A/N: Written partly for an anon ask on tumblr, and for tangledcharm when their Summer Fic Exchange writer couldn't be reached.
"I don't need you keeping tabs on me." Erza glared at her partner, Detective Gray Fullbuster - who only shrugged and smiled even more as the flimsy hospital gown on Det. Scarlet gaped where it shouldn't and strained to contain in the front.
"You ditched out the last two times, I'm under strict orders to make sure you stay."
"You know we had emergencies." Erza gave one last longing look at the chair in the corner, piled with her clothes - and best of all, in her estimation, her gun and badge. "Why don't you go find Nurse Lockser and have a nice visit? She'll be upset if she finds out you came to the hospital and didn't see her."
"Do you think you'll get rid of me that easy?" scoffed Gray, "We see each other plenty at home. Captain will have me running errands, or worse if you don't get this stress test done. "
"He'd never pair you with Dragneel again." Erza grimaced and heaved a sigh. "The department budget can't take such a sustained hit and I'd hate to have to train another newbie."
"What are you sayin'?" Gray frowned. "I'd kill Dragneel, I kicked his ass hard the last time we –"
"Excuse me?"
Both Detectives turned to look at the interloper. Fullbuster glanced at the doctor and then back at his partner. Gray hadn't seen Erza this quiet since the last time she'd consumed a whole strawberry cake on a dare.
"Great! The doctor's here and I can leave, knowing you're in good hands." Gray smirked at his now blushing partner, heading for the exit. Over his shoulder, he said, "Follow his orders like a good person."
"I'm not a good girl!" Erza hurled her response to a closing door. She huffed and crossed her arms. "I'm very much a –"
"Good person?"
"–Yes." Erza's brain caught up with Gray's last statement, what she'd just said, and what her doctor had said. Running away wasn't in the cards. Well, not until after the stress test. "Last week was gender conformity training, and … that doesn't matter." Erza realized she was gripping her gown way too hard and relaxed her hands. "This won't take long, will it?"
"Long enough that I should introduce myself. I'm Doctor Fernandez, Jellal to my friends." Jellal held out his hand to Erza. "I'm pleased to meet you, Detective Scarlet. Word is, you're responsible for putting away the hoodlums who've been tagging graffiti."
Erza hurriedly wiped her palm on her gown and thrust her hand against Jellal's, pumping it up and down rigorously. "One of many!" Did that make sense? Lord have mercy, no it did not. She could withstand the cool and suave looks of Fullbuster, didn't turn a hair at the tanned, handsome face of Dragneel - so why was this tall and debonair doctor making her ovaries melt? "I mean, one of many collars I've been involved with." Wish I could be involved with you…
"Of course." A polite smile on his face, Dr. Fernandez nodded and his smile morphed into a full-blown grin.
Damn. He looked even better with a bit of devil glinting in his eyes. Erza couldn't help her answering smile.
"Um, if you'd let go of my hand?"
No mercy for the wicked. Goddammit. Erza released Jellal and changed her wish. Instead of clothes, she'd accept a nice big hole to fall into. "Sorry."
"Even though it's a simple stress test, lots of people do experience nerves doing this." Jellal kept his professionalism, trying to put his patient at ease. "Once we get you on the treadmill and running, the hard part is over."
"Okay." Erza gulped. Would Dr. Sexy watch her run? Thank heavens for small mercies - today's undergarment was a serviceable sports bra. No horrible wobbling breasts. But then again, ugh, boring black elastic. If only she'd known the doctor on duty for this was so delectable. Cool hands pressed the patches onto her skin, quickly under her gown and gone in an instant.
"Step this way." Dr. Fernandez gestured to the waiting treadmill. "I read your chart, I'm sure this isn't anything you can't handle."
"Okay." Really? What's with the vocabulary of a four-year-old? Ugh! Stepping onto the exercise equipment, Erza vowed to herself - no more stupid actions! This was just like going for a jog - or chasing a criminal. Run and keep running. But no criminal had ever looked so good in a long, white lab coat. It had to be some kind of sin to be that attractive.
Doing her best to focus, Erza lowered her head and watched her feet as she ran. One minute, two - but insatiable curiosity had her staring at Dr. Jellal. He was checking off squares on his papers - and lost his grip on his pen. It arced, he almost caught it - but it spun off his fingers and tumbled to the floor. Into the corner, it rolled and he turned to pick it up.
Whoa! The doctor didn't sit on that ass all day. Ooh! Taut and nicely rounded.
The sudden beeping alarms startled both Erza and Jellal - who dropped his paperwork and pen onto the desk to monitor the treadmill. "An anomaly - these things happen."
Not so much reassured as embarrassed, Erza nodded. She was breathing a little heavy, but not dangerously out-of-breath. Maybe later she could say something more stimulating than 'okay.' As long as she didn't grunt - that would be something she couldn't come back from, for sure!
Giving up on being subtle, Erza watched the doctor as he tidied his desk, shuffled papers and picked up his pen. It looked like an expensive gift, she couldn't read the engraving of course but had script on the barrel. Let it be from a parent. Would he stick the pen in his mouth as he thought? Ooh. Thinking of that led Erza's imagination to a bluer neck of the woods.
Was it getting hot in here? Normally ten minutes of running was a warm-up. Gah! Dr. Sexy was going to stick the pen in his mouth! No, almost, but no. Jellal held it pressed to his chin and then moved to slide it into his top pocket. Well, he tried - and failed. His fingers caught on his shirt, ripping off the button and sending it pinging to the floor.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Dr. Fernandez ignored his gaping shirt to check on the alarming machine - read and analyzed the data on the screen and chuckled. "Unexpected, but if it alarms for no good reason once, it can do it a second time."
Face red from more than the running, Erza gave her blue-haired Adonis a shaky smile. "F-f-fine!"
"No need to waste breath on speaking, you're doing great." Jellal smiled, adjusting a few dials. "It shouldn't go off again like that."
Dr. Sexy had a wonderful smile. Oh, he's gonna go sit at his desk again. Mmm, what I wouldn't give to have him close to me in better circumstances. What if I caught him speeding and pulled him over? My deluded and delirious brain forgot I'd left traffic violation duties a long time ago. Right now, all I could do was fantasize about exactly how I'd let him beg his way out of a ticket…
Erza's eyes glazed a bit and she ran harder, feet pounding along on the treadmill, reaching speeds only the most aggressive athletes could attain.
"Not much longer, it's amazing how hard you're going at it!" Honest appreciation coloured Jellal's words. "Keep it up!"
Yes. Oh baby, once I get my hands on you, you'll be keeping it up. As long as I didn't blurt out my dark desires I could enjoy all my saucy thoughts without fear.
Jellal was fumbling with his gaping shirt, paying no attention to the skillful way I was mentally undressing him, nossir. His long, elegant fingers pulled on his shirt, but to no avail - nothing but another button would fix his problem. So why was he unbuttoning more? Yowza - he had a fine set of pectorals to go with that tight ass. He shrugged his shoulders and closed his shirt by purposefully making it crooked.
Dr. Jellal ruffled his hair, massaging his neck - and that's when Erza's doom was sealed. He had the smallest and most possibly, cutest tattoo. Unable to keep balance and ogle with her mind taken with new sordid images, Erza tripped.
Beep! Thud! Beep! Beep!
On her back; arms and legs akimbo, Erza was silent.
Jellal killed the treadmill and ran to Erza's side. Cautious hands checked for broken bones and strains. Ascertaining relative health, Jellal listened to Erza's heart. Strong and rapid beats - well within the normal range for her previous exertions. She moaned and began to stir.
Erza moaned and began to stir. She opened her eyes to see Dr. Fernandez inches from her face. "Am I dead?"
"No, you're going to be fine."
"Y'sure?" Erza blinked and tilted her head, hissing as the motion hurt. "But I must be dead, there's no angels on earth."
"You're alive but you're right about angels, they don't come down to earth." Jellal shook his head. "I'm no angel and once we get you sorted out, I'll have to take you on a date and show you my devil's tail."
Erza giggled. "I've seen it." She reached out and patted the side of his neck. "It's almost as cute as you."
"Ah, you saw that tattoo?" He winked and squeezed Erza's hands that he still held. "That's not my only one."