the way home
.
.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
It snows beautifully in Magnolia, a pure white draping over the whole town so it complements the streets that are bare of most of its loiterers. No one likes playing in the cold and everyone sleeps earlier so by dusk, the only sounds are of a town winding down.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Parents hurried home, arms bearing bags upon bags of presents from a whole day of last minute gift-buying. Commuters ambled home from a busy work day. Shop owners locked up and rang in their sales. All of them passed Erza by, not minding how slow she moved out of the town's residential area while they scrambled into it. She preferred it that way.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
The lights are beautiful this time of year. She thinks 'beautiful' because the lights are pretty but they are always a good kind of nostalgic. Erza doesn't think anyone can be sad during Christmastime, but that might be ignorant of her to say out loud. She keeps it to herself like she does most things; a little extra warmth for the cold season.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Her home sits just outside the busy town proper, sturdy in brick and clay, tiny in structure but huge in efficiency. Out here, she is alone but the smile in her eyes says she doesn't mind it at all, not even a bit.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Or maybe, she's not really alone. There is a pair of worn out travelling boots on the welcome mat in front of her door. Erza smiles as she slips her ready house key back into her jacket pocket. She turns the unlocked knob and enters.
"I'm home," the words that she can never so casually form her lips around without a giddy smile because it's nice to have someone to return to.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Jellal's head peeks out of the small kitchen, the face of home as he returns the silly grin on her face. Home is not a sentiment he takes for granted, too. "Welcome back. Are you hungry?"
She drifts to him so easily, right into his open arms. She feels his lips press against her temple and feels herself melt. "Yes. Do I have you for a while?"
"Everyone wanted to split up until after the holidays." Like a small animal, he nestled into her hair. "It didn't take much to convince me, honestly."
"If that's the case, I'll reserve the hurried sex for a more unforgiving time frame. Let's eat what you're cooking."
Jellal took a second to process what she was saying before he burst out laughing. "Okay. I'm pretty sure my baked salmon is good enough to live up to hurried sex."
Either salmon or sex, as long as she had him here with her, even for just a while, she would be happy with whatever came first.