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Gray had Natsu pinned against the wall, nostrils flaring in anger as the other man grinned, completely unconcerned, daring Gray to a fight.
“Boys.” Erza snapped, spinning on her stool to glare at them. “Enough. You need to be more like me and Mirajane. We overcame our differences as teenagers.”
As Gray let Natsu go, the pink-haired man folded his arms stubbornly, jutting out his bottom lip and avoiding looking at Gray.
“Yeah but you guys are dating. Why would I want to date a frosty stripper?”
He was saying words which he knew would rile Gray up, bait him into another fight. But Erza had known them for long enough to see the flash of hurt in Gray’s eyes, and the silent apology in Natsu’s.
“Don’t assume I’d wanna date a loser like you anyway.” Gray spat out, stalking off to the other side of the guild where Lucy watched sheepishly.
Natsu followed Gray’s movements before spinning on his heel and slamming his fist against a bench, shattering it in a pile of fire and ash. He went to sit with Lisanna, as far away from Gray as possible, and Mirajane sighed dramatically.
“Do you think they’ll ever admit how they feel?” Erza frowned, and Mirajane kissed out the creases by her eyes and mouth.
“They’ll be fine, love.” Their foreheads touched, Mirajane’s wrists crossing around Erza’s neck. “We were, after all.”
"Yeah." Erza smiled.
For many years people assumed that they were a lost cause, and yet now they lived together, were madly in love, and planned to start a family. So much of their relationship could be seen reflected back in how Gray and Natsu treat each other. Erza was determined to help them, to prove that there was no shame in admitting when feelings had changed. It was a complicated and often difficult procedure, but Erza knew that if her and Mirajane could do it then anyone else could as well.