Pulse
Keep your finger on the pulse.
The sun is bright and the contrast between black and white is sharper, more defined. Shadows stick out more prominently, wavering under the intense light and Jellal peers through his mirrored sunglasses.
The city is bustling with energy as well dressed men in suits hurried about, coffee in hands, eyes on watches. Women in dresses sauntered about elegantly, clearly in no rush to arrive at their destination. He's standing amidst the chaos, surrounded by buildings made up of reflective glass and metal with the odd stone building wedged in between, horns blaring, tires screeching as traffic lets up for a second before stalling once more. The sudden glare from the sun catches him and Jellal shifts to his left with a wince. He leans back against his motorcycle, arms folded across his chest as he nods absently at his partner's rant, the thumping footsteps and the murmur of voices fading into the background. The buzz of the radio draws his attention momentarily but it's nothing, just a report about a stolen car seen in the vicinity.
"Hey Jellal, you listening?"
He blinks and turns towards Laxus. "Yeah, of course."
The blond rolls his eyes. "Sure you were."
Jellal grins and pushes himself off the vehicle. "Whatever, it's my lunch break now. See you in a bit."
Laxus waves lazily at Jellal's retreating back. The blue haired man wanders off towards a hotdog stand, pulling out some loose change from his pocket. He brushes his hair from his eyes and starts counting. He likes his early lunch break. It's earlier than the standard lunch hours and so there's no long line waiting for him.
There's a sudden commotion to his right and he can hear shouting and jeering. He looks around but the roar of a passing truck covers the noise of the ruckus and he can't pinpoint anything specific. He pauses, then he continues counting but the disturbance returns. Hazel eyes slide shut and he stills, ears cocked. There it is again, lots of yelling behind him.
Jellal sighs and pockets the money, stepping around the person behind him as he leaves the line and stalks off in that direction, annoyance written all over his features. A man coming towards him shifts to his right and his eyes catches a glimpse of a blurred face. And the world suddenly explodes with colour.
Vibrant colours rush into his vision like some sort of multi-colour sandstorm and he just stands and gapes at the world, watching as the treetops turn from a dreary gray to a smatter of red, orange and green. Swirls of azure and blue creep across the sky between the clouds and splashes of brown and cream are drawn up and down buildings as if an invisible paintbrush was being dragged across this canvas that was his world.
He whips around, eyes searching through the crowds frantically. He can't see her but he knows she's there and he breaks into a run, weaving in and out between faceless people. He turns the corner quickly, nearly losing his balance in the process, and pushes past two teenagers, their protests at his rough treatment falling upon deaf ears. His footsteps slow and he stops.
There are two men standing there with their backs to him, too busy leering at a smaller female to notice his presence.
It's her. It has to be.
"Come on babe, let me show you a good time."
"Hey."
The two thugs turn around and Jellal moves forward, a hand moving to rest at the gun on his waist casually. He looks calm but he's exuding a dangerous aura, one that is clearly palpable.
"Is there a problem?" Jellal asks lowly.
The man with a scar across his eye shakes his head. "Nah, just talking, officer."
Peering over the man's shoulder, Jellal sees a red haired female and a sudden pang hits him in the heart like a hammer – he gasps audibly at the feeling – and he knows she's the one he's been searching for all this time.
Swallowing, he composes himself. "Are they bothering you, Miss?"
She nods and he jerks his head to the side. "Beat it, you two."
The two men shrug and wander off, muttering under their breaths. Jellal glares after them before he turns back towards the female.
"You ok, Miss?"
Her eyes are wide, full of curiosity and wonder, and he can tell that she's going through the same thing as he is. They stand there unmoving, both too overwhelmed by their current situation to make the first move. After what seems like an eternity, he steps forwards, hand outstretched.
"I'm Jellal. It's nice to meet you…?"
"Erza," she replies shyly. "Erza Scarlet."
Jellal smiles. He had a feeling red was going to be his favourite colour.
3 years later…
"What? No! I'm not sleeping with her! She's just a co-worker!"
He's walking the beat once again but with Laxus out sick, he's alone today. Eyebrows furrowed in frustration and worry, and he pulls out his phone. Her number stares back at him from his contacts list and his thumb hovers over the dial button.
"You're lying! I saw you with her!"
He selects her number and the connecting tone sings in his ears almost mockingly.
He knows she isn't going to pick up.
"No! It's not what you think!"
Erza looks at her phone even though she knows who's calling; she recognises his ringtone. Her heart is heavy, mind filled with doubt, and she debates whether to answer or not.
She's so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn't look up before she steps out into the road; she doesn't see the car speeding towards her.
"How could you, Jellal? I'm…I'm pregnant."
Screams and shouts fill the air, blood slowly creeping across the road and pooling around her phone. But it continues vibrating on the ground, screen lighting up merrily as the small device dances along to the ringtone blaring from its speakers.
After a few more moments, it falls silent.
And sirens pierce the air.
"You're…pregnant…?"
He shoulders past the doors to a convenience store. His patrol had taken him downtown and this particular store is the only place selling any food. Jellal wanders to the back of the store and he takes his time browsing the selection of sandwiches.
The doorbell tinkles cheerily and he can hear a man speaking to the shopkeeper. Jellal glances up and sees the gun the man is holding and he slowly reaches for his own. The man has his back to him and Jellal can take him out easily. He releases the safety on his pistol and starts moving forward silently, never taking his eyes off the robber. The other man is too distracted by the wads of cash being thrown onto the counter to notice the policeman and Jellal raises his gun.
But then he lets out a muffled cry, a hand fisting in his uniform as something he can only describe as a stabbing feeling shoots through his heart. At first he thinks he's suffering a heart attack but then the gutting feeling hits him right in the chest once more. He's winded but he remembers the feeling well; it's the same as the time he first saw Erza. Fear settles in and his heart plummets to the depths of his stomach – he knows what this means.
Time stops. His heart stops. The world stops. And he's left rooted to the spot, numb with pure terror at the realisation of what was happening right now.
Then he sees it happen.
The colours drain from his world, slowly but surely; it's like watching her life drain away in front of his eyes. He gasps, tears streaming down his face but he doesn't feel it. His hands are cold, shaking and he whirls around, watches the world spin into a colourless one. He doesn't know what to do. He's helpless.
The process speeds up and the black and white seeps into his vision like flames burning across the canvas that was his world. His breathing is laboured, haphazard, and he's shaking so much, he can't feel his legs. He falls to his knees, a roaring in his ears and a crushing, suffocating feeling in his chest. A hand claws at his chest and eyes squeeze shut tightly. He can't feel much – he's overwhelmed – but at the same time, he can feel everything; the hurt, the pain, the loss.
Another wave hits him hard and he inhales at the stinging sensation. His head is spinning and he sees stars as bursts of colour explode in flashes before fading back to gray.
Gloved hands rip open her blouse and remove her bra carelessly before placing electrodes on her chest.
"Charge to 200," the doctor barks out. "Clear!"
Her body jolts with the impact but her heart remains flat-lined.
Colour explodes in front of him once more and he drops his gun.
"Charge to 200 once more! Clear!"
The unwavering line on the heart monitor stares back at the medical staff, the prolonged piercing sound lingering in the air.
Another burst, another flash and he's on all fours now, the clattering of his gun drawing the attention of the other two people in the store.
"Time of death – 11:32pm."
"No, no, no, no. Please Erza, no. Please."
Jellal stumbles to his feet, tears blurring his vision. He doesn't feel any pain anymore. He doesn't feel anything because she's gone. He knows because his world is black and white once again.
Something slams into his chest and he pitches backwards, body slamming against the floor. The blood slowly fills his mouth and he chokes on it as his throat constricts. Coughing, the crimson liquid dribbles down his face, his neck. He can't breathe and he tries to speak but all that comes out are gurgled noises.
The man towers over him, gun pointed at his head.
And Jellal smiles.
He'll see Erza very soon.
Author's note:
Well this was a lot more angsty when I was planning this, guess it didn't turn out as sad as I had hoped. I blame my writing woops. Anyway, saw this prompt on tumblr where it was something like people see the world in black and white but once they see their soulmate, colour will fill their world. And if their soulmate dies, then it's black and white again. So there we go.
And for readers who don't know me (Mystwalker fans should know me very very well by now hahaha), I'm Wolfy, I write angst (hardly ever fluff) and I'm a total troll when it comes to angst and plot twists.