A/N: Well...it's been a long while since I've updated this fic. Sorry about that! So, this is my first Jerza fic in 6 months (yikes) and writing this made me realise how much I miss Jerza and their interactions. Patiently (impatiently) waiting for them to meet again in the manga, sigh. Hope you like it!

Title: One Simple Way
Rating: T
Summary: Their training sessions always ended in a way that made it hard for them to define a winner. [Jerza, timeskip]

"Your smile is my only weakness."

One Simple Way

Every now and then, the two would spar against one another—purple loops of magic spiralling towards her in a blur, swords slashing upwards to halt his quickened movements.

Erza's back was taut, arms poised in self-defence as she dodged another one of Jellal's attacks, this one by just a hair's breadth.

"That was close," he said between breaths, watching her straighten up. "Too close."

"But still not close enough to land a hit," she replied with a wink.

"Even so…" Jellal smirked back from across the room, voice teasing. "Perhaps you're losing your touch."

Erza raised her brows at that, glare fixated on him. "Oh?" With a roll of her shoulders, she flexed her fingers, weighing the sword in her right hand, the familiar metal hilt cold to the touch.

Ever since Fairy Tail's disbandment, she'd found herself at Crime Sorciere, in his company. The sparring she'd have back at the guild with the likes of Mira and Natsu continued on with her new guildmates—testing limits, finding ways to better themselves by learning through others.

Though, none of the other training sessions had ever held the same level of interest for her as her sessions with Jellal.

Each fight of theirs was different.

Sometimes he would win, sometimes she would win.

Faster than he could have blinked, swiftly and lightly, she sped forward with her sword, the magic simmering in her blood and pumping through her veins as she appeared in front of him. With a grunt, she grabbed his arms, her hands coiling into the folds of his cloak as she pushed him up against the wall.

And throughout, Jellal made no move to stop her, a smile pulling at his lips as she raised the sword, levelling the blade evenly and unwaveringly at his neck, just as she would do with any opponent, just as she had been doing for so many years.

"Losing my touch, am I?" she asked, one eye hidden behind a curtain of red hair, the other watching him closely.

His smile widened, amused. From underneath blue hair, he watched her too: staring hard, eyes roving over her features, focusing in on her lips before flicking back up to meet her gaze.

"Not even in the slightest," he said.

She took a step closer to him, pressing her body against his, the shafts of sunlight streaming in through the nearby window casting a glow on the blade that was angled horizontally at his throat—the only thing between them.

Her heart was a rapid drumbeat in her chest as she raised herself on her tiptoes, mouth parted and lips hovering inches away from his.

Each fight of theirs was different.

Sometimes he would win, sometimes she would win.

Though, other times, there were no winners.

It would all end in but one simple way.

Her sword fell to the floor with a clatter as she closed the distance between them, crashing her mouth onto his. The training session drifting away, Erza's hands smoothed over his arms, working upwards to his biceps and broad shoulders before circling around his neck, drawing him even closer.

Slowly, his fingers threaded through her hair before running up and down her back, each touch of his setting her on fire from the inside out and reminding her once more why training with Jellal was the most interesting pastime of all at Crime Sorciere.

"Erza…" He pulled away momentarily, whispering her name, prolonging each letter like it was a spell rolling off his tongue. "I have to say, I'm really unsure as to who won that match."

Erza laughed, pressing her forehead against his. "Hm, I think I did this time round."

"Really?" He dipped down again, kissing her with the kind of firm passion that made her head feel light. "Because I'd say I won."

His smirk told her everything she needed to know.

"Is that so?" she said, breathlessly smiling back before sinking into him once more.