Disclaimer: Fairy Tail does not belong to me. It belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Rated T because: It contains (sort of?) crack.

A Not So Sober Night

To be frank, Jellal had no idea how it ended up like this.

All he knew was that, all of his current problems right now involved someone who had talked her into drinking her heart out, made her stumble all the way outside the bar, coincidentally, where he was, giving him no choice but to assist the Titania in piggybacking her back to her lodgings, while the other members of Team Fairy Tail A were still drinking themselves silly.

And aside from all of that, he was still quite embarrassed about what happened a few days back when he had lost to Jura. And he had a feeling that it was Ultear's and Meredy's doing. Why else had he felt a spicy, almost-burning his tongue until it would disperse into flames sensation and then felt his skin crawl with tickles? Basically put, he was humiliated in public and it was their fault. But he wasn't doing it to impress anyone, no, that wasn't his other intention aside from getting the honor to fight in honor of Fairy Tail!

Shaking the uncomfortable thought out of his mind, he looked up at the indigo sky embedded with twinkling stars. It was mocking him, it was definitely laughing at him. He cursed inside his head, conscious of the weight he was carrying. She looked light, but jeez! The woman was heavy. Her scarlet tresses had descended on his shoulder blades, and he was very aware that her face was near his.

He ignored the smell of booze that ruined her elegant and natural fragrance as he ignored the lingering feelings that dared to control his actions. No. He was only doing this because they were friends, not to mention that his monstrous past that almost made him want to kill himself. He was very thankful of her words back then, but he regretted pushing her away when the moment felt so perfect for the both of them.

He stopped in his tracks, his expression masked with cloth and bandages but was inwardly annoyed at himself for thinking all of this.

No. He was doing this because he owed her. That's it. Just like his face, he would mask his feelings just like that.

"Moron..."

He turned his face, immediately startled that their heads nearly collided. He turned away quickly, but he could not ignore her soft words and her helpless punching on his back.

"You're such a moron..." she whispered again and again.

Jellal, or Mystogan as was his current alias, smirked. "You're calling the person who would carry you back to your room a moron? You've got quite a bold nature, Erza. I see that part of you hasn't changed."

Fixing her slim body so it would not slip away from his, he sighed as he headed towards the lodgings.

He was glad that only a few people were out in the streets. They ignored Jellal as he walked with tired steps as he entered Fairy Tail A's room.

The lights were still switched open, and spotting the grandfather clock, he had noticed it was still ten o'clock.

"Then that's sort of a benefit for us. The earlier we sleep, the more energy we have for tomorrow," he muttered under his breath as he plopped Erza on one of the matresses.

As he turned to make his way for the doorway, he took one last glance at her.

Her hair was radiating in a violent kind of glow, but scarlet was a color he had enjoyed looking at. Her delicate face was held downcast, despite her arms and legs moving uncomfortably. Her eyes were closed, and Jellal decided it would be good if he had left to return to his assigned room.

And just at that moment, the supposedly sleeping Erza went for the kill.

With all her drunken strength, she tugged at his ragged cloak, sending him flying straight on the floor.

His head pounded, and he could hear his heart racing in his ears. He let out a groan.

"Traitor!" he heard her shout as she slipped out from her bedstead and was now in front of Jellal. Her hands clutched the cloth covering his face.

"What?"

She pointed at him with a sour expression on her face. "You're a traitor!" she spat.

A traitor? What the hell was she talking about?

Then, the most unbelievable thing just happened. Erza formed her lips into a pout.

Mavis, why in the world is this possible?

Then again, when you're drunk, everything's possible.

"You're a moron," she muttered and let go of him. She crossed her arms. "You're a moron, you know that?"

Jellal, feeling rather tired, just decided to play along. He took off the cloth that covered his face, revealing his blue hair and the red markings surrounding his right eye. He raised one eyebrow up. "And could you possibly explain to me why I'm a moron?" he asked, using a tone of mockery.

Erza shot him a dirty look before explaining. "You don't know a great woman when you see one."

"Excuse me?"

"You have that no good for nothing, imaginary fiancee of yours," she slurred. "She's what? The same age as you, I assume? Why don't you go for girl younger than that, huh? "

Jellal shifted uncomfortably. "She's a great woman. And I know she'd make a great wife." He managed to say.

"Pish, pah! I'm betting that on the wedding reception, you'll curse at the kami!" Erza said rather daringly.

Jellal sighed in frustration. He did not want to deal with this. Hoping that the Titania would come to her true senses, he caught her before she almost collapsed on him.

"Erza, listen to me," Jellal prompted. "You're drunk, all right? So please snap out of it," he almost said in a pleading tone but hurriedly caught himself before he did.

"Drunk, shmunk." Erza scoffed. "You're a liar!"

Okay, so he had just dealt with being called a moron, traitor, and apparently, a liar. Was she going to call him a turd next?

"I'm not lying." He said firmly, slightly agitated at the woman's choice of words.

"Yes, you are!" Erza insisted. "You..." she held up her pointer finger and made it gaze at his direction. "You lie. A lot. That woman who you said you were getting married to? She's just your imaginary friend." she concluded.

Jellal noticed that Erza wasn't using a childlike tone anymore. She was still drunk, yes, but looking at the corner of her slanted left eye, he could see tears welling up, trying to force itself down her cheeks.

It was rare to see Erza cry. She was brave Erza, the one that was able to deal with even the most dangerous blows. She always came back on her feet. But seeing her drunken with alcohol and was practically about to burst out a waterfall at any moment now, Jellal had never felt so bad, setting aside from realizing that his lying skills were as terrible as Gajeel's singing.

Boy, was he ever wrong.

Unknown to him, the scarlet-haired woman had a hidden dark gleam in her eyes. She moved in for the second attack.

"Psych!" Now Erza didn't have a liking to pull any schemes, but right at this moment, Erza wasn't Erza right now, so she came in for the cut when Jellal was too busy feeling regret and shame.

She grabbed a hold of his collar, and a flash of surprise covered the emotion of his eyes. Their faces almost clashed, and Erza breathed down his scentless smell. They could feel their hot breaths inhaling and exhaling, and Jellal felt oddly relaxed.

Why was he relaxed? Her face was dangerously close to his. Close enough to actually relive that one particular moment when she had tripped, and then...

"Erza..."

"You're a moron, a traitor, and you're a horrible liar. But," her eyes softened, and Jellal easily thought that Erza was beginning to sober. But the putrid scent of sake overpowered everything else in the room, much like the words that would overpower his emotions. "that's what I like about you."

Crud. This was not happening. But a part of him had argued, thus giving a winning reaction.

"I..."

Why was it that the supposedly good moments never get better?

Her eyes had began to flutter ever so slowly, and Jellal is mesmerized because when she blinks, he thinks it's pretty cute. Like seeing the soft side of Erza. How is it that it happens after she collapsed on his chest?

Her head landed with a small thud and Jellal just lets out a sigh. He leaned on his shoulder as he looked out the window to confirm it. And sure enough, the stars seemed to smile at him. Mockingly, Jellal thought bitterly and settled his gaze at the sleeping wizard.

She inhaled and exhaled with a rhythmic beat never out of pace, and Jellal felt that her warm presence was more comforting than the company of his fellow guild members of Crime Sorciere. Her cheeks were rather red, and Jellal puts a hand against her sweaty forehead, feeling the normal temperature of her body on the palm of his hand.

His gaze started to soften, but he doesn't realize it until he softly presses his lips on her head before deliberately moving from the wooden floor and placed her on the mattress once again, and exited without looking back.

Walking in the hallway back to his room, little Wendy, not tired but upon Charle's insistence that she sleep now, had witnessed him walking out of her room.

"Hi, Mystogan," she waved at him. "What were you doing there?" she pointed to the room where Erza just passed out, and Jellal easily replied. "Trying to re-live a small moment of my life."

Wendy looked up at him with confusion lingering in her hazel brown eyes, but Jellal just shrugged and told her to go to bed, and as he walked away from the dragonslayer, he wondered if somehow being drunk was a disease.