A few weeks had passed since Erza's sleepover with Jellal. The guild had noticed the mark on her neck and most regretted the choice of pointing it out as they were almost immediately pummeled right after. Most of her guildmates refused to meet her eye as they feared another beating would ensue. Erza sat once again at her usual table, Lucy by her side. Natsu and Gray had gotten the worst of her attacks and were now keeping a safe distance. Lucy too was apprehensive of the redhead and her temper but, as she had the sense to hold her tongue, she was in the clear.
Erza shifted slightly in her seat as she made to eat the slice of cake she had ordered. She felt a little off for some reason, though she couldn't quite tell why. With a small, internal sigh, Erza speared a sliced strawberry on her fork and brought it to her mouth. Before she could bite into it however her stomach began to flip and roll slightly as the slightly tangy scent of the berry filled her nostrils.
"Everything alright Erza?" Lucy asked, looking up from her book, as the redhead put the fork back on the plate and pushed it away. Her free hand half covered her mouth as she fought back the wave of nausea. It wasn't like Erza to dismiss a piece of cake like that and it worried Lucy a little.
Erza nodded, keeping her hand under her nose as the smell of the strawberries seemed to linger. She stared at the cake with a look of utter betrayal as her stomach gave another small lurch. It was almost a full minute before she could battle the nausea into submission and bring her hand back down from her mouth. She panted softly as she swallowed down the saliva that had pooled in her mouth.
The blonde kept her eyes on the redhead, worry etched deep in her gaze as she took note of her team mate's odd behavior. She argued with herself as to whether she should press Erza about her sudden change in appetite or just leave her be.
"Would you like me to get rid of that for you?" Lucy offered, gesturing to the slice of cake, having decided to mix the two options.
Erza looked from Lucy to the cake and back again, her face a bit pale from the sudden nausea. "Yes, please," She said, pushing the plate toward the blonde, determined to get the smell away from her.
Lucy nodded with a soft, consoling smile as she scooped up the plate and returned it to Mira who was tending the bar. She shrugged at Mirajane's look of puzzlement at the sight of Erza's cake coming back.
"She pushed it away," Lucy explained as Mira gave her another look as she scooped the cake into the trash and piled the dirty plate with the other dishes.
Mira kept her gaze on the redhead for a full minute before a smirk formed on her features. A demonic glint came to her eye as a thought crossed her mind. She contemplated Erza for another thirty seconds before voicing this thought.
"I wonder if it has anything to do with that hickey she had a few weeks ago," the white-haired mage said with an amused tone.
A light blush crept up Lucy's cheeks as what Mira was hinting at clicked in her mind. "Oh, my God," She said under her breath, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. She looked from Erza to Mira and back again.
Mira gave a soft chuckle before wiping her hands on a small towel, "Should we voice our suspicion or give it a while?" Her blue eyes joined with Lucy's brown ones, still shining with amusement.
Lucy chewed on her tongue as she thought, "We should give it a while." She nodded after the words left her mouth, "Yes, I don't think it would be wise to get her worked up right now. It could harm them both if our guess is true." Lucy finished in a matter of fact tone as she gave Mira a firm look.
Mira's expression softened and she gave Lucy a sweet smile, "Sounds like a plan." She was rather fond of her red-haired rival, and wouldn't even think about putting her or a potential baby in danger.
Lucy gave a smile of gratitude before making her way back to the table. She settled once again by Erza and resumed her reading. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Erza leaning on the table with her chin resting in her hand. Lucy also took note of the redhead's free hand as it rested on the bit of armor that covered her lower stomach.
Another week or two passed by, jobs were being done and stories were being told in the ever-lively guild. Team Natsu was just getting back from rounding up some bandits. They were recounting the recent adventure as they made their way toward the guild hall to check in. Gray and Natsu were arguing over who took out the most opponents. Wendy and Lucy were complaining that they weren't of much help. Erza was walking in silence, deep with-in her own thoughts, and Carla tried to keep Happy's flirting at bay.
The scarlet haired mage stopped a few feet from the door as the various smells of the guild hall reached her extremely sensitive nose. The hand that was pulling her luggage along flew to her mouth as she was once again assaulted by a wave of nausea. The smell of freshly baked strawberry cake was thick in her nostrils as she dry heaved into her hand. The others stopped too, and stared at the strange behavior.
"Erza!" Lucy cried out as she rushed to her comrade's side. She put a gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder as Erza dry heaved once more. Lucy's mind was working fast as her eyes scanned the area for a bucket or something.
"Wendy, hand me that please," Lucy requested, a frantic note in her tone, of the young Dragon Slayer, pointing to a bucket near the young girl.
"Okay," Wendy said as she grabbed the bucket and rushed it over to Lucy and Erza.
"Thank you," Lucy said with a small smile as she grabbed the small tin bucket and passed it to Erza.
Erza quickly grabbed the receptacle as she gave a final heave and vomited right into it. She could feel Lucy holding her hair back as she vomited again and again until her stomach had completely emptied itself. Breathing heavily, and shaking slightly, Erza straightened herself back up. She kept one hand firmly holding the bucket and wiped her mouth with the other.
"Here," Lucy said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a package of tissues. She opened it and offered Erza one. The redhead took it with a smile of gratitude and wiped her hand off with it and then the rest of her mouth.
Natsu and Gray were standing off to the side, eyes wide and jaws dropped at what they had just witnessed. They had never seen Erza get sick before, and it shocked them to the core.
Erza caught sight of the two men and with a snarl, lobbed the vomit filled bucket at them. "What are you staring at?" She cried as her two targets scrambled to dodge the bucket. Happy, who was standing right behind Natsu, didn't move in time and got the full brunt of the attack. The little blue cat screamed in horror as he became covered in the bucket's contents as it hit him square in the chest and splattered everywhere.
Lucy, who had backed away in time, watched the chaos ensue as Happy flew off, dripping vomit everywhere, and Natsu and Gray sprinted into the guild hall. They feared there would be more attempted assaults if they lingered. Wendy and Carla ran after Happy to see if they could help him clean up, leaving the redhead and the blonde alone in the street.
Erza, who was still glaring after the retreating boys, let out a large breath before turning to face her remaining comrade. Her brown eyes were stern as they met Lucy's apprehensive ones. "Thank you," Erza said after a moments awkward silence, her gaze dropping to her hands as they fiddled with the tissue she had been given.
"No problem," Lucy said, slowly moving to the other woman's side. A frown formed on her lips as she saw her friend's expression turn to one full of anxiety.
"Lucy…." Erza said, her eyes still on the tissue that was being twisted in her hands. She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing, "I think I might be pregnant." She lifted her head and met Lucy's gaze once again.
The blonde kept her attention on the redhead, her eyes going wide at the confession. "I thought that might have been it…" She replied, her tone hesitant. She dug out a fresh tissue and handed it to Erza, who's eyes were beginning to leak tears.
Erza took the clean tissue with a small smile and dabbed at her eyes. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest as she made the confession. "Jellal…" The redhead said, though the clarification wasn't needed.
"How do you feel about it?" Lucy asked, her head tilting. Her main concern was Erza's emotional well-being.
Erza simply shrugged, her eyes tearing up again. "I'm not sure yet, I'm still in shock." She winced a little as a sob pressed her sore breasts against the hard metal of her armor. A smile then spread across her face as Lucy's question made her attempt to pinpoint an emotion. "Happy, I think I'm mostly happy." She giggled a little, "Happy and a little scared."
Lucy moved to pull her friend into a hug, a grin on her face. "Well, then, congratulations Erza," She said excitement lacing her voice. "You're going to make a great mom," The blonde encouraged as she pulled free of the hug.
Erza was beaming now at Lucy's words and the flood of emotion that they caused. "Thank you," She thanked the girl one more time before turning her gaze to the guild hall. She sighed softly as her empty stomach began to nag her for food.
"Come on, let's go see if we can find you something you can eat," Lucy offered, she could tell by the expression on Erza's face that she needed something easy on her stomach. Lucy lead the way into the hall, where she would attempt to help Erza battle her morning sickness.