A/N: Thought I'd take a break from NaLu and try for GerZa! Don't you think they're so cute? I was re-watching Fairy Tail with my brother and my god, the Oracion Seis arc with all the Gerza. (IT's okay if you know what's gonna happen when you re-watch Fairy Tail. You'll squeal about the pairings as you take note of everything they do anyway. lol.) Also, this fic's word count is 5,300+ without this A/N. And it's the longest I've ever written for a one-shot! (Wait, I only write one-shots.) I dedicate this to Erza for her awesomeness in the last manga chapter! Heee~ Lol. Enough of this.
Enjoy~
POPSICLE
Just one of those stories involving one of her childhood summers, the memories of a red bicycle, a birthday party, a blue-haired boy and a frozen treat.
Ten-year old Erza Scarlet was standing on the street in front of her house in a small village in a town known as Shirotsume. Her shoulder length red hair swayed left and right behind her as the winds blew, her light blue dress following it's movements as well. And she stared intensely at the 'thing' that was presented in front of her, eyes filled to the brim with curiosity. After all, she had never known much about the world outside the orphanage she was raised in. The auburn-eyed beauty never really had much knowledge about family, since she never knew her parents. Well, not that she didn't consider her friends at the orphanage as "family." She met a few good people there, though most of the time she had was spent in solitude. Grandpa Rob—she would be eternally grateful for him for adopting her—was about the closest "family" she had. She didn't have many friends, since she was homeschooled. (Rob wanted to send her to a real school. She said she was afraid but promised she would attend to that when she got to high school.) But Erza couldn't help but think about what happened to her real family, her blood relatives. Did they pass away, or did they leave her at that orphanage because of some important reason? What would it have been like if she was with them, present day?
She was called back to Earthland by a voice she'd come to love over the course of six months.
"Erza-chan?" Grandpa Rob called her attention. She looked at him, startled for she was deep in thought, and smiled.
"Y- Yes, Rob Jii-chan?" She asked shyly, looking down and twisting her fingers behind her back. The old man chuckles at the gesture.
"Were you listening when I was telling you how to ride a bicycle?" He asked gently, though he knew she probably wasn't paying attention. Erza was a bright girl who wasn't exactly used to a world outside the gates of the orphanage she grew up in. And he knew she was strong yet fragile. More than anyone else, he wanted to protect her. But he didn't want to keep her in like a caged bird, he wanted her to learn about the world about magic and the beauty of friendship. He wanted her to meet people other than him that she could go home to, and he knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that she was going to turn out to be a fine woman.
Erza's eyes widened and she tried to look elsewhere, still playing with her fingers behind her back. She bit her lip and opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. She couldn't tell him she didn't hear a thing he said.
"It's okay, Erza-chan," he says, his voice warm and reassuring. The redhead looks up at him with an open mouth and eyes filled with the desire to learn. Rob's expression softened as he talked to her. "I'll say it again, but make sure to listen this time," he smiles, "Okay?"
And the child nods.
So Grandpa Rob explains to her once again how to maneuver the two-wheeled vehicle known as the bicycle. It seemed easy enough to her, since all she had to do was sit on it and push the pedals with her small legs. Erza was a fast learner, anyway. She'd get this down in no time. And so she tried to focus as she recalled everything Rob-jiichan told her a few minutes ago. 'Remember to hold on to these tightly,' he said as he pointed to the rubber handles at the side and showed her that her grip should be firm. Erza was also told to keep a helmet on and knee and elbow pads since she was just starting. It would be quite troublesome if she were to get injured. And there were the brakes that she could use to stop the bike. The old man explained that most children forget they actually exist, and let their slippers collide with the ground when they wanted to slow down. They were there for a reason.
And so, in a matter of minutes, the ten-year girl old was already riding her new bicycle. The bright red it was painted in was almost the same color as her scarlet locks was shining under the afternoon sun. The ring of the bell at the side of the handles could be heard. It was a bit big for her but once she had been lifted her onto the seat, it shrunk to her size. It was a magic bicycle that would grow as she did— though that was the only kind of magic it possessed. It was something that would last her forever if she took care of it. The little girl pedaled it around in front of the house where she currently lived with her adoptive grandfather Rob who watched over her as she tried to get used to the mode of transportation. It was very different from the magic four-wheeler they used to get home and wherever. Erza laughed. She was having so much fun at the time. She never would've experienced this kind of thing if it weren't for Grandpa Rob.
And she was thankful.
And so a month after she got her new bicycle, she had already gotten used to riding it around her village or her street. She would ride it every afternoon since the time Grandpa Rob bought it for her. And today she did the same.
Erza wheeled the bike out from the backyard, through the garage, and onto the front of the house. She had her hands on her hips as she took a moment to examine it. It was still in good shape, the bright red paint it came in was still vivid and she cleaned it every day to make it look shiny and new. The bell at the side was polished to the point that she could use it as a mirror. The chains were well-oiled but the wheels were dusty, though it was inevitable since she rode it everywhere. The responsible little girl stood smugly as she admired her work of art. She began to mount it a few seconds later.
The redhead kicked her feet of the ground and began to pedal the ground. She thought she'd go a bit farther into the village to explore today since she only used one route most of the time. And so she headed right the intersection where she headed left to take a peek at what was there. Erza found a little girl about two years younger than her playing in the front yard of the biggest house in the village. She wondered if the girl was new in the neighborhood. Erza had never seen her before. The ten-year old looked at the eight-year old who had blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a pretty pink tutu dress and was laughing with another lady that looked like an older version of her. The ten-year old figured that she was the girl's mother. Erza Scarlet smiled at the sight of them—she was happy that the girl had her mother with her, for some reason— and continued down her path.
She proceeded down the unfamiliar road, sliding down slopes and using all her strength to try and get back up to the top only to find herself dragging the bike upwards as she walked instead. She explored different places and took notice of the different colors the roofs were. She enjoyed basking in the afternoon sun as her short red hair danced with the wind, and a light shone in her auburn eyes. She would run over the fallen dried leaves on the ground, enjoying the crunching sounds they made under the wheels of her bicycle. And she caught sight of different people. Some were friendly enough to send a smile her way like a little blue-haired girl with a yellow headband. Some just stared. Some sent her glares like the girl with long, white hair, tied with a purple ribbon and blue eyes. She explored the village, and saw part of the world like Rob-jiichan wanted her to. But she would have to go back home soon.
The sky was turning scarlet, like her hair, when she found a small playground at some place in the village. It looked like so much fun to be able to play there right now. She always wanted to try the swings. And there were three slides of different colors too. Plus the ground it stood on was white— albeit artificial— sand. And she loved the feeling of sand on her toes. There were monkey bars too, and could leave her bike by the bench on the patch of grass near the playground.
She looked to the horizon and frowned. Being the good girl she was, she would normally get back home on time, but this time she was tempted to ride the swing and use the slide.
She sighed.
She would get do that tomorrow.
And she pedaled away.
Erza had marked the location of the playground and it was the first place she went to that afternoon. She pedaled faster than before, not minding that her hair was getting tangled in the breeze, not minding how hot it made her body and how much sweat dripped down her forehead. The things and the people she passed came through as a blur of rainbow colors, and she could only shout "Hello" back abruptly to those who greeted her. She didn't even bother to crush the dried leaves under her bicycle. It wasn't really that far away, but getting there seemed like eternity. All Erza knew was that she wanted to get to that playground as fast as possible. And that she would do.
And when she finally got there, she leaned her bike at the back of a bench and ran to the swing enthusiastically.
She stopped in the middle.
It was then that she saw a boy who was probably the same age as her, sitting alone on the swing as he stared at the artificial white sand below him. The sun shone on his head of blue hair, and he had a weird red tattoo on the right side of his face. He wore black shorts with leather slippers and a yellow round neck t-shirt with some superhero on the front. His features didn't carry any particular sadness or anger, it seemed neutral and he looked like he was thinking. Erza was contemplating on whether or not to approach the lonely blue-haired boy, when suddenly he tore his gaze of from the ground and looked up to meet her auburn orbs. Erza immediately averted her gaze and walked towards the slides instead. She climbed up the metal ladder and once she got to the top, slid down towards the ground, her feet landing on the sandy surface. She sat there for a moment, not really being able to have any real fun, feeling that the boy with the tattoo was staring at her. It made her uncomfortable.
When she decided to look in his direction, she found that that was what he was doing indeed.
It made her feel weird and made her somewhat irritated. So the scarlet-haired beauty sent a glare his way.
And still he continued to look at her curiously.
Her eyes widened and her eyes met his. She felt like she knew this boy, and maybe he felt like he knew her as well. After all, he was staring at her with such intensity that Erza thought she might melt into a pool of liquid in a matter of seconds.
Erza averted her gaze from the blue-haired boy and turned towards the bench where she left her bicycle.
'What a weirdo,' she thought as she walked away from him, deciding that she would just come back earlier tomorrow and pray that he wouldn't be sitting on the swing. Erza was never good at making friends, or interacting with other people other than Rob-jiichan. It was hard for her to trust them, and this blue-haired kid was no different.
But as she was about to grab the handle of her bike and mount it, she heard somebody speak.
"Please wait!" said the voice of a little boy, and the redhead turned around to see the blue-haired kid with the red tattoo standing only a few feet across from her.
"W- what is it?" she said, trying not to meet his eyes. He ran towards her and stumbled forward, regaining his balance just in time to prevent him from crashing into the pavement separating the grass and the sand. Erza was reluctant to speak to him, and he seemed like he was hesitating to start a conversation as well.
"I-if you've got nothing to say," her grip on the rubber handles tightened. "T-then, I'll be on my-"
"M- my name is J- J," He stuttered as he approached her slowly, and she couldn't back away for she was frozen in place.
He looked her in the eye.
"My n-name is Jellal Will you be my f- friend?" He said with all the courage he could muster and he held out his hand in front of her. His eyes squeezed shut and his head turned down. Erza was puzzled. Her pair of auburn orbs traveled to the little chubby hand that was stuck out in front of her.
He wants to be my...friend?
The ten-year old girl was thoroughly surprised, and her eyes grew even wider if that was even possible. Her mouth was agape and silence hung in the air. Locks of red and blue were highlighted by the summer sun. A boy and a girl stood together, trying to find out just how the world worked. She looked at him with curiosity and a bit of shock, the same way he looked at her minutes before. She had her eyes on his short blue hair and the tattoo on his face, thinking maybe he wasn't all that bad. And still she didn't know how to feel. Erza never thought that anyone would willingly approach her and ask to be her friend.
A small smile formed on her lips, and he took his hand gently.
His eyes opened abruptly as he lifted his head to meet hers.
"I'm Erza. Nice to meet you," she said.
They played on the slide and took turns pushing each other on the swings.
It was the day she sat on that swing at the playground, finally spreading her wings and feeling like she was flying.
He was the one who sent her up into the air.
"Race you to the playground!"
The crimson-haired beauty called to her blue-haired companion as he passed the house he was staying at on her red bicycle. She stuck her tongue out on him and rode off down the highest slope in the village, following with a bout of laughter. Jellal called after her with a loud voice and pouted, saying something about her being unfair before hurrying to mount own his own black bike to chase after his best friend.
It's been six months since that day she saw him at the swing.
And in those six months, they learned quite a lot about each other.
Erza would tell Jellal about her being adopted by Grandpa Rob. He in turn, told her he was staying with his cousins Sho, Wally, Milliana and Simon. She told her about being home schooled. He said she should go to real school like him. They knew each other's favourite colors and foods, and the games they liked to play. Erza's being strawberry cake and for some reason, blue. Jellal's was anything edible and for some reason, red. They both liked playing anything as long as it was fun —and really, what games aren't fun?— and as long as they could play it together.
The often teased each other about their hair color, with one asking the other if they dyed it that certain color. Of course both of them would say they didn't. And when Jellal would say that he most definitely hasn't seen anybody with red hair like hers, she would say she'd never seen anybody with a weird tattoo on his face. They would both laugh.
"Hey, hey," she said as both of them drew pictures in the sand that day. "What's your real name?"
The question made him look at her weirdly. "Jellal," he said, looking at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world and it was. Then he remembered he never told her what his last name was.
"Jellal Fernandes."
It was like meeting each other for the first time all over again.
"What's yours?" He asked, in turn and looked at her expectantly.
"Erza..." she drew a heart in the sand with a stick. "Erza Scarlet."
And Jellal smiled as he went back to drawing his face in the sand.
"Your name is pretty." He tried to look busy by adding random lines to the drawing, although he knew that he had just finished the picture. Her head snapped to her right where he was crouched down next to her. She was surprised.
"Just like your hair," he looked at her with a grin that reached his ears.
She laughed at him to change the subject.
"What if your name was Jellal Blue?" She giggled and then ran away towards where they left their bicycles.
He ran after her laughing and swore he'd get revenge.
It's been about two years since that day, and today was the day of Erza's twelfth birthday.
She never knew her real birthday, so they celebrated it on the day that Granpda Rob took her in as his granddaughter.
It wasn't much and Erza didn't mind at all. She was never really the type for fancy get-togethers and social events. But on that day, Jellal and his cousins came to her house and they ate lunch together with Grandpa Rob, like last year. Erza blew out the twelve tiny candles stuck on the strawberry cake she loved so much. All kinds of food was served the eighty-year old man definitely knew how to cook. Everyone enjoyed themselves and they all played games together. Smiles were shared, laughter was inevitable. Erza got presents from each of her friends and from Grandpa Rob. From her adoptive grandfather were a pair of diamond-shaped dangling earrings; From Milliana was a small white kitty stuffed toy; From Sho was a pink diary; From Simon, a pair of bunny slippers; From Wally was a plain black headband; And from Jellal well, he hasn't given her his gift yet.
There may not have been many people, but Erza told herself it was one of the best birthdays ever.
That day, Jellal went to the playground with her in the afternoon just like they always did.
They sat down on the bench together, and he gave her his gift for her a silver necklace with heart as a pendant. Erza was in shock, and she couldn't accept it, but not because the design he got was pretty clich . A memory resurfaced in her head about Millia telling her Jellal never ate much in school. Though the cat-loving girl told her he was saving up for a magic four wheeler for when he was older. It was a lie. Now she knew the real reason why.
Nevertheless, the scarlet-haired girl could never say "no," to the blue-haired boy, and she allowed him to put the chain over her neck.
She never took it off ever since.
And on that very same day, they played to their hearts content going on the slide tons of times, taking turns pushing each other on the swings and climbing the monkey bars. They ran around trying to catch each other and rode each other's bikes around the village. They raced each other down the slope and back up again. Erza stopped in the middle of the uphill slope and threw in the towel, dragging her bike up as she watched Jellal ride it upward. He smiled and left his bicycle at the top and ran to help her.
And they sat at the roadside at the end of the day, when the sky became a mix of orange, yellow and pink.
He stood up from the bench and asked her to wait, leaving her to her musings and inner thoughts about everything that had happened that day.
He came back with a twin Popsicle and handed it to her.
"Happy Birthday," he smiled. She took it gratefully and held it in her hands, staring at the cold treat.
"Don't you want any?" she asked. He shook his head.
But in truth he did. It's just he really didn't have any money to buy two of those after buying that necklace for her.
Erza snickered she knew him well enough to know when he was lying and snapped the Popsicle in two, handing him the other half. She licked her half happily and carried on as if nothing happened, he stared at her wide-eyed.
"I- I can't take this!" He cried. And for the first time in two years, he stuttered in a conversation with her.
"Nuh-uh." She giggled. "Eat it The scarlet-haired girl giggled as she sank her teeth into the top. "For me."
And because of her cute pout he had no choice but to do so.
They rode their bicycles back to Erza's house and she watched as he dragged his bike in a different direction, into the sunset towards his home. She stared after him, and later found herself calling his six-letter name. She ran to where he was before he had the chance to go even farther. His head snapped in her direction and he was so shocked that he almost fell of the two-wheeler trying to mount it. She trapped him in a hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you," she said, "for making my birthday special."
He stared at her wide-eyed and hugged her back.
"You're welcome Erza."
And he whispered in her ear, "I'll head home now," smiling at her with a somewhat sad smile. But she never noticed.
"Goodbye."
The following day she cried like there was no tomorrow as she sat alone at the swing.
After the day of her twelfth birthday, she had never seen him again.
It had been seven long years since the day that he left her without a word of warning. Grandpa Rob had long since been gone as well, but she survived with the help of all the jewels he left her and her hard work. She moved to Magnolia and was attending a college named Fairy Academy and she stayed at the dorms with her girl friends. And It's been three years since she rode the bright red bicycle and sat on the swing— the last time she rode it was when she was sixteen. She was nineteen years old now, and a lot had changed about her. For starters, her chest was bigger and she of course gotten taller. Her way of thinking had matured. But her scarlet hair, although much much longer than it had been seven years ago, was still the same. It flowed down her back and stopped a a few inches below it She took care of those crimson locks, and never cut it because of Jellal, because he said it was pretty.
But she still hasn't met him again.
And today she stood at the doorstep of her old house in her old village, breathing in the air that she was so familiar with. Her hands wandered around in her pockets to find the key, a bag with a small amount of her belongings and groceries slung over her right shoulder. She would come here every day on the anniversary of Grandpa Rob's passing away, and sometimes stay for a while in the summer when she wasn't all that busy.
She quickly requipped into cycling shorts, a plain white tank top, and running shoes after setting all her things down on the familiar oak dining table. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail and she headed to the backyard. She laughed at the nostalgia of it all to herself as she dragged the bike out to the street. It wasn't hard for her to do so, since it was really small and the last time she rode it was three years ago. She looked at it for a while and smiled. And sure enough when she sat on the leather seat, it grew to her size.
'So the magic still works,' she thought as she gripped the rubber handles. The chains were rusty so she had to get off and oil them again, same with the tires that needed a bit of air inside them. The bell was still next to the handles, although it no longer sounded. The bright red paint was fading and chipping away, revealing the rusted metal under it.
Under all of that, though, it was still the same bright red bike that Grandpa had given her on that day nine years ago. And sure enough, after she worked on it a little oiling the rusted chains, and pumping air into the flattened tires she mounted the bike and began to ride it down the road.
Everything was so nostalgic, though most things have changed in the neighborhood. The little blonde girl and her mother no longer went to their vacation house. (She later found out that her name was Lucy Heartfilia, a former rich heiress. Currently, they were dorm mates.) The slope was still there, and the sound of the crunching leaves was like music to her ears. Many people had moved out already though they probably went to Magnolia already. She never knew what happened to Sho, Millia, Wally and Simon after they graduated high school. Maybe they were with him? And then she remembered something and the nineteen year old rode to the playground.
She found that it was indeed, still standing and well-taken care of. There she sat on the swing, thinking that she looked pretty stupid since the seat looked too small for her and the chains holding it to the metal base might snap under her weight. She stared at the slide and the monkey bars and smirked at herself. An adult like her was in a playground, what a laugh. But still she gave it a go and kicked her feet of the ground. She was taller now, so she could go higher now that her legs were longer.
Still, she could've flown to the sky if he were there to give her a boost.
Her heart clenched uncomfortably and the swing came to a stop. And suddenly she had the same thoughts about him as she had with her biological family, and the same thoughts she had after Rob had passed away.
Maybe it would've been different if he didn't choose to leave her behind.
She sighed and rode home on her bright red bicycle.
Erza Scarlet was laughing with her friends on the way home from a bar, her arm slung over a raven-haired boy's shoulder. They had a party to commemorate the end of "hell week," and they had a go at it until they couldn't drink anymore. The redhead's blonde bestie Lucy was carrying her drunk boyfriend Natsu on her shoulders, and his half-drunk rival Gray laughed as he helped the golden-haired girl carry the stubborn pink-haired boy. A blue-haired girl named Levy was secretly holding hands with a guy named Gajeel at the back. A long-haired brunette named Cana was still downing a bottle of alcohol whilst talking with Juvia at her side. Mirajane, the girl who she thought resembled someone she knew from when she was ten, was laughing along with her green-haired sweetheart Fried. A green-haired lady named Bisca was with her boyfriend Alzack at the side. Many others she knew followed them from behind.
They walked back to the dormitories together, with the girls dropping off the boys first this time since half of them could barely walk and were on the verge of passing out. Lucy and Erza had a chat as they walked back to the female dorms of Fairy Academy.
"And really, he knew he had low alcohol tolerance, but he still insisted!" Lucy exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air. Erza laughed at the gesture. Lucy was talking about her boyfriend, Natsu.
"By the way, Erza, don't you have someone you're seeing?" The blonde teased as she winked at the lady beside her. The woman in question shook her head.
"Eh? Why not?" Lucy chirped.
"I have no time for such things," was all the crimson-haired lady could say. So she really couldn't say it, huh? She couldn't admit that she was still hoping to see someone who might not even be alive today. She couldn't tell even Lucy that she was still hoping for him, for Jellal.
"Really, Erza?" She giggles. "What about that blue-haired boy with the tattoo from back at Shirotsume? The one with the popsicle and the bicycle...Hey that rhymes!"
So she knows.
"I don't know where he is anymore," Erza looks down. Lucy, for some reason, has a huge grin on her face.
"Hey, we're at the convenience store! I- uh, remembered, I gotta go get something!" The brown-eyed girl says and runs in, leaving the scarlet-haired girl to sigh and follow after.
Erza could see the inside from the glass. She could make out Lucy looking for something, along with other unfamiliar people. She stands there and wonders just how there are so many people in there when it's she checks her watch an hour past midnight. She doesn't really need anything from in there, and Lucy looks like she's going to take a while, so she sits down on a bench near the store. Her eyes become transfixed on sky and she admired the silent night that was illuminated by nothing but the moon, the stars, and the streetlight above her.
She feels someone sit beside her, but ignores it and continues to look at the sky.
And suddenly she finds herself looking at half of a twin popsicle, still contained in the torn remains of it's wrapper, that presented in front of her.
"Lucy, I she says, but then realizes something and she he looks at the frozen treat wide-eyed.
More specifically, she was looking at the hand of the man who held it.
This wasn't her friend, Lucy.
She turns her head to her side slowly and then her jaw drops. She blinks her auburn orbs that reflected the light of the moon to make sure she wasn't dreaming. And her lips quiver, her mouth agape looking as though she was about to say something she was at a loss for words. Then her beautiful brown eyes start to fill up with salty tears, and she wraps her arms around the man that was next to her.
Half the popsicle he was holding almost fell to the ground when she hugged him.
He still had the same blue hair.
He still had the same tattoo in the same place.
His eyes still held the same warmth they had seven years ago.
He lays the popsicle on the bench next to him and hugs her back.
"Jellal?" she asks, allowing the river pooling in her eyes to fall in drops and streaks on her face. "I- is it really-"
"In the flesh," he replies in the voice, slightly different and deeper than the one she knew. But it was certainly the sound she's missed.
"I'm sorry, Erza," He looks down at the polished wood of the bench, still not releasing her from his embrace. "I had to leave. It was for my family and I couldn't tell-"
"Hush," she says as they release each other.
His eyes meet hers, and he lifts a hand and runs it through her silky scarlet hair. It was always her hair. It was his favourite thing about her. He smiles as he catches sight of Grandpa Rob's birthday gift, the earrings, and his own. It was the necklace he got her nine years ago.
Suddenly he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her full force towards him.
His lips tasted like half the twin popsicle he had given her on her on the day of her twelfth birthday.
Even better, if she'd say so herself.