers a second from pulling his pants down. His frantic movements froze at her touch, though he refused to face her still.

"Well, I'm here now." Gently, she squeezed his hands to appease his tremors. "Fix your clothes. We're leaving."

"Yes. The love hotel. The red building by the main street," Erza reiterated once again.

Hidden in a back alley with the perfect view of the love hotel's entrance, Gray furrowed his brows at his companion, while Laxus Dreyar's brutal masculine voice blasted through her phone.

"Yes. Studen— Yep," she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I'm a hundred percent sure it's someone from my class," she sneered at him and hastily motions for him to check his own phone.

Simultaneously, a message came in informing him that his booty call had just arrived at their hotel room. Wordlessly, Gray lifts up the vivid screen to her face, and her eyes beamed in acknowledgement.

"Right then. I'll let you take it from here, boss. Go all out and give those damn brats a solid piece of your mind," she goaded. "Also, I'm leaving by the way. I'm literally dying." She then disgustingly simulated the sordid sound of choking on her phlegm, before hanging up.

"That's your plan? Bribe the receptionist and sell her out directly to Dreyar? You really hate this bitch, huh?" he chuckled in amusement.

"Well, it's a better gamble than what you cooked up. At least this way, Mira can hopefully keep her job. That asshole harbors an extremely unprofessional soft spot for her. I'd like to believe he genuinely cares enough not to fire her for this."

"What about my original goal then?" he dangerously narrowed his eyes, lest she forgot.

"At the same time—" she glared in return. "Mira now knows that she's being watched by her boss. She should be smart enough to end her part-time stint with all of her students immediately."

He slowly nodded in content. "Good enough, I guess. Only loose end is she'll think it was ultimately me who set her up."

"You were going to blackmail her either way," she blatantly reminded him. "Whatever you do at this point, she'll come after you."

He groaned and cursed out loud, prompting the inconsiderate woman to chuckle at his misery. "Hey. If and when that time comes— be sure to tell her she's dealing with me instead," she boldly declared, and he could've sworn the familiar lethal spark briefly flashed through her slanted eyes. "I hope you'll never forget that I'm always on your side."

Gray bit his lip in awkward hesitation, as the scarlet-haired woman nonchalantly bid him farewell and walked out of the dark alley. His pride was greatly wounded by her earlier revelation. The only thing worse than being ignored on purpose is being ignored— period. He had been deeply wallowing in self pity for the past month, and she, honest to god, told him she hadn't noticed.

To make matters worse, she's doing it again right at this very moment. She'll swoop in unannounced when he's in danger, and then disappear again for god knows how long this time. He sounds like such a pathetic, scorned kid, but isn't that the truth? She wanted him to be honest and to stop hesitating, didn't she?

Heaving a heavy sigh, Gray immediately broke into a desperate sprint towards the red-lit street. He swam across the sea of unknown faces to the brilliant shade of scarlet that stood out among them all. "Wait," he gripped her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Can you promise me this won't be another one-off-thing?"

"By 'this'," she carefully muttered with her back against him. "I sure hope you don't mean— us, stuck in a love hotel."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I mean, at school. I want you to stop pretending like I conveniently don't exist," he bluntly said, not caring anymore how pathetic he sounded.

Erza paused as though waiting for his words to register in her brain and regarded him in total bewilderment. "Am I hearing you right?"

"Wasn't that sincere enough for you? Do you need me to get on my knees— here— in public?" he angrily retorted.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned away again, but he tugged her back even harder and firmly held her tense shoulders with her back against him, "'Cause I'll do it," he said in all seriousness. "If that's what it'll take for this bullshit to end."

Her shoulders slumped under his grip. Deeply sighing, she turned to face him. "Gray, I literally don't have the energy for this right now."

He solemnly nodded in return. "Me neither. I'm so fucking tired. I just want to apologize once and for all," he insisted, voice doused in sincerity. "I locked you in that dark filthy freezer and called you all those names. I've been a complete asshole to you."

She furrowed her brows and blinked at him. "Oh, that," she shrugged. "Whatever. It's done."

She turns to leave once more, and he forcefully spun her to face him completely. Grabbing both her wobbly shoulders in place, he shook her. "You're not taking me seriously at all!"

Erza laughs at him in her delirious state. "For the record, I've learned not to take you kids too seriously. You're young and stupid. Half of the things you say, you don't even understand. Everything you said against me— all the names you called me— simply passed from one ear to the other. I tell you time and again, I don't fucking care what you think of me, okay?"

It wasn't exactly a pardon, because she was apparently never angry. She never was angry, because she apparently never cared about his opinion. That should've been sufficient as far as he's concerned, so why did it feel so utterly wrong? She was talking him out of his guilt, yet he somehow felt exceedingly worse than before. That last line didn't sit very well with him at all. "If I told you I'm being completely honest with you, will you take me seriously now?"

"I-miss-my-bed-so-much," she whined almost at the verge of tears.

"Erza, I said all those things, because I was a fucking coward. You were able to pick me apart and pry me open so easily that I got scared. I didn't want you to see me— the real me, the one no one else saw before you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"Good for you then…." she dreamily answered. Her eyes were now closed, as though she's willing herself to stay conscious by shutting down unnecessary bodily functions one-by-one.

"Please stop ignoring me," he outright pleaded. "I'm ready… I'm ready to let you—"

Her entire weight suddenly fell on him as her legs gave way. Fortunately, his iron grip on her shoulders prevented her from fully fainting on the street. He wrapped his arms around her back, supporting her against his chest. With both hands occupied, he bowed his forehead to touch hers and cursed. She's literally burning. He truly has been nothing but a complete asshole to her.

Adjusting his awkward hold to form a tight embrace, Gray whispered directly against her unconscious ear, "I'm ready to let you— in."

Erza groaned and rolled flat on her back. Marshmallow warmth enveloped her body like a cocoon, as she dreamily nuzzled in the cool soothing scent of pine flavored air fresheners. Her brows furrowed in question. Something distinctly cold is being pressed on her forehead. She reached out to touch it, but her fingers were met with another's instead. Lightly, she traced the stranger's fingers to discern their identity.

Long, rough and completely calloused.

Just like his….

"Jellal?"

"Who?"

Chocolate globes bulged open at once. She sat herself upright on the bed and stared wide-eyed at the equally flabbergasted boy who's been tending to her by the bedside. Approximately a whole minute past for her brain to rewind what exactly happened last night. Both hands snapped to fist her scarlet bed hair in a wild panic. "Shit. I slept in a love hotel," she stammered in horror. His disgusted scoff automatically drew the ire of her accusatory finger. "I slept in a love hotel— with you?!"

Gray simply swatted her hand out of his face. "Stop being gross. You fainted, and I dragged you home. Nothing happened." He unceremoniously dropped the cold compress on her lap and went to the kitchen.

Erza blinked and cautiously peeked beneath the comforters. "I'm wearing your stupid tourist shirt and no pants. More importantly, why aren't you wearing a shirt?!"

"You puked on yourself right after you puked on me. There's no way in hell, I would've thrown you on my bed dressed in puke," he deadpanned, filling a glass of water. "And that's the only clean shirt I have before laundry day, so— HELL, it's nothing you haven't seen at this point!" he defensively stammered.

"Where did you sleep?" She took in his entire studio flat and realized that there was no other place he could've—

"I didn't sleep. I watched you twitch and turn all night long like a total creep." Offering her a pill and a glass of lukewarm water, he sat by the edge of his bed and smirked deviously at her.

Her hand froze midair as she's reaching out to take it. She eyed him in thin narrow slits. "You're joking, right?"

He tilted his head in challenge. "Would you have preferred a less gentlemanly answer?" Looking away, she took his meds and gulped the entire glass in one go. He crossed his arms and grinned in clear amusement. "Geez, what a prude. Where's your Titania alter ego who's so into initiating one night stands with me?"

"As if. I would never have slept with you. Unlike— somebody— we know, I have morals to live by!" she proudly proclaimed.

"What? You lied to my face, after I followed you through hell and back in that devil's race track?" his tone feigned hurt, though he couldn't suppress the wide grin plastered on his face.

"Well, you lost," she smugly countered and extended her arm to return the empty glass. "End of story."

He took the glass and placed it on the bedside table, all the while not breaking eye contact. "Who's Jellal?"

"None of your business," she automatically answered, lest her body language betray her further.

He raised his brow skeptically at her. "Now that's not fair, is it? You nose around my life; I nose around yours."

She bit her lip in contemplation. His logic did make sense, but there was too much at risk for spilling unnecessary information on her part. "Fine, then I'll stop."

Gray's smile faded and his entire face fell. "What?"

"I'll stop getting into your business altogether, so you stay out of mine." She pushed aside the blankets and stood. Extending her arms to the sides, she balanced herself in her delirium. "See? I'm getting out of your place— right now."

He remained immobile, seated at the edge of his bed. "It's a bit too late for that, don't you think?" he bitterly muttered.

Erza paused and took in her surroundings for a second time. The dimly lit room is considerably cramped even for an average studio type. The small windows are barely enough to illuminate the room. She imagined the thick cemented walls would easily make the temperature drop to freezing at night. A framed picture of an ebony haired woman who greatly resembles Ultear sat on his desk. Somehow, even though it was the first time she set foot into his room, it was exactly as she subconsciously envisioned it to be.

He chuckled weakly behind her. "I never really thought about it until you brought it up, but... I guess it does get lonely sometimes..."

The jumbled words he spoke last night all fitted perfectly into proper context. Though purely accidental on her part, she cringed for even making him think she was deliberately ignoring him.

"Hey… Can I ask you a stupid question?" he reluctantly voiced behind her. "...Do you think that I'm... hateful?"

A couple of seconds passed for her to determine she heard him right. Cautiously, she turned to face his hunched form by the bed. His head is bowed, eyes locked on his knotted fingers as though in silent prayer. "Who told you that?" she asked.

He shrugged nonchalantly, though the tremors of shoulders didn't escape her notice. "Loke. Apparently, Natsu and Lucy think the same, so basically... everyone that matters..."

Erza knowingly hummed to herself, "Well, I do too." He didn't even bother to mask the violent jerk of his shoulders this time. She smiled and approached him slowly. "Did you hate me for saying that? Or did you hate yourself more?"

The tension on his body eventually dissipated, and he chuckled lightly, nodding in enlightenment. Kneeling directly before him, she gently enveloped her fever flushed palms around his distinctly cold knuckles, a gesture that magnetized his forlorn bagged eyes to her warm chocolate ones. "Jellal is a very important person to me. For reasons that escape my control, I can't go into specifics on who he is."

His brows instantly furrowed at her. "Is he… your boyfriend or something?"

"He's a friend," she clarified, and then she smiled, "—like you." Leaning in closer, she tilted her head to meet his gaze shrouded under his fringe and gave his hands a light squeeze. "Gray, we're friends, aren't we?"

Dark blue eyes blinked at her, as though she asked him the most abstract question in the world. Beneath her palms, his cold calloused tendrils gradually untangled on their own and latched themselves around hers. His Adam's apple bobbed heavily. "Erza…" Her name rolled smoothly on his tongue in barely a whisper.

BUZZZZZT!

The unexpected buzz of the doorbell diverted Erza's attention, causing her fingers to involuntarily retract from his hold. She stood in full height, and then staggered back momentarily. Her brain still felt like soup. "A-Are you expecting someone?"

"Oh. Right." he awkwardly scratched the back of head and rose from the bed. "Thought you'd be hungry, so I ordered pizza."

The mention of pizza instantly unearthed the obsession that continued to elude her life. "Pizza Hut...?" she carefully asked.

"Yep."

Immediately she grabbed his shoulders and locked him in place. "Crazy Happy Fun Time Pizza!?" she expectantly rasped out loud. Gray regarded her as though he's suddenly unsure, if he gave her the correct medicine a while ago.

BUZZT! BUZZT! BUZZT! BUZZZZZZZZZT!

He growled in annoyance at the douchebag button mashing his doorbell, and moved her aside. "Behave. I'll get it."

"You double-crossing piece of shit! I trusted you like a brother, and you had the gall to fucking tattle on us like a whiny bitch! Why'd you have to ruin this for me? HUH?! You think you're better than me? You think all those bimbos at school dig you so much? Here's a reality check, loser! Nobody fucking likes your sad emo virgin ass!"

Erza winced and cradled her skull. It took a ten second delay to process the scenario playing out before her. An angry, seething lion appeared out of nowhere and pinned Gray against the wall. Roaring a brutal volley of curses, the lion bared its fangs with the intention of ripping the defenseless boy's throat off. She had to do something— fast.

A spike of adrenaline rushed through her veins. In her weakened state, she was still able to shove the predator off of his prey, toppling him into the floor. She stood in front of Gray on instinct, but proved to be a flimsy shield. Her legs wobbled like jelly. He caught her shoulders from behind and steadied her, looping one arm around her waist to keep her hoisted. The telling glare he gave her suggested she sit this one out and let him handle it.

Loke's widened pupils rapidly darted back and forth between them like a pendulum. From his position on the floor, he easily took in her bottomless state of undress. His eyes wandered across her long toned legs all the way up to the white lace peeking underneath her ridden up shirt, crumpled by Gray's hold. At once, the lion's face broke into a snarled grin. "Ohhh. I get it now. So it's okay for you, but not for me, huh?"

She fidgeted uncomfortably, wanting nothing more than to reiterate her moral standpoint on this issue. Gray, sensing her unease, pulled her back flushed against his naked chest and hissed in her ear. He specifically ordered her to shut it, and she relented, hoping he actually had a better plan than her hot mush of a brain could possibly muster at the moment.

The lion was eventually back on his feet, fixing his glasses. "Figured something's off with you lately," he darkly chuckled. "So? Since when? Hell, I always knew you were a goddamn asshole, but— my god— what a backstabbing— hypocrite— you turned out to be! Come on, partner, won't you enlighten your bro? For fuck's sake, we're kindred spirits here!" he sarcastically exalted, arms outstretched to the sky.

"You're wrong, pal. We're nothing alike," Gray calmly countered. "Erza's a billion dozen fucking times better than your cheap albino whore could ever wish to be."

A billion dozen fucking times, huh?

She had to actively suppress the smile forming on her lips. She never realized she'd be so touched to hear those words again. Gray was actually employing his colorful trash talking skills against someone else— not her— and to defend her honor, no less. Maybe letting him handle this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"Oh, I'm sure. Bitch popped your pathetic school boy cherry, and now she's a fucking goddess, amiright? Tell me what was it exactly that converted a teacher loathing scumbag like you? Was she at least able to nuzzle that tiny dick of yours all the way at the back of—."

"She's tighter," Gray smugly declared. He pressed his chin at the dip of her shoulder blade and grinned deviously at the growling lion. His one arm snaked possessively around her waist, while the other stroked dangerously up her thigh. "She's an infinitely tighter squeeze than your loose whore was," he triumphantly sang.

Uhm. WHAT.

"WHAT?!" The lion roared out her exact same thoughts.

"You heard me, asswipe. I went to that love hotel and fucked your precious Mira-chan— thrice, before I passed her on to Dreyar for the rest of the night."

Loke's snide expression evolved into a pale sheet of horror. The lion's nose flared. His claws unsheathed. His fangs gritted in an unadulterated murderous rage. Gray was able to shove her out of harm's way a second before the wild animal fully pounced on him.

Erza rolled her eyes at the extremely one-sided match transpiring a meter next to her. Screaming obscenities to the heavens, Loke toppled Gray on the floor and is raining down his fists on the guy's unprotected torso without restraint. She contemplated waiting a few more minutes before intervening this time, just to punish the brat for that shameless stunt he dared to pull on her. However, upon noticing that the battered guy clearly had no intention of fighting back, she stood and single handedly plucked Loke by the collar of his shirt, like picking a cat. Summoning all her remaining strength, she violently slammed him on the wall similar to what he did to Gray minutes ago.

Loke pawed and flailed animatedly in an attempt to free himself from her iron grip. "Unhand me, bitch! I'll fucking murder him! How dare you! How dare you betray me like this?!"

She glared and glowered threateningly at the wild animal. "I swear I'll rip your balls off with my bare hands and shove it down your throat, if you don't calm the fuck down this instant! Don't you get it? Mira was only using you!"

"Shut up! How could someone like you understand, you bitchass monster of a woman!? Mira's my angel. She's mine. She said she loves me! She said we'd elope together, and fuck everyone else for looking down on us!"

"And you actually bought that bullshit?! She had a freaking rate, dumbass! Of course, she'll say anything to keep gullible students like you coming back!"

Loke's tantrums began to subside. His arms stopped thrashing and hung lifelessly as he choked out his despair. "Why'd you always have to fucking ruin everything? I was happy! I just wanted to be with her! Why'd you have to give her to that asshole?!"

She took a moment to study Loke's frantic, forlorn eyes and lowered her voice. "I didn't. At the end of the day, she chose him. Didn't she? She broke up with you. That's why you're here right now."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Loke shook his golden mane with wild abandon, refusing to accept reality.

"Erza, just let the fucking coward go."

She exhaled to deflate her rage and pushed herself off of the now disgraced king of the jungle, who wasted no time on running to the open door. "You're a shitty friend, Fullbuster! You're so full of shit!" Having said the last word, the lion ran back into the wild with his tail between his legs.

Gathering the now decompressed ice pack, Erza threw it to the guy who's nursing his bruises on the floor and sat next to him with her legs pulled to her chest. "You're quite the masochist, aren't you? Just what were you thinking?"

"What you failed to account for in your gamble last night," he simply said. "That guy, he may be a coward, but he's proud. He's used to being the player, and now he's been duped at his own stupid game. You think he'd go down without a fight?" He winced while lightly touching his busted lip with his fingertips. "Better me than Dreyar, right? He needed a punching bag to vent his anger, so I volunteered."

It was her turn to a release a light string of chuckles. "And you still had to ask me that dumb question earlier? After all the shit he said to you, you never stopped watching his back." Gently, she took his chin and angled him to face her. With a single stroke of her thumb, she wiped the stray blood he's been meaning to remove under his lip. "He's wrong. You're an amazing friend," she smilingly declared.

Gray regarded her as he did before they were interrupted. His dark eyes widened, then shone under the bright streaks of daylight. As ridiculous as it sounded, they almost looked teary. It's probably just her soupy brain's faulty spatial perception, but his face—really— appears to be gradually approaching hers.

"Shit."

Erza enunciated the single word with every fiber of her being. Hastily untangling herself from him, she stood to her feet and quickly put on a random pair of his shorts haphazardly strewn on the floor.

"W-What is it?" he brokenly stammered.

"You're right! I screwed up!" she cried in alarm.

"What?" He too attempted to rise, though with little success. Clutching his side, he sank back on the floor in defeat.

By the sink, she found his tiny bottle of meds and frantically shook it inside out, drinking a handful of dosage in one go. "I'll be right back. Don't move. I expect food, when I return!" Racing out the streets, Erza prayed that her numbing legs won't fail her now.

Behind the miniature groves of the pathway leading to his angel's doorstep, the lion remained hidden, stalking its prey. He silently watched the oblivious couple grind themselves silly against the door of her quaint apartment, all the while unaware of their audience. The blonde gorilla hiked her up and ran his giant greasy hands lecherously up and down the entire expanse of her pale creamy legs— legs that were once exclusively locked around him— or so she must've promised. Erza observed the young lion clench his trembling fists, as his beloved angel morphed into the most detestable demon before his eyes. He took a heavy step towards the writhing couple, and she finally broke her silence.

"That's far enough, Loke. Stop and think— really think— about what you're going to do."

The heartbroken lion didn't even bother to face her. His growl dripped with agony and the thirst for blood. "Fuck off, Scarlet. I have nothing more to lose, don't I? She's a filthy whore. But me? I'm a lion. No one messes with me and gets away with it— especially her."

"So you're gonna barge in there and reveal all the dirt you have on her?"

"I don't give a flying fuck, if she gets fired. It's the least of what she deserves."

"I thought you loved this woman," she bluntly pointed out.

"Well, sucks for her. She chose the wrong guy," he bitterly scoffed.

"Is that how it's supposed to work? You love someone, if and only if they love you back? That's not love; that's a bargain. A person with that mindset has no right to be seeking love."

Loke snickered mockingly. "Like you're one to talk— you wide eye saps and your sacred notions of love. Your one true love bullshit and those happily ever fucking afters that only exists in fairy tales. If human beings ascribed to those standards, our entire race will go extinct in a blink of an eye."

"Exactly. That is bullshit. Unlike stories purposely written to create a meaningful end, our lives lack coherence. We weren't created to be perfect, nor is this world a fair place. You can't expect everything to be reciprocated equally— that's your entitlement speaking."

"So what are you saying? That we're all doomed from the start? If love never existed in this cruel world, are we all just conditioned to follow some fucking behavioral pattern to survive? A never ending cycle of betrayal and manipulation— stepping on others to get ahead, in order to gain a semblance of fairness— survival of the fittest at its finest form. How fitting for a lion like me," he snorted in sarcasm.

Erza crossed her arms and sighed at the ongoing gross public display transpiring so early in the morning. "Loke, do you really think Laxus doesn't know anything about her?"

"Of course not. If he knew she's a whore, that asshole would be the first to stone her to death," he scoffed.

"I wouldn't be so sure. He conveniently found her in a love hotel— at the red light district— in a room booked under her agency's name. Gray did a fantastic job on his homework when setting her up."

"That's impossible. She must've lied her way out like she always does. She must've cried herself hoarse like some fucking award-winning actress!" he spat.

"Are you telling me it's easier for you to believe in fairy tales than the capacity of people's hearts?"

As if on cue, the couple's deviant activities in the distance came to a pause. He laid her down gently back on her feet, and she looped her arms around his thick neck, tipping her toes to peck him sweetly on the lips. With their hands intertwined, she welcomed him happily inside her humble abode perhaps for another more private round this time.

"Laxus discovered she was hostess, but he didn't fire her. He knew she was sleeping with other men besides him, but he still accepted her. He's an asshole— no arguments there— but even someone like him is able to look past her imperfections and love her anyway."

"'Love?' No fucking way! They're only using each other! If he really knew everything— every single thing—"

"Do you want to test that theory? Walk into that house and see who he'll protect. Laxus will expel you on the spot; no questions asked. Why would he listen to your opinion of his woman, when you're nothing but trash in his eyes? I'd back off, if I were you. Mira should've been smart enough not to push her luck that far by giving him a complete list of her campus fuck buddies."

Loke finally spun to face her, tears and anger contorted his handsome features. "Are you fucking suggesting I let it slide!? The same way you let that face-licking rapist go without a hitch!? Fucking adults like you always get your way! Who's gonna stand up for us, if we don't do it ourselves!?"

"She is. She's trying to save your ass, moron."

Erza jolted in surprise at the sudden hand on her shoulder. Gray's trademark scowl bore down on her. He seemed to have left his house in a hurry as his shirt is hanging open completely unbuttoned.

Loke sneered at them, "What the actual fuck? Weren't you the one who's extremely pissed at her for the exact same reasons? Has this bitch's magic twat really fucked you stupid!?"

Gray snorted and rolled his eyes. "Please, you're— by far—the stupidest among us here. You're so caught up with the instant gratification of revenge that you fail to see the obvious trap you're walking into. Looking out for your dumb ass amidst the big picture, that's what she's been doing for you— for us. You think you've lost now? Wait until your recklessness drags you all the way to rock bottom."

Looking at him like this, it was hard to imagine this guy was the same brat who once venomously cursed her existence. Though they never spoke of Bickslow's incident again, he really had come a long way since then. Wordlessly, she looped an arm to his back and patted it firmly in respect. Honestly, she couldn't have said it better herself.

Gray narrowed his eyes and smirked deviously at the cowering lion. "Karma's a bitch, huh?" he smugly taunted. "Just as well. It'll come around. She'll get hers."

Loke glared directly back at him. "You'll be the first one she'll target," he threatened in all seriousness.

Erza decided to intervene before the boys' petty trash talks evolved into another round of full on roughhousing in the morning streets. "Loke, Gray— is— full of shit. You really think his virgin stamina could last him— thrice?" she emphasized, as the guy beside her glared daggers into her peripheral vision. "He was lying. Let it go."

"Oh no. No. No. No," the blonde mockingly wagged his finger at them. "I'm not talking about karma. I'm talking about a much— much deadlier force of nature." Turning to leave, he idly saluted them on his retreat. "You two best be prepared."

Erza kept her eyes locked on the horizon, until the lion's shadow had completely disappeared. With hands buried in his pockets, Gray nudged her with his elbow. "What was that just now?"

"I had my hunches," she hummed, then fixated her gaze to the quaint little apartment housing the new couple she conveniently setup herself. "Guess we'll know in the days to come."

"My life's been a never-ending shitstorm, since you showed up."

She turned to glare at him for having the audacity to blame the consequences of his reckless decision on her. Oddly though, Gray is widely grinning at her for no apparent reason. Perhaps, the boy truly did harbor some masochistic tendencies.

"Your Crazy Fun Size Whatchamacallit is waiting for you," he happily sang.

Erza blinked. All of a sudden, the heat under her skin quadrupled in force, and she highly doubts it's entirely caused by the fever. Her lips squirmed in discomfort, debating whether it's even appropriate to voice out how much she adores him right now. "I doubt you got the correct one, if you can't even say it right!" she weakly countered instead.

Gray knowingly smirked at her, "You can always find out for yourself." Turning around, he began steadily marching back to his apartment. "Think fast, or I'll eat the whole thing!"

Erza Scarlet, esteemed instructor of Fairy Academy, abandoned self-professed moral code upon accepting delinquent's deluxe pizza bribery. She could already picture it in the morning papers. Cursing under her breath, she chased after the guy who's cheerily whistling down the streets.

Meaningless and imperfect as it is— what's life worth living for, if I can't even cherish moments like these?

Chapter Text

"Chug 'em squeaky clean, my nerds! Nobody leaves tonight, 'til everyone gets sloshed!"

"Amen, boss! Your benevolence is supreme! It's my greatest honor to serve under you! You're a legend among legends!"

Freed raised the butt of his glass and drowned his manly tears in the richest elixirs their boss had pre-ordered for their faculty party. Next to the blubbering tipsy man sat the newest official couple of Fairy Academy. Laxus Dreyar's persistent chase of the campus' albino crowned beauty had finally been rewarded in time with the coming of summer. The couple had been very discreet on naming the exact length of their courtship period. None of the others knew that this affair had been ongoing since the first day of school. None of them also knew that the timely relationship upgrade wouldn't have happened without a mysterious benefactor's divine intervention.

In the sky-view restaurant of Odaiba's Hilton hotel, Erza could only bask in awe at the illuminated Rainbow Bridge running across the bay. Freed wasn't exaggerating about Laxus' astounding benevolence on setting such a high bar for the couple's first outing. The restaurant's yellow-lit romantic ambiance is easily wedding reception material. Their blissful boss made sure to celebrate the momentous occasion by sharing his blessings among the staff. He was in such high spirits that he even invited her, the so-called non conformist, and Ultear. Needless to say, Erza consumed her heart out on the free, exquisite five course meal, just in time for the after dinner drinks to flow.

"Why...? Why does it have to be— her? Why am I the only one still single...?"

Erza pursed her lips and glanced at the bemoaning woman by her side. People around the posh restaurant have been eyeing their table due to Evergreen's shameless display of drunken ugly crying. Frankly, she felt a little sorry for her fellow teacher. It must be tough when your public enemy number one gets together with your god. Next to Laxus, Mira being all smiles as always only made Evergreen wallow further in self pity. Nudging the intoxicated woman flopped on the table, Erza leaned in and proudly proclaimed, "Hey, I'm single too. It's not that bad."

Evergreen's teary, annoyed expression regarded the redhead in utter disgust. "Well duh, that's a given!" 

"Scarlet, that's the absolute worst consolation you could've possibly offered. Given your permanent drought on relationships, it's akin to suggesting she might as well abandon her womanhood!" Freed announced from the other side of the table.

Snapping her chopsticks in half with one hand, Erza decided to be the bigger man and bit down the overwhelming urge to bitch slap her two shunned colleagues. Seated in front of her, Ultear reached for her napkin to mask her demure chuckles.

"I betcha she's the type who's been single since birth!" Bickslow mockingly added.

Groaning out her frustrations, Erza figured it's ultimately wiser to swallow her pride and play along. Donning the "forever alone" title among her peers is a small sacrifice to pay for keeping her shady background under wraps. However, the secretary before her chose to speak on her behalf.

"I wouldn't be too sure. I think she's the type who's still holding out for her old flame." Ultear's lips tugged upwards in a victorious smirk, when the redhead's countenance paled in horror.

"HUH? What loser made a huge mistake on dating you!?" Evergreen aggressively countered.

"A balding nerdy paralegal, I suppose," Freed offered.

Ultear was in the considerate process of opening her mouth once more, but Erza was faster. Swiftly, she dragged her ebony-haired friend off the chair and out of everyone's earshot. Heading towards the farthest end of the floor, she briskly led them into the hotel's spacious washroom. Despite Erza's rough manhandling of her arm, Ultear remains highly amused. "I don't know why you're upset with me," she teased. "I mean, can you imagine their reactions, if they heard your ex is the Sieg—"

"Shh!" Erza quickly checked if all the cubicles were indeed empty. "That's classified information!" she hissed in alarm.

"So it's true then!" Ultear happily beamed. "I've been wondering what your real relationship is."

"Was," she firmly corrected, upon confirming no one else is present. "I am single, and no— I'm not holding out. Relationships aren't my priority right now. I'm entirely focused on my career. Dealing with those brats is causing me enough headaches as it is!"

"Are you both on the same page though? What if he's still holding out for you?"

Erza is slightly taken aback by the foreign question. To be honest, Ultear wasn't entirely wrong. She isn't holding out per se, but at the same time she never really saw herself with anyone else besides him. Nonetheless, she isn't a fool. She refused to allow the tempting notion to lure her into the deadliest trap of hoping against hope. It would be plain dumb, given it was her who called it off in the first place.

Sensing her prolonged silence, Ultear smiled in assurance. "It's been three years, hasn't it? He's been single all this time too. His election is finally within the year. At this point, isn't that the only thing you're both waiting for?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Erza was in the midst of mentally stringing up a passable refutation to the woman's profound questions, when a newcomer suddenly arrived.

"I doubt she was lying, Ultear," Mira courteously smiled in greeting. "Considering her admirable dedication towards her beloved students, I wouldn't be surprised myself, if she's secretly into one of them."

Erza narrowed her slanted eyes at the albino beauty, who approached the wide sink mirrors to retouch her evening makeup. Mira's thinly veiled provocation also sparked Ultear to raise an inquisitive brow at the redhead. Sensing the incoming shade to be thrown at her, Erza solemnly turned to her friend and smiled, "It's getting late, isn't it? You should probably head home, Ultear." The secretary bit her lip and deeply regarded her friend for a long moment, before eventually bidding them goodnight.

As soon as Ultear left the vicinity, Mira softly chuckled at her busy reflection. "Favoritism is very unbecoming for a teacher, don't you think?" she mused while fixing her lashes. "Can't say I blame you though. Fullbuster is really cute, isn't he? Such a hot stud, always flashing those rock hard abs in class. Can you believe he's apparently an innocent little vi—?"

"It's just us now," Erza bluntly cut in and threateningly glared at the other woman's reflection. "Get to the fucking point."

Mira simply hummed and resumed scrutinizing her batting lashes. "You've synchronized your calls really well. It's pretty obvious that he wasn't working alone," she casually said.

"He wasn't. That was all me. I've sent Laxus to you, knowing he'd let you off the hook. So what more do you want?" she challenged. "Are you that upset on ending your stupid racket with the students? Is your boyfriend not good enough as a consolation prize? He was able to afford this place. He's not an elite, but he's not exactly poor either. Are you simply that hung up on young flesh?" she viciously spat.

The lipstick hand momentarily paused, as baby blue eyes darted to the redhead's reflection. The fleeting hostile twinkle that Erza once saw now shone brightly out in the open. "You don't know the first thing about me, so you have no right to judge. You— had— no right to pass your selfish, obtuse judgment, when you sold me out to our boss," she snarled, and then diabolically leered. "No matter. Let it be known that Mirajane Strauss never takes her consolation prizes for granted. My charming boyfriend will be thrilled to get rid of your precious Fullbuster— right after he beats him into a bloody pulp, of course."

Her scarlet-haired nemesis instantly fell silent. Her bold slanted eyes shrouded by her side swept bangs. Her shoulders slumped in an ominous aura of resignation. Satisfied with her victory, Mira smirked and went back to meticulously painting her lips.

"I was very lenient, when you took advantage of my dumb student."

The growl of her voice was succeeded by a deafening screech that reverberated throughout the tiled walls. The beautiful masterpiece of the albino woman shattered into a thousand broken shards. The piercing cracks branched all over the luxurious wall-length mirror. The metallic lipstick case unceremoniously clanked and rolled into the sink. Baby blue eyes widened at the solid clenched fist planted at the center of her now fractured abstract reflection.

"If you ever hurt a single hair on Fullbuster, bashing in your cheap, plastic image would no longer suffice for me next time."

Stilling her involuntary tremors, Mira cautiously faced her colleague's actual physical visage for the first time since she entered the room. Gone was the placid dorky persona of Erza Scarlet and in its place emerged the menacing fiery wrath of the infamous Titania.

Gradually, The Queen of the Tower retracted her fist and averted her murderous lethal glare. Turning to the exit, she shot the trembling albino woman one final look. "Take it as a warning. Do not provoke me ever again."

"Luuucy, do we really—REALLY— have to? We're marching straight into lung cancer territory!"

Lucy frowned in disbelief at the pink-haired boy trailing a meter behind her. "Considering all the times we hang out with those two, since when have you had an aversion to second-hand smoking?" she blatantly accused.

"Just let it go already..." Natsu whined and listlessly kicked the soil like a child. "I'm telling you stripper and sleazebag are fine. It's totally a guy thing. One minute you wanna kill each other, and the next you're totes BFFs again!"

"It's been a month, Natsu, and they haven't killed each other. They're simply not talking like a bunch of—" she briefly cringed at the irony of her statement. "A bunch of— girls!" she cried out in frustration.

Lucy painstakingly massaged her temples, while Natsu continued to complain about their journey to the secret smoking area behind the old school house. If she could say so herself, she'd become quite the expert in handling the endless, immature disputes that broke out in her strictly male circle of friends. Natsu and Gray, in particular, is a daily time bomb waiting to explode. She already had a number of efficient weapons on ending the inevitable war— the passing mention of cats, free food, or Gray's lack of clothing to name a few.

Loke and Gray, on the other hand, is almost unheard of. The two got along pretty well, despite their undeniable clash in personality. They'd trash talk each other to the point of getting her innocent ears to bleed, but as Natsu mentioned, their odd friendship withstood at the end of the day. They considered themselves as blood brothers. Loke always confided his women conquests to Gray, mostly because the guy didn't care enough to divulge it to other people.

To add insult to the injury, Instructor Strauss, Loke's primary crush at the moment— at least as far as Lucy knew— had been paying too much attention to Gray in class. The woman was always singling him out by making him come up the board for the most trivial reasons. Her strange fondness for the boy was disturbingly felt by their entire class. Needless to say, Juvia had already added the teacher into her meter-long love rival list.

"Hey Natsu… When you said 'it's a guy thing', were you by any chance pertaining to the bro code?" Honestly, she felt dumb as soon as she voiced the question. What would her ambiguously asexual best friend know about the bro code anyway?

"Hm!" Natsu rubbed his chin in contemplation. "You might be onto something, Luce! To tell you the truth, I've sorta guessed that stripper recently got a girl."

"HUH?" Lucy furrowed her brows in complete bewilderment. "Where did that come from?!"

"Haven't you noticed? He's been disappearing to fuck knows where lately. He always cooks up some lame ass excuse on why he can't hang."

Lucy crossed her arms and tilted her head to ponder Natsu's arbitrary statement. "Maybe he's just hanging out with his other friends?" she shrugged.

The boy instantly hugged his stomach and broke into a great guffaw. "HAH! Other friends? That exhibitionist? No fucking way!" he snickered, while still composing himself. "Besides us— nobody— can deal with a guy who randomly flashes his junk all the damn time!" he confidently declared. "It's a girl, I tell you!"

Releasing a lengthy dubious hum, Lucy remains unconvinced by her best friend's assessment. Ever since she met the guy, Gray had always been single. Girls threw themselves at him, but aside from the occasional flirting, he largely remains cynical at heart. However, she did notice the guy's recent evasiveness. She had been meaning to setup a spontaneous dinner outing with the boys, in hopes of getting them to talk, but Gray was always unavailable for some reason.

Natsu smilingly nudged her stoic form. "Hey, look on the bright side! If perv does have a chick, you're finally freed from the number one spot on his crazy stalker's list!"

Oh please! Oh please! Dear lord, let him have a girlfriend!

Violently shaking her head, Lucy cleared away Natsu's obvious attempts on distracting her from their goal. Tugging her best friend by his scarf, they continued their trudge towards cancer territory. Gray might be MIA these days, but she could still talk to Loke and hopefully get him to end this month-long girly grudge once and for all.

When the moss laden, makeshift smoking patio came into sight, Lucy squinted at the current occupants and immediately shoved Natsu to hide behind the bushes. The boy was about to vocally erupt into protest, but Lucy's hand automatically snapped to cover his mouth. She hissed at him to stay quiet and tipped her head towards the pair under the dilapidated roof. Natsu's eyes widened in recognition of their classmates.

Cana Alberona, Class F's resident party girl and alcoholic, was openly admonishing a doleful Loke seated on the weathered concrete bench. In a surprising turn of events, the girl appears sober for once. "Hurts like hell, huh?" the brunette smugly berated the downcast lion. "No matter how wide she spreads her legs— No matter how flowery her saccharine words are— it's ultimately your gullibility that you got betrayed!"

Loke remains silent unable to counter Cana's venomous words. He appears to have accepted his defeat. "See what happens when you let your guard down? All teachers aren't to be trusted," the girl firmly reiterated their once undisputed, unanimous class motto.

"Her types, especially, are the ones who sicken me the most." Blowing a flurry of her smoke at the hunched lion's form, Cana crushed her cigarette under her sole and quietly walked away.

Lucy, who easily guessed the identity of this aforementioned teacher, turned to frown at her still confounded best friend. Gently pulling Natsu by the arm, they meekly approached their heartbroken friend in hopes of hearing the entire story firsthand.

"Well, color me surprised! The dandy lad has returned yet again!"

The rectangular-faced owner tipped his purple fedora at the fashionably dressed customer who just entered the bar. Gray slipped off his sunglasses and politely nodded at Wally in greeting. Scanning the dimly-lit room, dark blue eyes were instantly magnetized at the gorgeous redhead rocking a sexy black number by the counter. In a single stroke of her arm, she beckoned him forward, and he summons his most handsome smile in his approach.

Hyperbolic paranoia had compelled their scarlet-haired instructor to setup these nightly secret meetings after school. Ever since the fateful encounter in the hotel, Erza had been asking him to report every single thing Mira made him do in her class. So far though, nothing note-worthy had really happened. It was obvious that he was being targeted, though the woman's harassment were menial at best. He'd be asked to erase the board or wash all the beakers in the chem lab; slave labor that occasionally borderlines into minor abuse, but harmless nonetheless.

Frankly, he believes Erza's meetings are an unnecessary waste of his time. If anything, they've got enough ammunition on her albino campus nemesis to warrant the abrupt termination of her career. That said, who was he to bereft the almighty Titania of her peace of mind, especially if that entails seeing her dressed so beautifully like this almost everyday?

"Were you followed?" she whispered as soon as he sat himself next to her.

"Why'd you have to pick such a dodgy HQ?" he quipped instead. "No offense to Wally, but can't we just hang out at some other place? Somewhere that doesn't require me to go adult incognito maybe?"

Erza tilted her head in confusion. "Well, you did say you wanted a glimpse of my life. This place is basically it," she proudly gestured at the vibrant Christmas-lit walls.

"Geez. So it's basically school and bar for you. That's so sad," he chuckled.

Erza blinked at him and instantly recoiled. "I don't need to hear this crap from a spoiled, immature brat like you," she snarled.

Gray raised his brow in question. "Woah. Did I hit a raw nerve?"

"Whatever," she aggressively took a swig of her beer and roughly wiped her mouth with the back of hand. "Start talking, so you can go away. I'm expecting company in a couple of minutes."

"You got a date?" he gasped in feigned bewilderment. Taking in her bold exposure of flesh once more, he grimaced in afterthought.

"None. Of. Your. Business."

"Meaning it's just another friend then," he snickered in triumph.

"Tch. I hate you."

"Lies," he smugly smirked at the glaring woman. "You totally like me enough to have destroyed posh ass public property in my name. Gotta say, I'm very flattered to have elicited such a terrifying violent reaction from you."

"Oh trust me, you've always been able to draw out my most terrifying violent reactions," she gritted. "Much. Like. Now."

"Fine. Fine." He raised his hands in surrender. "There's nothing to report as usual. I told you, she's merely bluffing. You absolutely scared the shit out of her."

Erza happily nodded to herself. "Good. Let's hope it stays that way. Meeting adjourned. Please, leave."

He scowled at her in disbelief. How dare this rude woman send him away just like that. It wasn't everyday that he puts on this much effort on making himself presentable. "Aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend?" he snottily asked.

"And why would I do that exactly?" she scoffed in return. "Don't you have your own set of friends at school? One in particular, whom you should be befriending at this very moment," she blatantly pointed out.

Admittedly, he walked straight into that trap. "Just wait it out a few more days. Once the guy gets a new chick, peace will be restored in all aspects of his life— including our friendship."

"You're both so irritatingly stubborn that no one takes the initiative. Presently, there are people out to get you— both of you," she emphasized. "Now is not the time to be fighting among your friends."

"I didn't do anything wrong though," he muttered in defense. "The bastard should be thanking me."

"I don't recall you thanking me— not once— for all the times I saved your stupid ass," she snidely retorted. "Is your pride really more important than your friend?"

Gray drummed his fingers and fully turns to face the woman beside him. "You want me to thank you? Is that what this is?"

"Honestly? I don't give a shit, if you never did," she shrugged. "I did all those things on my own. An arrogant brat's hollow praise means nothing to me."

"I don't get you at all. Back when I apologized to you, you brushed me off. Now when I'm clean, you want me to apologize."

"Loke and I are completely different people."

"You're different— period." The faraway riddle she once asked him on a cold spring night in the middle of an empty highway echoed at the forefront of his thoughts. "What are you trying to prove by always letting other people step on you? Have you no sense of pride?" he boldly asked.

"My pride is proportional to the amount of fucks I give on other people's opinion of me— which is zero. I have nothing to prove," she confidently declared.

"No shit. Everyone is driven by self-interest— by self-preservation. It's basic human instinct to put yourself before others. Why are you pretending to be so above it all?"

She sincerely regards him in dismay. "You still think I'm pretending?"

"You are. I don't buy this crap of risking your life without expecting shit in return. You recklessly jumped in front of a truck for me— your enemy," he accused once more. "What do you want from me exactly?"

"Right now? For you to leave me alone." Erza pursed her lips and heavily sighed at his deep-seated frown. Eventually, she averted her gaze back towards the counter. "You'll never understand me with that proud cynicism of yours." Disappointment dripped in her voice.

Gray furrowed his brows and was about to throw a follow-up question, when the door chimed open. Erza looked past him towards the entrance. Her entire countenance brightened, as she enthusiastically waved at the newcomer. Out of sheer curiosity, Gray followed her line of sight. By the door, a towering muscular man with overly huge biceps appeared. He wore a bandanna that only revealed a few strands of his straight brown hair. The man's semi-exposed chest made Gray bitterly gripe in self consciousness. Surely, this was what she meant by calling him skinny and pasty in comparison. Erza left his side and raced to the burly man who tackled her into a giant bear hug.

Next to the massive man was the familiar face of Sho. The blonde boy instantly recognized Gray and excitedly approached him by the counter. "Hey! It's been ages, man! I had no idea you've been hanging here too!"

"He's just about to leave actually," Erza countered, returning to her stool with the giant man next to her.

"Erza! Don't shoo away my new dandy customer!" Wally cried. From the other side of the counter, the owner graciously laid out a bottle in front of Gray. "On the house, kid!"

"Erza, is this guy ...is he... your...new… b-boyfriend?" the bear-sized man brokenly stuttered.

"Oho! I've been meaning to ask you the same thing! The dandy lad is always here to see you! Does this mean you've finally moved on?" Wally ecstatically chimed in.

Gray almost sprayed his drink at the blocky man's flamboyant purple suit. Beating his chest instead, he painfully swallowed down his chokes. For an eternity of silence, he thought for sure that the huge guy with the death stare was going to crush his skull with his bare hands.

"Guys." Erza lifelessly bowed her head in dejection. "He's my student…" she whimpered. "At most, he's one of my ever loyal sidekicks." Turning to grab his shoulder, she expectantly leans in centimeters from his flushed face. "Right, Gray?" she adorably sang.

"Nope."

"I stand corrected. We're sworn enemies," she sneered and pulled away to swipe her beer clean off the table.

Rolling his eyes, Gray leans sideways to the scorned woman and clicks his bottle against hers. "We're friends," he smoothly answered the curious crowd around them. Cocking his brow at the astonished redhead, his smile brimmed with shining confidence. "Aren't we, Erza?"

"God. I thought he'd never leave..." Leaning against the glass latticed door, Erza pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off her drunken dizziness.

The hours flew by when her friends got too engrossed on grilling their new overzealous confidant about her performance in school. Gray didn't hold back on painting a very accurate picture of her miserable life since she met their class. She had to kick him under the table, lest the alcohol triggers him to confess all the horrible things he did to her. She highly doubts her lawful evil friends would let the boy leave the bar unscathed, once they knew the real story behind their odd friendship. When the clock struck midnight and the intoxicated boy began to incessantly fish about her love life, her patience had officially run out. In one fluid motion, she kicked him out the door, locked him outside the bar, and flipped the closed sign on his incredulous scowl.

"Nee-san's really popular with her students, huh?" Sho giddily announced from the only occupied booth in the now empty karaoke bar.

"Indeed. At first, she used to close my bar down, drowning in the woes of her students. I think things are finally turning dandily for her!" Wally proudly nodded in agreement next to the boy.

Erza slipped herself next to the massive figure of her good friend Simon and groaned. "Not exactly. There's more high school drama brewing at the moment."

"Is that Strauss lady still tormenting you?" Wally inquired in alarm.

Sho violently slammed his palms on the table and rose to his feet. "Who's this bitch that's bullying our Nee-san!? Give us her name and we'll fucking gut her like a fish!"

Simon glared at the blonde boy. "Sit your ass down, Sho. No more alcohol for you, kid." Silently, he sequestered the bottle in front of the slurring boy, who obediently sank back into his seat. Wally shook his head and stood to fetch them all some water.

Erza ardently chuckled at her friends' heartwarming antics. It's been forever since the majority of them were gathered in one place. United in the merry spirit of lambasting their enemies in Wally's karaoke bar— this is the closest thing to a family reunion of their ragtag orphan gang. Unfortunately, the other two more busy members couldn't make it tonight, as they all had expected. The prior knowledge didn't dissuade her from thoroughly glamming up though. Perhaps, Ultear knew her better than herself after all.

"Strauss, was it? There's a kid working part-time in my site who goes by the same name." The deep baritone of Simon's voice thankfully prevented her from going further down the rabbit hole.

"A kid? In the construction site you work at?" Erza blinked in surprise. "Is that even allowed?"

"Well, he's roughly the same age as your student, but, let's say, five times bigger. Brute strength is our main requirement, and the kid has plenty in that regard."

"A Strauss teacher moonlighting as a hostess, and a Strauss student part-timing as a construction worker…" she hummed in contemplation. "Could they be related?"

A gentle smile broke across the towering giant's intimidating visage. "Why don't you personally ask him, Erza? I'll be more than happy to tour you around the site during his shift tomorrow."

Truth truly is stranger than fiction. Lucy thought their friend's anguished confession rivaled the plot of her more raunchy novels. Natsu, bless his kind, oblivious soul, even insensitively compared it to her late night soap operas in front of the grief-stricken boy. The lion was still uncharacteristically not engaged with his phone in the middle of their homeroom period. Although, he looks to be in better spirits compared to when she and Natsu found him yesterday. At the very least, their spontaneous trip to cancer territory got their friend to open up to kinder, more sympathetic ears.

Turning backwards from her seat, Lucy threw a cautious look at the brunette sitting behind a very bored Gray. The girl is back to sporting her signature drunken flush, while blankly scrutinizing her precious deck. Perhaps, this was a major sign that harmony is restored as far as Cana and Loke were concerned. Focusing her doe eyes into the yawning boy instead, Lucy beamed in determination.

As it turns out, Loke's month-long feud with Gray wasn't entirely antagonistic. When all was said and done, Loke claimed the guy acted like a true brother in every sense of the word. Gray went out of his way to make him see reason. Overwhelming shame from all the awful things he said is what's ultimately preventing him from approaching the other guy.

Relief warmed Lucy's tender heart upon hearing this news. For starters, Loke is very willing to make peace. All that's left is for her to fulfill her promise of getting Gray in the same room. Confidently nodding to herself, Lucy resolves to end this drama today. She will employ whatever tactics necessary to get Gray to stay after school, even if that meant starting around round of World War III with her best friend's help.

"Gray, Loke, I was instructed by the Head Teacher to detain you both after school."

Lucy's ears gleefully perked up at their scarlet-haired instructor's heaven-sent announcement for the day. It would appear that Class F's acclaimed superhero was out to fix everyone's problems yet again. At this point, Erza too must've noticed the unnerving tension between the boys.

"Huh? Why am I being detained exactly?" Gray rudely spoke out loud against their teacher.

Erza merely shrugged. "I was told that Instructor Strauss had spotted you smoking within school premises. As punishment for this violation, you two are to clean the ground level classrooms in the old schoolhouse."

"That's bullshit!" Gray angrily retorted. "I haven't been smoking here for ages. You should know!"

Erza raised an innocent brow at his outburst. "Not really. Unless you have a DNA test to prove those cigarettes aren't yours. How could I possibly know?"

"Fuck that. I'm not doing it. I have plans after school," he smugly declared.

Erza scoffed in return, and for a second Lucy thought their teacher seemed more amused than annoyed at the boy. "Well, I couldn't care less. Your freaking date just got cancelled. You're scrubbing those classrooms clean until not a single speck of dirt remains," she dictated.

An eternity has passed and only the frantic rustling of paper was heard— Juvia now at pen-point with her sacred list. Gray had completely failed to throw his witty comeback line. Lucy, along with the rest of the class, turned to face the suddenly speechless boy. To everyone's surprise his permanent scowl isn't present, and in its place is an utterly dumbfounded mouth hanging open.

"My… date?" he finally spoke.

"Did I stutter?" she replied without missing a beat.

Unable to formulate his words once more, Gray simply shook his head no. Masking his face with one hand, he looked as though he was struggling to suppress a smile. The size of which left Lucy incredibly perplexed and slightly disturbed. A string of scornful laughter resounded next to her.

"See, Luce? Erza's totally onto him too," Natsu deviously snickered at his rival. "Stripper is so whipped by this secret girlfriend of his."

All this time, Gray thought it was presumptuous of him to assume those late night meetings were something more than just a pain. Disregarding last night's instance, they were exclusively seeing each other for over a month. Although Erza doesn't dress up that alluringly when it's just him, she still forgoes her boring teaching attire in favor of something relatively cute. She never wore her ugly glasses, which by now he's ascertained to be fake. He always diverted her strictly business discussions to makes his visits more worthwhile, usually resulting in hours of drunken philosophical discourse. Upon his discovery that she wasn't entirely non recipient to flirting, their meeting's entertainment value heightened unimaginably for him.

Nonetheless, there were still topics that he wasn't allowed to broach. She barely speaks about her life outside of school. The question of how she ended up with a mechanic, a construction worker, and a bar owner as her drinking buddies remains unanswered. The most forbidden topic of them all was her love life. The thought of which puzzles him greatly. This was the same dork who blatantly broadcasted her single status in front of an auditorium. So why the tight secrecy, if it's merely non-existent? Her friends have heavily suggested that there was someone out there she couldn't let go of. Simon, the bear-sized man who definitely has the hots for her, assumed he was the "new" boyfriend, implying the existence of a mystery ex.

"DUDE. Will you stop that? One moment you're giggling like a girl, and now you're whimpering like a kicked puppy. You're scaring the shit outta me. Like fuck, we're already stuck in a haunted mansion as it is!"

Gray blinks out of his stupor and glanced at the other filth-covered boy mopping the dusty wooden flooring. The tone of his colorful insults has returned to the brotherly, non hostile ones Gray had long missed to hear.

Raising his grimy sleeves, Loke wiped his sweat off his spiky bangs and heartily chuckles at him. "FYI, I was literally gagging on my puke in class," the blonde suggestively wagged his brows at him. "Hell, just the other day Lucy was grilling me if you got a chick. And get this, Natsu was the one who clued her in! Just how obvious can you get?"

Alarm bells rang in his head, reminding him of the spectacle Loke had witnessed in his flat ages ago. "L-Look, that instance you saw—"

Loke paused his mopping and looks him dead in the eye. "Hey. Chill, man. I didn't rat. Bros don't tattle on each other's girls, remember?" he grinned.

Gray returns his smile with one of his own. A huge burden was lifted off his shoulders, upon hearing the word "bro" being freely uttered by his friend again. "Thanks, brother. I appreciate it. But just to clarify, she's not my girl."

Rolling his eyes, Loke released a lengthy judgmental hum, before resuming scrubbing the floor. "Let's address the biggest elephant first, shall we? Even if we ignore her glaring lack of pants, she's still the first and only chick to set foot in your place."

"Well technically, Ultear visits every now and then."

"Dude. You must be really desperate to cover this up, if you'd rather imply you're a siscon," Loke blatantly pointed out, and then snickers at him. "Not that the idea's far-fetched by any means, your sis is a total knockout too."

"Point is," Gray winced in disgust. "Erza's not my girl."

"Doesn't stop you from drooling though," the blonde quipped. "Hell, doesn't stop me either. She's got legs, amiright?"

Gray huffed to himself. If only Loke knew the real extent of what was hidden underneath his loose tourist shirt, the guy would surely flip.

"So…" Loke slowly began. "If she's not your girl, can I hit on her?"

"Be my guest. Just don't come crying to me, if you broke a rib or two," he deadpanned.

"Spoilsport..." the blonde sneered. "Come on, it's just me and the giants tarantulas swinging over your head. Spit it out already!"

"There's nothing to spit out. She's our teacher."

"Meaning what exactly? She's just off-limits, or there's really nothing?"

Sighing in frustration, Gray violently slides his mop on the floor. "I don't even get her. That woman is her own brand of crazy. None of her actions make sense. How can I like someone I don't understand?"

"Shit, man. I mean, can you even fully know another person? If you're able to respect her mystery and like her anyway, isn't that the biggest sign that it's legit?"

Gray drowns Loke's questions with the forceful tugs of his mop. He wills his brains to focus at the menial task on hand to stave off the dangerous urge to overthink. For the past blissful month, he, too, had established several notions he prohibited himself to broach at all cost. "I don't like her, not that way. It's fun hanging out, but... that's it. There's really nothing," he reiterated once more, for the sake of both of them.

"'Kay. If you say so," Loke shrugged and wiped his sweat once more. "Well, I dunno about you, but I definitely could use a break."

Digging into his pants pocket, Loke brings out a cigarette pack and rattles it invitingly; a symbolic truce to signify their renewed brotherhood. Gray smirks in acknowledgment and sinks his mop back into the bucket. Opening the shattered windows of the abandoned school house, the boys christened the building as their newly acquired smoking suite.

Erza never understood why Gray spent the entirety of last night cowering close to her, when the towering figure of her friend sat next to him. Simon is hands down one of the sweetest guys on this planet. He's literally like a giant teddy bear come to life. He's probably the kindest, most trustworthy person she knew, and his warm hugs never failed to bring comfort to her heart. Even to this day, years after they've disbanded, Simon was always the first to extend his help whenever she was in trouble. Her friend personally fetched her after school, and together they made their way to his construction site. It wasn't even time for his shift, yet Simon graciously volunteered to take over Elfman Strauss' duty, so that she may freely speak with the kid.

Upon their introduction, Erza's first impression was 'this guy was no kid'. Simon was right to call him humongous. If it weren't for Elfman's distinctly familiar white hair, she would have immediately dismissed his possible relation to the beautiful, petite Mirajane Strauss. The pair found themselves a secluded spot by the site's rest area, and Erza offered him the complementary canned beer she purposely bought for the occasion.

"The world sure is small! Who'd think Simon's friends with a teacher from Fairy Academy?" Elfman beamed. "My big sis Mira also teaches in your school."

"You must be a student from Fairy Academy too, right? On whose class are you in?" Erza giddily asked. Inwardly, she wondered how she failed to notice the huge guy's presence around campus.

"Erm…" Elfman awkwardly scratched his head. "Well, truth is, I haven't been attending school for years. I'm a dropout, actually..."

"Oh," Erza blinked in surprise. "Simon told me you were merely working part-time in this site. Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…"

Elfman chuckles and cheerily takes a swig of his beer. "Yep. Been working as a freeter these days. For a guy who didn't finish school, it's easier to stay employed, hopping from one contractual job to the next."

"To be working under such a dangerous environment, though? Is your sister aware of this?"

Elfman slumped on his bench. "About that… Can you please keep this a secret from her? As far as she knows, I'm working on ghost shift in some convenience store," he weakly muttered. "Thing is, I feel bad not contributing much for my family. I wasted all my precious years at school being a stupid delinquent, and now Mira has to suffer for it. My big sis is our solo breadwinner back at home. She's been taking all the burden of supporting us for years, since our parents died."

Erza slowly nods in epiphany. The albino teacher's underground business and her bitter accusation on passing hasty judgment on her were beginning to make sense. "Us teachers don't really get paid much either..." she humbly admitted.

Elfman hummed in agreement. "Yeah… That's what I thought too. When I first saw the ad for this job, I was super amazed by the digits. And these guys basically hired me on the spot, when they saw how MANLY I was!" he proudly proclaimed. "I said to myself, this has gotta be my calling, you know? It should be a MAN'S job to support his sisters."

"You have another sister?" she smilingly inquired.

"Yep. Our adorable youngest sister," he chuckled. "Mira's pretty much her overprotective mom. My big sis is extremely strict with her at school. I kinda feel guilty for that too. I get that she just doesn't want her to end up like me."

"Is she attending Fairy Academy?"

"Nah. She's at Edolas Academy."

"Oh, I've heard of that school, when I was job hunting," Erza remarked. "Although… Isn't that a school for the elites? The tuition must cost a lot more compared to Fairy Academy," she blankly added.

The huge man beside her suddenly grew silent, and Erza belatedly realized how thoughtless she was. After hearing Elfman's heartfelt confession about their families' struggle to make ends meet, she just insensitively implied they're too poor to afford the place. Quickly, she opened her mouth in hopes of alleviating the awkwardness.

"I've actually been to Edolas once, when I was still applying. There's this really bitchy redhead secretary, who literally tore my application into shreds in front of my face. Shame, I was really looking forward to meeting their allegedly super young and attractive principal," she randomly blurted.

Elfman remained silent, lost in the moment while staring at his boots. Eventually, Erza realized she must've hit the bulls-eye the first time around. Gently, she nudged the man's huge bicep. "Say, why not just enroll her in our school?" she began. "Mira's position should earn her some rights to waive the application. Our boss is also very understanding towards her. I'm sure it'll be a smooth sailing process."

The man released a huge sigh from his chest. "We had spoken about that, but Mira said it wasn't an option," Elman meekly tried to smile at her. "It's kinda embarrassing to say this, but Mira's not exactly the biggest fan of your school. She said there's this one class of delinquents that would surely corrupt our poor baby sister's innocence."

"Ah." Erza nodded once and winced. "I see."  There's undeniably only one class that fits that description.

"I can't really tell her off either. 'Cause, well, coming from someone who did end up getting involved with delinquents back in the day—"

The merry jingle of Elfman's ringtone disrupted their conversation. Without glancing at the caller ID, the man took the call. In a span of seconds, his eyes bulged out in alarm, and without uttering a single word he hang up. Immediately, he turned to face her, his rough, manly features contorted in fear.

"T-That was the fire department I work that," he gasped. "A huge fire has broken out at Fairy Academy!"

Hellfire.

One moment they were carelessly laughing at the pettiness of their prolonged quarrel, and now he is burning alive in a sea of ubiquitous hellfire. Gray painfully grunts from the wooden floor and weakly lifts his head to survey the once gloomy classroom now set ablaze in flames.

Good.

He was alone. His friend must've somehow made it out in one piece, after the upper floor crumbled upon them. At least, he was able to shove someone else out of harm's way for a change. One last chance to repay those past debts, before death finally engulfs him. Now, he can finally go in peace. Succumbing to the weariness of his bitter existence, Gray prepares to shut his eyes once and for all.

Huh.

Struggling to offset the eternal blindness, he focused his vision on the singular shade of vibrant scarlet amidst the living furnace. The collapsed, wooden beams were violently flung away, paving a clear path towards him. Emerging from the dense black smoke and the fiery embers, the ashen image of the Titania manifested before him.

You've gotta be shitting me.

If this was hell, then why is she here? She didn't belong here at all. Did this crazy woman seriously dig her way into the underworld just to pull him out? Is she, honest to god, not bluffing, when she said she wasn't afraid of death? What could she possibly gain from this? He clearly had nothing to offer her— not even a measly word of thanks.

"He's alive," she declared with all the confidence in the world. "We need to lift this concrete rubble off of him."

"I-It's impossible!" A gruff masculine voice cried in panic. "The size of this thing, and with just us two—!"

"Shut the fuck up, and do as I say!"

A tight grip wrapped around his numb fingers, and he mustered his waning energy to squeeze her hand in return. "Gray, I need you to stay conscious and pull yourself out on my command," she calmly dictated.

"E-Erza... Loke… Did he make it out?" he wheezed through his crushed lungs.

"Yeah… He's fine. You did good."

"T-That's great… Y-You…You should leave now too… It's... hopeless… You don't have to burn in hell with me. Save yourself. Think of yourself first—"

"Shut the fuck up!"

A pair of grunts echoed followed by lengthy laborious heaves. The weight of the solid void bearing down on him shifted momentarily and then persistent once more.

"H-Holy shit! It actually budged! Teach, you're MANLY!"

"I won't let you die." Her relentless voice rattled in a string of broken gasps. "Not after others died to protect you— Not when you've just regained your life again— Not while I'm here," she panted in agony. "I'm going to see you graduate at the end of the year. How will you return my money, if you gave up now!?"

Tears blanketed his impaired vision, as the overwhelming burden of boundless oblivion was fully lifted from his being.

"PULL YOURSELF OUT!"

Pull myself out?

Yes. That's the catch, isn't it?

She can only dig herself into the deepest depths of the underworld, but he ultimately has to pull himself out. She can present him the vast silver highway to life, but he has to follow her towards the finish line. She can promise him that one flimsy coin would change his life within a year, but he has to see it through to the end. He needed to stop hesitating, to stop asking stupid questions, to stop doubting her real intentions, and believe— the same way she does— believe that he could be more, and move on from his wicked, vindictive ways.

Move on.

MOVE.

Summoning all of his remaining life force, Gray crawls forth with bruised elbows and bloodied knees. He's the one who had to keep the curse at bay; it's ultimately him who had to change. A cloud of scarlet enveloped to raise him up, and his vision finally turns to nothingness.

Erza Scarlet was no stranger to blood, not since she was a filthy, meager child living in the slums. However, she had never felt so sickeningly dirty, until now. It's been hours of harsh, vigorous scrubbing, yet her thoroughly exfoliating skin continued to sting all the way to her bones. His blood felt cold; it felt disgustingly wrong. He was her student— no, he was her friend. Gray trusted her enough to let her in, and this is what happened.

Erza abruptly shuts the sink faucet and steps out of the toilet. Unlike Loke, Gray's condition had been critical enough to rush him straight to the emergency room upon their arrival at the hospital. It's been a long, dark night of torturous silence on her part. When the doctors finally announced that he had stabilized, the hour had become too ungodly to be calling Ultear with this kind of news. She filled up his papers herself and allowed the nurses to move him to the wards.

The unconscious boy breathes peacefully in deep slumber. His bruised body was littered with stitches; two on his abdomen, one particularly large enough to have been the cause of her greatest worry. Erza gently brushed the dark fringe on his forehead and winced. There was another one that would surely leave a permanent scar. She wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. Her drastic warning was to not harm a single strand of his hair, and this is what happened.

Despite the thick suffocating smoke, the strong distinct odor hadn't escaped her notice. There was no doubt a leakage of gas in the vicinity. An entire two-story building was incinerated into a bonfire of ashes within a span of minutes. They've been played at their own game. The month-long stacking of menial tasks wasn’t the actual threat. It was merely done to lull them into a false sense of security. It was all leading to this event.

Mira was the one who specifically singled out the two boys. Laxus was the one who passed the order of their detention. But it was ultimately her, Erza Scarlet, who condemned them into the fiery jaws of hell. She knew for a fact that Gray wasn't guilty, but she had been too short-sighted on getting the boys to make-up— too blindsided on assuming it's simply another harmless form of slavery. Mira didn't want to expel her students. She wanted to silence them for good— but to what end?

Lightly squeezing Gray's idle hand, Erza narrowed her eyes in conviction. It seems like everyone was motivated by self-interest as he proclaimed. On this earth and in these times, a narrow, translucent line separated good and evil. People choose to be evil in order to become good— in order to protect those whom they love.

Releasing the palm she'd been involuntarily caressing, she silently approached the adjacent ward bed. A steady vibration of tranquil snores emitted from her new manly friend. The guy caught a few burns on his arms, when he charged for their path, as she carried Gray out of the collapsing building. Elfman had been nothing but a tremendous blessing to her, in her short span of knowing him.

Stealthily, Erza lifted the forgotten clipboard of hospital records by the bedside table. Her slanted eyes hastily scanned for the man's listed contacts.

Lisanna Strauss.

Edolas Academy, was it?

Chapter Text

Homeroom is cancelled in lieu of the principal's statement on the unfortunate incident that transpired last night. Overlooking the entire student body, all the instructors are horizontally lined up on the auditorium stage during the address. Principal Makarov kept the student's names strictly anonymous, but he made sure to repeatedly stress that Erza Scarlet, their academy's very own instructor, partook a major role in the daring rescue.

Upon Ultear's arrival at the break of dawn, Erza went home, rinse off the ashes from her hair, scrubbed her skin pink once more, and went straight to school. She hadn't slept a wink, nor had a single drop of caffeine, but she was wide awake. She didn't even have the energy to keep up her pretense; her glasses were purposely forgotten. Today, Instructor Scarlet is taking a backseat. Today, the Titania takes the stage. Stage fright is a nonissue at the moment. Her nerves had transformed into hardened steel overnight.

"We have yet to investigate the root cause of the fire. For the time being, let us all consider ourselves very fortunate that no lives were lost," the old man finished and turned to his staff. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

"Sure do, Pops," Laxus yawned and cracked his neck side-to-side. "Your root cause is staring you in the face. Those scumbags are always smoking on campus. Doesn't take a genius to connect the dots."

"THE FUCK, MAN! THEY ALMOST DIED!"

Erza narrowed her eyes at the familiar voice that erupted in the crowd. Next to the pink-haired boy, not even the blonde-haired girl had the heart to stop his outrage on this occasion.

"I disagree."

Makarov's undivided attention was instantly drawn to the hero of the hour. "Instructor Scarlet was present last night," he reiterated once more. "Erza, have you noticed anything particularly amiss?"

Chocolate pupils nonchalantly darted to the albino woman a meter next to her. Mira wore her untarnished smile as perfectly as ever. Side by side, the stark contrast between the haggard mess and the pristine beauty is blatantly spotlighted on stage.

"No," she answered. "My refutation is based on the time I spent with these kids in the past three months. I believe it's not them."

"Here we go again," Laxus drawled. "Pops, this is the same ditz who pledged her undying love to that shitty brat at first sight. Her empty words mean nothing."

"Perhaps so, yet words are highly unnecessary, when her actions have already spoken volumes," the old man smiled at the redhead and fully faced his stellar line-up of instructors. "Has anyone else here charged inside a burning building for the sake of a student? Anyone of you veterans?" he grilled.

The entire stage was speechless, and the audience's murmurs amplified in turn. Hundreds of students that once openly ridiculed the new instructor now regarded her in fearful respect.

Makarov shrugged. "School property is replenishable, but the life of each and every student in Fairy Academy is priceless. Erza, please continue to look after those brats with the same passionate dedication."

"Of course." She humbly bowed at the wise old man. "Thank you, Sir."

The audience began to disperse out the hall, and the actors on the stage prepared for their exit. Hidden from prying eyes, the blonde man wasted no time on sneaking an endearing moment with his albino girlfriend at the auditorium's backstage. It was the perfect scenario the Titania had been waiting for.

"Say Mira, how's your brother?" Erza asked; the tone of her voice as plain as day. "Shall we visit him at the hospital together after school?"

The couple sharply pulled away at the woman's behest. The man seemed more surprised than offended— just as expected. "Elfbro's in the hospital?" Laxus inquired in alarm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh. Um. It's nothing serious! He just slipped and had a bad fall. He's such a klutz!" Mira giggled. "Anyway, I seem to be keeping you from your meeting. Let's continue this at lunch, shall we?" Tipping her toes, she pecked him on the lips to seal the promise. The blonde man dreamily regarded his beautiful girlfriend once more and obediently left without another word.

The same auditorium backstage marked the curtain-veiled setting of the rivals' first encounter. The masks they once wore now bore thin cracks, revealing a glimpse of the terrifying monsters hidden underneath.

"Keep my family out of this!" Mira hissed.

Erza simply raised an inquisitive brow. "I wouldn't dare lay a finger on him. He's my friend. I owe him my student's life."

Mira jerked in epiphany and then staggered in horror. "W-Wha—? Y-You mean... those burns were ...?"

"Exactly. You put him there yourself," she openly accused. "He's been taking on life-threatening jobs, because you're all drowning in debt," she snarled.

"H-How do you…? Did Elfman tell you that!?"

"He was careful not to." Tense shoulders sagged in surrender, as Erza finally released the painful clog in her chest, since she first heard her colleague's troubled tale. "Why won't you tell him? Your boyfriend will surely help you cover those hospital bills. Is your pride really that important?"

Mira bowed her head to hide her unmasked face. Her clenched fists trembled. Despite the darkness shrouding them, Erza is now able to see through her rival's deepest insecurities.

"How much?"

The woman's posture involuntarily flinched and baby blue eyes widened in anxious dismay. "W-What?"

"How much—" Erza stepped forth and peered straight into the depths of the stormy blue oceans. " —would it take for you to leave my students alone?"

"A-Are you trying to— bribe— me?!"

"Call it whatever you want. I just need a number."

Mira struggled to choke out her scornful laughter. Her melodious voice sounded constricted all of a sudden. Shaking her silvery crown, she endeavored to piece back her mask of pure condescension. "One. Million. Yen." she finally said.

"Alri—"

"—In cash. In two weeks time." Baby blue eyes smugly twinkled in challenge. "I'll leave your kids alone— if and only if, you meet those exact conditions," she sneered.

The redhead carefully studied the woman's impromptu masquerade. Mira's eyes shone in deceit, but her body language failed to conceal the desperation of her underlying plea. For Erza, that was more than enough to take the leap. "Deal."

The first rays of sunlight streaked through the window blinds and showered the bedridden boy in a halo of gold. His eyelid twitches in his desperate effort to flee the darkness. Grunting between the realms of sleep and waking, Gray wills his body towards the light and was met with restraint. Glancing down his tattered torso, he snorted, and subsequently winced in pain.

"Good morning."

The sing-song voice led him towards the familiar face of a woman sitting by his bedside. For a split-second, Gray thought he must've died after all. Although, he soon figured it's highly unlikely for him to end up where she went.

"You're not dead," Ultear knowingly clarified. "Sorry to disappoint you. It's just your sister."

"How long was I out?" The hoarseness of his voice implied it's been awhile.

"An entire week. Your friend had been discharged a few days ago. He's been regularly visiting you since." Ultear rose from her seat and lightly patted his dextrosed arm. "I'll call the doctor. Try not to escape, while I'm out."

His lips slightly tugged upward, and then sagged to a frown. "What about her?"

Footsteps halted by the door. "Hm?"

"You know, the crazy woman," he weakly croaked, prompting her to approach him once more. "Since I'm alive, that means she was able to pull off another miracle, right?"

Ultear smiled in confirmation. "Erza's truly one of a kind. In all my years of working in Fairy Academy, I've never come across a teacher like her. Handing in her application is probably the best thing I was able to do for our school."

"You're the one who got her in?" he asked in utter bewilderment. "How the hell did you even find someone like that? She's an extremely unconventional teacher."

"Doesn't she remind you of someone?" Ultear teasingly smirked.

"At first," he readily answered the question he's once pondered himself. "But the more I think about it… Erza's different. She doesn't really— choose. She thinks she can save everyone. It's… scary…"

"Scary? You're scared of her?"

"I'm scared— for her," he sighed and stared at the looming ceiling. "Running inside a burning building wasn't the first of her suicidal feats," he blankly muttered. "On me alone, she'd already wasted a huge chuck of her nine lives. My debt's been stacking up."

"Erza saved you on her own. There's no debt to pay."

Gray blinked in remembrance of the missing woman's exact same declaration. Darting his eyes towards Ultear, she pleasantly nodded in assurance. "The same goes for my case. You don't owe me anything. I never blamed you for our mom's death. She did what she did on her own free will."

Hearing such words from his sister's distinctly similar face caused his tears to pool. Hastily, he focused his gaze back on the ceiling in hopes of drowning them. "Erza once told me that I should live for mom. That this life is no longer just mine," he pathetically wheezed. "There might be no debt, but that's probably the best way to show my thanks for all those years of undeserved kindness."

"I'm sure—" Ultear, too, gracefully stifled her sobs behind her hand. "—mom will be so happy to hear that," she rasped. "You've changed, Gray."

"What can I say?" he weakly snorted. "The insanity of the teacher you hired is simply inspirational."

Ultear rolled her eyes and grinned in amusement. "Yes. Your teacher. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

Gray furrowed his brows, as Ultear eventually left to inform the doctors about his condition. It wasn't hard to guess what she was implying. No matter how shrewd Ultear is, growing up with her made him hyper aware of her witty wordplay. Nevertheless, was he also that transparent to her?

As it turned out, Erza didn't have one million yen to her name— no, not even close. Upon being met with the five-digit number from her lifetime savings account, she cursed out loud and repeatedly banged the ATM in hopes that the machine was broken. Eventually, she gave up in fear of yet again destroying public property, which she can't afford to pay for. It would appear that her bad life decisions, particularly her religious strawberry cheesecake diet, are finally haunting her at full force.

After the horrendous fall out of Plan A, Erza immediately switched to Plan B. One-by-one she contacted her 'thicker than blood' brothers and sisters; one-by-one she realized they're just as financially strapped as she was… Wally's bar is technically still a start-up, and she, his most loyal customer, had been contributing to his costs more than his gains. Sho's part-time pay goes directly to supporting himself through public high school. Meanwhile, Simon is supporting both himself and his sister who's in a private university. She contemplated calling Millianna, but then remembered how many exotic cats the girl had been hoarding. Surely, the livelihood of twenty high-maintenance cats costs more than putting one person through school.

And then, there was him. He's undeniably become a pseudo celebrity as of late; a young, dashing politician with a charitable platform. He was all over the media, be it in the papers or live television. She could ask for his help, but what would that sound like? They had barely spoken the last three years. Now that he's famous, she'll randomly ring him up to ask for one million yen— in cash, in two weeks. She may not be a prideful being, and she may be utterly desperate, but boundaries must be set.

Hence, here she was one week in on Plan C, and she is still nowhere near the promised amount.

"Erza, let's take a break."

Erza swings around to face the massive, sweat-laden built of Simon, and tilts her head in question. "Huh? But my shift just started. I can still go on!" Balancing the stack of ten-meter metal pipes on her shoulder, she threw her friend a thumbs up to show her vigor. Simon sighed and extracted the pipes from her reluctant hold. When she pouted in disappointment, Simon smilingly handed her a frozen canned beer and led her to the site's rest area.

Ever since Elfman Strauss had stopped coming in due to his injury, she had been taking over his shifts in the construction site. Simon had kindly vouched for her with his boss, emphasizing she's an overqualified applicant for the job. It didn't take long for the men to witness her unnatural strength firsthand and welcome her onboard as one of their buddies.

"Thanks again," Grinning at Simon, Erza raised her drink as cheers to the night. "Sorry, I feel bad having you buy me one every time."

Seated next to her, Simon frowned. "I should be the one apologizing. If only I had the money, you wouldn't be dirtying your hands like this."

Erza chuckled and proudly flexed her well-trained biceps. "What are you saying? Thanks to this workout, I've completely regained my top form!"

Simon hummed, though he still sounded unconvinced. "Erza, when your students showed up the other day, why didn't you just accept that girl's money? She said you didn't even have to pay her back, which says a lot about how fortunate she is."

Erza took a long swig of her beer and blew out the sudden chilling sensation in a pleasurable sigh. "If I did that, I'll be no different from Mira. Taking money from students, that's the easy way out, isn't it?"

"I suppose..." Simon monotonously commented, and then regarded her in alarm. "Although, was it really okay to sicc those two onto Elfman's sister? Mira will freak out for sure."

"Say, Simon, how's Kagura doing lately?"

"Hm?" Simon blinked at her and dug out his phone from his loose worker pants. Punching a few buttons later, he presented her with a picture of a raven-haired woman dressed in a traditional purple kimono.

Erza's eyes bulged out in awe. "Wow! She's so elegant and sophisticated!" she beamed. "No one will ever guess that your sister used to live with us in the slums."

Simon heartily chucked. "She's still very stubborn, though. She's presently taking this oriental studies course that I am strongly against."

"That's probably why," Erza openly pondered. "She's grown so independent, because you always let her decide for herself." She took another swig and stared at the unobstructed view of the full moon. "From what I heard, Lisanna sounds like a pretty sheltered kid. She could use a pinch of 'bad influence' in her life."

"Mm. Like how Kagura used to join us every now and then."

"Exactly. We were definitely worse than delinquents back in the day," she laughed. "Sometimes, you have to be exposed to the grittier things in life in order to appreciate it more."

Erza gestured her beer towards the open expanse of the busy construction site. Simon's hummed reply implied he finally understood why she wasn't entirely against toiling away with their lot.

"Those two are the best candidates for that job," she confidently stated, and then felt the intensity of Simon's trademark stare. "It'll be fine. I specifically instructed them to befriend the girl, nothing more," she quickly added.

"Yo! Erza! Someone's here to see you!"

Checking the time, Erza furrowed her brows in question. Simon rose from the worker's bench and patted her encouragingly to greet her visitor. Behind the yellow tapes near the site's exit, a brunette girl in her school uniform stood impatiently waiting for her.

"Hell, when Lucy said I'd find you here, I thought for sure she was shitting me!" the girl snickered and eyed her up and down. "What is with that lame, baggy get-up? You're such a hopeless dork!"

Erza narrowed her eyes in recognition. "Cana, how can I help you?"

Cana picks out a tiny item for her pocket and nonchalantly tosses it to the redhead. "I just handed you your speed way ticket out of this dumpster."

Erza squinted at the flash drive in her palm and regarded the brunette in confusion.

"It was pretty cool of you to have risked your life for Gray," Cana shrugged. "I don't trust you still. But if I had to choose, I like you a tiny bit more than that bitch."

"What's in this thing?" she asked in alarm.

"Watch it, and you'll know what to do." Turning to make her leave, Cana waved back at her from the distance. "Better not betray me now."

Since teenage years have gifted her with a healthy dose of rebellion, Lucy often griped about her absurdly authoritarian upbringing. However, meeting Lisanna Strauss had enlightened her on the real definition of a sheltered kid. The girl followed a strict curfew which required her to be home straight after school. Her blind obedience to this rule resulted in her lack of friends from her own academy. Upon hearing they were students from Fairy Academy, she instantly warmed up to them and hadn't noticed anything amiss with Natsu's coarse vocabulary. If anything, Lisanna seems very taken with the boy's extroverted, borderline-no-boundaries personality. Lucy even considered warning the girl that this was Natsu's default state— no, her oblivious best friend was absolutely not flirting with her.

For the umpteenth time that night, Lucy glared at her watch, and then at the pair in the fighting arcade booth. The boy is in the midst of copying his character's victory pose, while the girl is giggling in sheer joy despite her tenth consecutive loss. Since they've started their mission of corrupting the naive girl, Lisanna now went home by nine— max; a curfew Lucy personally set. According to Lisanna, her sister was usually home by midnight, and Erza specifically instructed them to avoid any run-ins with the eldest Strauss— at all cost. Their instructor failed to mention why, but Lucy's intuition begged her not to test her luck, unless she wanted to end up hospitalized with the boys. The clock struck ten. She had been inwardly panicking for an hour, but the pair was still not done for the night.

Today happened to be Lisanna's birthday. Natsu insisted they had to pump up their usual itinerary and selected an expensive sushi bar for their dinner venue. Lisanna was quick to decline, claiming it was way above her budget. Natsu, her inconsiderate best friend, signed her up as their official sponsor for the evening. Honestly, she should've seen it coming. From there on, there was no turning back. They sang their hearts out in the private karaoke booths, introduced the girl to the fanciest deluxe parfaits, and opened her innocent eyes to the vibrant colors of the city that never sleeps. Nastu made sure to properly educate Lisanna on what she's been missing out on, whenever she went home before the sun sets.

And though, she'll still complain and call him an idiot, Lucy found the tedious exercise to be an eye opener for herself. After all, she was once in the naive girl's shoes. Minus the delinquent babysitting homework, this whole affair is no different from the best friends' nightly routine. Natsu is the epitome of living life to the fullest— splurging and indulging in the most expensive things— dragging her around town until the wee hours of the night. And she, Lucy, his doormat best friend, never had the heart to turn him down.

"Eh? You want us to come in? ...Now?"

Lucy swallowed hard to subdue the foreboding dread at the pit of her stomach. They just dropped the girl in front of her doorstep, as they always did. Though she deeply appreciated Lisanna's thoughtful gesture on repaying her generosity, the time was now eleven-thirty. She turned to Natsu in hopes of seeking his wise advice, but the boy had already stepped into the house and kicked off his shoes. Glancing at her watch again, Lucy gulped once more and followed the pair inside.

"Sorry, it's a little cramped in here," Lisanna bashfully called back, while leading their ascent on the narrow flight of stairs. "My brother isn't around, and Mira-nee won't be home until—"

At the top of the staircase, Lucy suddenly collided against Natsu's back. She was about to reprimand him, when the sight before them also paralyzed her completely. A decorated birthday cake is set at the center of the dinner table. Surrounding it are three expensive platters of deluxe sushi, no doubt the same quality as Natsu's earlier choice. At the head of the table, a seething Mirajane Strauss awaited them.

The elder Strauss immediately stood and cornered her sister. "Where the heck have you been?! It's midnight!" she roared. "Your brother's in the hospital, and you're loitering around god knows where!"

"I-I was with my friends!" Lisanna stammered and proudly presented the pair behind her. "Natsu and Lucy have been keeping me company for the past few—"

Mira, who hadn't noticed them earlier, viciously snarled upon recognition. "These two are delinquents from my school! You don't even know them, and you're foolishly following them around town!"

Lisanna jerked at her sister's aggressive tone. "I-I just… I didn't want to return to this empty house," she stuttered. "Mira-nee, it's you and Elfman-nii who I don't really know anymore…" Fighting back her tears, the girl endeavored to voice her accumulated frustrations. "You're both keeping secrets from me! Mira-nee, you've been coming home late, smelling like alcohol. And now, Elfman-nii's injury is too severe to be from another brawl!"

Mira was rendered speechless by her baby sister's sudden ability to speak her mind. Lisanna meekly approached the glorious feast on the table and released a strangled cry. "Why did you even buy all this...?" she whimpered, her tender expression stricken by guilt. "I'm getting kicked out of Edolas by the end of the week. My tuition hasn't been paid until now."

"Of course, I'd shell out for your birthday!" Mira cried in disbelief. "It's just us three now. We need to celebrate these moments as a family. Elfman can't make it, so I made sure to get home early. But where were you?" she heaved to compose herself. "I— am— working my hardest to keep you in Edolas. And all this time, you've been socializing with these degenerates!"

"Then, please. Just stop." Lisanna turned her back completely against her sister. "I hate that pretentious school. Everyone looks down on me, because I'm poor. I'd rather be at Fairy Academy where kind people like Natsu and Lucy are."

"Stop?"

Lucy, who had been watching the whole spectacle in silence, furrowed her brows at the elder Strauss' sudden change in demeanor.

"You want me— to stop?" Mira's raspy voice sounded like a mixture of laughter and crying. "It's too late to stop! You have NO IDEA how much I've DIRTIED myself, so you can stay PURE!" she cried out in remorse.

Lisanna helplessly staggered backwards, when her sister grabbed her shoulders and frantically shook her into sense. "Do you want to end up like your brother?! These people are a bad influence on you! It's your future I'm thinking of! Why can't you see that?! This is for your own good!"

Lucy clenched her fists in rage. Those words hit a little too close to home. Mira's brutal rapid-fire sermon has evoked her latent desire to rebel. To her ears, the elder Strauss' sweet feminine voice gradually evolved into a stern masculine baritone.

Why are you associating yourself with those ruffians? You're a member of the Heartfilia family! This is an investment for your future! That boy is bad news!

"SHUT UP!"

Lucy's piercing defiance reverberated throughout the small, cramped space, silencing everyone at once. Her intuition insisted she take her own words to heart, yet her heart begged for her to follow through her words. "All this talk of Lisanna's future, it's not really for her sake, isn't it?" Doe eyes glared their repressed anger at the albino woman. "You're just projecting— your— ideal future to her! The one you've been robbed off because you're forced to grow up and play mom! That's why you're being a dictator parent; you're doing it for yourself!"

Mira instantly released her sister and charged straight for the teary blonde girl. Raising an indignant palm, she forcefully swings it towards the girl's reddening cheeks. Lucy shut her eyes and jerks her head away, bracing for the impact— but nothing came.

"I don't get you guys at all," Natsu solemnly spoke; his hand seized the snarling woman's wrist with an immovable strength. "I've always been alone. I literally go home to a cat. I mean, Happy's great, but he doesn't talk, no matter how long I stare at him. Why can't you see how lucky you are!?" Eyeing the expensive platter he would've normally inhaled on sight, Natsu bitterly scoffed. "This fucking feast is just for show, when every other day you guys can't even talk to each other."

Her best friend's sincere confession washed away the bitterness and appeased her raging heart. She understood it now. The clinginess that occasionally annoyed her and the seemingly never ending nights of pleasure; it was his idea of family— of living life to the fullest whenever they're together. He isn't alone, as long as she is there.

Nodding to herself, Lucy gently laid her hand on Natsu's arm to convey her heartfelt understanding. Simultaneously, the boy lowered Mira's wrist, and fully released it, upon sensing no signs of lingering hostility. Mira lifelessly sank on her knees and stared blankly at the floor. For the longest time, the woman's tortured sobs were all that was heard.

"Mira-nee?" Lisanna knelt and embraced her trembling sister from behind. "Natsu and Lucy aren't wrong. I want you to live your own life. I'm very grateful for—everything— you've done for me and Elfman-nii, but we're not kids anymore. You can take a break now, and let us look after you too. What's the point of me staying pure, if you're suffering at my expense?"

Mira's anguished cries broke into spluttered gasps, and then into whispered mewls. She held onto her baby sister's hand, as though grasping on the singular lifeline of her otherwise miserable existence.

It was then, that Lucy also saw what Natsu did. Inside that crowded apartment, barely the size of her own room, there were framed pictures of the three siblings throughout the years— each one celebrating a momentous milestone in their lives. Mira appeared to have gone through a gothic-punk phase in her childhood. Their brother looked like the poster child of good conduct in his Sunday best. Lisanna, however, looked the same as now; her smile had always been sublime. Even with just the three of them, the Strauss siblings never needed anyone else.

Her golden, regal mansion didn't hold a candle to this humble abode. These three are truly blessed; they had something that she, too, was missing. And perhaps, that's why she couldn't say no to Natsu and his endless whims. Because likewise, he's also the closest thing she has to a family.

Lucy wiped her tears and audibly sniffled, drawing Natsu's full attention to her. Thankfully, the boy merely flashed her a radiant grin and didn't laugh at her blubbering state.

"Hey, Lucy? Let's go home."

In the midst of holding back the incoming deluge, Lucy struggled to smile and nodded instead.

Idiot. We ARE home.

"What is— this?"

"This— is mankind's greatest invention."

The vein in his scarred forehead threatened to pop, as Gray glared across the four giddy faces within his private ward. These heartless bastards who have gone completely MIA for almost two weeks, finally showed themselves when he's about to be discharged that afternoon.

To be fair, one of them was considerate enough to drop by regularly, mostly because he was an outpatient. As much as Gray appreciates Loke's company, the guy's conversation topics were limited to pestering him on which chick he digs. For the past week, they must've gone through the entire female population of their batch by now, and Loke still couldn't take a hint. Natsu and Lucy's absence he could waive. It would've been extremely awkward, if the two conducted their not-dates next to his bedridden self. The most insulting of them all was this woman, who's now eagerly waiting for his jubilant praise on her gift.

"What's wrong?" Erza blinked in astonishment. "You don't like it?"

"You still haven't developed a proper sense of empathy," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Why would you bring me something you'd like!?"

"Everyone likes strawberry cheesecake!" she snapped. "You're the weirdo!"

Gray groaned and eyed the pink-haired boy, who's currently eating his untouched, tasteless hospital food. "Yo, squinty! You can have this too!"

Natsu managed to unmannerly choke out a mumble with a mouthful of food, before Erza outright snatched the cake away from Gray. "One bite, and I swear it'll change your life forever!" Scooping out a tiny slice, she harshly shoved the spoon into his unprepared mouth.

The sugar high mixed with her proximity and the entire notion of the act caused his face to flush exponentially. In the background, Loke's uninhibited snorts and snickering can be heard. In his peripheral vision, an equally blushing Lucy is trying not to stare and incredibly failing at it. At least, Natsu remains busy with engulfing his hospital pudding. Noticing his evident distress, Erza retracted her spoon and frowned.

"Hm. Wasn't the reaction I was going for." Shrugging to herself, she proceeded to consume the entire cake on par with Natsu's record speed. Sensing his sheer annoyance radiating on her, Erza smirked and dug for something in her pocket. "I have another gift for you actually. This one I think you'd really like."

Without another word, Erza went to setup his room's television set, while everyone else eyed her curiously. Armed with the remote, she shifted through the menus and hit play on an unknown video file. Silence befell the room, when the image of the still intact old school house flashed on the screen. A lone woman, the paleness of her hair unmarred by the video's grainy quality, approached the back entrance with a sizable trolley trailing behind her. Gray squinted to make out the tall cylinder shapes atop the trolley, and his blood grew cold upon remembering where he'd seen those before.

"Gas tanks," Erza clarified. "Based on this video, at least ten of those were deposited."

"What. The. Fuck." Loke chanted in horror. "WHAT THE FUCK does this mean?!"

Gray felt a convulsing shudder run through his entire body and cautiously regarded the oddly calm redhead. "Where the hell did you get this?" he hissed in alarm.

"Not important," she automatically answered.

"T-That bitch she… She did this to us!" Loke roared and threw his arms out at his bedridden state. "She did THIS to you!"

The healing stitches on his abdomen began to throb once more. He wasn't sure if his guts threatened to spill, or if he'll end up vomiting them out before that happened. A lithe hand rested atop his hunched shoulder, and Erza was back by his bedside.

"Not yet," she simply said.

Turning to the uncharacteristically quiet couple, Erza nodded. Nastu and Lucy took this as a sign to recount everything that transpired in their lives during their absence from his hospital visits. Once they reached the climax of their heart wrenching tale, Lucy was on the verge of tears, and Natsu completely lost his appetite. Loke sank back on his chair and stared at the floor, his earlier uproar had dissipated into the air.

"It's not that simple now, is it?" Erza spoke, breaking the unnerving silence. "Once Mira loses her job, her entire family will be affected. Once she's announced as the instigator of a school fire, no one will ever hire her again. She'll most likely turn to full-time prostitution as a result."

"S-She wanted to kill us…." Loke stammered in defense. "That bitch literally tried to kill us," he paraphrased with more conviction.

"That 'bitch's' brother also saved you." Her slanted eyes darted towards his traumatized dark blue orbs. "Had it just been me, I'd never be able to get you out."

"I don't…" Lucy gasped through her suppressed sobs. "I don't want Lisanna to suffer for this."

Natsu nodded next to the girl. "Same. It's just wrong to doom them all for the shit their sister did."

Loke stood and rushed to his bedside. "Dude, you're the real victim here!" he declared. "Forget me being duped. She'll continue to come after your life— for sure. Hell, at this point, you can charge her with attempted murder," he weakly scoffed, still in shock.

Gray clicked his tongue and stared at his mangled arms. It would be a lie to say he wasn't disturbed by his new lacerated appearance. He originally swept it under the rug, labeling it as an inevitable by-product of his generally unlucky existence. However, learning it was a deliberate action, learning there was a face behind it, and learning the story behind an otherwise stranger's face, made it all the more difficult to breathe.

A click on his suspended patient's table magnetized his forlorn eyes towards the flash drive now presented before him.

"You are the victim, so it's up to you what happens next." Erza sat directly on his bed and locked him into a steadfast eye contact. Her expression, though, is completely unreadable compared to everyone else in that room. "You once told me people are driven by self-interest. She is too. She went— that far— for her family." Her gaze momentarily flickered, or perhaps it was his. "So now, how will you protect yourself from her? How will you pass your judgment on your enemy?"

His breath hitched and Gray finally saw through their instructor's purposely designed exam for him. Natsu and Lucy were sent on an assignment to fill-in the missing details of the exam. Loke is here to act as his voice of reason, to parrot his own cynical words back at him. Erza wanted to see if he's learned anything about her. His answer will determine if he's ultimately capable of understanding her— or not at all.

"That's a trick question," he smirked. "You're asking me to pass judgment on three people. Mira, her life doesn't solely belong to herself."

Just like mine.

Swiping the flash drive off the table, he dunks it down into his tall glass of water and lets it sink for good. Erza's unreadable expression gave way to a beautiful smile; he passed with flying colors.

Though her senseless altruism still evokes his morbid dread, for the moment, even he is able to appreciate the beauty of her all-inclusive compassion. Even towards Mira's siblings— people whom she didn't know existed, she always thought of others first, regardless of who they are— regardless of how much they wronged her. She was almost surreal, and bearing witness to her made it hard not to change— made it impossible for a vindictive person not to aspire to be better.

"I am so proud of you."

A loud thud on her faculty desk jolted the albino woman out of her eerily silent stupor. Baby blue eyes bulged in disbelief as two dictionary-thick wads of yen manifested from thin air. Abruptly, she swiveled to face the great magician in wild dismay.

"One million yen. In cash. In— less than— two weeks," Erza proudly proclaimed. "Feel free to count it yourself."

Weighing the golden bars in her palms, Mira immediately stood to the woman's height. "H-How...?"

"The same way your brother earned his money— with blood, sweat, and tears," she gently smiled. "I doubled my shifts at some point, in case I missed the deadline. Apparently, it wasn't necessary."

Hyperventilating all of a sudden, Mira cowered behind her silvery curtains. "I-I… I don't understand. Why did you even bother to do this? To help me?"

Erza scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I did it for my students."

"It's ridiculous to go THIS FAR for a student— a delinquent!"

In a blink of an eye, the Titania's lethal glare flashed forth. "Is that what a teacher should say?" she snarled. "You look down on our school in favor of some elitist academy, but it's your kind who's bringing us all down!"

Mira jerked backwards and gradually lowered her arms, as though her precious money suddenly weighed like bricks.

"I take pride in being their teacher. They're recklessly stupid and extremely short-sighted, but they always strive to do the right thing." She crossed her arms and nodded to herself. "Gray risked his life to save someone, despite his cynicism. That guy you duped relinquished his thirst for revenge, upon hearing your real story. Natsu will do— literally anything— to protect the girl he loves. These. Kids. Aren't. Hopeless."

Smilingly, Erza regarded the albino woman's speechless surrender. "They just need— our— guidance," she emphasized, drawing Mira's hopeful gaze. "Your siblings grew up to be such amazing people. That's all on you; take pride in that."

Mira slowly nodded in epiphany. "So it's you all along… Thanks to those two, my sister's been bugging me nonstop about transferring here."

"All the better, right? Edolas is overrated anyway," she shrugged.

"YO! MIRA!"

The pair's conversation was suddenly disrupted by the familiar manly voice. A fully recovered Elfman Strauss just stepped out of Principal Makarov's partitioned office. The big guy practically caused an earthquake, when he giddily skipped towards his sister.

"How did it go?" Erza excitedly asked.

"He called me a real MAN and said I was hired!"

"Wha—? What's going on? Why are you here?" Mira looked between the two in utter confusion. "Who hired you?"

"Meet the newest member of our staff," Erza smugly grinned at the siblings. "From now on, these kids are going to be subjected through hell for all those months of skipping gym."

"I'm the new P.E. teacher!" Elfman gushed, as his dumbfounded sister repeatedly blinked at yet another astonishing magic trick.

"He's just my type."

The lightning glare of Evergreen's glasses blinded everyone momentarily. "Back off, Scarlet. He's mine!" Latching herself to the man's giant bicep, Evergreen led her newfound soul mate outside for an exclusive campus tour.

Sighing in relief, Erza figured she must've inadvertently remedied her other colleague's month-long moping as well. A nudge on her arm brought her attention to one of the golden bars being courteously returned to her.

"Use it for the student you cherish so much," Mira smilingly stated. "I heard Ultear's been shouldering his bills alone. I… I'll earn the rest of our money the honest way from now on," she humbly declared. "And someday, I'll pay back every cent of what I'll be taking today."

"Forget the money. There's plenty of other ways to pay me back."

"Hm?"

"For starters." Her lithe hand extended out in an open invitation. "I'd like us to start over. Let's face it… We're in the first quarter, and I still don't have any friends among my peers. Ultear doesn't really count..." she bitterly muttered.

Mira tearfully grasped her hand and squeezes it firmly. "Deal. What else do you have in mind?"

"Well..."

"Testing… Testing… Ahem! I would like to dedicate this song number to the apple of my eye, the salt to my pepper, the Yoko to my John, the Bonnie to my Clyde, the one and only— LISANNA-CHAAAN!"

With her elbows propped on the bar counter, Lucy slapped both palms on her face. Painstakingly, she massaged her temples to the hopelessly in love Loke, who's been hogging the mike on the stage.

When Erza first told them to dress up for Gray's recovery party, never in a million years would Lucy have guessed she'd end up in a gaudy-decorated karaoke bar. The flamboyant owner, whom Natsu rudely christened as Blocky, was utterly ecstatic when their crowd came in. The man's rectangular jaw slacked at the confetti of ten-thousand bills their teacher produced from her purse. Since then, their ever responsible adult supervisor has been going on several rounds of busily refilling their glasses with the endless flow of alcohol.

"Mira-nee has told me plenty of stories about her fellow newbie at work!" Lisanna chirped, as their teacher began her mission of corrupting the girl. "You're not exactly like she described though…."

"Oh I bet," Erza mumbled, in the midst of pouring more alcohol into the girl's glass.

"We never get outings like this in my school! I really wish I'm part of Class F too!"

"I support this!" Loke yelled through the mike.

Natsu instantly regarded the innocent girl with a stern expression. "Lisanna, that guy's exactly the type of bad influence you should stay away from," he lectured.

"See? What did I tell you?" Gray grinned at the redhead now servicing him and tipped his head to the bleating boy on the stage. "All's right with the world."

Erza halted her pouring and smiles at him. Reaching out a curious hand, she brushes away his fringe to reveal his scar. "I like it. Makes you look like a real fearsome delinquent."

"I am a real fearsome delin—!" he smugly voiced, before her curious hand tugged the hem of his shirt fully upwards. "What the hell?!"

"Just checking if there's more down here," she innocently replied, while scrutinizing the blushing boy's abdomen in the middle of the bar.

"No! Wait! Stop!" Lucy cried in panic and turned her body to shield Lisanna's innocent eyes from the deviant spectacle.

"Lisanna," Natsu solemnly spoke once more. "That guy's the type of bad influence you should avoid— at all cost."

Happy with her findings, Erza went back to servicing the now harassed boy. Belatedly, she seemed to remember he's still not allowed to drink in his recovering condition. Snatching his glass, she drank half of it in one go, shoved it back in his hands, and left to kick Loke off the stage. For an eternity, Gray stared at the lingering lipstick mark at the rim of his glass— with a dumbfounded mouth hanging open.

"O. M. G."

A shrill incredulous gasp caused the boy to yelp on his stool. Hastily, he wiped the evidence clean with his thumb and chugged it down to cover his blatant slip-up. However, Lucy had seen enough.

"OMIGOD. It's HER!"

"The fuck are you saying?"

"All. This. Time. You were hanging out— here— with her!" she outright accused with her finger. "Don't even deny it! The owner knows you! You've got it baaaad."

Gray shot her a deadly glare. "You've got it bad," he childishly retorted, and then tipped his head at the boisterous pink-haired boy and the giggling white-haired girl.

Lucy cringed in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Exactly. Let's pretend this conversation never happened, shall we?" he deviously smirked.

"Jerk..."

Inwardly, Lucy snickered at her other hopeless friend— hopelessly in denial, this time. Her trustworthy intuition has just advised her to propose a new bet within their circle. One she might actually win.

It was nine o'clock sharp, when their teacher pulled the plug to their superfluous merry-making. Erza announced it was time for Loke's new crush to go home. Gray was quick to protest, calling her a killjoy on his party. She shot him a glare that implied he stay out of her blossoming new friendship. Natsu and Lucy were explicitly ordered to escort the girl back home. Loke, his self-proclaimed wing-man, repeatedly jabbed his recently recovered arm then prematurely called it a night. He only stayed back to help with the bottle clean-up, but Erza stubbornly insisted to do all the heavy-lifting. So, why was he still here?

"Thanks," he finally spat out the sacred word. "Doesn't mean I agree with your suicidal tendencies. Just thanks."

"Well, it's four months late, but I'll take it," she effortlessly shrugged, while carrying a beer case full of empty bottles.

Gray smiled and resumed wiping the counter. "Whatcha been up to while I was out?"

"The usual. Working my ass off to save yours."

"I figured. That chick suspiciously looked like her."

She deposited the last case outside and joined him by the counter. "Isn't that great? You're finally freed from the meetings you absolutely loathe," she beamed in sarcasm. "That said, I never want to see you in this shady place ever again." She patted the table to pass her verdict and left him be.

His hand abruptly stopped, and more forbidden words spilled like vomit. "You wanna go out somewhere?"

"Huh?"

"Somewhere— else? Not this place," he blurted once more.

Erza raced back to his side and frowned at him. "I mean, you can do whatever you want from now on," she clarified.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and stared at her directly. "What if I want to keep seeing you? We're technically dating, aren't we?" he knowingly smirked.

She broke eye contact by rolling her eyes to the back of her head. "Very funny."

So much for his month-long attempts on flirting; she's officially learned not to take him seriously. Regardless, an opening is an opening. "Are you breaking up with me? Is there someone else I should know about?" he gasped in feigned hurt.

Erza opened her mouth on instinct, but then shuts it back close. "Yeah. Maybe." she eventually said.

He already knew that, of course. He just needed to hear it directly from her, instead of the usual 'none of your business' bullshit. It served as a proper ending to this foolishness— a closure to the past month of inappropriate reveries brewing at the back of his mind.

"Well, glad that's over with." Throwing the rag into the kitchen sink, he walked past her stationary state by the counter. "Anyways, I'm outta here."

The door chimed shut behind him one final time, and she didn't even bid him farewell. Cursing under his breath, Gray peered through the glass lattice door. Once more, the lone woman sat by the counter. She's flopped her face completely on the table. He wonders if she's miserably crying over that ex. Whatever the case, it's now legitimately none of his business. From this day forth, it's another guy's job to approach her by that counter; she'll glamorously dress up and beckon him to her side. Although, looking back, even before him that had already been her spot. She was always alone by that counter. Perhaps even in those times, she was waiting for someone all along. He just happened to be another passerby.

She's just off-limits, or there's really nothing?

Your teacher. Don't ever forget that, okay?

You've got it baaaad.

Fuck.

This was all Ultear's fault. The secretary had unknowingly unleashed a dam she's endeavored to seal for the past three years. Nevertheless, Erza is proud to have resisted the temptation of calling him these past two laborious weeks. Shoveling her woes away at the construction site did miraculously pave the road to one million yen. In retrospect, that wasn't exactly something to be proud of, as far as sublimation goes.

The door chimed once again, and the stool beside her creaked in motion. Erza blinked at the surface of the table centimeters from her face. Dare she look up? Dare she go down into the rabbit hole? Dare she fall into the deadliest trap of hoping against—

"You're so pitiful to watch."

"Tch." Of all the people in the world, it just had to be this grouch. "If you're here to insult me, then please just—"

"I'll keep you company, until your boyfriend shows up."

Odd.

Did she somehow got the wrong guy? Erza instantly sat upright to double check. True enough, Gray is nonchalantly drinking another beer Wally must've slipped in as thanks for his help.

"Don't bother, I'm used to it," she begrudgingly muttered. "Besides, trust me, it won't be anytime soon." She took a long swig on her own bottle.

"Meh, I have nothing better to do anyway."

"How charitable of you. Does this mean I've cured you of your cynicism?"

"What makes you think I'm not expecting anything in return?"

Erza took a minute to process his words and narrowed her eyes at Gray's unreadable expression. "Huh...?"

"Something to think about," he solemnly challenged, and then cheekily grinned. "For now, a word of thanks would suffice."

Erza snorted once and breathlessly chuckled in amusement. She should've known he wouldn't let her win that easily. Bumping her shoulder against his, she clicked their bottles together and returns his charming smile. "Thanks for sticking with me."

Chapter Text

Wet summer monsoon sweeps across their city, bringing a much needed respite to the sordid humidity. The gloomy weather paired with his constant lethargic mood prompted Gray to stay indoors that weekend. It was laundry day, after all. He may be at home, and he may have an abnormal distaste for clothing, but readiness is key in these uncertain times. The whir of the washing machine droned in the background, as the topless boy scowled at the gatecrasher seated across his tatami table.

"I super adore strawberry cheesecakes," Erza smilingly declared with a proud nod.

"No shit. Try again."

"Fine. Erotic novels are a guilty pleasure of mine," she stated with the same confidence.

A hand involuntarily reached for their shared bag of chips. "Do expound," he leered. "What kind of smut exactly? Any weird kinks I should know about?" he snickered, while audibly munching.

Erza's pleasing disposition instantly switched back to business mode. "The rule is one confession for one correct answer," she chided and slammed the red-decorated paper between them. "And you scored one-out-of-fifty. Seriously, Gray, were you even trying? Even Natsu got a higher grade than you! Aren't you ashamed of yourself!?"

Gray fruitlessly grumbled, as Erza's amplifying rants littered his tiny apartment. Once again, he failed to thwart her home invasion for the fifth weekend in a row. Ever since their teacher heard of the upcoming nationwide academic exam, her overzealous passion led her to conduct private tutor sessions with her students. Immediate expulsion might be a nonissue at the moment, yet their saddening grades still posed a major roadblock to reclaiming her 500 yen. To combat the tedium, Gray had proposed his own incentive program, which she wholeheartedly agreed to. However, their wise instructor seemed to have adopted his half-ass approach to their sessions, based on her bullshit secrets.

"I heard you were once an honor student! How did it come to this?" She violently slammed her palm on his mock exam, threatening to karate chop the wooden table in the process.

"Your shitty confessions aren't cutting it!"

"Well, excuse me for leading a boring life!"

In one swift motion, he hopped across the table, crouched next to her, and looked her dead in the eye. "I may be legit dumb, but you blatantly lying to my face is an insult to my intellect," he spoke in all seriousness.

"What do you want to hear exactly?" she abruptly countered.

"Oh, I dunno," he reclined himself with his legs sprayed beneath the table. "Stuff like, how'd you become so strong? Where'd you come from? Whatcha been doing before ending up in our school? Who's this loser you're pining for?" he emphasized with a nudge.

"So basically, stuff my in-laws would ask," she clarified with an irritated twitch of her eye.

"Hey. You should be honored," he snottily quipped. "It's not every day that I go about prying on other people's crap."

"Yes. I'm so flattered."

A pair of thin lenses was all that stood in his defense from her evil alter ego. As she mentioned though, he was never the brightest bulb in the pack. "What can I say? You really caught my eye," he smoothly replied.

"Huh?" Erza blinked and the Titania's deadly mask dissolved into an adorable blush. "Don't you mean 'piqued my curiosity'?" she awkwardly mumbled, while averting her gaze.

"What's the difference?" His grin widened in proportion to her discomfort.

Her lips squirmed, and she cautiously regarded his self-satisfied smirk. "You're just toying with me, aren't you?"

His playful smile descended to a frown. "In all honesty, I'd appreciate a decent answer every once in a while."

"Then, sorry. A barrier of professionalism must be maintained between a teacher and a student," she stressed both words with a clear stroke of her hand.

"Like you're one to talk," he snorts. "For all the times you barged in unannounced, you practically live here already. Hell, not even my naked ass drives you away! Our relationship is never that simple and you know it," he openly accused.

Erza raised an inquisitive brow at that last sentence. "What 'relationship' are you spouting about? You're my student— my failing student," she unwittingly stabbed. "You think I'm here because I want to? I won't be doing this, if I had a choice!"

At times, he wonders if she'd caught on by now. If she did, then her wise choice of words was indeed effective on twisting the knife lodged in his chest. If she didn't— then, that's plainly depressing.

"Right. 'Cause all you care about is that stupid bet of yours," he hissed with all the venom he could mustered.

Her heavy sigh implied she's done playing as well. "Someday, when you've finally matured, you'll thank me for—"

"Get the fuck out."

With one last sigh, she gathered her materials and obediently did as she was told. The door clicked shut. The washing machine had long come to a pause. Silence is restored in his empty lair, save for the light pitter-patter of rain against his window sill. Dark blue eyes blankly stared at the neglected calendar on his wall. The pages were untouched for months; his world has been eternally locked in spring, since their first encounter.

Groaning in frustration, Gray surrenders himself to gravity. The cold hard floor stings his flesh, and the familiar ceiling beckons his thoughts to overflow. Her tight-lipped secrecy is a glaring disturbance he could no longer ignore. For someone who repeatedly claims to believe in him, she never trusted him as he does her now. Ironically, he wasn't welcome, whereas he's always been anticipating her visits with a door flung wide open. And yet— despite his harsh dismissal, he knew for certain that he wouldn't be able to shut her out for long.

"IT'S OUT, GUYS! Everybody, grab your copy!"

The massive ecstatic figure of Eflman Strauss emerged at the faculty door. Cardboard boxes were tucked under each of his huge biceps; both the size of a microwave oven. Next to him, everyone in the room immediately swarmed the rising celebrity of Fairy Academy.

As it turned out, Mirajane Strauss was in no short demand of finding a new honest sideline. A week after quitting her hostess stint, the head-turning beauty was scouted by a talent agent amidst the busy streets of Shibuya. Since then, she has been happily contracted as a fashion model under Mermaid Heel, a well-known women's magazine that's circulated nationwide. The date of Mira's publicized debut has been meticulously marked in all of her colleague's calendars. Finally, today's issue has arrived.

Elfman has been proudly handing out copies to literally everyone he met on his way to work. Evergreen wasted no time on glomping her "future-sister-in-law", as she raved about her success. Laxus had already ripped off a copy of his girlfriend's ad, and is neatly framing it on the office wall. Erza hogged one of the microwave boxes and excitedly tore into the masking tapes, like an overeager child on Christmas. After polluting the office floor with all the excessive wrapping, her hand froze a centimeter from her present.

"Jellal!?" she gasped and immediately snatched a copy to scrutinize the handsome, tattoo-less face on the cover.

"Jellal?" Mira appeared next to her flustered state with a questioning stare.

Erza inwardly cursed at her stupid blunder and erratically flipped through the pages. "M-Mira! Congratulations! W-Which page are you on?"

"Strange. Didn't think he's the type to entertain gossip interviews," Ultear commented next to the ladies with her own copy on hand.

Mira peeked at the current spread before Ultear and beamed. "Oooh! Siegrain Caesar?" she excitedly cried. "I've been hoping to run into him in our HQ!"

"Erza's a huge fan," Ultear casually stated with her eyes still glued on the magazine. "You should take her with you sometimes."

"Really? Well then, I'll contact my agent— at once— and have her stalk his schedule!" Mira supportively offered, as she began typing on her phone.

"Oh! Look! It's stated here. 'I'm still waiting for the right woman'. Isn't that great, Erza?" the secretary teasingly sang.

"Oh my god! Shall I set you up?" Mira urgently shook the stoic redhead's tense shoulders. "Actually. Nevermind. I've just decided to set you up!"

Erza clicked her tongue in annoyance. Ultear just had to paint her as his fangirl of all things; as if the living reality of their relationship wasn't bad enough. Scanning over Jellal's two-page interview, her slanted eyes were drawn to the comic feline avatar of the author.

Well, that explains a lot.

Last time they met at Wally's, the girl had gone on hours gushing about her promising career as a tabloid reporter. Millianna must've been given a hefty raise for successfully convincing the heartthrob politician to appear on a women's magazine.

"Well, fuck! This scum's still kicking!?" Laxus angrily yelled from his desk with his nose buried in the pages.

Freed raced to his boss's side and peered over the burly shoulders. "By the gods! Clive's now running for council?!" he exclaimed and threatened to pull out his luscious green hair. "What is the world coming to?!"

"Gildarts Clive was our Vice Principal, until Makarov fired him five years ago," Ultear helpfully explained to the pair of confused ladies next to her. "Presently, he's a high-ranking committee member of the Board of Education."

"Wow, so he's some big shot giant in our industry?" Mira mused in doubt. "And this is after he got kicked out of our school?"

"Yep. Pops didn't tell us why either. Confidentiality and all that shit," Laxus grumbled. "I never liked the bastard myself. Hell, my position's practically created just to fill in this douchebag's role."

"And he's also running for council, huh?" Erza bit her cheek and squinted at the pages.

Jellal may have secured the front page cover, but Gildarts likewise had a two-page article within the issue. The two were being advertised as the key figures to look out for in the upcoming election. Although Jellal has been blessed with the media's celebrity treatment, he is still the biggest underdog in the race. The masses remain skeptical of his relatively unknown name and the lack of achievements attached to it. Gildarts preceded him in years of service within the government, particularly in the world of education. According to the article, he's a laid-back, easygoing everyman, who started as a preschool teacher and worked himself to the top. Mermaid Heel had been conducting monthly election surveys among its millions of subscribers. If these results had any credibility, Gildarts is the reigning champion through and through; he's the no-brainer taker of one of the twenty seats. The former currently held the top spot, while Jellal's trailing miles behind at thirtieth place.

"Quit slobbering over your spinster fantasies." Laxus poked her absent minded state with the roll of his magazine. Had Mira not been present, the asshole would've straight-up slapped her out of her stupor. "How's that review going? Your shitty class better not tank our entire school's passing average— again— this year."

"Eugh. At this rate, I'm bumping it up to nightly sessions... These brats keep kicking me out on weekends," she sighed and bowed her head in resignation. "Or— I should probably just give up… It would take a miracle for those kids to score a double-digit number..."

Mira chuckled and lightly patted her lamenting friend. "Well, if you're that desperate, you can always try my technique!"

The raven-haired boy furiously scraped his pool cue tip under the low-hanging fluorescent of the billiards club. His dark blue eyes locked into the vast green surface, as rainbow-colored orbs scrambled to the satisfactory beat of collision. His rival has been brutally egging him with each flawless jump shot, yet he suddenly acquired an immunity to Natsu's petty trash-talks. Wisps of second-hand smoke blew left and right, yet he remains busily focused on his task, lost in his daydream of spring. Thirty minutes of suffering through the grating chiseling noise, and Lucy's nerves finally snapped.

"Gray! Natsu's obliterating you!"

Gray merely looks up, stares at her, and resumes on sharpening his weapon. It wasn't hard to pinpoint the reason behind that scowl. Brooding and throwing tantrums are his go-to course of action, whenever his hopeless infatuation comes to mind. The boy has been very persistent on asking their teacher to join their after school outings. Nine times out of ten, she turns him down. Once in a blue moon, when she relents, there were no holds barred to his flirting. It was an endearing sight to behold, and yet sometimes Lucy feared for her friend. To be honest, she could no longer gauge how deeply his school boy crush runs these days.

"Oh, Lucy. Leave Romeo alone," Loke snickered as he leaned to take aim. "He just got dumped." The word was enunciated with one sharp tick, downing three balls at once.

"Screw her," Gray finally spat. "She's got a giant stick lodged way up her ass!"

Lucy groaned. It was about time he switched to tantrums. "Gray, you do realize she's busy right?"

"Busy killing her liver every fucking night."

"Really? She was over at my place last night," Natsu corrected in the midst of aiming. "We got takeout. She even gave me free cake, as a reward for scoring higher than stripper."

"The fuck?" Gray threw away his precious stick and stomped to the other side of the table.

Lucy's time bomb alarm immediately went off. "She's targeting her failing students!" she quickly blurted and turned to the other guy for back-up. "Loke, you weren't visited, right?"

Loke met Gray's murderous glare and gulped. "Nope."

"Good for you," Gray snidely retorted, a meter from murdering his rival. "Your ladykiller days are officially over, once that dull, boring woman steps into your sex dungeon."

"See, I don't get why you think she's dull. Erza's kinda hot," Natsu carelessly added.

Lucy narrowed her eyes in caution and wonders how she should intervene this time. "W-Wha—?" That was all that she managed to piece out. Fortunately, Gray appeared to be just as confounded as her.

"Yep. She's fat."

"Waitaminute!" Loke gasped. "When you say fat you mean Lucy-fat, right? So she's actually stacked?" His hand shot up to cover his nose. "BROTHERS! Where do I sign up for this tutoring program?!"

Gray smacked Loke at the back of his head and caged Natsu against the table. "Are you telling me she fucking dressed up— at your place? AT NIGHT?"

Natsu simply blinked at him. "Uh, I guess? She was in a dress. A really tiny dress—" The boy then noticed his rival’s rapidly diminishing immunity and reverted to his earlier mission. "—but at least she's not dancing around butt-naked like you!"

And once more, World War III has commenced. A loud slam on their table rattled all the other patrons of the pool club. Gray mercilessly tugged the ends of Natsu's scarf with the resolute goal of choking him. The rasping boy kicked and flailed with his back flat on the table, as Lucy and Loke struggled to pry away their rabid friend.

"Sheesh. You boys are so pathetic."

"True that. What's so special about Scarlet, anyway? Spilling out her tits for attention. What a pervert."

Gray abruptly released his death grip and redirected his rage at the haughty voices. Lucy supported her coughing and wheezing best friend, who equally regarded the two women as their new common enemy.

"Fuck off, Cana," Gray snarled at the uncharacteristically sober brunette, who just came in. "And take your bitch, while you're at it," he sneered at the bespectacled girl.

Laki momentarily cowered behind her rugged best friend and huffed. "Gray, have you lost sight of what Class F stands for? You, of all people, once bore the greatest hatred on our teachers!"

"Well, times have changed."

"You've changed," Cana boldly replied with a distant look. "Since when the fuck are you hot for teacher? One way or another, your darling Scarlet will betray you." Her contemptuous gaze shifted to the other boy. "Ain't I right, Loke?"

The lion roared in anger, but Gray's arm instantly shot out, barring him from pouncing on his prey. "Yeah? Your cards told you that bullshit?" he countered instead.

"I don't need my cards to tell me shit. I know a hypocrite when I see one."

"Cana, my dear, what's with all the commotion?"

The sweet masculine voice summoned the worst kind of goose bumps on Lucy's skin. At once, she took shelter behind her best friend. The low growls Natsu emitted confirmed her suspicions to be true. "Oh, Lucy!" Hibiki cheerily imparted his salutations with a charming wink. "Fancy seeing you here!" The campus idol's entourage beamed at the mention of her name and were one step away from surrounding her.

Natsu hopped off the table and stood next to Gray. "Get lost, fuckers," he hissed against the trio. The crack of his knuckles pierced through the sensual club music.

"Such a waste for these beauties to be stuck in your uncultured class," Hibiki pouted in disappointment. "Thankfully, I was able to save my girlfriend from the grasp of you savages," he smugly leered, while wrapping a possessive arm around Cana's waist.

"Fuck. Off." Gray reiterated. Loke solemnly took his spot next to his brothers, leveling the playing field.

"You pretty boys really wanna challenge our class?" Natsu deviously grinned with a perfect set of fangs.

"Geez." Cana rolled her eyes, when her boyfriend and his pals also shrunk behind her. "Fine. We're leaving. Booze here tastes like piss anyway!"

With one synchronized salute, the Trimen left to escort their two classmates out of the rowdy club. Sighing in relief, Lucy reviewed the randomness of this news. For one, she never pegged Cana as the type to entertain pretty boys. The brunette is the leading social butterfly on campus. Her strong personality attracts meeker girls like Laki to flock around her, while the same attitude makes her intimidating to her admirers. To their past teachers, the girl is known to be on the same level of notoriety as Gray. Their means of coercion simply differed— hers leagues more diabolical in Lucy's honest opinion. The instance she witnessed at the smoking area hasn't magically resolved itself after all. Cana's foreboding warning suggests her hatred has simply transferred to another teacher.

Lucy gave an appeasing squeeze on both of her stalwarts' shoulder. Natsu's boiling anger gradually cooled down, but Gray's entire posture continued to shake with unadulterated rage. Only then did she notice the new grating noise that resounded from the grit of his teeth. Gray had the presence of mind to stop Loke, but he, too, was hard at work in suppressing his ferocious urge. Once again, Lucy found herself fearing for her friend. His hopeless infatuation is constructing a brand new go-to channel before her very eyes— one that made her fear the boy himself.

"Juvia... Fullbuster…"

The smiley face stress ball contorted into a grotesque expression of pure agony, as Erza heartlessly juiced every ounce of its inanimate life. How can these brats have a shot on passing a national exam, if the government can't even trace their existence? The ball violently ricocheted against the three corners of her cubicle, like a blazing pinball. Begrudgingly, she reached for her red marker and scribbled all over the discrepancy on the test paper.

Her mind's been perpetually boggled by how these kids crawled their way to third year. Lucy is the sole saving grace of her otherwise bleak career. All of her hopes and ambitions are anchored on the girl to someday emerge as the valedictorian of their batch. Everyone else, however, shamelessly lived up to their class name. Natsu's been abusing his seatmate rights in all of her exams. The boy can't even copy Lucy's neatly-written math formulas and simply submits a correct magic number out of thin air. Gray's been meticulously shading his mock exam answer sheets to the pattern of a giant phallic symbol. Needless to say, she completely felt like an idiot for ever calling him smart. Loke once held the greatest promise among the three. His brief crush on Mira did wonders for his Chemistry grades— enough for him to consider it as a future career. As for Math, suffice it to say, the boy can't properly count his change to save his life.

"Erza? Uhm… Are you okay?"

Her hand abruptly paused from banging the abused smiley face against her forehead. Her newly relocated albino seatmate gave her a sympathetic smile and took her seat. A guest was revealed to have accompanied Mira back from her class.

"Instructor Scarlet," the blonde student humbly voiced. "Will you pretty please tutor me too? I'm afraid math is by far my worst subject."

Erza squinted for a whole minute, as the boy's pout deepened to a disappointed frown.

"His name's Hibiki," Mira politely offered, as she swiveled closer to the redhead. "He's in my class."

"Ah! Right! I knew that!" Erza stuttered in embarrassment. "Erm… I'm not sure if I can… I have to crunch it out with my students in the last remaining days."

"Oh, no worries! I guarantee he's not as difficult as your kids!" Mira proudly added.

"True. I can probably squeeze you in, since you're a fast learner." Erza flipped through her planner and bit her lip. "I'm supposed to drop by Gray's tonight. You can be my first stop, since that brat has a tendency to run his mouth."

Hibiki smoothly listed his address in her notebook and exchanged contact details with her. With his mission now accomplished, he winked at the ladies and left.

"Somebody's gaining a fanclub!" her seatmate happily patted her. "Is it thanks to my advice?"

Erza bit her cheek in contemplation. She did try to make herself as "presentable" as Mira used to dress. However, her guinea pig the other night was more interested in her picnic basket than anything else. "I wouldn't say so…"

"Gray is gonna die of envy, once he learns you've cut his time short for another cute guy," Mira giggled.

"I wouldn't say that either. The grouch just kicked me out of his man cave last weekend. Seriously, his mood swings are driving me up the wall!"

"Mhm. My advice is— slap on your sexiest summer dress and watch those hormones work their magic."

"Oh my god! This lech just grabbed my ass!"

"W-What?! I-I didn't even touch you, Miss!"

"You're calling— sweet, innocent me— a liar? Security! There's a pedo in your family resto!"

All the customers' judgmental stares were locked on the middle-aged dad, as he desperately pleaded for his innocence next to his wife and kids. When his bespectacled victim proposed a parole, he obediently whipped out his wallet and paid for the girl's order. Laki happily skipped back to her empty booth, cradling her three bottles of beer. Her sadistic smirk oozed with the sheer joy of yet again enacting a successful con.

Seated at the shadowy corner table, Lucy lowered her pink-tinted glasses and glared in absolute distaste. Unlike her failing classmates, she was gifted with all the time in the world— time she'd chosen to use wisely. Her intuition has gone haywire since the pool club encounter, prompting her to embark on her solo missions. It was a task she's happy to do for the countless times Erza had helped them.

"Welp. You've hit a snag, Luce. Cana's not here."

Across the table, Natsu, in his blue cat-ear hoodie, is busy devouring their family-sized platter of fries. Gray had an eagerly anticipated "date" that evening, which meant Natsu was free for recruitment. As it happens, her best friend's heightened senses are a valuable asset for eavesdropping.

"Trust me. She'll show," she whispered. "Laki did order three beers."

"Aren't you being a tiny bit paranoid?" Natsu mused, while smothering the entire tray with ketchup. "Let's say they do target her. Cana's a one trick pony, and Erza's totally immune to her femme fatale bullshit."

"'Cause she's a girl, you mean?" She cringed, as the boy messily licked his fingers clean of sauce.

"That's point A," he slurped. "Point B: assuming she swings that way, Erza can really hold her liquor—"

"Not against Cana," she abruptly cut in.

"—Point C: Cana will have nobody to forward her boobie pics," he confidently declared and threw a handful of fries into the air, willing to catch them all into his open mouth.

A shriek of horror succeeded the rain of red on his favorite jacket. Lucy automatically produced a pack of baby wipes for the wailing boy, a purse necessity she'd adopted a week after meeting him.

All things considered, the past teachers Cana had driven out did follow an eerie pattern. They were all middle-aged family men. The clueless idiots were lured to her apartment on the pretext of a friendly drink. Once the girl has outdrunk her victim, she'll strip down to her light blue bikini top and snap a photo with the wasted guy. The following day the man is given a choice of leaving their school or being left by his family.

"And lastly, Point D," Natsu groaned in the midst of frantically scrubbing his fluffy sleeves. "She's Erza. Nuff said."

"Still. You should know how acute my red flags are," she insisted.

"Does stripper know?" he asked without looking up.

"No... I'm afraid he might... snap, if I made a huge deal out of it."

"Word. Perv's been fucking edgy these days. 'Sup with that anyway!?"

Lucy stifled her giggles at Natsu's legitimate annoyance. Once again, he's the only one out of the loop. She's in the midst of sprinkling some breadcrumb hints for the poor boy, when two fashionable students entered the resto. Hastily, she nudged Natsu to direct his bat ears towards Laki and her new companions.

"She has arrived at his place," Ren monotonously stated.

"Hibiki sure is something!" Eve cheered. "Not even that dork can resist his charms."

"Perfect. Just like Cana planned," Laki snickered. "Our lovely instructor's officially ruined now."

No words were uttered. The terrified looks they shared were enough to impart the gravity of the situation. Natsu and Lucy raced out the door, dearly hoping to rescue their teacher from Cana's alternate version of hell.

"Erza! Erza! Hey! Hey… Erza… Please wake up..."

Lucy sniffled back her sobs and tightly embraced the unconscious redhead. Tears of utmost remorse dripped in apology, soaking the blue cat-ear fleece jacket enveloped around the woman's exposed chest.

How could they have let this happen?

The instant the door fell off its hinges; a dizzying odor overwhelmed their senses. A plethora of absinthe, tequila, and sake bottles littered the floor of the living room. The strongest imported beverages were evidently selected, for Erza wasn't one to be easily downed as Natsu predicted. However, the drinking contender they found was not Cana.

Drunk beyond recognition, Hibiki slurred on top of the redhead asleep on his couch. His fidgety, intoxicated hands were half way done on completely peeling off her dress. Before Lucy could scream her rage, Natsu had already delivered one clean punch to his perfect jaw. The blonde boy was spared no mercy, when a flurry of fists rained down on his pretty face, breaking his nose in the process.

Her conscience failed to elicit an order of ceasefire. Her legs led her straight to the scarlet-haired porcelain doll. Quickly, Lucy inspected if any irrevocable acts were committed; death sentences flitted through her pacifist mind. Much to her relief, Erza remains properly clothed from the waist down. Carefully retying the ribbon of her halter dress, Lucy's tender heart broke at the sight of the sleeping beauty. She looks so beautiful in her white summer dress, yet so fragile at the moment. Her eyelids had fallen in peaceful slumber, yet moisture lathered her cheeks. She had been crying.

Erza Scarlet, their fearless teacher, was crying.

"Natsu… I… I-I don't know what to do…. She's not waking up... What should we do…?"

Upon hearing her strangled cry, Natsu halted his brutal massacre. Wordlessly, the boy approached the coffee table and lifted the misplaced glass of water among the bottles of alcohol.

"Fuck," he said after one sniff. "It's drugged."

"What…?"

"Rohypnol."

"WHA—?!"

Her voice died at the deafening screech of shattered glass against the floor. The coffee table was flipped and flung across the wall. Multiple holes were punctured into the plywood cabinets. The shelves were cleaned in one sweeping motion; their contents haphazardly torn into shreds, as though a tornado passed by. The forgotten, drunken boy is barely breathing through his busted nose. Lucy could only watch in fear, as she tightened her hold on the sleeping princess. Natsu laid waste to the entire apartment in a blind rampage. If he was capable of this, what more if Gray was present?

"Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIIIT!" Natsu punctuated each curse with an earthshaking punch to the floor. "I-I can't find it, Luce…" he wheezed, on his knees.

"H-Huh?"

"The camera…. It's not here."

The shimmering coin spun in an endless loop of ascent and depression. Dark blue pupils religiously trailed its dance with an internal wager. His chances are gradually slimming to the tick of the clock. The toll of the afternoon bell called for his surrender. A hand shot out to capture his prized 500 yen, and Gray instantly blinks out of his trance. Cautiously, he glanced at the confiscator who stood by his desk and frowned.

"She's not gonna show, man." Loke solemnly stated and flicked the coin in return. "You might as well ditch like the rest of us," he gestured to the empty classroom. "Look, those two must've gotten an early memo."

Gray narrowed his eyes at the empty front row seats. Tardiness is a common trait among their class, but absence without notice is an odd occurrence, Lucy's most especially. "I'll wait."

"Dude, she didn't attend homeroom, and now we're given a free period."

"She never skips school, even when she was dying that one time."

"She didn't drop by your place either."

His baggy eyes twitched in anxiety; he spent the entirety of last night staring at the abandoned calendar. Guilt muddled his thoughts on the possibility of being blacklisted, after his rude behavior towards her. In his desperate attempts on prying her open, she recoiled by cutting all ties with him. Oh the laughable irony. "I'll wait."

"You're wasting your time."

The haughty voice prompted the boys to glared at the brunette leaning by the doorway.

"But— if you wanna see her that bad," Cana paused, her grin dripped with toxic superiority. "I can show her to you."

"So whatcha think? I'm pretty talented, huh?"

The brunette's mischievous snickers reverberated against the rows of metallic lockers. In the dark hallway, the vivid glare of the digital camera shone like a spotlight. Despite the tiny screen, the contrast of scarlet was enough to distinguish the subject. The stylish golden mane was enough to name her persecutor. Dark blue pupils constricted at the twisted slideshow before him.

"This one's my favorite. Really brings out the fear in that angle."

Cana voluntarily hits the zoom button and refocused the screen to the redhead's permanently captured agony. Jaw slacked in a wordless scream. Clenched fists drained in color. Cheeks flushed in red. Glassy eyes glistened to the flash of the camera.

"Shame. She fainted after that one. Who'd think those roofies had such a strong kick?"

"THE FUCK, CANA?!" Loke snarled behind the stoic boy. "The fuck did she ever do to you?!"

"She betrayed me, as she will you," Cana solemnly answered. "I'm only looking out for you, Gray. We're friends, remember?"

The camera was casually snatched from the boy's frozen fingers and safely stowed into the locker. The metallic bang shattered the numbing ice; the menacing statue came to life.

A thunderous boom erupted a hairbreadth away from the unsuspecting girl's ear. Lightning consecutively struck against the metal, as the brunette stood immobile, petrified in fear. Dent by piercing dent, Gray punched the locker door, molding it into a concave cavity. A bloody gash ran across his knuckles, painting the girl's cheek with splotches of red. Pain failed to register; the splintered indentation was all he cared about.

The battered sheet clanked on the floor, and Gray finally retrieved the camera. Bashing it on the cement, he repeated the free fall motion with increasing momentum, until unrecognizable bits were all that remained. Cana slunk down the cold cement. Her gaze locked on her pulverized accomplice and the drip of blood from his fingers.

"You're looking out for me?" he darkly chuckled. "Fuck you, bitch. You're just jealous of me."

One step forth and a hand instantly grabbed his shoulder. "Bro, that's enough. Your message was clearly delivered," Loke voiced in alarm.

Gray scoffed in contempt. The message was far from complete. "You're just jealous of— all— those teachers whose lives you ruined. 'Cause, they have the one thing you don't. The only thing you really want and can never have," he viciously spat.

Cana flinched in response. Her haughty demeanor was reduced to cowering speechlessness. Good. His words had hit her harder than his punches ever could.

Shrugging off Loke's hold, Gray deflated the seething emotions through his gritted teeth. "Well, I've also found that thing," he calmly declared. "And I won't let you take her away."

His friend's frantic shouts beckoned for his return, but he was already out the gate. The sands of the stagnant hourglass trickled like the finest fluid. The obsolete pages of the calendar are blown asunder, revealing the remaining ones he's been afraid to face. There's no way he'd allowed those to go untouched. There was one thing keeping him in this shitty school, and she's not here. Gray sprinted towards the horizon with one goal in mind; he'll drag her back kicking and screaming if he had to.

Tochō.

The headquarters to their cities' various clusters of government. The cathedral of hope to the guileless eyes of six scrawny kids. The bridge to the idealistic world of one charming boy— or not. He won't gain entrance to this tower, even if he won. No. By then, he'll be infinite steps ahead of his childhood dream. The white mausoleum and the red chamber await his victory. He'll be instituted in the parliament, representing their entire country.

Call it nostalgia or pure stubbornness, but Erza still prefers their original tower. Nothing beats the charisma of the quaint river reflecting its shimmering Gothic facade. The golden skyscraper overlooks their metropolis in the rosy canvas of dusk. Stratus clouds hover from the distance and thunderclap echoed in hushed volumes. The grip on her bare arms tightens, curling her legs closer to her chest. Casting her eyes heavenward, she prays for the summer rain to wash away her misery.

A room of neatly displayed fedora stands greeted her hangover. Downstairs, the haggard couple who carried her to Wally's attic, beamed at the sight of her. Apparently, Natsu and Lucy stayed over the entire night, waiting for her to recover. Her kind-hearted saviors agreed to skip school until she woke up, which happened to be by noon. She reprimanded them, of course. However, their expressions of sincere relief wilted her spirit. Their shrouded traumatized looks legitimately excused their absence. She immediately sent them home. After all, she, too, was in no mood for class. She had every intention of locking herself in, but the thought of him led her here.

At that moment, she regressed to the little orphan girl, pinned and powerless, crying out for his name. He'd probably laugh at her, if he knew. The almighty Titania's weakness exploited by one skinny brat. What kind of superhero was she? Had her sidekicks not arrived on time, would a tragedy have befallen her? Or— will her assailant have paid the price once more?

Lithe fingers comb through a waterfall of scarlet. Bittersweet memories are evoked by the silky locks brushing her cheek. She once foolishly believed these are fate's red strings that must never be severed. Their first encounter was marked in red— her name, his tattoo, his tiny hand dripping in red, reaching out for hers. The viscous pool of red between them anchored their lives forever in his indelible sin.

Fisting the grass by her feet, she tugs it to ground herself back in reality. Her traitorous tears spilled in willful denial. He is no longer here— least of all places, here— along a murky riverbank. She vowed to be strong, so she'll never have to depend on him— so he wouldn't have to bathe in red again.

Footsteps crunch the withered grass, and thunder roared in the darkened heavens. A lone shadow appeared by her side. Turning on instinct, her tears were suddenly forgotten. Erza blinked off-guard at the fortuitous appearance of Gray. Sweet relief laced his agonized features. Red streamed in rivulets down his hand like the boy from her past. She rose to his height, and drizzle finally falls in a diagonal blanket. The sound of the rain and the scent of dew called forth a brand new canvas— painting ripples in the river— drenching her threads of destiny— dissolving her tears and the blood in hands— flushing away the viscous red of her past.

The crystalline purity of her answered prayer brought forth the turn of the tide between them.

Chapter Text

Thundershower persisted to pour, ushering the dusk's exit and heralding the night. The lamps of the suburban neighborhood dimmed like waning candles behind the rain-coated window. The ceiling light momentarily flickered, signalling an imminent black-out. The shadows threatened to wake him, and Gray dared it to fall. His ears had become accustomed to the soothing lullaby of the rolling thunder. The sogginess clinging to his skin evaporated into the room's ethereal ambiance. The dull throb of his wound eased him into the dream-like reality of what led him here.

He didn't stop to think. She didn't disappoint on yelling at him. She nagged herself hoarse under the unrelenting rain. His lips tugged upward at her muted sermons, and she finally sprung into action. Her hand shot out, but no punch landed. She grabbed him the same way he always did her— harshly by the forearm with an unyielding grip. The people in the bus stared at them like a pair of lost ducklings. He didn't ask for a destination; those details were highly unnecessary at the moment. She never let go of him. She simply kept closer, as the glares bore down on them. It was stupid of her to think he'd run. He's done running for the day.

Somehow, he never pictured her to have a roommate. The modernist flat is too spacious, too impractically luxurious for one person; it's almost fit to house a small family. There were two bedrooms and one sizable kitchen. A small, presumptuous part of him always pictured her as a takeaway connoisseur. An impudent part of him compelled him to sate his curiosity. Blatantly opening the fridge, one box of cake and two layers of beer were all that greeted him. Despite the saddening implications, Gray snickered in triumph. Yep. That lines up.

Nonetheless, everything else served as a stark reminder of how little he knew. No clues were scattered on the identity of her ghost roommate— no pictures and no extra shoes by the entrance. Unless she had a knack for expecting gatecrashers, she couldn't have cleaned up either. She led him to the living room, patched his bleeding hand, and left to change in her room. All the evidence must be locked behind the other mysterious door. Normally, he would've knocked, but his patience had long run dry. She had multiple chances to give him a decent answer, now he's out to seek them on his own.

"Really? First thing you do is snoop into my room?"

Gray jerked away, electrocuted by the knob. He blinked at the redhead who emerged from the adjacent door. She's changed into a black camisole and a pair of micro shorts; a very welcome sight, despite her incredibly peeved look. Of course, you dumb fuck. She owns the two rooms. There's no roommate to fear.

"These should fit you," Erza shrugged, and his eyes darted to the inviting change of clothes in her arms. "You're roughly his size."

His? A clap of thunder crackled inside that room, shattering his lonesome, dorky image of her into a million pieces. His mouth slacked, but no words came out.

"Dammit, Gray! The— one time— I order you to strip, you greet me with this!?" she hissed at his saturated state and the muddy puddles all over her tiles.

Still dumbfounded, the bandaged hand rose on his defense, and she winced from yet again failing the empathy test. Mumbling a quick apology, she pulled him into the bathroom. The drenched uniform was peeled with such graceful expertise and dumped into the sink. Dropping the toilet seat, she pushed him down and vigorously scrubbed a towel on his drooping spikes. A pleasant scent of strawberries pervaded his senses.

"So… What happened? Are you alright?" she asked.

"Do I look alright?"

"I'm asking because you don't," she retorted, evidently in no mood for his cheekiness. "How did you find me anyway?"

"Wally."

"Ah," she paused, and the intensity of her scrubbing tripled. "Tch. I should've gone to school. They'll blow the entire place at this rate."

He reached for her wrist to stop the erratic motion and tore the towel off completely. "I saw it," he solemnly said, while gazing up at her. "I saw you crying."

She flinched within his hold, and her lips squirmed in discomfort. She was a terrible actor. "Oh. That's… odd. It's probably just the rain." She's even worse as a liar.

"That's not what I meant," he clarified. "Although, I did see that too."

His grip remained steadfast, when her fingers tried to slip through his. Clicking her tongue, she reluctantly knelt to his eye level. "Look, what you saw—"

"You're strong," he bluntly cut in. "And extremely annoying. You get under my skin like no one else. I tried everything— just to break you, to make you quit, and that's all it took?" he scoffed.

Her slanted eyes wavered under his piercing glare. "I'm not as strong as you think," she weakly smiled, though her unwarranted surrender irked him instead.

"You are," he reiterated. Releasing her wrist, his hand briefly brushed her cheek, before settling on her shoulder. "You are to me. Those fuckers don't deserve to see you like that."

Her eyes instantly darted on his busted hand. "Gray, what did you—?"

"I destroyed it."

"And Cana?" she abruptly followed-up.

"What about her? Don't tell me you're actually worried."

Heaving a heavy sigh, she bowed her head in resignation. "It's my fault. I did betray her."

"What?" he blinked at her humble admittance to the brunette's accusations. "Erza, what— the fuck— are you hiding from me?!"

"She wanted me to ruin Mira's life, and... I let her down."

"Mira?" he incredulously voiced. The memory of her terse answer to his urgent question months ago is suddenly brought to light. "FUCK!"

"Gray, you did the right thing," she quickly added.

"It's me. I did this to you." His breath hitched in a mixture of guilt and horror.

"No. None of this is your—"

His hand snapped to her forearm, and he roughly tugged her closer. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

"WHY?" she roared back centimeters from his seething expression. "Would that have affected your choice? I was really proud of you! Are you saying you regret it!?"

"YES! I'd take it back in a heartbeat, if it means protecting you!" he cried in disbelief. "Fuck, how many times must I say it?! Stop acting so fucking selfless! I'm just saving your ass, 'cause you clearly have zero intentions of doing it!"

"Don't."

The toilet tank clanked against his back, as Erza effortlessly pried herself free and towered over him. "Don't ever do that again," she pointed at the dark shade of crimson seeping through the bandages. "The reason why I became strong is to prevent that."

Turning away from him, she fought to restore her composure. Planting both palms on the sink, she eyed her reflection in a vain struggle to still her breathing. The tension on her shoulders ebbed in tumultuous waves, rolling down her entire spine. "You want to know my story that much?" she asked the girl in the mirror, who bitterly smiled in return. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Pushing herself off the sink, she faced him again. Her expression is bereft of any defense, any attitude and aggressiveness— bereft of anything. "I was an orphan from the slums," she began. "It's not exactly the most ideal place to live, especially for a little girl. You've been to the red-light districts; you know what it's like out there… One time, I was cornered in this dark alley—"

"Stop," he immediately rose to her height. "Stop it. I don't wanna—"

"He held me down," she ruthlessly continued. The emptiness of her blank stare knocked against the last remaining barriers of his stronghold. "And stripped me, similar to what you saw in those pictures."

"Listen." He grabbed her shoulders to steady himself. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. You don't have to say it," he pleaded.

Erza slowly shook her head no. "A boy rescued me in time," she stated with a distant look. "He bashed the butt of a bottle against the wall and stabbed the guy in the guts— over and over— until he stopped screaming." Wordlessly, she reached for his hand now soaked in red and lightly patted it. "When he finally stopped, his tiny hand looked just like this," she gasped. "Except the blood wasn't his…"

Her glistening eyes regarded his own. Shit. Not again. "Erza—"

"Today it's yours, but tomorrow...?" she wheezed and swallowed the nauseous lump. "I don't want you to be eternally tainted, just because I was weak..."

The dam broke free, and the deluge disintegrated his icy fortress into brilliant specks of diamond dust. Before he knew it, he's buried her face against the crook of his neck and locked his arms around her. "Stop crying. Please, stop crying," he chanted, tightening his squeeze with each iteration. The force behind it caused his wound to fully reopen, though the pain was trivial compared to the unbearable sight.

"I'm not a robot," she bit back, while squirming out of his hold. "You can't just order me to switch it on and off."

No. You're not a superhero either.

The lone toothbrush placed by the sink caught his eye. This time, however, no relishing victory was derived from the sorry sight; Gray simply frowned and berated himself. It was presumptuous of him to assume he was a gatecrasher. It was impudent of him to prioritize his petty curiosity. She had every intention of showering him with hospitality, when he found her by that riverbank. Her tears should've been enough to clue him in; she held onto him throughout their journey in fear of being abandoned. He, of all people, should know the crippling anxiety of an empty house. It was his turn to help her fend off her demons.

"You're not alone," he whispered. "I'll keep you company as promised."

Her movement stilled, and the whimpers caught in her throat. He gently caressed the beautiful scarlet crown to soothe her into his embrace. She never returned it, but that hardly mattered. Keeping her tears at bay was enough for now. She innocently fidgeted to nuzzle his neck, hoping he wouldn't notice; he smiled against her hair, hoping she wouldn't either. The overwhelming scent of strawberries granted him with sweet rapture. Yes, he shall savor this victory for now.

Weak.

Despite his cold exterior, his flesh had felt so warm. It sizzled through her skin, as though she's being burnt. Like a foolish moth drawn to the flames, she willingly melted into his embrace. Ever complicit, she stood like an awkward statue and allowed the goosebumps to spread like wildfire.

So weak.

How messed up is she? Is she that deprived of a hug? A friendly hug? How long had it been since someone held her so tightly? When was the last time someone lovingly stroked her hair? Aren't those the exact same words she's always longed to hear from someone— but never did?

Erza Scarlet, you are SO freaking weak!

What in the world possessed her to drag him home? It's highly unethical— not to mention illegal— for a teacher to kidnap a student. Never mind, that the idiot blindly followed her on his own accord. She is a figure of authority! How will she explain this without getting fired? His injury isn't a valid excuse; the clinics are still open at this hour. The rain had finally stopped by nine, but it was only humane to feed her victim. Their rice box delivery had just arrived minutes ago. Fair enough, be sure to send him home immediately after this!

"Gra—?"

"Nope."

A giant tofu was brutally skewered in his place. Simultaneously, her head snapped towards the other end of the couch. The boy is busily devouring the remainder of his mabo curry by patting the butt of the box over his mouth.

"Not going anywhere." Setting the carton aside, he wiped his mouth with the back of his good hand. "'Sides, you owe me free lodging for that one time."

Right. That happened too. Perhaps, he is onto something. Their relationship, thus far, hasn't exactly been as straightforward as she'd like to imagine. Cautiously, she peered at the shirtless boy, as her chopsticks involuntarily stabbed into her dinner. She'd seen him naked countless times— to the fullest degree even. It should lose its charm by now. Although, back then she'd never really paid attention to—

BAD THOUGHTS! BAD THOUGHTS!

He's your student, dammit! Think of your career! Think of your morals! Think of the repercussions!

"It's fine," he drawled, his sudden proximity elicited a high-pitched yelp from her. "I'm eighteen. You won't rot in jail in our country," he smilingly nodded.

"Huh?"

"If you prefer the dramatic route, I'm game on eloping too."

"What."

"You know, leave everything behind. Just the two of us, living in the mountains, caveman style."

"... You really thought this through...?"

"Absolutely. With my know-how and your brusque nature, we'll thrive in that environment."

"HAH?!" she immediately jumped off the couch and launched a homing projectile to his skull.

Gray flawlessly caught the frozen can much to her chagrin. Casually, he flipped the lid and took a sip. "I can hear you," he grinned. "And I'm so flattered."

"PUT ON YOUR SHIRT!" she roared, while maintaining a safe distance from him.

"But I thought I'm skinny and pasty and totally repellent?" he innocently asked, presenting his naked torso with open arms. "Holy shit, are you actually— Mmph!"

The shirt fully slapped across his face, mummifying his obnoxious mouth in the process. Erza proudly pumped her fist, as he ripped it off in disgust.

"Ew. I don't wanna wear your roomie's shirt," he glared at the offending article.

Roomie? But, how did he—? She abruptly cut her train of thought in fear of blurting it out again. "T-Those are hand-me-downs! I don't have a roommate!"

"'Kay. I'll crash in that room then," he pointed at one of the doors.

And just like that, she is slapped awake from his bewitching spell. Oh, she'll definitely file away these hair-pulling moments for future reference. "It's the couch or the streets," she sneered. "Pick one."

Gray simply returned her mocking smile. "Is that how you should treat your precious sidekick? I happen to know your enemy's secret."

"Keep it to yourself," she cringed at his petty attempt to lure her.

"Why? Don't you wanna help her?" he bluntly asked. His playful expression has completely shifted to a stern look. "I do too. She wasn't always like that. We used to be friends."

Erza bit her cheek and mentally slapped herself. For all the times, Gray has done her proud, why does she keep pigeonholing him like this? Obediently, she returned to her seat right next to him. Snatching away the shirt, she tossed it to the forgotten corner. He is her guest; his comfort comes first, even if it unsettles hers. "I'm listening."

"Cana's probably my first ever friend. We're classmates since preschool. I was a grumpy kid even then, but she can be really persistent," Gray mused, while lying on the couch. Silky strands of scarlet cascaded down his fingers.

"She was that nice to have tolerated you?" Erza smirked at him.

She had slid to the floor, so he may fully use the couch. Despite his insistence, she still threw him a pillow and a blanket. With her back against the seat, he voluntarily sprawled her hair all over his blanket. Thankfully, it was the weekend. More tutor sessions await her in the morning, but for now his bedtime story took precedence.

"More like, she had no choice," he chuckled with a distant smile. "My mom and her dad were work colleagues. And likewise, her dad's a single parent, after her mom left. Whenever the adults are too tired from school, they lumped us kids to pester each other."

An image of a tiny Gray and a tiny Cana doing play-dates made her smile. "Her dad's also a teacher?"

"Yeah. He was our elementary teacher. Cana really admired him back in those days," he sighed.

"Back in those days?"

"Mm. That bastard Clive— her own father was the one who betrayed her."

The pool of scarlet smoothly retreated, as she turned to face him completely. "Gildarts Clive?" she asked in alarm.

"You heard of him?" he blinked in surprise. "He was our VP, like years ago before you joined."

"Ultear told me he got fired."

"I'm guessing she didn't tell you why."

"You know something?" she expectantly shook his arm.

The excitement gradually dwindled, as his stare evolved into a forlorn scowl. Eventually, Gray kicked away the blanket and sat upright. He patted the cushion in invitation, and she automatically accepted it. "The guy was having an affair with a student," he finally said.

"As in…?" she hesitantly pointed at him.

He shook his head no. "Illegal statutory rape through and through," he clarified. "The girl was our classmate at that time, so that makes her roughly thirteen."

"What?" she gasped in horror. Glossy article pages enumerating the shiniest accolades flashed through her memory.

"When Cana found out, she fell into depression. She moved out, changed her name, and turned into a full-fledged alcoholic," he paused for a lengthy exhale. "Eventually, when she can't get drunk anymore, she started targeting our teachers instead."

"All because it's her own father…" No wonder Mira's case drew her ire, sweeping it under the rug only likened it closer to her father's. The man is almost literally untouchable to the eyes of the public.

"I kinda get it," he muttered in defense. "For the longest time, she's enshrined him on a pedestal. It's like crushing the very foundation of her childhood."

"Is the affair still ongoing?"

"Word is, they just moved in together. And hey, she'll be legal this year, so props to them for holding on I guess," he snorted in sarcasm.

"And he's a board member in the Ministry of Education?" she exclaimed in dismay. "How did this slip past their background checks?"

"It's been five years. The secret's been safely buried. Hell, in our class, I doubt anyone else knows about Cana's story."

"Still. This man's one step away from ruling our country," she winced. "Makarov and Ultear why are they keeping quiet all this time?"

"Because he can crush them," he blatantly spelled out and looked her dead in the eye. "He can crush you."

"Why did you tell me then?" she defiantly glared at his deepening frown. "I'm not the type who cowers from a king."

"No shit. You have— no idea— how much I wanna punch myself right now…" Regret dripped in his voice, as he looks away. Propping his arms on his knees, he bows in silence. "But... it's the only help you'll accept from me, isn't it?"

The longer she stared at him the blurrier her vision became. She's ashamed to even think he's the same selfish brat she met ages ago. At times, it was almost scary how well he knew her. It was the reason why she's afraid to let him dig deeper. He'll only be disappointed when he learns that no treasure rested at the bottom.

"So what now?" he bitterly muttered to the floor. "Career suicide, this time?"

"... There is a risk." His hunch shoulders distinctly flinched at her words.

"What about your money?" he snapped.

"I don't—"

"What about your promise?" he grilled.

"Gray—"

"Was it all just a lie?" he accused.

"No!"

"Are you gonna disappear on me too?" he stated with finality.

Erza Scarlet... You're so freaking weak…

In one swift motion, feet left the floor, knees bent on the cushions, and arms pounced on him in a suffocating embrace. Gray was jolted by her sudden attack, but she simply buried her face where it longed to be— back at the cozy crook of his neck. "No," she reiterated with conviction. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll finish the year, and even afterward, I'll always be your teacher."

"Just my teacher?" his strangled voice vibrated against her cheek.

"I'll always be your friend!" she cried through labored lungs.

"And our elopement?" he added. "I really thought it through, you know?"

Rolling her eyes, she smiles against his rhythmic pulse and tightens her grip. Can he feel the scalding warmth? Is she causing him to burn as well? Does this count as a decent answer for the time being? Much later, she wonders if any permanent burn marks were left on him too.

It was a dream— a very lucid dream, that's the most logical explanation. The second she mauled him, his brain ceased to function. Her passionate declaration completely dissolved it to mush. When they parted, her face remained centimeters from his. Heat radiated from her flustered cheeks. Her breath made his skin tingle in anticipation. Her luscious lips parted and closed. Tuning out her words, he giddily nodded, because fuck yes! This is his dream, and things will go as he desired. Let's blot out the consequences and the guilt and the shame and fast forward to the most desired event of the night!

However, just as dreams are arbitrarily dispersed nonsense, Gray— for the life of him— doesn't remember agreeing to this.

The morning after, the scowling boy tugged at the strangling turtleneck of his black sleeveless muscle top and glared at his poofy pants. Hand-me-downs my ass; she had a complete set of men's clothes stored behind that forbidden door.

"Oh, stop it," Erza slapped his elbow. "It looks good on you!"

"I know it does," he snapped, actually proud of filling out the skin-tight shirt. "That's not why I'm pissed."

"Relax. We're here for a friendly chat," she smirked, as her bare slanted eyes twinkled at him. "That's all."

"Why don't I believe you?" he groaned.

Before he could utter another protest, the doorbell was pressed. A teenage girl wearing a frilly apron greeted them with a dazed yet bubbly smile. Erza immediately nudged him to repeat what they practiced. Much to his surprise, the ditzy mistress gushed at how adorably thoughtful he is for visiting his former teacher and excitedly led them inside.

A rugged middle-aged man is lazily reclined on the couch. Upon seeing "Ur's young brat", he quickly set aside his newspaper and insisted they join them for lunch. They were ushered to the dining table and presented with his loving mistress's proud creation. The decapitated fish floating in Gray's purple soup wiggled when he poked it. Glancing to his side, his redhead companion is in the midst of stifling a violent gag.

"Had I known you kids would be visiting, I would've called for a feast!" Gildarts laughed across the table. "Pardon the cooking, my sweetie's still in-training," he supportively downed a spoonful of purple, causing the girl to blush.

Gray bowed to mask his evident cringe. The sight of the fish head bobbing for help mirrored his present predicament a little too accurately.

"Gray! Since when did you get a girlfriend?" the girl brightly beamed. "Tell us all the juicy details of how you met!"

"You have a girlfriend?" Erza cocked her brow at him, while subtly pushing her bowl aside.

"She means you, dumbass," he half-whispered and half-hissed. He was beginning to wonder who was the bigger ditz on the table.

"Oh. No. That's not— I'm not— No," she spluttered, while frantically waving her hand in denial.

"One 'no' would have sufficed," he griped under his breath.

"Nope," she finished. "I'm his homeroom teacher."

Gildarts and his mistress were quick to exchange telling looks. Their matching grins bore the joy of stumbling upon kindred spirits. Well, fuck. This "friendly chat" is rapidly spiraling towards a disaster. All of a sudden, Gray realized their instructor's career fully rested on his ability to derail her explosive theatrics.

"Eh? You're the teacher of that class?" Gildarts unabashedly eyed the miffed redhead. "Oho! Makarov sure is smart, hiring this babe to whip those delinquents into submission. It's working like a charm, huh, Gray?" he leers.

"That class?" Erza retorted, her sharp tone pointed at the man's throat. "Don't you mean your daughter's class?"

"Cana?" Gildarts blinked in surprise. "Is that why you're here, Instructor? What did she do this time? Is she in jail? Do you need me to bail her out?"

"No, her situation is much worse than that," she flatly replied. "She's trapped in an endless bout of depression for being betrayed by her most beloved person."

"Shut. Up." the girl chanted, wide-eyed. "Cana's got a boyfriend too?!" she squealed.

Gray cringed at his former classmate's apparent lack of wit. As it appears, sharing a roof with the erudite chief of the educational world didn't do her any favors at all. Gildarts, however, simply peered behind his soup bowl, before resuming his audible slurping.

Erza diverted her attention to the one who can't read the room. "You, do your parents approve of your 'living arrangement'?"

"Huh? That's exactly what my shrink asked!" she cried in surprise. "No! I'm not being manipulated into it. I'm very happy! We're irrevocably and unconditionally in love!"

"Don't fuck with me!"

A loud bang erupted in the room, when Erza outright slammed the table and rose to full height. Gray barely evaded the fish that flopped out of his spilled soup. It splatted flat against the floor, wordlessly wheezing through its gills, mocking him on his failure to thwart her theatrics.

"This isn't love! This is pure selfishness! If you really love each other, then end this now! You're only hurting the people around you!"

Gildarts set his bowl down with a resounding thud and casually leaned back. "Well, honestly speaking, I don't give a flying fuck about other people," he shrugged. "And you shouldn't either."

Erza tilted her head at the oddly incongruent words of the political candidate. "Fine, not other people then. Cana, do you even know what your own daughter's going through? How she's been coping with the pain these past five years?"

The old man snorted and eventually burst into a lengthy guffaw. For an eternity, Gray almost thought the man was having a heart attack based on his spasmodic convulsion. This time, his mistress sensed the unnerving change in atmosphere and cautiously slipped out of the room.

"What's so funny?" Erza bit back, ever defiant.

"Nothing," he chuckled after a few more stifled snorts. "It's just... you're out here doing house calls, digging up past issues, butting into my business. Your inexperience truly shows, Instructor," he tutted in condescension. "Here's a pro tip. Caring too much isn't gonna do you any good. The instant these ingrates are out the door— assuming they do graduate, you're dead to them," he shrugged once to stress the hardened truth.

One year later, none of us would even remember you.

Gray is jolted awake by the faraway words of one angry, bitter man child. How things have changed since then. Long ago, he wanted nothing to do with her; he wanted her gone in every sense possible. Now, he is living in constant dread of the year coming to a close. Her promised time is shaping up to be insufficient in his standards.

"Oh, who am I kidding? You're never gonna make it at this rate," Gildarts continued, in the midst of finishing his sweetheart's abandoned stew. "It's exam season, right? Are you so confident on those blokes of yours, for you to be crashing here? That's— the basic minimum of your job, and you have nothing to show for it. I don't know what idiot recommended you, but they deserve to be fired along with you."

Another equally loud bang followed, prompting more spillage of grotesque stew. It took a moment for Erza realize it came from her livid seatmate. Gildarts, on the other hand, grinned as though he expected nothing less from him.

"l won't allow that," Gray seethed; dark blue pupils constricted in rage. "True, she's unconventional as hell, but I won't have it any other way. That's how I learned the lessons which can't be found in your thick ass textbooks— lessons which I thought were bullshit after Ur died..." he sharply inhaled to placate his racing pulse. "She taught me how to open my heart again— how to live."

Gildarts furrowed his brows as though mentally grading his oral presentation. Meanwhile, the globbing fish jeered at his pathetic word vomit. Great. Now he's spouting theatrics too. Although, if this is indeed his dream, then maybe in this world he can save her too.

"If you so much as dared to fire her," he snarled. "I'll hunt you down myself, and—"

"That's enough."

A pressurized grip on his shoulder jerked him into lucidity. The Titania's lethal glare bore down on his perplexed look. "We're leaving," she firmly stated. A painful tug on his spiky hair forced his head to drop alongside hers. Together, they respectfully bowed at their host, who remains highly amused, despite the fish carcass and purple mess on his floor.

"Thank you for your hospitality," she mechanically muttered for the both of them.

"How long do you intend to follow me?"

Scarlet locks, doused in a fire, whipped around with a frustrated groan. The golden-tinted Inokashira Park and a hollow-eyed boy met her irritated gaze. The sun is setting across the lake, bringing down the curtains on his tragic dream. He followed her all over the city on the off chance of sleepwalking. They shouldn't have left her apartment. They shouldn't have challenged a king. He shouldn't have been so foolish to think he'd never wake.

"Gray?" Erza eyed him in concern. "Go home," she tried to smile, although her feigned pleasantries only deepened his frown.

"I don't get it," he muttered instead, drawing her questioning stare. "Why can't Cana just barge into some news outlet and drop the bomb on that bastard? She has nothing to lose, and people will side with her. The world loves a good sob story on top of a brewing scandal."

"It's not that simple..." Erza meekly bit her lip. "It took her five years to change her name and cut those ties. Speaking up will only ruin her public image. She's scared of her friends leaving her, the same way she did with her father."

"The same way— you think I'll abandon you?"

"...Hm?" It barely took her a second to forge an innocent smile, but the split-second flash of unease hadn't escaped his notice.

"All these secrets you keep from me. All these lies." He pinched his shirt for emphasis. "It's starting to sound insulting. Do you think my perception of you will change that easily? I thought you believed in me," he hissed in challenge.

"Are you already bored with what you know?" she countered with a soft chuckle. "I miss the days when you used to regard me with such awed reverence."

"That never happened," he retorted with the terse roll of his eyes.

"Did too," she smilingly walked a meter away and stomped on the dirt. "Do you know what this spot is?" He cocks his brow to humor her, and she cheekily smirked. "Your supposed epitaph."

Ah, yes. "Where I was pathetically beaten to a pulp."

"The look you gave me— screamed— with the sheer joy of witnessing your savior for the first time," she exclaimed with an exaggerated nod.

Hah. No. "You're mistaking it for unadulterated hate."

"Do you remember what I said afterwards?"

How can I forget? "What about it?" he quipped, curious of her interpretation.

"Well, I lied. I didn't believe in you then. I literally knew nothing about you. I'm not an idiot," she finished with a huff.

You lied? So the sacred words he's been living by all this time, were lies? "R-Right... Duh. It didn't make sense to begin with..." Ice cold water is brutally splashed over his meager dream. Without sparing another glance, he turned to flee.

"I had faith in you."

He wasn't sure whether it was her statement or her grip on his arm which kept him rooted. Regardless, he crushed the glimmer of hope and remained immobile. "The fuck does that even mean?"

"It means— I don't need a reason to believe. I just did. I took the leap on what little I saw in that spoiled, angry brat, wriggling on the dirt."

The restraining grip loosened and eventually released him. He was free to flee towards the edge of the world and never look back.

"Can't you do the same for me?"

Hesitantly, dark blue eyes darted back in practiced doubt. She merely shrugged not expecting much— not really waiting for his response, walking away to settle on the lakeside bench. Gray scowled at the audacity of this woman. Why ask him, if she clearly never cared for his answer?

Although, maybe— just maybe— that was the point. He's always grilling her for answers to prove herself worthy of his trust, whereas she never really cared for any of that. To her, he was worthy from the get-go, unless she gave him a reason to doubt. Or no— even if he did, she wouldn't abandon him. She simply didn't need a reason to stand by him.

I can't. I want to know everything. I'll continue to push this boundary between us, as much as I can— as much as I'm allowed.

All selfish, vainglorious, childish bitching that paled in comparison to her so-called faith.

That rhetorical question she posed... Was it in itself the infallible answer to all of his questions?

"Go home," she gently smiled beneath the golden rays. "I'll see you in school."

"Erm… Aren't you dropping by tomorrow?" he awkwardly mumbled, while kicking the dirt. "I mean, I am failing, and we did miss a session…"

"Ah," she hummed as though she just remembered herself. "I have plans tomorrow. Just review on your own."

"Oh..." He bit his lip to keep the torrential questions from pouring. Is she still upset with his rude dismissal? Is she going to be alright after their disastrous visit? Is it okay for him to leave her alone? Squinting at her reassuring smile one last time, he swallowed his doubts and granted her a little faith. "'Kay. See ya then."

"She's late."

The frenzied tapping on the table magnified, as Erza downed her fifth cup of coffee. Behind the counter, Wally graciously sets a freshly brewed espresso pitcher before her.

"Can't be helped. Those twenty fur babies aren't gonna bottle feed themselves."

"And after, I cancelled all my plans!" Another "OMW" message blinked on her phone, heightening her irritation.

"No worries, Erza! My dandy bar's all yours this morning. As you instructed, I put the closed—"

A series of urgent knocks drew their eager attention to the glass-latticed door. Erza cursed in annoyance, when the boy she successfully shooed away has suddenly reappeared without invitation. With a wide grin plastered on his face, Gray is pointing to a transparent plastic bag as though it was his entrance ticket. Before she could utter a protest, Wally had already let him in.

"Shouldn't you be hitting the books?" she snarled, when he casually approached her.

"Quit nagging. I'm just here to drop these off." He lifted the plastic to her eye, revealing his borrowed clothes. "I could return them at school, but that probably looks… weird."

Wally lowered his shades at the aforementioned oddity and shot her a judgmental stare. Luckily, he knew better than to pile on her miffed mood. "Boy, how's the hand?" he asked instead.

"Much better now," Gray happily replied. "Erza's pretty good at first aid."

"Oh, she's not the only one!" he quickly added. "I specialize in amputation. Simon in holding the patients down—"

"Wally, please stop talking," she blurted in alarm.

"ERZA!"

A bronze-haired girl donning a cat-ear beanie finally appeared at the door. Her slitted eyes sparkled and her mouth curved in a feline grin. "Sorry! Sorry! Snuggles is in heat, so I had to lock Mr. Tiddles in the other room, and you know how he is with the other cats! That pesky kitty always bullies—!"

"Okay! Okay! I forgive you, Millianna!" she cried, not at all interested in this type of update.

"Anyway! To make up for it, I brought you a surprise!" Millianna cheered.

"If it's another cat video—"

The door chimed behind Millianna, and a hooded figure stepped into the bar. Erza is starstruck with the instant recognition of his shrouded smile. A loud clunk is heard behind the counter, when Wally literally dropped everything to rush in his greeting.

"Boss!"

"Jellal!"

They both exclaimed in unison.

Pushing back his hood, Jellal revealed his handsome, tattoo-less face to his former comrades-in-arms. "Erza, Wally, it's been awhile," he smiled, that perfection of a smile which always reduced her to putty.

Erza Scarlet, do NOT glomp him! You are strong! You are a strong, independent woman! Stand your ground! Legs don't fail me now!

"I can hear you…" The low, bitter grumble made her yelp a piercing high-pitched squeal, drawing everyone's eyes to the boy beside her.

"Ooh! Who's this cutie?" Millanna automatically asked.

Stilling her sporadic palpitations, Erza clicked her tongue at the smirking boy. "He's my student."

"Your student came to see you this early on a Sunday?" Millianna followed-up in the tone of a true-blue tabloid reporter.

"Are those my clothes?" Jellal bluntly pointed at the see-through plastic bag in the boy's hand.

In a split-second, all eyes were locked on her, Gray's especially regarded her in utter bewilderment. However, she's more concerned about proclaiming her innocence to the uninformed party. "Y-Yes. He got drenched in the rain, so I lent him a change of clothes."

"Don't you keep those in your house?" Jellal added, as Millianna proudly nodded at his questioning skills. Gray crossed his arms and sadistically watched her fumble for an excuse; teeth showing in his devious grin.

The harsh repercussion of her impulsive mistake is finally biting her in the ass. "Yes. I was tutoring him. In my house. For his upcoming exam," she laid out and beamed in epiphany. "Which means he has to leave now! To study! Go on! Scram!" Yanking the reluctant boy, she marched towards the door to chuck him outside.

"Oh, don't go! I booked my whole day off! I'd love to hear from your student!" Millianna called back.

"Me too," Jellal chimed in, halting her tracks completely. Curse her traitorous legs for listening to his every request!

"Well, I've already studied my butt off yesterday," Gray offered in a disturbingly polite manner.

"Liar! You did no such thing! I was with you the entire day!"

Gray's shit-eating grin flashed in triumph, while Millianna cooed in a scandalized fashion. She didn't even want to see Jellal's reaction at all. Dammit. Wally's bar is no longer a safe meeting place, since she unwittingly introduced it to her students.

"So uhm Jellal? What brought you here today? Not that I'm complaining or anything! But... I thought you're very busy... lately."

Gray rolled his eyes, while the redhead beside him dreamily eyed the man across their table. Whatever happened to the oh-so intimidating Titania? Erza Scarlet has been reduced to a blubbering school girl fawning over her crush. He knew that look all too well. It's the same blindsided, creepy devotion that Juvia drills into his very existence, and it's even more sickening to see it on her.

"I am, but your situation has certainly garnered my attention."

"I told him about your run-in with you-know-who," Millianna beamed at man beside her. "It's almost your election. We need to nab every single opportunity that falls on our lap."

"Election?" Gray cocked his brow in question.

"Jellal's running for a seat in council," Erza lectured and bowed at her crush. "I deeply apologize for my student's lack of social awareness."

"Well, it's understandable," Jellal chuckled. "I haven't even made the cut in the media's polls."

"You're only ten places short! That's not so bad!" his groupie supportively cried.

The politician's terse hum implied he doesn't agree at all. "But enough about me. How have you been these past five months? Is Ultear helping you adjust?"

"Obviously, she's faring better than you! She has an adorable fanboy tailing her everywhere!" Millianna teased, while suggestively wagging her brows at him.

"No. That's not. I'm not. No." Gray wisely chanted, earning him an incredulous cringe from his seatmate. "Nope," he finished with a lopsided smirk.

"You guys are SO cute!"

"Millianna, stop. He's my student."

"Oh please, you're too young to be swearing off school boys. What are you now, nineteen?"

Wait, what? Gray forgot to breathe, fully choking on his drink, because what? "Y-You're n-n-nine-teen?!" he coughed, while painfully beating his chest.

"No. I'm not." The Titania has emerged and locked her glare on her feline target. "I'm twenty-three and legally employed for your information!"

"Women lie about their age the other way around, you know." Millianna mused.

"Millianna, the years must've passed you by, if you still think I'm nineteen," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Girl, you're totally nineteen! And it's totally fine for you to be hooking up with your hot male students!"

Uh, yeah it is. Actually…

So he wasn't going crazy, after all? The times he found her cute, and the times he saw her as a girl; those were actually justified instances? Damn, it's starting to make sense. The effort she puts on dressing like a gran. Her fake glasses. Is that her distorted impression of how a twenty-three year old would dress?

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

"DAMMIT, MILLIANNA!" she exclaimed in unison, drowning his voice entirely. "Moving on to business!"

A black device is firmly planted at the center of the table. With one swift click, a man's husky baritone echoed in the bar.

"Well, honestly speaking, I don't give a flying fuck about other people."

Gray's entire countenance paled in horror, as the recorder continued to play. Not a single detail was spared from start to finish, including his unadulterated speech. Shit. It was never an innocent, friendly chat, she was after. She had this in mind from the beginning, and once more— she kept it from him.

"What the fuck is this?" he gasped, hurt sewn on his knitted brows. "You really think I'll just sit back and let you commit social suicide?"

"No. That's why I've been asking you to leave. Like an hour ago. Seriously, Gray, go home. Adults are talking now," she blatantly scoffed at him.

He kicked the table and rose to full height, asserting his dominance. "Like you're one to talk! You're just a fucking teenage girl! Acting all high and mighty, bossing a herd of stupid kids!" he viciously snarled in self-defense. "What are you gonna do if he digs that up? It's true, isn't it?" he grilled.

"He won't," the politician casually stated. "Though if he did, it'll be easy to trace where the leak came from."

A rusted whir and a metallic click later, and the bar's locked down with the proud owner manning the door. The smiling, jesting faces he's grown accustomed to are replaced by three murderous glares directed at him. The charisma of the would-be politician has faded. His new aura emanated the thirst for blood. What the hell? Who are these people? The man stood to his height, and Erza abruptly followed his lead. On instinct, Gray backed away from this woman he hardly knew.

"Just who the fuck are you? Not only are you hiding shit, but you've been lying to my face too…? Everything you told me that night— that kid spilling blood for you. Did you fabricate that bullshit just to rouse my pity?"

For the longest time, she remained silent, refusing to look at him. Her gaze locked at the man she blindly adored. Though his scent reeked of blood, the man likewise stood immobile, patiently waiting for her answer.

"Yes," she eventually said. "I did."

That was all he needed to hear. His dream is officially over. Without sparing another glance, Gray raced towards the door and fled to the edge of the world. The owner wordlessly granted him exit at the behest of the politician, who peacefully returned to his seat.

When had it begun? How stealthily had it crept to slip past her notice? Since when did she lose the ability to not give a damn about his opinion? She should've been prepared for this, and yet she felt cold, hollow, and completely abandoned.

"Was it wise to have told him that?"

Summoned by his voice, Erza weakly smiled at their respected leader and reclaimed her seat. "I never said it was you."

"I am— so— sorry, Erza..." Millianna mumbled in shame. "I shouldn't have asked him to stay."

"It's fine," she curtly replied and slid the black recorder towards the girl. "Please, let's do this."

Curved lips drew a line and slitted eyes regarded her in all seriousness. "Erza, your student has a point. Publishing this can backfire on you. Your opponent's too powerful to be dethroned by gossip, and his influence can end your career. Is it really worth the risk?"

"It is. If I succeed, I can save another student of mine."

"If you don't, you'll lose them all."

"It's worth it. Every single one of them is worth it," she declared.

"Well said," Jellal applauded with a nod. "In that case, I'll help you too."

"Huh?" Erza blinked in surprise. "You don't have to, Jellal. Getting involved in a scandal like this, won't it tarnish your name?"

"Only if we lose," he smirked.

"That's true! If we won, it'll kick off your opponent AND boost your ratings!" Millianna clapped in delight.

"How about it, Erza? For old time's sake?" Jellal smiled in invitation.

Though the blood-tinted tattoo has disappeared, the smile of the boy from her past is forever etched on his features. The same alluring smile beckoned her to follow him wherever he led her. Her childhood savior. Her superhero. Their uncontested leader. His opinion is the only one that should matter to her. On him is where her undivided loyalty should lie.

"Let's run the story."

Chapter Text

"Mr. Clive! Mr. Clive! Can you give us your opinion on Mermaid Heel's latest article?"

"Well, first of all, their source lacks credibility. Erza Scarlet is a wannabe teacher from Fairy Academy— a substandard school, I might add. She's piggybacking her career on top of these false allegations."

"Are you saying the published affair is a hoax?"

"Let's put it this way, whose words will you believe? Mine, a board member of the Ministry of Education? Or this unknown girl's? A quick background check revealed that her class of misfits is hardly meeting our minimum qualifications."

"Do you have a solid basis for that statement?"

"Why, of course! We've been closely monitoring their results in our standardized exams!"

"Is this the same exam occurring this week across our entire nation?"

"It certainly is. Which brings me to a question— can Erza Scarlet prove her skills as an educator in this year's exam? Our official passing mark is 65. However, after taking her troublesome class into close consideration, I am lowering the mandatory grade to a measly 55. Should they still fail to meet my generosity; the board will take direct actions and revoke her license at once."

"Damn. The camera does add ten pounds."

Sprawled on the faculty lounge sofa, a rugged middle-aged man pinched the evident sag under his auburn beard. When his audience scrutinized him closer, he coughed out loud and consciously lifted his shirt collar to resemble a vampire's. Following that morning's breaking news, none paid attention to the weather segment playing in the widescreen TV. All eyes were locked at the sensational article on the coffee table. The day after the catastrophe hit the air, the reigning king of the Ministry personally paid a visit to their backwater Academy.

"I dunno, Pops. I'd say high definition suits you. Really brings out those creases and old spots," Laxus bluntly spoke amidst the docile crowd. Behind him, Freed for once spared a full minute to consider this lowly position and refrained from paraphrasing his boss.

"Old spots?!" Gildarts cried in alarm and frantically rolled down his unruly sleeves. "No wonder those snotty millennials are dropping the P-bomb on me!"

"Well, they're not wrong, fucktard," the blonde man commented with a roll of his eyes.

Flabbergasted, Gildarts rose to the towering height of the Head Teacher. "You kiss your grandpappy with that mouth, squirt?!" he lectured with a dictating finger. "Five years and still not an ounce of respect for your elders!"

"Respect is earned not demanded, you fucking pedo!"

A colorful string of obscenities erupted, as the two men of power grabbed each other and butted their foreheads. The people around them quickly dispersed from the rumble arena. Nobody dared to intervene, though hushed bets were thrown by the three loyalists. Erza briefly wondered if she can use the ongoing commotion to flee her fate. A nudge brought her attention to the Strauss siblings. The sister was subtly tipping her head at the brother, implying they're more than game to smuggle her out the door behind Elfman's massive frame. The secretary picked up the magazine and flipped through the five-page article plastered with glaring bold letters.

"Nowhere is it written that Erza is the source," Ultear's sharp voice cut through the men's bickering. "Aren't you acting a little too guilty by calling her out on TV?"

"Oh?" Gildarts effortlessly shoved his opponent, toppling him against the water dispenser. Cocking his brow, the king leered at the imposing woman. "My dearest Ultear, you do realize I can kick you out just as easily, right? I was nice enough to purge the noob and spare you twerps in honor of the good ol' times!"

"What really brought you here, Gildarts?" the principal finally spoke atop his throne-like recliner.

"Ah. It seems we're done catching up," Gildarts smirked and extended his open hand to his accuser. "Instructor, if you hand in your resignation today, I might allow you to keep your license."

Erza narrowed her slanted eyes in defiance. "Excuse me? What of your challenge?"

"Eugh. Obviously, I just made that up for the press!" he groaned, scratching his beard in irritation. "Look at the bright side! The world now thinks your piss-poor students are to blame for your career's demise."

"My piss-poor stu—?!" Mira slapped a hand over her mouth, and Elfman held her back from fully mauling the old man.

"Erza will take your challenge," the principal spoke.

The king furrowed his brow at his old friend. Not at all pleased with the idea of returning empty-handed from his backwater trip. "What's the point of waiting it out? Those dimwits won't make the mark."

"Fairy Academy will back her up," Makarov continued and addressed his conveniently gathered staff. "I want all of you to support Erza in this grueling week to come. WE are to defend her, be it from the media's or this vile man's harassment."

The wild thrashing stopped and Erza slumped in the giant Strauss's hold. Elfman released her at his sister's command, who then supportively squeezed her shoulders. Next to the principal, Ultear also imparted her reassurance with a smiling nod.

"We'll show you what a 'substandard' school can do," Makarov snarled, glaring beady daggers beneath white bushy brows. "Laxus, kindly escort your elderly outside the gate."

"Gotcha," Laxus grinned and violently grabbed the old man's arm, eliciting a yowl from the cracking twist.

Simultaneously, the shrill ringing that will last for the entire week has just begun. Without another word, the principal's army raced back to their desks. The cubicle phones were diligently manned; each call was answered with an unflinching stance vouching for their colleague. Makarov likewise hopped off to attend his conference call with the board of directors. Erza stood speechless, humbled by the bustling sight. In all honesty, she expected the backlash to hit in waves, starting from her boss's derogatory yelling and escalating to the nation-wide soap opera. She did in fact carry a letter that day, ready to take full accountability of her reckless decision. After all, Makarov's call to action had just instigated a revolution between Fairy Academy and their governing monarch.

A disdainful tut drew her attention to the king being led out the door. "Almost forgot, your license is suspended by the way," Gildarts idly drawled. "No biggie, right? They should be done cramming by now."

"55? Fucking. Impossible."

Gray lost all reason to attend class. He only attended school to catch some decent sleep. The roof deck's secluded corner is an infinitely more relaxing napping spot than his suffocating room. The cumulus sky looks so peaceful, so limitless against the open stretch of his palm. Clenching it to a fist, he seized the faraway dreams of a little boy. Once upon a time, he was taught the miracle formula to make something out of nothing. "Clap your fist to your palm and sprinkle in a tiny dose of belief," his classic hero said. And believe he did, until she was quite literally hit with the brutal realities of the world.

He had it right from the beginning; nobody was allowed to enter. Like a gullible fool he opened his heart, and the pathological liar doused it in acid. Clearly, his opinion never mattered. If there was one thing she was honest about, it's that. Regardless of how much he strives to be better, he won't live up to her. Not that he cares anymore; she'll simply disappear in the sea of forgotten faces. One year later, these wounds will heal; he'll rebuild his icy fortress from scratch. And, at all cost, he'll never believe again. That'll be the final lesson she teaches him.

A rusted screech rudely interrupted his inner soliloquy. Gray sat upright and peered from the shadows. Three footsteps entered his turf, one delivering livid stomps, while two meekly followed.

"Scarlet totally has the worst luck ever!" Laki squealed in delight. "That dirty old man publicly shaming her is SO freaking random! Like, what are the odds of that?"

"Indeed! Our problem has magically fixed itself!" Hibiki cheered. His voice muffled by the bandages, covering half of his busted face.

"Hey, Cana! Wanna see who scores lower between us?" Laki deviously snickered.

"What if you just submit a blank paper? That counts, right?" Hibiki offered, while attempting to drape an arm around his girlfriend.

"Get outta my face."

Gray blinked at the unceremonious response devoid of spunk. From his vantage point, the brunette seems sober enough to know who she's lashing out at. Unable to comprehend her tantrums, the two simply submitted to their queen and left her alone. Pleased with herself, Cana grunted, sat on the cement, and uncorked her one true friend.

"You already know that won't work," he muttered.

The girl flinched and momentarily cowered, hugging her precious vodka for protection; his violent demonstration still fresh in her memory. "I-It's you, huh? You told her."

"Thought you could use some help," he shrugged in a gesture of peace. When she didn't hiss in retaliation, he silently joined her on the floor. "Your friends suck, by the way."

"Heh. I know right," she scoffed and took a lengthy swig to calm her nerves. "But... As pathetic as it sounds, those guys are all I have. Guess you're right, I am jealous of you. How'd ya manage to pull yourself outta this rut?"

A few days ago he would've laughed at her face. Now that he's awake, Gray simply snorted at their shared misery. Here was a girl willfully poisoning herself to numb the pain, and she's jealous of his placebo drug. "There's nothing to be jealous of," he bitterly spat. "My life's just as shitty as yours."

"Oh, is it now?"

"Yep. I was merely swept away by a stupid dream."

"Well, what a splendid actor you'd make. For a minute there, you totally had me fooled," she slurred between sips. "Figures... There's no real cure for shitheads like us."

A splendid actor.

Was he really that talented to have fooled himself too? The unscripted lines he recited before Gildarts, were they indeed baseless, flowery theatrics? Knowing that she lied, does it transitively mean he's also living a lie? The past blissful months, his passionate desire to change, his renewed life founded upon her teachings— were they all smoke and mirrors, now rendered inconsequential by her lies?

All these tedious, nagging questions— do they really matter?

The point is— he's cured.

She cured him of his insomnia, his loneliness, his cynicism— crippling diseases which would have driven him to an early grave. He's only able to dust away the cogs and begin again because of her. And though his medicine might've stemmed from magnanimous white lies— there's no relapse to his recovery. Even if she did disappear, the lessons she imparted are everlasting. One year or fifty later, he doubts her memory will fade in time. There's no point in rebuilding his icy fortress, for she had already gatecrashed into his heart.

"It was neither an act nor a lie."

Chuckling to himself, Gray reclined backwards and gazes at the open sky. The incessant questions deflated from his bitter heart and floated into the vast blue void of possibilities. "She accepted me for who I was," he smiled at his wayward childhood friend. "She'll accept you too, in spite of what you did. She won't betray you, even if you stabbed her in the back."

Like I did. Ultimately, it was he who lied. After vowing to stay by her side, he abandoned her in these tumultuous times. She's shouldering the weight of the world, while he's chasing after his fleeting daydreams.

Stirred by his sudden enlightened spirit, Cana casually sets down her bottle. "What possessed her to go against him?" she sincerely asked. "...Doesn't make any damn sense."

Faith never really did either.

"It's you," he declared, finally embracing his quintessential answer. "She believes you'll come through."

Pushing himself up, he ignored the brunette's many questions and approached the netted fence. In the distance, a shiny, black limousine is parked by the school's entrance. Surrounded by a sea of journalists, the king expertly steered the unfolding drama against his accuser. "She'll gain solid credibility, once you back her up," he clarified, all the while glaring at their enemy.

"M-Me…?" Cradling her only trusted friend, Cana solemnly joined him to glimpse at her estranged father.

In the girl's sobering clarity, Gray snatched the poisonous bottle from her rainbow-manicured hands. "We've long established that this won't work." Grinning like the tiny angel sitting atop her shoulder, he pours every last sparkling drop down the edge of the building. "I'd recommend a dose of my medicine."

"L-O-C-K-S-E-R! That wasn't so hard, now was it?" the boy smilingly asked the love-struck girl for the twentieth time. "Now fucking memorize it this time."

"B-But Gray-sama! Juvia is still confused," the girl batted her lashes and bashfully presented her delicate hand to the seething boy. "Can Gray-sama guide Juvia again?"

After a staccato of heavy breathes, Gray impressively repressed the murderous urge and feigned another smile. Across the room, Lucy winced at her internally crying friend. Delinquent or not, baby spelling your tutee's name is simply too painful to watch.

Today marked the third day of Class F's self-established cram school. Principal Makarov granted them the use of their classroom after school hours. In return, they were advised not to engage the prowling reporters at the gates. A televised footage of Gray and Natsu going berserk is definitely the last thing Erza needed at this moment.

Due to this, Lucy was asked to supervise her classmates until ten at most. Since their instructor was suspended, her friends approached her to lead the reviews. Natsu keenly instructed her to go all out in this big exam. According to her best friend, it's about damn time she stopped lowering the curve at their expense. If anything, they ought to measure up to her true potential. Nonetheless, academic diligence doesn't necessarily translate in her ability to teach. When she expressed this concern, Loke took it upon himself to recruit another equally invested ally.

"Uhm Instructor? Can you please help me with this problem?" Loke raised his hand at the other designated tutor. "I can't seem to derive this shit..."

"Oh? Let me see..." the albino woman hastily pulled a chair next to the boy. Though Math is far from her expertise, Mira hopped aboard their sinking ship at the mention of Erza's name.

"Luuucy! Gummy bear me!" Natsu demanded with an open mouth, finger proudly jabbing at his sugar-powered correct answer.

Digging for his incentive, Lucy gasped when her fingers reached the end of the plastic. "Oh my god, it's actually empty!" she cried, while shaking the wrapper inside out. "Natsu, you just ate a whole pack of gummy bears!"

"Uh. Yeah. So?"

"You idiot! I can't believe you scored 30 points without looking at my paper!" she exclaimed in the verge of tears.

"Pfft. That's nothing," Natsu scoffed with a wave of his hand. "I told Erza I'd get a whopping 60 on the real thing! Go on, Luce, open a new pack! I'm all fired up!"

Proud of her best friend's life achievement, Lucy stood to replenish her supply. At the back of the room, she grimaced at their war rations fully comprised of sugar and junk. Whoever was on grocery duty either lost her list or deliberately threw it out. The unpleasant growl of her stomach is timely followed by the whir of the opened door. Loke and Mira both rose in surprise, as the white-haired girl stepped inside their classroom. A tall stack of bento boxes was balanced in her arms and carefully delivered on the teacher's desk. In an instant, the thought of gelatinous bears is replaced with the mouth-watering prospect of real food.

"I brought dinner for everyone!" Lisanna chirped, while opening box-after-box of beautifully decorated meals. "Dig in, guys!"

"DON'T MIND IF I DO!" Natsu automatically dived right in, prompting everyone to follow, lest he eats everything.

"Lisanna! What brings you here? And at this hour?" Lucy asked, amidst a shameless crowd, who's busily stuffing their faces.

"Mira-nee just called and said she's staying late, so I thought you'd all be hungry too," Lisanna chuckled, as her famished sister joyously scarfed down her cooking. "I saw the terrible news on TV, and I'm rooting for you guys all the way!"

Lucy smiled at their ever sweet lifesaver. This once sheltered girl braved the night to fill their empty stomachs and lift their spirits. When the pink-haired glutton choked on a baby tomato, Lisanna quickly raced to his side, offering the complimentary bottled juices she brought. While everyone is busily indulging in their picnic, a light hand tapped Lucy's shoulder.

"Erm, Lucy? Can we go through this problem together?" the brunette politely asked, test paper in hand and eyes unwilling to meet hers.

In an act of pure instinct, Lucy grabbed a bento box and brazenly stuffed her face as well. "S-Sorry! I-I'm busy right now!" she replied with a mouthful of food.

"Oh. Okay… Forget it then…"

With a defeated sigh, Cana retreated to her seat. Next to her, their bespectacled classmate childishly stuck her tongue out in revenge. Lucy looked away to mask the roll of her eyes. Seriously, why do these two even bother to show? It's only last week, when they themselves diabolically ensnared the teacher they're fighting to save.

"Psst. It's unlike you to hold a grudge," Loke subtly said, while chewing. "Even that guy's forgiven her." His chopsticks pointed at the scowling boy. Across the desk, Gray is feeding himself with one hand, rendered handicapped by the clingy remora on his lifeless arm.

"I swear, if you both saw what Natsu and I did in that room..." Lucy darkly muttered, unable to voice the full extent of the debauchery.

"Point. We didn't," Loke quipped before setting his chopsticks down and raising a confident finger. "Counterpoint— I can see her in this room now. Look around you, Luce. Aren't we all on the same boat?"

The clock struck ten. The silent dead of the night blanketed their empty campus. At the third floor of the ghastly building, a single classroom is brimming with life. In that room, several miracles were in the making. Natsu, a boy who's proud to have cheated his way to third year, is legitimately studying for once. Gray is painstakingly playing a role only he could play, even if it involves being Juvia's doormat. Loke and Mira have undeniably forgone any lingering grudge in the name of solidarity. Lisanna, a student from another school and an outsider to their plight, went out of her way to cheer them in this dark hour. And though she wasn't present, Erza's far-reaching influence is palpably felt in every corner. All the lives she's managed to touch have now gathered to her aid. In a miraculous twist of irony, Class F has rallied together to keep their teacher in school.

"I see it now," Lucy frowned, ashamed of her own inaction. "I'm the one who's really lagging behind."

Loke playfully nudge her stoic elbow. "All the more reason why we can't let her go, amiright?"

"Mhm. I still have a lot to learn from her," she tearily smiled at the amazing sight.

"It's ten!" Gray barked for everyone's attention; his puppet master's lease beginning to grate his nerves. "Can somebody please get the news up?"

Loke smoothly whips out his tablet phone in response. Their makeshift TV is set on the teacher's desk where everyone had already flocked. Live streaming the late night broadcast always ended their sessions, as it proved to be the most efficient way to monitor their untouchable enemy. During the quick preview of tonight's program, Gray blinked at the fleeting image of a familiar face.

"Welp. Old fart's not on," Natsu said, while stealthily reaching for a second lunch box. "Time to go home, guys."

"Wait. Let's watch that gossip segment," Gray countered, earning him a few stares from the others.

"G-Gray-sama is a fan of Siegrain Caesar?" the girl attached to him hesitantly asked.

"Who isn't?!" Lucy passionately answered in his place. "He's in my perfect boyfriend list! We're watching this!"

A couple of minutes later, and the charming politician appeared on screen. After waving to the invisible audience, he gracefully took the couch opposite his interviewer. The feline grin of the gossip reporter implied the upcoming interview is purely scripted, just as Gray suspected.

"So tell us, Mr. Caesar, what made you realize that this was your calling?"

"Well, Millianna. Born in the slums, my life began without purpose. Embracing my freedom in this chaotic world, I took it upon myself to create my own. For the longest time, however, I lived in fear. Overwhelmed by the responsibility of owning my actions. Uncertain whether I was fit for this grand mission. That was, until a dear friend told me— this job is something only you can do."

"Oooh! How utterly romantic! Does this 'friend' happen to be a very special lady?"

"She does, indeed. You may have heard of her. She's very popular in the news these days. Likewise, I was the one who encouraged her to pursue teaching."

"No way! Are you talking about Erza Scarlet, by any chance?"

"The one and only. Erza and I have shared many fond memories since our childhood days. In the light of these recent events, I'm wholeheartedly vouching for her credibility with my name."

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Lucy immediately hogged the phone to rewind the interview.

"Mira-nee, didn't you say Erza was his biggest fan?" Lisanna innocently asked. "They know each other?"

"I HAD NO IDEA!" Mira also cried in dismay, a wide grin forming across her dainty features.

With a revolutionary roll of his eyes, Gray tugged himself free from his puppet master. Sick of his shitty role, the prolonged high-pitched wails of "Gray-sama" were tuned to oblivion. Instead, he stomped his way to the quiet brunette. Cana blankly stared at his livid state, likely waiting for him to explode again. "Let's have a smoke outside," he demanded.

"Time is ticking. When are you gonna fess up?"

Fireflies danced around the tall grass of the warm summer night. A single fluorescent hung above the corroded roof of the moss-laden patio. Smoke permeated between the distant childhood friends seated on the weathered stone benches. Through the grit of his teeth, Gray blew his frustrations in a thick flurry and glanced at the hunched girl. "She gets you actually," he continued upon being met with silence. "Even with the world coming after her, she won't sell you out. That's why it's up to me to keep pestering you."

Heady perfume blurred the girl in her ragged exhale. "Our classmates hate me, as it is. What more if they learn I'm related to that scum?"

"So what? Burn your shitty reputation and start over. A clean reset this time— alcohol-free."

"Heh. You make it sound so easy," Cana scoffed.

"Because it is," he abruptly countered. "It is— for you," he bitterly added. The politician's charismatic words echoed in his ears, infuriating him further. "How I fucking wish I can save her myself, but this is something only you can do," he quoted.

Rising to his feet, Gray threw his cigarette and crushes it under his sole. He never felt so useless his entire life. Even if it's just a stupid gossip interview, at least that guy is contributing on a worldly scale. Studying his ass off, playing pet to Juvia, begging Cana to talk, these are the limited spheres of his influence.

"Erza... She always swoops in when I'm in trouble. Calls herself a fucking superhero," he weakly chuckled at the constellations, before staring at the incandescent flies around his shoes. "But she's not. She's just as weak as us. Now she's stripped of her rank for challenging a king— for standing up for you. How I wish I can save her... for a change..."

"Brilliant luck."

Cana confidently shrugged when he glared at her random statement. "Ain't it ironic? You want me to nuke my old man and his bitch, 'cause you're in love with your own teacher?" she smirked with an omniscient wag of her brows. "Isn't it easier if she just gets fired? That way you can go after her."

Gray laughed and nodded guilty. The repeated denials had grown stale in his tongue. It was about goddamn time he fessed up as well. "That's not how it works. It shouldn't be all about me."

The mean-spirited brunette groaned and threw her cigarette at his heartfelt reply. Ignoring his barrage of insults, she dug inside her pocket and fanned twenty-two tarot cards on the stone bench. Cana then instructed him to sit his ass and pick the lucky seven which shall predict his hypothetical love life. When he called her a fraud, she in turn mocked him for being a coward, afraid to face his own future. In the end, her persistence won him over, as it always did since they were two snotty kids.

"'Kay first up: How you see yourself," Cana motioned for him to turn over the card.

"The Hermit. Yep. Sounds right," he snorted. Reaching for the next two cards, The Sun and The Lovers were simultaneously revealed.

"Geez… That's how you see her and feel about her? Very cheesy, my friend," she snickered. "Next, your relationship's current status is—?"

Gray grimaced at the skeletal knight seated atop a horse. "Death… Really?" Immediately, he opened the next card in hopes of reversing his luck.

"The World," Cana read with a cheeky grin. "—is what stands between you and her at the moment."

"Fucking hell." Clicking his tongue, he glared at the next card; a jolly vagabond labelled as The Fool. "Whatever this shit's for can't be good," he hissed.

"HAH! That's how she sees you!" The girl broke into a merry guffaw, clutching her stomach and kicking her legs. A cloud of fireflies scurried in disarray from her wild outburst.

"Bitch! You're totally a fraud!" he snapped and flicked the card to her face.

Wiping the rim of her eyes, Cana stifled her giggles and pointed at the final card. "One more! That's the one you want! Go on, let's see how she feels about you!"

Muttering a prayer comprised of profanities, he flipped the card in a single stroke. A lone angel armed with a trumpet is peering down from the heavens. From the earth naked men, women, and children rose from their graves, their arms outstretched to the sky. "Judgment," he read with a curious look. "So much for my brilliant luck. If this wasn't free, I'd ask you to pay me back."

Cana hummed to herself, while studying the pinnacle of the seven card horseshoe spread. "Interesting. This one's reversed," she pointed out.

"Meaning it's not as terrible?" he sarcastically offered.

"Meaning there's more to her than meets the eye," she corrected. Under the flickering fluorescent, the seer regarded the cryptic card in close scrutiny. The upside-down image spoke of the redhead's deep-seated ambivalence towards this unsuspecting boy. "Maybe she does get me, after all."

"Omigod! Omigod! Omigod! Why didn't you tell me?! Am I not your bestie?!"

Erza subtly rubbed her shoulder from the repeated, unrestrained jabs of the ecstatic Mirajane Strauss. Inwardly, she pondered for a quick excuse, lest her visitor wanders around her house again. As impetuous as Gray was, Mira proved to be an even snoopier guest than the boy. The woman had shown herself into her bedroom and inspected every nook and cranny, including the bottom of her bed. Unsatisfied with her lack of findings, she then approached the forbidden door. Luckily, she had the foresight to lock it this time. Regardless, the almost tangible unknown only fueled Mira's incessant grilling, when she sat her back on the living room couch opposite the door. Jellal and Millianna's flashy contribution, while highly appreciated, now bore several holes into the boring life of a dorky high-school teacher.

"Erm… There's nothing much to tell," she fumbled. "It's a thing of the past."

"REALLY? So you dated him? How long were you together? Have you slept with him? Is he good in bed? How big is—?"

"ANYWAY!" she exclaimed, cheeks camouflaging with her hair. "Y-You said you brought me something?"

Mira pouted for an entire minute of palpable awkwardness, before flashing her sweet trademark smile. A thick stack of papers slid out of her tote bag and was handed to the redhead. "I already checked them myself, but I think you should still see it."

"Hm?" Erza squinted at the mock exam questionnaires she drafted. The first one belonged to a certain Mr. Dragneel. Drawn at the paper's blank bottom is a caricature of an old man sporting a little too many wrinkles and double chins. "We'll show him," she read the scribbled message with a smile.

It wasn't hard to guess the owner of the next test paper. No red marks and a perfect score. Lucy's exhilarating exams were always a pleasure to check. "Please don't give up, Erza," she read and sniffed to compose herself.

The succeeding one diluted her tears and made her chuckle. "If I got a perfect score, will you go out with me?" she laughed and knowingly glanced at Mira. Her friend simply shrugged and joined her giggles. Loke's ceaseless flirting never failed to lighten the mood even in the bleakest of times.

The last one had nothing written. She flipped it back and forth just to be sure, but was only met with disappointment. As expected, her harsh betrayal must've left an open wound. She doesn't regret it though. Due to her inability to compartmentalize her life, Jellal almost purged the innocent boy from the face of the earth. His wound is better left unattended. That way he'll learn to keep his distance. Slanted eyes darted at the forbidden door mere meters from where she sat. Perhaps, the school setting didn’t suit her to begin with.

A pale, dainty finger drew her eyes back to the test paper in her hands. Mira bluntly pointed at what she failed to notice. In her desperation to seek his words, its almost pristine state slipped past her attention. The grade is inspiring; it is almost perfect, befitting of the honor student he once was. "Gray scored the highest, second only to Lucy," Mira proudly declared.

A single droplet landed on the paper, splotching the ink. "He must've cheated, when you weren't looking," she wheezed, as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"It's not just them, you know?"

Mira reached for the remote and navigated the channel to the nightly news. A replay of that morning's flash report appeared on the screen. Two burly men were suppressing the flood of reporters by the school gate. The white-haired P.E. teacher stood vigil like an immovable mountain, while their boss's colorful death threats were translated to lengthy bleeps.

"I feel terrible..." Mira spoke in a strangled voice. "I wasted the first quarter being a stuck-up bitch, when I could've just talked to you sooner..." Fisting her skirt, she heaved to continue. "I mean, you ARE my bestie, and I barely know you still!" she rasped. "How is that fair? I can't accept it, if we let you go like this."

In her blurry vision, Erza tearily smiled at her equally blubbering friend. Lacing an enveloping arm, she rubbed soothing circles on the woman's back. In all her past actions, the consequences, rewarding or not, never skimmed her mind. Caring too much, butting into others' business, shoving her help into unwilling hands, these were all done selflessly, without expecting anything in return.

However, acting without expectations is perhaps also a form of selfishness. All the lives she touched voluntarily showered her with open acceptance, and she blindly neglected them. She failed to account for the precious friends who'll be left behind, when she single-mindedly risked her career. Though the test paper is wordless, it's message is clear. It screamed for her to take notice. How dare you disappear on me now? How dare you shun me now? Now, when I've let you in! Now, when I'm still fighting for you!

Her students, her colleagues— Fairy Academy is actively fighting for her, reminding her that she's needed— that she's not alone. And deep down, there's no place else she'd rather be.

"Thank you, Mira, for showing me this," she whimpered and wiped her beaded cheeks. "You ARE my bestie too."

A framed picture supervised his self-study at home. His classic superhero's smile served as both an encouragement and a threat. Gray can almost hear her relentless nagging, ordering him to stop being a pussy and lower the air conditioner to subzero. In all fairness, her technique proved effective to this day. His brain's been conditioned to work double-time under the high chances of freezing to death in his undies. She'd surely laugh at him if she was present, but he's desperate at this point. He had every intention of pulling an all-nighters in this final night. Their cram sessions at school didn't afford him any time to study, what with Juvia perpetually breathing down his neck.

BUZZZZT!

Gray sets down the pen and momentarily glanced at the door. Who could be visiting him at this ungodly hour? At the second buzz of the doorbell, he groaned and reluctantly put on his discarded uniform. In the midst of the third buzz, the door opened along with his jaw. A gorgeous redhead, perfectly wrapped in her white summer dress, had delivered herself to his doorstep.

"H-Hi…" Erza awkwardly greeted, struggling to meet his eyes. When he failed to respond, she bit her cheek and steeled her gaze. "May I come in?"

Disarmed by her timidity, he stepped aside and welcomed her in. Inside his untidy room, her initial reaction was to hug her exposed shoulders, furiously rubbing them up and down to counter the cold. The only sound came from the clatter of her teeth, as she stood speechless; surveying the thick stacks of textbooks and test papers littered everywhere.

"W-Why are you still studying?" she belatedly stammered. "The exam's tomorrow! You should rest the night before, otherwise you'll draw a blank!" Ten seconds later, she turned to face his silent stare. "I know, let's go out!" she beamed, ever optimistic. "We can visit the park or—"

"I'm not angry at you," he cut in with a blank expression.

Her shivering shoulders slightly uncoiled. "Really...?"

"Sure," he shrugged and narrowed his eyes in challenge. "You just killed my elopement plans, when you lied about your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend," she automatically answered. When he rolled his eyes in blatant accusation, she jolted at his meaning. "Jellal? We're just friends! Honest!"

Still unconvinced, he curtly hummed. "So you're still free to elope with me?"

"I'm still your teacher."

"You're also in my house. At night. Asking me out," he smoothly countered and punctuated it with a sneer.

Erza sighed at his evident unwillingness to make peace. Though he wasn't angry, the lingering bitterness persisted to surface, especially given this topic. Defeated in her mission, she walked past him towards the door. He managed to strip down to his boxers, when he noticed she was still present. With her back facing him, she seemed lost all of a sudden, staring at the outdated calendar on the wall.

"Has it always been stuck like this?" she asked in a hushed whisper. "How come I never noticed?"

"'Cause you never paid attention," he scoffed.

An eternity passed and only the whir of his artificial blizzard was heard. Erza stood still, frozen in perfect posture, no longer affected by the plummeting temperature. "Mm… That's true," she finally said.

A soft rustle was followed by a crisp tear of neatly ironed paper. His eyes bulged in alarm, as the redhead tore page-after-obsolete-page from his precious calendar. Enthralled in the moment, she formed a giant ball out of paper— paper, he would've recycled at least and framed at most. Tossing the crumpled ball up and down, she aimed it at the bin in a flawless three-pointer shot. His cherished souvenir. His only souvenir, when she disappears— was mercilessly dunked straight into the trash.

"THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" he exploded at the self-satisfied woman. "You're the worst gatecrasher ever! You're always like this! You rudely barge in and never notice the MISERABLE MESS you leave behind!"

Amidst his blazing rants, Erza cheekily smiled and tackled him into a bone-crushing embrace. She ignored his stiffening resistance and willfully molds her body to his. "Mmm… So warm," she adorably moaned and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "Doesn't it look better though?"

Over the silky scarlet crown, dark blue eyes darted back at the now-updated calendar. The filtered winter breeze lightly ruffled the six remaining pages intact. They were halfway there, and he likewise never noticed. Their closed distance made him realize that he's been freezing too. The six months in the bin brought him this far— with her in his arms should he chose to accept her. The six months on the wall will lead him down the road of graduation— after which he can freely pursue her as Cana suggested. With each torn page, he's one step closer to her— closer to being nineteen. It won't be a countdown to their parting, as long as he too held onto her with unyielding faith.

"I know I'm not the most trustworthy person," she whispered, refusing to release him. "But, I meant it. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be—"

"Yes." His arms finally encircled her in an act of truce, squeezing her possessively, flushed against him. "It's a billion dozen fucking times better like this."

The king's invitation arrived that afternoon. The homeroom disguise is cast aside in favor of a nineteen-year-old's modest attire. Erza pins her hair up, straps her knee-high boots, and leaves her imitation glasses. Today, she'll face her sentence as Erza Scarlet— not as the dorky instructor, not as the almighty Titania, not as the weak orphan girl— but as the woman empowered by the collective minority, who fought for her.

In the twilight sky, the red light blinks yellow and later green. If only she can witness the magical turn of autumn colors amidst this nostalgic street. The bus was devoid of the usual mothers and their toddlers. She's swimming against the heavy current at this hour. Rows of political posters came to pass, and she wholeheartedly returns her savior's smile. After all, none of this would've started, if it weren't for him.

Despite the weight of the world bearing down on her, Erza carried herself in a dignified air of lightness. Last night had freed her from any regrets. Regardless of the verdict awaiting at school, this won't be goodbye. A flood of vicious reporters engulfed her at the gate. Majority spoke of her impending doom, while some questioned her relationship with the heartthrob politician. The blinding cameras bombarded her entry, yet she ignored them all. She pushed forth against the waves, diving into her home.

"Welcome back, Instructor," her judge, jury, and executioner greeted inside the main lobby.

Gildarts Clive has returned to their backwater village to collect her head. The king personally supervised Class F's exam earlier that day. With his iron-fisted influence, the official nation-wide results were posted mere hours after the bell rang. The sea of friendly faces parted to reveal the bulletin board, containing her final verdict.

"What in damnation's name is this?!" Freed hysterically cried. "TWO out of ten!"

"Well, Lucy's a no-brainer," Mira commented. "But WOW."

1. HEARTFILIA, LUCY | 100

"HOLY SHIT, LUCE! Perfect score and topnotcher across the WHOLE country!" Loke exclaimed, while frantically shaking the stupefied girl. "LONG LIVE CLASS F!"

The grid of bold names and high-flying numbers morphed with her tears. Erza laid her palm on the leaderboard to fully grasp the miraculous sight. Gasping in the sweetest mixture of laughter and speechlessness, she ran her fingers over the other name within the illustrious ten.

9. FULLBUSTER, GRAY | 92

"AMAZING!" Ultear dotingly ruffled her baby brother's spiky hair. "I knew you still had it! We're celebrating tonight! YOUR treat!"

"Meh. I wouldn't party just yet."

Gildarts' offhand comment is subsequently followed by a boisterous howl of self-deprecating obscenities. Lucy was whisked away by the tortured cry. Gray wasn't even allowed to process his achievement. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Natsu punctuated each curse with a punch targeted on his own name.

836. DRAGNEEL, NATSU | 54

"NATSU, YOU DUMB FUCK!" Gray cried in sheer agony. He swung his fist in blind rage, but the boy swiftly ducked in time.

Knees skidded on the ground. Forehead touched the cement. Natsu knelt before the king like a lowly peasant, begging for his life. "PLEASE! LET HER STAY!"

"Won't you reconsider your decision?" Makarov respectfully paraphrased. The old man righted his stout posture and also lowered his head.

"Funny," the king lightly chuckled at his court of jesters. "Five years ago, that was my line and now— here we are."

The bile rose in her throat at the drastic display. Erza knelt beside the whimpering boy and patted him twice to grant his reprieve. "Raise your head, Natsu. I'm exceedingly proud of how far you've come," she reminded him with a distant smile. "But you shouldn't bow in my stead."

Rising at full height, the resignation letter was revealed from her purse; she now held the treaty to end their meager revolution. A chorus of her name is brokenly chanted by the fellowship of misfits. In the distance, the raven-haired boy charged in appeal, before his sister abruptly pulled him back. Through her seeping tears, Erza nodded in gratitude at her first campus friend. She shared one final look with the grief-stricken boy, and reminded herself that this won't be goodbye. With her chin soaring in lightness, she extends her full accountability into the king's open hand.

However, all of a sudden, the envelope was snatched a second from reaching the executioner. Her voluntary surrender is intercepted by a blur of brunette. Rainbow-manicured hands flashed it before the crowd— and tore it in half. Repeatedly, the treaty is folded and shredded in the eyes of the prodigal father.

"C-Cana…?" Gildarts stuttered in disbelief.

Sober as a judge, Cana's reddened nostrils flared in determination. The seer has appeared to reverse their fate. "Bring me one of those reporters. Right. Now."

"I'm sorry, Miss, can you please repeat that?"

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen women?"

"Yes. Throughout his career, my father has been involved with thirteen— students."

The girl's eyes darted away from the dark, intimidating lenses. Her wavering gaze flitted across their classroom, populated by the production crew's heavy apparatus. Finally, they locked on the glass windows, where all her classmates watched from the other side. The bespectacled girl, who claims to be her best friend, now named her as "that pig's daughter". Her boyfriend and his entourage couldn't bear the "uncultured" sight and walked away in disgust. The raven-haired boy solemnly nods at his childhood friend, and she weakly smiles in return. Setting her sights back on the camera, Cana tearily razes her reputation to the ground.

"It started when my mom was still around. I was barely five then. Much later… I learned it's why she left us too…"

Erza hugged her elbows and remained inside the room. She stood by the innocent girl, who's selflessly taking the bullet for her. At his daughter's confession, the king fled outside and was swallowed by the vengeful sea. Few were concerned about his electoral candidacy. Some questioned his position in the Ministry. Majority condemned him for his depravity. Unable to quell the cry of the masses, the black limousine rode into the sun, sheltering its rightfully disgraced monarch.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Alberona. That will be all."

The reporters packed their equipment and raced back to their HQ. They now carried that night's breaking news, which will turn the tides of history itself. Inside the soulless classroom, Cana refused to budge in her seat. The hallway was devoid of her so-called friends. On instinct, Erza stepped forth to the girl's rescue. Though this time, she was beaten to the punch. One by one the four sidekicks waltzed in from the hallway and surrounded the catatonic girl.

"Screw those fuckers. You did good," Gray proudly greeted with a light punch to the shoulder.

"I am SO sorry, Cana!" Lucy cried, humbly bowing at the girl. "I had no idea you were suffering all this time. It's very brave of you to go against your own father… "

"Thanks, Cana!" Natsu flashed his radiant grin, before his smile turned bittersweet. "Honestly, thanks… I'm such a fuckup. If it weren't for you, Erza would've gotten the boot."

"Say, if you're up for it, why not join us?" Loke casually shrugged, hands buried in his pocket. "Like hell, we can definitely use more chicks in this sausage party!"

Soft sniffs were emitted by the whimpering brunette. Wiping the rim of her eyes, Cana finally saw how easy it truly is to achieve a proper reset. "I'm game! Let's drink to that!"

"To Blocky's karaoke bar!" Natsu announced with his fist in the air, as everyone cheered after him.

"You'll join us, of course?" Gray addressed the scarlet shadow in the room.

Erza hastily blinked away her tears lest he noticed. "Go ahead of us! I'd like to speak with Cana first," she replied, eliciting the cock of his brow. "We'll follow," she added, when none took her word. In the next instant, Gray was looming over to squint at her nose. Of course, he's waiting for it to grow. "I'll show!" she begrudgingly pouted, unnerved by his irreparable trust.

Thankfully, the boy knew better than to breach her space any further. Gray pulled back and deviously smirked, "You better. Gatecrashing is a thing these days, and I happen to know where you live." Pleased with her utterly mortified reaction, the boy innocently ushered his scandalized friends outside and shuts the door behind him.

"Gawd. You guys are making me hurl while sober," Cana snickered, lips tugging sideways. "So? Are we even now?"

Wordlessly, Erza pulled a chair opposite the brunette and sank to her level. Inhaling a deep breath, she borrows some of the moxie she witnessed earlier. "When I was an orphan, a boy and his grandfather took me in," she began. "Grandpa Rob was a chivalrous man. He provided a roof for homeless kids and taught us the meaning of freedom in this lawless world…"

Cana blinked at her, uncertain where this random heart-to-heart session was heading. And she willed herself to continue. "However— unburdened by the law, the freedom we then practiced had no limits. We did as we saw fit, violently imposing our self-branded morality upon this sinful world. Fighting was our business, and despite our noble cause— we aren't upstanding citizens. These hands are tainted." From her shaking palms, her gaze refocused on the appalled girl. "Now, we're even."

"Even— how!? You're way more fucked up than me!" Cana openly rebuked, though not a second passed when she winked in jest. "But who cares? You're my teacher now." A single tarot card was produced from her pocket and meticulously slotted in the redhead's fingers. "The freedom you seek is in your hands," she concluded.

Erza squinted at the upside-down image presented to her. An army of naked people poured from the heavens; their open arms outstretched, desperately reaching for the lone angel shackled on the earth.

"Hell. For five years, I've kept my mouth shut, afraid of being judged by those losers," Cana chuckled, her tone soaring in levity. "As it turns out though, the only judgment that matters is the one I pass on myself."

The redhead remained silent, mesmerized by the beautiful depiction of welcoming arms. With a blunt poke on the stoic woman, the seer imparted her wise advice. "Why don'tcha tell him— everything— literally all of what you just told me? That idiot is frickin' nuts about you! He'll accept you for— whoever— you are."

The rectangular-faced owner perked at the melodious chime of profit. Wally rejoiced at the sight of his favorite pack of minors, boldly living on the edge by frequenting his bar at night. The gaudy vicinity was empty, save for a single soul. A hooded figure sat by the counter. His attention is fully fixated on the breaking news playing on the widescreen TV. Upon instant recognition, Gray waited for everyone to settle in their booth and offered to purchase the first round.

"Grats. Seems you've made the cut."

Jellal momentarily paused in refreshing his phone. The official polls have realigned accordingly with the heaven's wrath. The king's empire had crumbled to dust in a matter of hours. The news depicted the once untouchable monarch being escorted out of his shared abode. Stripped of his crown, his hands now donned a silver pair of handcuffs. Meanwhile, amidst all the uproar, a young politician is fervently praised for his preconceived stance. His electoral ranking has skyrocketed to fifteenth place within mere hours and can only continue to rise within the foreseeable future.

Greeting the boy with a sideways glance, Jellal hummed in contentment. "Seems so."

"I see what you did there." Gray took his seat next to the politician, yet facing the opposite direction. A pretense of unfamiliarity must be maintained with respect to the man's shrouded identity. Although, not even a flimsy hood can cover what Gray had eventually came to see.

"You had multiple chances to prevent this shitstorm. For starters, you could've shot down her stupidity. If you wanna get him that bad, you could've just used her info and left her out. You could've gone on air and claimed ownership, instead of that laughably asspull interview." Leaning backwards, Gray hooked his elbows on the counter and peered through the man's disguise. "People will listen to you. She will listen to you. So why'd you sacrifice her like that?"

A dark condescending chuckle answered his blatant accusation. "That's not how politics works, kid."

"That's not how love works either— asshole," he snarled, glaring sapphire daggers straight into the man's corrupted soul. "It shouldn't be all about you."

Manic fingers drummed on the table, and the politician's deathly glare was upon him. "Excuse me?"

"She deserves better is what I'm saying," he smugly added, despite his sanity pleading him to shut his obnoxious mouth.

"Oh?" Jellal cocks a brow at the thinly veiled challenge; blood-lust dripping down the edge of his diabolical smirk. "Like you?"

A catchy tune interrupted their hostile stare-down, possibly saving his life in the process. Reaching for the vibration in his pocket, Gray laughed out loud at the blinking caller ID. No longer fearing death, he flashed the vivid screen at his rival's face and paired it with his own shit-eating grin. "Seems so."

Pleased with his fortuitous victory, the boy practically skipped out of the bar to answer his timely call with the strictest privacy.

"Hey, so. We're on our way, but Cana nagged me to ring you up. And like you said, she is really persistent..." Erza's transmitted voice was doused with annoyance, as Cana can be heard egging her on from the sidelines. "She said— it was all you. We won by a landslide thanks to your constant pestering."

A slight pause was followed by more audible bickering, and Erza awkwardly coughed in defeat. "So— to show my gratitude, you may ask me anything, and I promise I won't half-ass my way this time. I do owe you 92 decent answers, after all," she happily added.

A few days ago, he would've jumped at this golden opportunity and bombarded her with his thick repository of questions. Now, however, the sound of her ubiquitous voice was enough to quell all his lingering doubt. "Yeah. That's great and all. But, I'll pass," he smirked. "Your answers won't change anything. I'm already certain of what I feel—"

Of what I "know"! Of. what. I. KNOW!

Gray cringed and dragged a palm down his entire face, because fuck. His tendency to run his mouth is legitimately going to be the death of him. Surely, he couldn't be more obvious than that!

"What you 'feel'? Are you still angry at me?" Erza hurriedly asked in alarm.

At once, he bit his lip to suppress the frustrated groan from echoing to the other end of the earth. Because of course, her lack of empathy is going to be the death of her too. "You're surprisingly slow for a twenty-three-year-old," he quipped instead.

More silence, and she eventually hums. "Nothing gets past you, huh? Fine, then. Yes. I spent the last three years slaving away in this fast track program to earn my certification," she expertly phrased her non-denial, implying Cana was still within earshot.

"Then I take it back, you're incredibly wise for a nineteen-year-old," he smiled, gladly affirming their new shared secret. "Say, we're halfway through. I can hardly wait for the next six months to pass, so I can finally be in your league."

"My… League...?"

Chuckling at his brazen attempts at flirting with a wall, he shakes his head and hangs up. Instead, he raises a fist and claps it against his open palm. The boundless milky way, the sheer beauty of the unknown shall lay witness to his wish. Gray takes a leap and utters a silent prayer to whoever's listening out there. One of gratitude towards his classic superhero residing among the shooting stars, and one of faith towards this supposedly wise nineteen-year-old. 

May she develop a proper sense of empathy and notice this miserable mess before the year ends.