4 ASS 4

~Part 1~

Mornings were never an easy thing for William. He always had trouble getting out of bed, but this one, this one, was harsher than all others before.

As someone who had attended college - even if he had ended up dropping out - William had experienced his fair share of parties. And, of course, he had the hangovers that came after them.

However, what William was experiencing at that moment, made those look like a minor inconvenience. His head throbbed as if a band of drummers was going off inside it. His body ached as if it had been hammered by forgers the entire night. Energy was like a foreign concept to him, and he felt like a lifeless corpse.

'I can grab a Stamina Potion and make it all better,' was the first thought that passed through his mind. It was the only potion in his stock that could help him with his current situation. All he had to do was just grab one of the few he had.

That, however, would lead William down a slippery slope. When the Stamina Potion's effect ends, he would still be in the same situation. Which would lead to him taking another, and the cycle would repeat itself. And that's not even mentioning all the nasty side effects that would cause him.

'Coffee, that will do for now...' William thought depressingly. 'But in five minutes.' Falling asleep wasn't even a problem, as he felt too sick to do that.

After laying on his bed - yes, actual bed and not just a mattress - for about an hour, William finally raised himself. Like a zombie, he stumbled over to his kitchen, his furnished kitchen.

The business has been blooming, the potions have been selling like crazy over the past few days. William was a millionaire! Which didn't really mean much since 1 000 000 Jewels equaled $10 000. He was still rich, though, earning that much in about two days, and he hadn't once worked past noon. If you didn't include the time he spends brewing potions afterward, that is.

Either way, William was earning money, even if he was spending them just as fast as he gained them. That would soon change since he was mostly buying necessities. Mostly.

William probably didn't need the fancy magical clock in his bedroom. It did look cool, though. And the Gale-Force Reading Glasses were more like a future investment since he currently didn't have anything to read. They will surely be helpful when he purchases his next crafting skill, though.

Herbology was the one William was eying. It will save him a lot of credits by allowing him to grow his own ingredients. It cost 100 store credits, and he could even buy it at that moment since he had 121 of them. He was saving those for something else, however.

William couldn't keep abusing Stamina Potions to make up for his lacking alchemy table. Making them one at a time just wasn't good enough, so he wanted to get a better one. The next one on the list cost 180 credits, and it would allow him to brew potions in larger batches, up to ten at a time. That was a much needed upgrade for him, and he could quickly make his credits back by selling even more potions a day.

With a bitter coffee in hand - perfect for waking up quickly - William sat down. He took small sips from his cup as he planned his day out. Nothing too complicated; just take a stroll through the market, check for any useful ingredients, brew as many potions as possible, and plan for his date...

Plan for his date?!

The memories from last night hit him like a tidal wave. Erza's soft lips, her toned body pressing against him, his hands grabbing her fit ass. That woke and invigorated him faster than the coffee in his hands.

William hadn't been in the best state of mind when he decided to just go for it. After having succeeded with Requip for the first time and getting an adrenaline rush from it, he just wanted to get his reward from Erza. That he did, and she hadn't resisted his advance at all, which made him happy.

Having Erza as a significant other was a dream come true. Besides her beauty and magical strength, she came off as someone that would do everything for her loved ones. William could entrust his life in her hands and feel safe.

However, Erza did come with her own demons. Her own personal issues aside, Mr. Face-Tattoos-Are-Cool was still out there, and he would find a way to fuck with William once he finds out about his relationship with Erza. For no other reason than to just hurt her by hurting him. Currently, Jellal was probably focused on his tower, but William had to start preparing for the inevitable.

"Focus on the now," William muttered to himself. He had a date to prepare for and potions to brew. "Future William will deal with blue Jelly."

There was also yet another thing on William's list for the day, one that he almost forgot. He finally learned Requip, his very first magic in this world. His pocket space wasn't very impressive at the moment, just a 5x5x5 box, and it took him a few seconds to grab or place something inside it. Both were things he had to work on, though increasing the size was his current priority.

Still, the fact remained that William could finally call himself a wizard. Not a good one by any means, but a wizard nonetheless. That reminded him he had to focus on Archive since he desperately wanted to learn that one as well. Although he had some knowledge of future and past events, his information was far from perfect, and Archive would fix that for him.

Done with the potions for the day, William left his home. He had a date to plan for, after all. Erza would probably be happy with whatever he prepared, but he wanted to impress her and make it enjoyable for both of them. If he wasn't wrong, this would be her first one, so he wished to make it memorable.

Having an idea in mind, William went about trying to organize it. He was on a bit of a tight schedule, but it was a good thing he had Jewels to throw. There was a reason why "money makes the world go round" was a saying back on Earth. With enough of it, you could make anything happen.

Besides planning the date itself, William also needed a wardrobe upgrade. The only clothes he had were the ones he arrived on Earthland with and the pair he bought just to have something else.

The fashion sense there wasn't that much different from Earth, except that it was more fantasy-like, with people wearing armors and all that. William didn't understand fashion - few men did - but he had something in mind.

Entering the clothing store, he spotted the saleswoman in a second. William's experience of being exactly in her position before helped with that. With bold steps, he walked over to her.

"I want your best suit that fits me," William said with confidence. He just couldn't go wrong with a suit, plus he always wanted to have a nice one. It was always a dream of his back on Earth, though he never had a good reason to get one.

The lady looked at him with interest, but his next words made her eyes shine bright. "The price isn't an issue."

Money truly makes the world go round. The lady enthusiastically helped him find a good fit and didn't hesitate to praise him endlessly after every suit he tried out.

"How do you like this one, sir?" The lady eagerly asked him since he was trying out one of their most expensive suits.

"I like it a lot," William replied, looking at himself in the mirror. The navy blue suit fit him perfectly, and it came along with a waistcoat of the same color, a formal white shirt, and a blue necktie.

"I'll take it," William declared, feeling his confidence grow just by wearing it. He would surely be returning back to this store and filling out his wardrobe with more of those. There was a quote, "clothes make the man," and he could understand it now after seeing himself in the mirror. He truly looked good, as vain as that sounded.

The hour of the date came near, and William made his way over to Fairy Tail's guild. The three-story building he arrived at greatly resembled a fancy pagoda.

He told Erza he'd pick her up at seven, but he hadn't specified where from. There was that female dormitory where most of the female members lived, though he was fairly sure he wouldn't be allowed there. His best bet was to visit the guild house first and figure it out from there.

After taking a deep breath, William entered inside and wasn't surprised by the sight. The first floor looked just like a tavern, littered with wooden tables, almost all of them filled.

Multiple waitresses, none of which he recognized, were walking around and serving everyone inside. Considering what he knew of Fairy Tail, he wasn't surprised that they were partying and having a good time. Though it was surprisingly tame since he expected to see a massive brawl.

William looked around, inspecting all the tables, but he didn't recognize any of the wizards eating and drinking merrily. Except for one, that is.

A tanned young woman with brown hair and an ample bust, covered only by a bikini top, held a barrel full of alcohol in the air and was drinking directly from it. Cana was described as an alcoholic, but damn if it wasn't impressive to see it with his own eyes. Though his gaze lingered on her bust, so it was up for debate what he was so impressed by.

William finally tore his eyes away and spotted Mirajane behind the bar. Confidently, he stepped towards her with a smile on his face. He wasn't typically a confident person, but dressed in a nice suit and with money in his pocket, it just came naturally to him.

Mira spotted him midway, and her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. Critically, she looked him up and down before stepping from behind the counter. Mira walked over, and before William could say a word, she reached out. Her slender fingers grabbed the collar of his shirt and fixed it before she tightened his necktie as well.

"Not bad, not bad, you dress up quite nicely," Mira praised as she patted his chest. Being praised by a model? That just made his confidence soar even more.

~Part 2~

"Erza should arrive shortly," Mira informed him with a gentle smile as she straightened his jacket.

"I don't think I've ever seen her panicking so much. Who would've thought that the... tin can," Mira giggled at the old nickname she had for Erza. "Would actually score a date with someone good-looking at that?"

"Erza is very beautiful herself. I'm lucky she accepted," William replied, though he did note that Mira called him good-looking. If his ego wasn't stroked enough, that definitely did the job.

Mira hummed, seemingly pleased by his response. "I'm happy the girl finally has some chance to experience some real romance, rather than the books she reads and thinks no one knows about that."

To William, that was new information. He couldn't remember if such a thing was revealed in the story, and he was under the assumption Erza wouldn't be that big of a fan of romance novels.

"Watching her panic today was fun. Especially when she asked me what kind of flowers she should get," Mira chuckled with a shake of her head.

"I had fun explaining to her that it was the man's job to bring flowers," Mira said with a pointed look aimed at his direction.

"Oh, no!" William grabbed his head in horror, though a smile played on his lips. "How could I've forgotten about that?!"

"Make sure Erza enjoys this," Mira nodded at his play and patted him on the chest with a sweet smile.

"Because if you hurt her, you will be in a world of pain," the words were said with such a sweet tone, but the threat was clear.

Coming from a charming girl like Mira, one might even dismiss the warning. William, however, was aware of how dangerous this girl really was, even if she was currently... crippled. That might not be the correct way to describe Mira's situation, but after the loss of Lisanna, which she blamed herself for, she had trouble using her magic.

"Don't worry," William said as the small amount of nervousness visible on his face melted into a gentle look. "Erza deserves some happiness in her life, and I plan to make that happen."

Mira beamed him a smile, very happy with his response. A dull silence followed between them after, with the background noises of the people chatting and yelling at times being heard in the building.

William was getting a bit uncomfortable just standing there, and Mira was about to return behind the counter before he stopped her with a question. "Where is Makarov, by the way? I hoped to speak with him for a moment."

That was one of the minor reasons he came early, besides, of course, seeing the other girls from the guild. William was currently... taken? He wasn't sure about their relationship status, but he assumed as much. Though just because he was full didn't mean he couldn't look at the menu.

"The Master? He has a meeting with a few of the other Guildmasters," Mira explained easily. "What do you need to discuss with him?"

"Well, we had a deal with him, yet I was attacked by one of your wizards in the middle of the street," William said, a bit of his annoyance showing as he remembered that experience. Despite what had happened, he really feared the Dragon Slayer might've one-shot him into oblivion.

"Natsu? I heard about that. Apparently, you ended up beating him quite easily," Mira looked him up and down appraisingly, but this time she wasn't focused on his clothes. "He's been trying to find you for a rematch, though he hasn't had any luck for some reason."

"Yes, because I'm paying Happy two fish per day to keep him away," William deadpanned.

Mira's look of confusion was priceless. She just opened and closed her mouth a few times before asking, "That works?"

"Apparently, I'll also be sending the bill for the fish to Makarov," William shrugged his shoulders. Happy might not be very impressive, but offer him fish, and he just might turn into Superman for that.

"Huh," Mira muttered before shaking her head. "On the topic of the Master, I asked him about Edolas. He seemed a bit confused at first but nodded in understanding later. Told me it was a far away place, but he didn't specify much more than that. Are you perhaps from there?"

William wanted to hit himself at that moment. How did he expect Mira to link the 'death' of Lisanna with Edolas? In the spur of the moment, William told her to ask Makarov about Edolas when William saw Mira's sad look as she was reminded of that - curse his weakness to women with out-of-this-world beauty. Maybe he could've been a bit more specific, but there were customers waiting in line, and it ended up with this.

"No, no, I'm not from Edolas," William replied and nervously licked his lips.

"Then... why did you make me ask the Master about it?" Mira questioned, tilting her head cutely.

William could answer that he was from a different dimension - it wouldn't be that unbelievable as there already were others just like him, aka Mystogan. Though informing Mira that Fairy Tail was just a show from where he came from would be a more alien concept to her as they didn't have those on Earthland.

Telling them about that would also be... dehumanizing them in a way. Sure, they were nothing but a show on Earth, but William wasn't there any more. He was living among them, and they were very much real people in his eyes. Unless, of course, William was in a coma and experiencing one very realistic dream. And even if he was... he might as well make the most of it.

So how should he respond then? Well, William had actually planned for such a situation. He wasn't this calculating, intelligent, and cunning person that could manipulate events in a way that he always comes out on top.

No, William was average at best, and he was sure he would slip at some point. One way or another, he would end up revealing something he shouldn't know, which might get him in trouble. So he might as well nip this in the bud with an explanation befitting that of a magical world.

"Magic... could manifest uniquely in different wizards," Willaim started with that, and Mira nodded in response. She knew that very well since her magic manifested when she was but a child and was attacked by a Demon. One moment, it was looming over her and ready to devour Mira. The next, it was suddenly consumed and absorbed by her as she took its power for herself.

"My magic allows me to glimpse at past and future events. The future is... always changing, never the same, constantly shifting by every little decision made." That was William's excuse when he got something wrong because he wasn't part of the original story. His actions could drastically change and alter the future even if he was currently not very important in the grand scheme of things.

"However, the past is always the same. It never changes as it has already happened." William wasn't completely sure on that one since there were people that could travel back in time. However, he assumed that whenever someone did that, they just created another alternate timeline. Again, he wasn't sure if that was the case, but that's what he was going with.

Mira narrowed her eyes, her hands balling into fists. A model she may be, but she was far from being dumb and understood where he was going with this.

"I've seen what happened on that day," William continued, and Mira's breathing became heavier while her eyes visibly trembled.

"Lisanna didn't die." The entire atmosphere around Mira changed with those words in a second. Until that moment, she looked and gave off the aura of a regular, although very beautiful girl.

Mira just didn't have the aura that William had noticed most wizards did. Makarov also didn't, but he assumed the old man had a way to hide it from others. Erza had a pressuring atmosphere, but William was able to ignore it in favor of her beauty. Now, however, he was starting to feel the pressure of an S-class wizard who was bearing down upon him, even if Mira was a head shorter than him.

"Explain," Mira said just a simple word as she stepped into his personal space. Her white hair started fluttering behind her, her blue orbs turned a shade darker, and a black line formed above her right eye, crossing through it in a zig-zag pattern.

"Dying without leaving anything behind is unusual even with magic in the equation," William said, trying not to piss himself from the pressure he was under.

"Lisanna didn't die back then," he repeated once more. "Instead, she was transported to Edolas through a rift in space. And Edolas is... a parallel dimension to Earthland."

Mira's demonic eyes stared into his very soul, searching for any hint of him lying. For a very long moment, her gaze sharply watched his every move. William noted that the building had gotten very quiet, but he didn't dare look around to confirm that.

"She... isn't dead?" Despite her semi-demonic appearance, Mira's words came off weak and fragile. She looked like a piece of glass that could break at any moment.

"No, no, she isn't," William reassured her, trying to be as gentle as possible. "You were not the cause of her death, so you should stop blaming yourself."

"And you will get the chance to see her again in the near future," William's words broke the dam. Mira's demonic appearance shifted back as tears streamed down her eyes, her trembling hand moving to her mouth.

"I-I will?" Mira's voice sounded so weak as she stuttered those words out through her sobs.

"Yes, you will, I promise you that," William gently told her, barely resisting the urge to pull her in a hug. "So, you should stop blaming yourself and repressing your magic. In about a year's time, you will get to see her again, and she might need your help."

"Is she in danger?!" Mira's mood shifted once more. Tears were still dripping from her eyes, but her expression was as serious as one could get.

"Not right now, though she would need your help when you get to meet her, and I can assure you, you will get to see her again. And when the time comes, I will provide you with as much assistance as I can," William smiled at her gently.

Mira's eyes scrutinized him carefully, searching for any deception in his words or mannerism. When she found none, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in a tight hug. Her face buried itself in William's chest, staining his suit with her tears. That hurt, but he didn't push her away and just patted her gently on the back.

William was pretty sure he heard a few people cursing him from behind. Something along the lines of getting to hug their Mira. He ignored those and focused on calming down the crying girl.

Mira finally pulled away, her eyes puffy and red, though there was a happy smile on her face. She wiped her tears away and looked at his chest.

"I'm sorry for ruining your suit," Mira apologized, looking embarrassed and bashful.

"It's f-" Whatever William was about to say, he was interrupted by the roaring coming from the entrance.

"It's youuu! I finally found you!" Natsu's yells reverberated through the building. "Fight me!"

Flames erupted around Natsu, and William panicked, fully aware that what happened the last time was nothing but a fluke. He also didn't have as many poisons on him since he didn't have a place to store them. As for his pocket space...

Though there was no need to worry. Natsu only managed to take one step before a hand chopped him on the back of his neck, knocking him down with one hit.

Erza walked in from behind him, and William could only mutter a single "wow" as he saw her. Her red hair was tied into a bun, with two bangs loosely swaying in front of her, and she wore a purple dress that split just under her waist, revealing the creamy skin of her legs. White gloves that reached past her elbows covered her arms, and a pair of open, red-colored high heels finished off her outfit.

Mira giggled something from beside him, but William didn't hear her as his attention was entirely on his stunning date. A light shove from behind was all it took for him to step towards the awaiting Erza.

~Part 3~

Erza just stood there, her eyes darting left and right while William walked over. She held onto her left elbow nervously, feeling... exposed without her armor on, especially in front of so many people. A mixture of feelings bubbled inside her stomach, and she had a hard time describing how she felt.

Erza was nervous, scared, excited, embarrassed, but looking at William, who was staring at her as if she was the most amazing woman alive, she felt happiness. It was comforting to be looked at like that, she had to admit.

When he neared her, Erza didn't know what to say. Neither did William, but he allowed his actions to speak for him. Gently, he took hold of her cheeks with his hands, rubbing a few circles on them as he leaned down. Erza closed her eyes, feeling even more embarrassed as he took her lips in front of the entire guild, but she didn't push him away and instead leaned into the kiss.

It wasn't a deep kiss, just a simple chaste one, but it was enough to express what William thought at that moment. He broke it away after a long moment and just stared into her brown orbs.

The entire guild was so silent, one would think it was empty. William was sure everyone was staring at the two of them, but as much as he wanted to turn around and see their astonished expressions, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Erza. He noticed she had even put on makeup, not much, just a few light touches, but it was there, though he didn't think she needed it. She was beautiful even without makeup.

"You look absolutely wonderful," Willaim told her with a gentle smile playing on his lips, still holding onto her cheeks and gently rubbing them.

"Mhm." Words didn't come easy to her at that point. Erza didn't know what to say and just mumbled something in response.

"Shall we go?" William asked as he let go of her and offered his arm.

"We shall," Erza replied, gaining a bit of her confidence as she grabbed onto him.

"Make sure to bring her back on time!" Mira yelled, giggling as she did.

Erza's cheeks heated up as she pulled on his arm lightly and slightly increased her pace, eager to get away from the guild at that moment.

The moment the two left the building, a massive uproar erupted. Questions of how and why came out one by one. Looks of shock, envy, and... awe were on the faces of all the wizards there. They were having a hard time comprehending that Erza was actually going out with someone.

What they had seen was something they only imagined in their dreams, but they were the ones in William's position. Though most of them would never admit that in front of Erza. She was a scary lady when she wanted to, and most of them were intimidated by her.

Outside of the guild, Erza slowly started regaining her confidence. Her grasp on William's arm tightened as she pulled herself closer to him, and that made her feel much better, safer even. It reminded her of the time he held her on the couch, and her cheeks heated up, thinking of what might've happened if she had decided to stay the night.

Probably nothing since William had been just about to pass out at that point. Not that she was aware of that.

There was a moment of silence as they walked the streets of Magnolia, simply enjoying the presence of each other. Then again, both of them didn't know what to say. Erza was feeling awkward as this was her first official date. And William, well, he was going out with Erza, something that many could only dream off.

"I'm glad you accepted going out with me," William told her, breaking their quiet moment.

"Me too," Erza replied and continued with a mutter. "I've never been on a date before."

"Hopefully, you will enjoy this one as much as I would. I was on a bit of a tight schedule, but I think I managed to set up something good," William said, a bit of nervousness creeping into his voice.

"I will," Erza gave him a squeeze to reassure him. She would've enjoyed it even if this was the entire date, just them walking around together.

Spending time with William was enjoyable, though she had been teaching him most of the time. Except for that one date that wasn't a date that they went on. She found him a pleasant company, and now she could be herself, even if she was still having trouble getting over her embarrassment.

"Back in the guild... was... umm Mira?" Erza hated herself at that moment. Why were words suddenly so hard? She never had such a problem before.

Erza had seen Mira hugging him before she entered, and she didn't precisely feel jealous, but she was just a little bit afraid. The two of them used to compete against each other; who would do the most jobs in a month, who would do her job the fastest, who would become S-class first, and etc. They were practically equal, though Erza would give herself the win since she became S-class first.

What scared her was that Mira might've decided to compete with her again. And Erza didn't have the confidence to win against her in this competition. She considered Mira to be better looking and more desirable compared to her. Mira was also more experienced when it came to dealing with men.

Erza finally found someone that treated her like a woman, that made her feel special, and she didn't want to lose him before this... thing that they had going on turned into something.

"Mira..." William placed his free hand on Erza's to reassure her while thinking of how to answer. This night was about Erza, so he didn't want to turn into a discussion about his 'magic.' With that in mind, he continued, "I tried giving her some hope for the future. Might've succeeded, but only time will tell."

"Oh," Erza muttered, looking down at her feet.

William caught that and stopped midstep, turning towards Erza with one hand already going over to her cheek. Gently, he lifted her face and kissed her deeply. Actions spoke louder than words. Erza happily responded in kind, pulling him in to deepen the kiss.

After pulling away, William just smiled at her, and she understood the meaning as she felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach. With a lot more confidence in her mannerisms, she grabbed onto his arm as he led Erza towards their destination, wherever that was.

"Where are we going?" Erza asked with a lot more spirit than earlier.

"Ah, well," William began and noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "It's a secret."

To the side, William saw a man with spiky orange hair, who was dressed in clothes a 2000's rapper would wear. Black baggy pants, whitish sneakers, a green jacket with brownish-white fur trimming lining the hood, over a light red shirt covered in many flower-like motifs, and see-through blue glasses sat on his nose. To complete the image, he had two girls hanging on each side.

Loke, a member of Fairy Tail, very slowly reached for his glasses and lowered them down. With eyes as wide as saucers, he moved his gaze from William to Erza. Loke switched from both of them a few times, making sure what was in front of him was real before Loke raised his head slightly and pursed his lips. He gave William a very proud nod, who discreetly responded in kind.

'I think I just made a friend,' William thought. 'A kindred spirit even,' he laughed in his mind at the pun as they continued walking with Erza.

"We are here," William said as they arrived at their destination.

Magnolia Town was what William assumed a magical Venice would look like. The city had a massive river that separated a few parts of the town. And, of course, there were many little boats that one could ride on. Those were pretty popular among tourists, from what he heard.

There were also a few bigger boats that served as restaurants. In a way, those reminded him of the Baratie, the ship restaurant run by pirates. William led his date to one such place, which he had bought out for the night after a lot of bartering and convincing. The owner was reluctant at first, but after throwing enough money at him, he finally relented.

"Here?" Erza asked, tightening her grip on William as she turned to look at him. She might not go out to eat often - unless it was to get strawberry cakes - but she was aware that this place was expensive.

"Yep," William grinned and pulled her towards the entrance.

"Welcome, sir," a man in a suit greeted them in the front, "and madam."

"Would you please follow me?" The staff spoke with respect and with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Lead the way," William said, gesturing to him to do so with his free hand.

"William," Erza pulled on him with a pointed look.

"You can just call me Will. William just sounds too formal," he quickly replied.

"Will," Erza tested how it sounded before nodding, "and you can call me..." Her name couldn't really be shortened, and nothing came to mind.

"How about princess?" William asked with a laugh.

"P-princess?" Erza stammered. She had never imagined herself as one since... she was the knight, after all. But if that was the case, didn't that make William the princess? That wouldn't do. Well... maybe she could be a princess for his sake.

'Distraction successful,' he thought as the staff finally led them to their location for the night before silently taking his leave. William didn't want her asking how much it cost him since he might just start crying.

Erza let out a small gasp, seeing the rose petals leading to a table with lit candles and an open view of the stars above. A low hum came out of a magical victorla that was just the right volume to set the atmosphere, but not loud enough for them not to hear each other. They would be outside, but it was private enough that they shouldn't be seen by others.

"Oh, I forgot to give you those earlier," William said, resisting the urge to hit himself as he materialized a bouquet from his pocket space. It consisted of flowers he didn't know the name of, but he was told by the lady that sold them that they would make a good impression on a first date.

"Oh, umm, thank you," Erza accepted them, not really knowing how to respond, soo... "You still have to work on how fast you take out items from your pocket space."

Talking was hard, and Erza looked down as William just laughed it off.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," she apologized with her head still down. They were on a date and this is why she said?

William just took her hand, a smile playing on his face as he led her to the table, pulling the seat for her.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he kindly told her, the fluttery feeling in her stomach coming in full force.

It just felt so nice; to be treated kindly, to be treated like a woman, to be made desirable. Erza hadn't known how much she wanted this until now. She felt special, not because she was a part of Fairy Tail, not because she was an S-class wizard, but because of how William treated her. This night... Erza didn't wish for it to end.

"So, how was your day?" William asked Erza, breaking her out of her mind, just as the staff brought their food.

They ate the fancy food they were served and drank expensive wine as they talked under the moonlight and enjoyed each other's company. As much as they wanted to share their full history with each other, they both hesitated.

Erza was afraid of how he might look at her after finding out that she was once an orphan and then a child slave before she made her way to Fairy Tail, not aware that he already knew. Instead, Erza told him about her time in the guild and regaled him with stories of the various jobs she had completed over the years.

William, on the other hand, hesitated on informing her he was from an entirely different world. He did share a few of his memories from there, but he didn't mention any specific facts from Earth. At some point, he would inform her of that but now wasn't the time.

The end of the night was coming near, and Erza didn't think it could get any better. William, however, had one more surprise up his sleeve. Or, in this case, in his pocket space.

"We can't end this without you having your favorite dessert, right princess?" William laughed with a strawberry cake in hand.

Tears streamed down her right eye as Erza just stared at him, her lips pursed.

"Hey, now, no need to cry," William quickly came over and embraced her, one hand gently wiping her tears away.

"Why?" Erza hit his chest, no power backing her hits.

She didn't deserve this. She wasn't worthy.

In her tipsy state, those kinds of thoughts passed through Erza's mind. She was afraid, so very scared of getting attached emotionally to someone. The last time this had happened, she ended up being betrayed, stabbed in the back with a knife.

"Why are you being so kind to me?" Erza asked, refusing to look at him.

He would betray her. He would hurt her.

"Why, you ask?" William gently lifted her face, his finger still wiping her tears away.

"Because you deserve it. You are special, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?" Erza looked at him, eyes and body quivering.

"You are unquestionably amazing and one of a kind woman. You would make any guy the luckiest one alive just being with him, and I want to be that man. I want to make you happy. I want to be there to support you no matter what. I want to be able to greet you with a strawberry cake whenever I meet you." More tears streamed down her cheek, all wiped away by him.

"W-Why?" Her question came out so weak, so defenseless and fragile.

"Because you deserve it, okay, princess? You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. You deserve all of that, okay?" William leaned down and gently kissed her, making her melt into his embrace, turning into a putty.

"I might not be perfect, but I will do my best to make you happy. I'll even learn baking if I have to, just so I can make the best strawberry cake for you to enjoy."

That last part... that just sealed the deal for Erza. With her superhuman speed, she mashed her lips against his, pushing them both on the ground, tumbling in the process. Definitely not how she had planned it out, but at least they avoided breaking anything.

They stared at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing. After calming down, Erza laid her head on the crook of his neck, just taking in his scent.

"Thank you," she whispered as he laced his fingers through her hair in a calming manner.

"You have nothing to thank me for," he told her while continuing to stroke her hair. "As a princess, it's only fair for you to be treated as one."

Erza didn't respond and just tightened her grasp on him. They stayed like that, just holding each other under the moonlight for quite a while.

"I believe we should get going soon," William whispered to her. Erza was feeling tired, a bit emotionally drained, and a bit tipsy, but...

"I don't want to. I want to stay like this," Erza hugged him tighter, enjoying how safe she felt in his embrace.

"As you wish," William kissed her on the forehead and continued caressing her hair.