No More Tears

One Last Smoke

Gray was sat at the table listening to all the celebration of the guild, what they were celebrating he didn't know, he didn't want to know either. Today for him was not a good day. Today marked ten years since his adoptive mother and the teacher of his ice make magic, as well as the cause of his stripping habit, Ur had died. He couldn't understand how insensitive everyone was being to him. What made it worse was a grinning Dragon Slayer wanting to constantly fight.
"Come on Ice Queen, fight me!" He taunted, his fists both on fire and just begging for a fight. Finally Gray snapped and had enough, with one blow to the stomach he sent Natsu flying and knocked him out cold. Everyone stared in shock at Fullbuster. He just continued to stare at the unconscious body of the Fire Dragon Slayer then went outside through the back door, taking a packet of cigarettes from behind the bar on his way out. He leaned against the wooden door and sighed gently, his shirtless back resting on the wintery, frost covered door. It comforted him slightly, it felt a little like Ur's cold hands on his back. He lit up a cigarette and put it in between his lips, taking a long drag. He exhaled, the ever so dangerous smoke blowing through the small o-shape from his parted lips, the smoke dancing in the air. He was always entranced by the smoke as it rose up to the heavens. He continued to watch then noticed his best friend, Erza perched upon the wall, hiding her face from whoever may see but her movements gave away what she was doing. He jumped on to the wall beside her and wrapped an arm around her, immediately a dagger appeared at her throat though he simply grabbed it out of the air and put it in her hand. Her small and slender fingers tightened around the hilt of the dagger as she cried more. Gray just let her cry while he took another drag. He exhaled the beautiful but poisonous smoke, the girl next to him noticing.
"I thought you quit," She said quietly, though that same stern tone coming through, like a mother scolding her child.
He shrugged and held the cigarette out for her, asking if she wanted a small drag. She pushed it away like a huffy baby and he chuckled. No matter how mature she could act he knew that she was still that little girl he spoke to at the river.
"I have... I just needed this one. Natsu wouldn't leave me alone to think of Ur. He's unconscious... Sorry about that." He said knowing that Erza would be livid for that. She would have a dagger by his neck already. She gripped the dagger tighter but dropped it and let it fall to the cobbled ground.
She shook her head staring at her boots, refusing to make eye contact. "I'm too upset to care right now." She said as more tears fell from her face. Gray dropped the cigarette beside the dagger and pulled her into a hug, it was something he wasn't fond of but she needed it right now. She looked up at him, ready to speak but Gray stopped her with a finger to her lips.
"Jellal?"
"Jellal..."
That was all that was needed to be said. Though it seemed that Gray and Erza only spoke during their missions they were often speaking when they could. After the Grand Magic Games and defeating Rogue from the future, they stood at a balcony, discussing how Gray would tell Juvia he wasn't interested. Not realising at the time that they had both implied they had seen each other as more than friends. Gray knew that Erza was in love with Jellal, and based on the tears, Jellal rejected her love once more. "I'm gonna quit smoking Erza," He said holding her hand in his, for the strongest fighter in Fiore, her hands were soft like silk. She looked up at him skeptically. "Properly." He said as he threw the pack of cigarettes in a trash bin. Erza looked up at him, she was still crying but she was smiling.
"Good. I don't want to lose you," She whispered quietly. She still smiled.
Her smile, he noticed something about her smile, though it was small, though it was tiny. It was amazing to him, it showed that the almost emotionless woman could feel happy. Gray then thought to himself. 'This is my reason to live. Her smile, seeing her smile. I need to make her smile. Every day of her life until the very end I'll make her smile.'
Erza soon fell asleep in his arms, and he carried her back to Fairy Hills looking down at her sleeping face, a small smile, a gentle tear which he wiped away. The more he thought about his 'Reason to live' the more he meant it.