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Erza was fourteen, Mirajane only a month younger than she was. They had been fighting, nothing unusual for them, before Mirajane had pinned Erza against the wall and kissed her, lips as harsh as the fists which Erza had become so very used to. This change of pace, a switch in their relationship, was not unwelcome. Erza had felt this for a while, felt something growing inside her heart, blossoming, beautiful, laying roots which once planted could not be ignored.
"Mira..." Erza breathed, lips only inches from Mirajane's. Her voice seemed to break something in the other girl, made her come to some kind of sense. She jumped away from Erza, facing away and correcting her clothing.
"If you tell anyone about this, you're dead, Scarlet."
Erza had nodded, numb, and watched the other woman slink away into the guild hall, the taste of Mirajane still tingling on her mouth.
x
They were nineteen, just turned, and Mirajane's skin was warmer than Erza remembered. The white-haired woman was sliding out of Erza's bed already, not even leaving time to catch her breath. She pulled her clothes on in silence. Erza didn't try to speak, either. There was nothing that she could say, nothing which Mirajane wanted to hear.
It was dark outside, and the moonlight was only an echo of the beauty which Erza found in the creamy expanse of Mirajane's skin, and the underrated hue of her hair. Erza loved her. It was not a revelation; she had loved Mirajane for years now, and these moments they spent together, however fleeting, were like a lifeline for the redhead. If she could only have Mirajane in the throws of passion then so be it. Even if it hurt, even if it felt as though Erza's gut was being wrenched from her body, it was less painful than not having Mirajane at all.
"Nobody can know about this." Mirajane breathed, almost quiet enough that Erza thought she had missed it, but she knew that that wasn't the case. They had been here before. Erza had heard this before. That didn't stop the pain, of course, but at least it was expected.
Mirajane left before the sun rose in the sky, careful not to be spotted by any prying eyes. The door to Erza's apartment clicked shut, and she curled in on herself.
"I love you."
She didn't have the energy to get dressed, so Erza fell asleep naked, and alone, wrapped in sheets that still held the aroma of Mirajane's skin.
x
It was the eve of Erza's twenty-fifth birthday. Her head was in Mirajane's lap, and the white-haired woman was trailing her fingers absently across Erza's arms.
"Please don't tell anyone about this." Mirajane hummed, and Erza glanced up to see her girlfriend's smiling face.
"We can make an announcement at the guild, together."
Mirajane took Erza's hand and kissed her finger, right above where the engagement ring sat.
"Together." Mirajane agreed, and Erza let her eyes close, tilted her head back until her lips met Mirajane's skin.
She had spent half of her life waiting for Mirajane, and now she was lucky enough to spend the rest of it with the woman she loved. All of the painful memories were insignificant, couldn't even cast a shadow on the joy that Erza felt in that moment. After everything that had happened, they had still found their way back to each other, and Erza couldn't wait to finally tell the world how her heart truly felt.