"Do you love me?" Ultear had asked him.
"You know I do," he'd replied.
And he did. He never suspected she didn't love him back, never expected her to betray him.
"What have you done to her?!"
"Nothing! I swear!"
But there she stood, barely dressed and sobbing into her brother's shoulder, and Jellal knew no one would believe him.
"Go away before somebody sees you talking to me," Jellal hissed, and strode on down the street.
"I don't care." The redhead stuck right on his heels. "I like talking to you."
Why wouldn't she leave him alone? The mark announced his shame for all to see, blazing scarlet across the right side of his face in indelible ink. Everyone knew what it meant.
"Don't follow me, Erza."
"Then don't walk away from me."
He stopped and turned to look at her. "What do you want?" he demanded, hiding his pain behind a mask of anger.
"I want you to not be hurt anymore. I love you and only you. If you let me, I would give you all I am. No scarlet letter is going keep me away. Nothing you have done, nothing you can do, will ever stop me from loving you."
"I'm asking to marry your daughter."
Erza's father frowned. "You? What makes you think you deserve her?"
Jellal stared at the floor. "I know I've made some bad choices in the past, but I don't want to keep going down the wrong path forever. I love Erza, and she loves me. I don't deserve her, but I want her to be happy. I want to do the right thing this time. I'll do whatever it takes to convince you that I mean this."
He was expecting to be chased out of the house or given some impossible task. Not to feel a hand on his shoulder, not to look up and find a gentle smile directed his way.
"I believe you."
"I feel like I climbed a castle wall."
"But it was worth it, right?"
Jellal sighed contentedly and drew her closer to him. "It was for you, so of course."
Erza squirmed and tried to pull back. "Not out here, people can see! Let's go inside..."
"No," said Jellal. "I don't care. I like holding you. I'm not going to stop, not for a scarlet letter, not for a bunch of gawking fools." He tilted her chin up and smirked. "I'm going to kiss you now, and there is nothing you can do about it."