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This happened sometimes. Rarely albeit, but enough that Erza was no longer afraid and felt that it was within her capacity to deal with it.
Mirajane harnessed the energy of demons, but the more she took in… the more they took from her . For the most part Mirajane was stronger than they could ever hope to be, but every now and then they found her weaknesses and tried to break free.
When Erza opened the door, her smile fell, and in seconds she was on the ground with her arms around Mirajane, cradling the woman to her chest.
The demoness was crying blood, horns protruding from the crown of her head and causing white hair to fall from her scalp, pushed from her skin with the force of the boney intrusion. Her teeth were overgrown into fangs, her skin scaly and varied in hue, but her eyes were the same; wide and blue and full of fear. Erza’s heart broke for her girlfriend then, for what she went through just to survive.
She tried to push Erza away, to escape the redhead’s grip, but even as Erza felt Mirajane’s talons pierce her skin she did not flinch or let go.
“I’m a disgusting monster.” Mirajane sobbed, voice contorted, and Erza shook her head vehemently.
“No, darling. You are nothing of the sort.”
It did no good; Mirajane cried harder, blood spilling from her eyes as she rocked herself.
“How could I ever deserve love.”
There it was, the trauma that bound them. They were both tainted from the past, clung to the hope of the future because that was all they had left. Seeing Mirajane like this, broken and helpless, was almost too much for Erza to bare.
“Look at me.” She tried, but the demon closed her eyes, shaking her head as the tears continued. Erza cupped Mirajane’s face, used her strength to pull her lover closer to her and tried again. “Mirajane, look at me… I adore you. Nothing could ever change that. This does not change that.”
Mirajane blinked, hiccoughed, and then threw herself on Erza’s lap. She held her girlfriend until the tears stopped, the horns began to reside, and Mirajane became herself again.