Day 2
Cake (n) : A sweet baked food made of flour, liquid, eggs, and other ingredients
Jellal didn't let himself relax even as he pulled the cake out of the oven. He closed the oven shut, set the cake on the counter, and immediately proceeded to grab the packaged frosting and yanked the plastic knife all across the rectangular cake.
He didn't notice her come to him until she laid a hand on his wrist. He looked up from the cake to see Mirajane with a soft smile.
"You might want to try frosting it in a different way," she said. "Move smoother and more deliberately."
Jellal looked over his shoulder and saw the wall clock's hands read 2:51.
Erza would be here in just four minutes.
He took a deep breath and turned his attention back to the cake. He applied the frosting on the cake with long, unwrinkled strokes, summoning every bit of his control to keep himself from rushing.
Today was Erza's birthday, and the first opportunity he really had to make it special. So he'd decided to personally bake her a surprise cake, her favorite food. He could magically manipulate the energy of stars, deceive the entire Magic Council and could create complex magical self-destruct sequences, so really, how hard could baking a surprise cake for Erza Scarlet possibly be?
As it turned out, very.
After several miserable failures, he had finally called in Mirajane. He didn't really know her too well, but he figured that she would be the best person to help him with that sort of thing. And sure enough, she'd helped him bake the cake quickly. But he had still ended up losing a lot of time, and now it was going to be a miracle if he could actually get this done before Erza came home.
Jellal made sure to get everywhere he had missed, and then he smoothed the frosting out. His racing heart began to slow when he decided that it actually looked decent. He laid the butterknife on the table and turned to Mirajane.
She let her eyes roam over the cake, inspecting every corner. Then she smiled. "It looks good."
He released a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. He nodded in acknowledgment and reached for the decorating bag. He pointed it downward at the cake and squeezed, slowly guiding the blue frosting to form the beginnings of the word Happy.
"This is a really nice thing that you're doing, Jellal," said Mirajane. "You must really care for Erza."
Jellal stopped squeezing.
He let his eyes drift shut. He thought about the vibrant scarlet color of her hair. He thought about the valiant lengths she would go to protect her friends. He thought about the kindness that shone in her eyes, and how she accepted him no matter how far down he had descended into darkness.
He also thought that he was in love with her.
Jellal opened his eyes and gave a small smirk. "You could say that."
He finished the Happy and moved on to birthday.
"So how did you two meet?" Mirajane asked.
"When we were young," he said. "Although, it really wasn't in the best of circumstances—"
The door opened from across the hall.
Both Jellal and Mirajane froze.
Silence. Then heavy boots sounded at the entry.
All at once Jellal kicked himself into action. Quickly he finished Birthday, and then he did an E, then an R—
"Jellal?"
He nearly jumped. He and Mirajane looked to Erza Scarlet, who stood with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.
Was she actually surprised?
Mirajane recovered before he did. "Happy birthday, Erza," she said. "Welcome home. We were just. . . um. . ."
"Making me a surprise cake?" Erza's eyes darted over to the cake, seeing Happy Birthday with a half-finished Erza tacked on to the end.
Jellal winced. This was not how he had imagined this transpiring.
"Well, it's not quite finished, and we don't have the candles in, but yes, we made you a surprise cake," Mirajane said somewhat sheepishly. "I helped a little, but this was mainly Jellal's doing."
Erza's eyes subsequently bore into Jellal's.
She walked past Mirajane and crossed over to Jellal and the cake. Her eyes remained on him for a moment before diverting her attention to the unfinished cake.
"You. . . you made this, Jellal?" Her voice was unexpectedly soft.
"Mirajane had to help me a little, but yes, this was my idea," said Jellal. "However, it's not finished, so if you would just allow me—"
"It's just fine," Erza said quietly.
He wasn't quite sure if he had heard her right. "Excuse me?"
Erza turned to face him. Her brown eyes were soft and tender, and her small smile seemed to fit perfectly on her face.
"It's just fine," she said again. "Thank you, Jellal."
Jellal finally let himself relax. His face melted into a smile that matched hers. "Happy birthday, Erza."
A/N: Thanks to Deaththesyd and kim yuraxjin for reviewing!
