Happy Friday!

Just wanted to let y'all know how much I appreciate the overwhelming support on this story. You guys are the absolute best! I'd encourage anyone who enjoyed this and thought it was worth the read to fave and review (or if you're feeling really creative, share the link somewhere). It's the easiest way to support an author and it helps to get their fics into the hands of others. :)

darling spider: lol! These are all things I wish that I had known years ago. It would have saved me so much trouble (and misery, in some cases)! Sounds like there are at least a couple of you who are getting something from my ramblings, so I'll continue to share them when I think of stuff. Thanks for continuing to support! :)

guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Definitely keep your fingers crossed for Gray, though. He's got the most convoluted journey of dead-ends and detours (that's why it's a maze, right?) to find his happiness. He's going to need all the luck he can get. ;)

- K. Chandler

When Erza arrived at the guild the following week, Mira waved her over to the bar.

"Hey, Erza! This is for you!" Mira said brightly. She pressed a parcel into Erza's hand. It was small and neatly wrapped in plain, brown paper.

"What is this?" asked Erza.

"Why don't you open it and find out?" she suggested, eyes sparking with mischief.

"Do you know who it's from?" Erza worked at the tape with care.

"I was told not to say," said Mira delicately. "He said you'd know."

"He?" asked Erza.

Mira shrugged, a mysterious smile pulling at her lips.

Impatient, Erza tore at the wrapping, revealing the contents.

"Well?" asked Mira.

"Orange glow sticks," said Erza, showing the box to Mira. "The kind that light up after you snap them."

"How fun! Didn't we use to play with these when we were kids?"

"I do remember that, yes."

With all the pumpkins and bats printed on the package, this particular box looked like it had in the clearance bin since last Halloween. What a strange gift to receive…

"There's a note on the back," said Mira.

Erza flipped the package over. Sure enough, there was a blue sticky-note tacked onto the back of the box.

For emergencies. – G.

Erza fought a smile. "Idiot. If you didn't want to tell me who you were, then you shouldn't have signed it," she said, though she would have recognized the even letters of Gray's precise printing immediately, even if he hadn't.

"What do you think it means?" asked Mira.

"It doesn't mean anything," said Erza quickly. "Look, Mira, he couldn't even be bothered to peel the price tag off!" she added, pointing at the gummy sticker that marked the box down to 50 Jewels. "He was probably just messing around."

Mira shook her head. "Really? I don't think so."

"Fine, then. What do you think it means?" demanded Erza.

"Gray's a planner. But this isn't the sort of thing you can plan for," said Mira. "He probably found these by complete accident. But here they are. They're even wrapped and everything. And yes, for a guy, that totally counts as wrapping." Mira cut her off before she could protest.

"What's your point?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mira gave a teasing smirk. "Clearly, he thinks about you…" she said coolly.

"If you say so…" said Erza, turning away hastily, heat flooding her cheeks.

She could still feel the memory of Gray's arm around her.

It made her feel safe. Warm. Just like home.

For the first time, Erza didn't mind the darkness. She would even say that she had been grateful for it, because it meant that he couldn't see her blush.

If Natsu had done something like this, I'd probably be less impressed. But I think this kind of thing is cute coming from Gray. I love spontaneous gestures of affection. They don't have to be big or expensive. They just have to show you care. :)

So, does this feel like a weird place to end a story? Almost like a great, big To Be Continued? Absolutely! :) This may be the last chapter of this fic, but Gray's (mis)adventures in love are far from over! Next week's one-shot that explores how much Juvia's changed and how that has affected her dynamic with Gray (I guess that makes it a Gruvia). The week after, we've got more Grayza coming with The Problem with Ranged Weapons: a fic that examines their dynamic from Erza's perspective. Both can be found on my profile.

Stop back next Friday for [Mazeverse] Protective, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.