Hey, everybody.
I originally posted this together with most of the other prompts for Jerza Week, but then decided to post it separately. I think it works better that way, like how my prompts for Gruvia Week were all posted separately.
Anyayws, sorry this is a bit late, but I wasn't really inspired for it until today.
You can consider this story a sequel to day 4, since I included the same children from that one.
I hope you'll enjoy this prompt; it's short and simple.
Always come home
It was nearly 12 o'clock in the household of Jellal and Erza Fernandes, yet the impatient little girl refused to sleep. He had tried everything, even singing to her-something which she only laughed at-but she remained wide awake.
Just like her mother, Scarlet Fernandes wasn't one to sleep easily. At the age of 4, as she loved reminding everyone, she still never slept through the night. Usually she would wake up early in the morning and only went to bed around 10; unlike her older brother, Simon, who slept at 8 and woke up only at 8 am.
Having given up on putting her to sleep, Jellal brought her to the living room and sat down on the couch with her by his side and they played together for a while before Scarlet's attention was focused on had her newest toy; a talking doll that had once belonged to her late aunt Ultear and had been given to her by Meredy as a birthday present.
While the little girl played with it, Jellal took the opportunity to get started on Lucy's newest book, which had been released a few weeks before. The blonde celestial spirit had given copies to her friends even before the launching, but due to his busy schedule lately, he hadn't been able to start it yet.
Since Erza was currently away with Team Natsu on a long mission-she'd been gone for almost two weeks now- he had been overwhelmed with the kids; despite the fact that Juvia and Meredy came to help almost every day.
So now that Scarlet was quietly playing with her doll and Simon was already asleep, he finally had time to read the book. Or so he thought.
Just as he reached the beginning of the 2nd chapter, there was the sound of crying, making him sigh.
"Is that Simon?" Scarlet asked and he nodded.
"I'll be right back, okay?" The little girl nodded before her attention turned back to the doll. She pulled the string on its back and he could hear it say "Mamma" repeatedly while he walked towards Simon's room.
Reaching the dark room, Jellal turned on the hallway light so that he wouldn't trip on the multiple toys that the little boy usually left scattered around the it despite his and Erza's constant attempts to have him stow them away.
Opening the door as quietly as possible, he could see the silhouette of his son trashing in the bed while crying. A nightmare, clearly.
Sighing once again, he made his way into the room and reached the bed with careful steps.
"Mamma!" Simon screamed once he was close enough and his heart tightened.
Whenever Erza would go on a long mission, it would be like this. Since the little boy was deeply connected with her, despite the fact he got along with Jellal as well, he would become very worried when she was away and constantly have nightmares.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he began rubbing circles on Simon's back, hoping it would calm the boy down before he woke up. Thankfully, it did the trick and soon enough his body quieted down, except for the constant sobs.
Jellal carefully picked the boy up, bringing him in his arms and embracing him tightly. "It's alright, son. It's just a dream." Simon grasped at his shirt and continued to cry, but soon enough his small green eyes opened and he pulled away.
"Daddy?" The young man smiled at his sleepy face before nodding.
"I'm here." The little boy sobbed once again. "Where's mamma?"
"She's on a mission, remember?" He frowned.
"But what if she doesn't come back?" Jellal shook his head. "She will. She always comes back, doesn't she?"
Simon still seemed unsure."I want her back now." The former nodded.
"Yeah, I do too. But we need to be patient and wait." The boy's frown deepened.
"I don't like waiting." Jellal laughed; that was an understatement.
Simon was much like himself in that sense; he too hated waiting for Erza to come back. The thought of every terrible thing that might happen to her would make him have trouble sleeping as well, but his nightmares weren't be as frequent as his son's.
"How about we play a game while we wait?" He suggested, hoping it would distract the boy.
"What game?" Simon stared at him curiously, but before he could reply, there was a loud scream and then crying, making him quickly get up from the bed.
"Why is Scarlet crying?" He didn't have an answer to that, so he just gave his son a quick nod before darting out of the room; the little boy following a moment later.
Upon reaching the living room, Jellal spotted his youngest child lying on the floor by the book shelf. Her scarlet hair was a mess, having come out of the braids he had done earlier that night-and very well in fact, it seemed he had an aptitude for hairstyles- and the long sleeved, blue nightgown that Juvia had given her as a birthday present was torn.
"Hey, what happened here?" He quickly ran to her side and scooped the crying girl in his arms, bringing her back to the couch.
"It hurts, daddy." She was rubbing the back of her head and when he touched it, he could feel a bump.
"What did you do?" Simon asked, giving her a disapproving look while Jellal gently caressed her head.
"I sorry, daddy. I just wanted to see the book." A frown appeared on his face. "What book?"
"Auntie Lucy's book. I saw you put it on the shelf and I wanted to read it." Scarlet explained.
"Why didn't you ask me to give it to you?" He asked while turning her around on his lap so she'd face him.
"Because mamma always say I need to rely on myself, can't always ask someone to help me." It was true; Erza always encouraged their children to be more independent, specially Scarlet who was so much like her mother in both appearance and personality.
"I miss her." Simon said and she nodded.
"When is mamma coming back, daddy?" Jellal sighed once again.
"I don't know, but it shouldn't take her long to finish her mission. She'll be back before you know it." He had been repeating these words for the past few weeks, so understandably they didn't have the same effect as the first few times.
"You always say that." Simon frowned and crossed his arms.
"It's not the same without mamma." Scarlet added sadly.
"I know, sweetheart. But there's really nothing we can do." He wanted to comfort them and reassure them that Erza would be back soon, but even he didn't know if that was true. And he couldn't deny, he missed her. A lot.
"We could go after her." The oldest child suggested.
"Yeah, we could surprise her. Mamma would like that!" The little girl agreed, excited.
"I'm afraid we can't do that. This mission is dangerous, remember?" It was strange; having children certainly wasn't easy, but Jellal would've never expected the most difficult part to be preventing them from joining on missions.
But after all, his children were also Erza's, so they had inherited their mother's desire for going on adventures and defeating enemies.
"That's why we should go there, daddy! So we can protect mamma." Simon said before concentrating. Soon enough, a few small swords appeared around him, making Scarlet giggle.
"You're too much like your mother." Jellal shook his head.
"Can we go, daddy? Please?" The little girl pleaded, staring at him with those big brown eyes.
"Sorry, sweetheart." He shook his head. "Now it's getting really late, how about you try sleeping again?" She pouted.
"I don't wanna sleep." Simon nodded in agreement.
"Me neither." Giving a defeated sigh, Jellal searching his brain for ideas on how to distract them.
"Can you tell a story, daddy?" The youngest child pleaded.
Relieved that she'd suggested it, he nodded before patting the spot next to him on the couch so that Simon could lie there. The young boy wasted no time lying against the cushions while Jellal adjusted Scarlet so that her head would rest against his chest. He thought for a while about a story to be told, until an idea came to mind.
Having their full attention, he began telling the tale of a time in which he too wondered when Erza would ever come home; back when she'd disappeared on Tenrou Island. Of course, he changed the story so it would be appropriate for his children and, when it came to the ending, he finished it with the same words Erza had spoken once they were reunited: "When it comes to Fairy Tail, we always find a way to come home."
So, what do you think? Did I do okay with Daddy Jellal? I'd never written him before.
And aren't Simon and Scarlet so adorable? I think the names are perfectly fitting for Jellal and Erza's children; I can totally imagine them naming their son after Simon and the name Scarlet is just too beautiful.
Anyways, the prompt for day 7 should be posted tomorrow (late again) and it will be a sequel to day 5 with Lyredy, Jerza family and Gruvia family.
Have a wonderful day, everyone!