"Anonymous asked: Can you write about the first time Jellal and Erza see each other during the one year time-skip? :3"

This takes place roughly three months into the one year time-skip. I'm bad with titles. Shame me with bells.

Ninety-two Days

Even with his hooded cloak Jellal didn't like wandering crowded streets. Meredy would argue that it would take a much bigger town to qualify any of these roads as crowded but Jellal was nervous all the same. He didn't exactly have a price on his head anymore but the deal he'd made with Doranbolt wasn't common knowledge. Anyone who kept up with news about the Magic Council or Era would know his face. Jellal adjusted his cloak again and Meredy nudged his arm with a quiet laugh.

"You worry too much," she said before sighing and becoming distracted. "It's the rest of this ragtag guild you should be worried about. I don't like leaving them to their own devices."

"It'll be fine," he mumbled, eyes sweeping the street.

"You don't think –"

"Meredy, freedom doesn't come with a leash. Any one of them could take off at a moment's notice or in the night. A few days of separation won't be too much of a catalyst."

"Sawyer and Macbeth are trouble."

"Perhaps, but one could argue the same thing about me." Jellal grinned at her from the shadows of his hood and Meredy simply shook her head. They fell into a companionable silence as the town buzzed around them. Meredy stopped at a fruit cart and began to pick through a stack of oranges while Jellal watched with mild interest as a dirty little boy stealthily made a go at picking pockets across the street. He could barely remember a time when he'd been small and covered in dust. His mind wandered back to the only clear memory he had. There was a shy smile and so much red...

A cacophony of crashes and shouting echoed off the closely crowded buildings and a scuffle broke out a few blocks down. Jellal tapped Meredy on the shoulder and angled his hood away from the stream of nosey onlookers who were gathering.

"We should go."

"Right –" Meredy gasped and grasped his hand. "Look." Jellal quickly glanced back at the scene and saw a flash of red and steel. Meredy tugged and he followed without resistance. A group of men were crowded around a pretty young girl in a pink dress the same color as the sign in the shop window. A sweet shop. Of course. Only Erza would stir up so much trouble over candy.

"This ain't none of your business, fairy!" the man clutching the young woman snarled.

"Unhand her or I'll take yours as a prize," Erza said without hesitation. She aimed her sword at the group of men. Jellal knew she could summon an army of them in a split second if provoked further.

"She owes me money!" he bellowed. "I always collect on my debts!"

"I didn't realize damaging private property and sexually harassing a shop keeper qualified as debt collection," Erza bit out. The air around her wavered and shimmered.

"I paid you last week!" the girl squeaked as the man's arm tightened around her. Erza's grin sharpened.

"So the truth comes out." Her swords fizzled into view and circled around her. "Leave the girl alone or I'll skewer each and every one of you."

All of the men backed away from the scene except the one holding the shop keeper. He attempted to stare Erza down for a moment longer before releasing his hostage with a shove.

"One day, Titania," he began.

"You'd better not wish for another day," Erza interrupted. "It'll be your last." When he disappeared around the corner with his accomplices Erza returned to her typical attire.

"Oh thank you so much," the young shop keeper said clasping her hands over her chest. "That particular gang has been harassing me for weeks! How can I repay you?"

Jellal watched as Erza's cheeks turned pink and she fumbled her words before asking for the candy she'd come for in the first place. Meredy giggled and shoved him toward the shop.

"Go talk to your girlfriend, Jellal," she said. "I'm going to finish shopping. I'll see you back at camp in a day or two." He didn't bother to respond because she'd already disappeared into the thinning crowd. Jellal turned back around toward the candy shop just in time to come face to face with Erza.

"I knew it was you," she said softly with a smile. "Those blue cloaks are a dead giveaway if you know what to look for."

"Meredy and I were down the street when the fight broke out. I saw your hair. It's just as easy for me to recognize." He couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Well, you did say once that you'd never forget it."

"So I did." She blushed warmly and glanced away.

"Are you busy? Do you have time to come with me for a bit?"

In the past Jellal would've had a million reasons why he couldn't go with Erza but now none of them seemed quite so important. It had been a while since he'd found himself truly alone with Erza and Jellal found the offer impossible to decline.

"I have time." He smiled, offered his hand, and Erza didn't hesitate to take it.

Her home was on the edge of town and seemed much more lonely than her previous residence – Fairy Hills was a women's dormitory and the embodiment of socialization. This house was not only free standing, but set away from other houses of it's type.

"Does living alone suit you?" He asked following her inside the cottage. There was a row of hooks near the door and without really thinking about it removed his cloak and enjoyed the way it looked hanging in her hallway.

"It depends on my mood," she answered leading him into the kitchen. "I couldn't stay at Fairy Hills. Everyone else from my guild had gone and I no longer enjoyed living there."

"I'm sorry about Fairy Tail." Jellal stood awkwardly near the doorway. Her kitchen was small but she moved comfortably in it. He watched as she set water to boil and prepared teacups. "I know your guild meant a lot to you."

"It's only temporary. Natsu will be back eventually and won't stand for the disbandment. As difficult as it was for me at first, I've adapted. Freelancing can be a headache sometimes, but I feel more independent now."

"Freedom is all I've ever wanted for you, Erza," he said. The air in the kitchen thickened and her hands trembled as she set aside a sugar bowl.

"Jellal, I –" She hesitated before turning to him. Her eyes brimmed with tears that hadn't quite spilled over yet. Jellal was only half surprised when she crashed into him with a tight embrace. His arms came around her shoulders with an unexpected desperation. The way she fit against him felt like nothing else in the world and he felt a stab of homesickness when his head fell onto her shoulder.

Erza gazed up at him. So many unspoken, and familiar words hovered between them. She loved him. She missed him. Was he okay? Did he still ponder death? Would they always be separated?

And his only answer was that he loved her so. much.

Jellal rested his forehead against hers and sighed. His thumb brushed away the few tears that escaped her eyes as his fingertips slid into her hair. He felt her chest rise and fall with every breath and it calmed him like nothing else. The urge to kiss her surged forward and even though he couldn't promise her he'd stay, even though his war wasn't over, and even though he swore he'd never cross this line until he'd slammed the door on his past... Jellal tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers.

Erza's arms tightened around his waist and from her mouth came the most beautiful sigh he'd ever heard in his life. The gentleness of his kiss lasted until she parted her lips and tore through every last one of his boundary lines. Suddenly she was everywhere.

And Jellal was lost.