Erza was angry. No, angry was an understatement. Erza was enraged. Someone had eaten her strawberry cake, and none of her friends would fess up.
Gray and Natsu had been fighting, her cake would've been destroyed, not eaten, so she decided that they weren't the culprits. Lucy and Wendy were away on a shopping spree, Carla joining them to keep Wendy safe. Happy had been spectating Natsu and Gray, and was far more interested in his fish than anything else at the moment.
Everyone else knew not to mess with Erza and her beloved cake. Mira had told her that they ran out of cake, so Erza had to go and buy it for herself. She sighed in annoyance.
All Erza had been doing was break up Natsu and Gray's fight, although they had continued immediately after recovering from their injuries, courtesy of the great Titania. Once she had gone back to her cake, she found only a squeaky clean plate, no trace of her cake which was there previously. Alright, perhaps nobody ate her cake, but they had taken it instead. Either way, the consequences of getting caught were equally punishing. So who had taken it?
As she angrily stomped towards the cake shop in the chilly night, she felt eyes watching her. She immediately stopped, completely alert and ready for an ambush. She looked around herself cautiously, but there was nobody out on the streets. This made it even more unsettling.
Crunch.
Erza's head snapped. She looked at a dark alley. She was certain the sound came from that direction. Erza slowly walked towards the alley. The cake could wake, safety came first after all.
Turned out, the alley actually had an end. At the dead end was a figure wearing a cloak that hid their face. Based on the build and clothing they wore, Erza could safely assume that the person was a male.
Right when she was about to question him, the man spoke. "Ah, so I was caught. As observant as ever," he continued after a pause, a smirk on his face, "Erza." Erza's eyes widened. The man lifted his hood, confirming her suspicions.
"Jellal." Her voice contained shock. On the outside, she had a poker face. However, in the inside, Erza felt happiness for seeing her friend. The happiness soon turned to concern. "Why are you here? Where are the others?" She asked, referring to the other members of Crime Sorcière.
"The others are on lookout. We're just here for a break." Jellal explained, hoping the answer might satisfy the scarlet haired mage.
"I see." Erza's guarded expression soon melted into a gentle smile. She sat down next to Jellal on some crates. "How are you?"
Ice broken, the childhood friends started chatting, catching up and listening to the other's crazy adventures. Jellal would chuckle every time Erza told him about Natsu and Gray's destructive nature, causing them to use their reward money on rebuilding the settlement. In that sense, she felt like Lucy.
"What are your next moves?" Erza asked, curious about Crime Sorcière's activity.
"Don't know. We haven't seen or heard of any suspicious activity, so we've been wandering the country, trying to find some news." Jellal turned to her. "What about you? Is your guild planning any events?"
"No, only the usual guild brawls." Erza sighed. " They're so boisterous, it gets annoying at times."
Jellal chuckled. "Isn't it fun though? It may be annoying at times, but don't you like it? I don't think you necessarily hate it."
A small smile graced Erza's lips. "True. In fact, I quite enjoy watching them. They just fight for ridiculous reasons."
"What do they fight about?"
"Nothing." Jellal almost fell off the crate in which he was seated. "Well, perhaps it makes them happy. An excuse to prove who's strongest."
"That. . . makes sense." Actually, it didn't, but Jellal could understand the proving who's strongest part.
"You don't get it, do you?" Erza cocked her head to the side, looking at him.
"I do," she stared hard at him, "somewhat."
"Well, seeing as how your guild consists of runaway criminals, you guys can't relax much, can you?" Jellal nodded. "Well, fighting makes my guildmates feel at home. It's just a part of Fairy Tail. If there are no brawls, it just doesn't feel like the Fairy Tail everyone knows." She turned away and gazed at the night sky. "Do you understand a bit better now?" Once again, Jellal nodded.
"That was pretty insightful," he noted.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, pretty insightful. It's like you know the soul of the guild."
"If you've stayed in the guild for long enough, you'd know the feeling."
A comfortable silence followed. Erza continued to look at the night sky. It had many starts off in the distance, shining brightly like tiny gemstones. Jellal followed her gaze. It was relaxing, to sit in a peaceful silence with no disturbances. Then, something hit him.
"Erza, where are your friends? Why are you alone?" Erza looked away from the waning moon, then stared at Jellal with a you just realized look. Jellal rolled his eyes and gave her a just answer me face as a response. She chuckled.
"Natus and Gray were at the guild brawling with Happy cheering them on, last time I checked. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla went on a shopping trip and should be back by now." She answered, then watched the entrance of the alley, as if contemplating something.
"Where were you going? This late at night, night I add."
"The cake shop. Mira said we ran out of cake." Her eyes had an angry glint.
"Why so angry? Your guild just ran out of cake." Jellal had the urge to bolt when she whipped her head towards him.
"It's not because it ran out at the guild. My last slice was stolen."
"I don't think you guildmates would be dumb enough to take it though," he pointed out.
"That's also adding to my irritation. I don't know who took it."
"Why do you like strawberry cakes so much? So much so that anyone who touches it is given divine punishment?" Jellal blurted the quesions without thinking.
"Divine punishment? I wouldn't say it's that bad. But why do you ask?"
That look is starting to freak me out.
"Just curious, you looked really mad when the strawberry shortcake was taken." Oops, goodbye life. Damn you, stupid mouth.
"I never did say it was a strawberry cake, did I? Care to explain?"
"Um, you just really like it?" Jellal started scooting away. However, Erza closed the distance by leaning in.
"Oh? How would you know I like it?" Her face was really close. "Would you like to face my divine punishment?"
I can't die like this. They'll laugh if they found out I died because of cake. "It's not very nice to corner your childhood friend."
"You didn't deny the fact that you took my cake." Jellal felt her hot breath on his neck. "Time to face your punishment. Consider it karma."
Jellal suddenly pushed Erza down onto the ground. Surprised, she didn't resist. "Then. . .so you'll forgive me. . ." He trailed off, and then he kissed her. A deep and passionate kiss.
Erza could taste her cake from his mouth. Yet, why was the kiss so loving? Soon, she started kissing back with the same amount of love and vigor. They shared a kiss, pouring all of their hidden feelings into it, hoping the other would understand. Twisting their tongues, fighting for dominance, Erza and Jellal broke away soon after, trying to catch their breaths.
Erza soon turned red. "U-um, t-that doesn't change the fact that you ate my cake."
Jellal smirked. I'll give you something better than that." He kissed her again. A quick kiss. "I'll give it to you however many times you want. Something sweeter, tastier, more satisfying than any cake." Seeing how red Erza became, he smiled. "So, forgive me?"