Hospitality

Chapter 7

It bothered Erza the whole time he was gone. On every job, whenever she was home alone, and a lot when she'd finished a workout and came to sit on the front porch.

Why? Of all the things that could have happened between them, why did she have to kiss him?

She told no one about it. How could she even begin to? For one, if Mirajane caught wind of it, then Erza would have to hear about it for the rest of her life. And telling Lucy would be a sure fire way for it to make its way back to the barmaid. So she was more or less boxed in.

Which was fine. She kept most of her emotions in. Bottled up. Buried deep. She would be able to weather the situation with Jellal all on her own.

First she had just to figure out a way to see him again…

She took as many jobs as possible to pass the time, but part of her was also worried about her being gone when he came back. And when she took a job with Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Natsu, she always more or less found herself holding her breath in. How could she not? It seemed like when grouped together, they had an overly eventful time more likely than not.

But alas, nothing remotely interesting happened in her life. Day in and day out was spent trying to find things to occupy her time. But even the things that once kept her mind off things reminded her of him. She could hardly even read any of her novels without a blush spreading across her face, in the darkness of her empty home, as she wondered what exactly he thought of her and her filthy books.

Err, among other things, of course. Ha ha! It wasn't as if she was fixated or something on the thought of him knowing her of her dirty habit. Because that would just be…and she wasn't…so…

The point was though that Jellal had, once again, managed to infiltrate her brain and render her useless. Or at least he'd killed most of her thought process. So she mostly worked out when she was alone, in her home, part of her wishing she'd never moved out of the dormitory. At least that gave her something to do. She was around everyone constantly.

Living alone was so lonely.

So that's why she didn't rightly hate it as much as she once thought that she would when Natsu and Happy would show up on her doorstep (or sneak through her kitchen window which, for some reason, they found hilarious). In fact, she welcomed it. That little guest room practically became his when he and Lucy were having a tiff.

"What about your own place?" she'd asked him once.

"We'd rather stay with you or Luce," he told her to which Happy nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said. "Free food galore!"

Natsu only grinned. "And we like to company too."

"But it's mostly the food!" his Exceed insisted.

And she felt that. She really did. The part about the company. It was nice, having people over. She had Wendy, Lucy, and Levy over a lot. She'd even asked Lisanna over a few times, though that had been kind of a bust. They'd never been outstandingly close and, as of late, the she-devil's younger sister went nowhere without Bickslow and his annoying dolls.

Once, when she was feeling really lonely, she even invited Mirajane and Laxus over. Which turned more into Mira snooping around and Laxus degrading her abilities as a mage when compared to him. But still, friends were friends, right?

It was one night though, about a month and a half after Jellal took off, that there was a knocking at her door in the middle of the night. The time was fast approaching midnight and, honestly, she'd just been planning no hitting the hay. But worried that it might be one of her friends in need, she rushed to see what was wrong.

Upon opening the door, she was shocked to find a forlorn Natsu there as well as Happy.

"Since when did you start locking all your windows?" Natsu complained. "I've been trying to get in for the past hour."

She made a face. "I thought I heard something outside, but assumed it was only the wind."

"Lucy kicked us out," Happy said as he stared down at the ground. Kicking at it after a moment, he said, "And we don't feel like walking all the way back home."

"What did the two of you do to Lucy this time?" Erza asked as she stepped aside, allowing them entrance.

"Nothing, really," Natsu complained. "We were only messing around."

"Yeah," Happy agreed. "We didn't mean to spill ink all over her desk. Honest."

"And it's just paper. Is it our fault that she left her stories out?"

Rolling her eyes, Erza took to locking the door behind them. "I do not feel like cooking you anything as I am headed to bed myself, but you are welcome to anything you find in the-"

"Thanks, Erza!"

"You're the best!"

She only smiled before making sure that they'd be fine for the night. Then she went right to bed, as she did have a workout planned for the morning.

Until, around three that morning, she was awoken.

"Erza."

It was soft and she almost ignored it.

"Erza!"

That time louder. Then she felt a hand shaking her.

"What?" she complained, peeking an eye open. "Natsu? I thought I told you not to come into my-"

"I smell someone," he told her simply. "Outside. They're-"

"What?" And just like that, she was jumping to action. "Where?"

She was wearing a rather form fitting nightie and, honestly, Natsu wasn't hating it. Then Erza hit him in the head for staring, making him complain and fall to his knees, a knot forming almost immediately.

"Why didn't you go and speak to the person, Natsu?" she asked.

"Because," he complained as she quickly went over to her closet to pull something on. "I didn't think I was allowed to. Or I couldn't remember if I-"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are we friends with Jellal again? I can't remember," he said simply. "And if we are, then I'd get in trouble for attacking him. And if we weren't, then I'd get in trouble for just letting him into the house. It's a cannon drum!"

She didn't have time to tell him he meant conundrum then as she rushed from the room after pulling something on to see if what he said was true. To find out if Jellal really was just outside her door. Because, honestly, in all her dealings with Natsu, she'd learned more than once that he was mostly useless in many cases. No telling what was really going on until she checked it out herself, she figured.

"What are you doing out here?" was the only thing that left her mouth when, upon opening the front door, she found him sitting on her front porch, back against the railing, as he rested. Or so it appeared. At the sound of her voice however and the sudden brightness as she turned the porch light, his eyes flew open.

"Erza," he breathed, quickly moving to get to his feet. "I was merely waiting for daylight. I got into town so late that I knew you would be in bed. I did not wish to wake you."

"Where is Meredy?"

"We have… We had a disagreement on where to go next," he admitted with a sigh. "When I told her that I wished to take a break for a week, she wanted to go somewhere fun. And Magnolia, apparently, is not much fun. So I sent her off to go do whatever she wished. As she told me repeatedly, she is not a child and-"

"Come in," Erza cut off them, still slightly shocked to honestly be standing there with him. "Quickly. You should have just awoken me."

"Yes, well-"

"Ah-ha! So we are friends with Jellal."

From behind her then, Natsu appeared, though he was still holding his wounded head rather tenderly.

"Natsu," Jellal said slowly as he came into the house. He glanced at Erza, but she only rolled her eyes. "What a surprise."

"You can say that again," he grumbled. "Stay out of Erza's bedroom, apparently. Unless you wanna get hit on the head too."

Jellal frowned before saying slowly, "I'll keep that in mind."

Making a face, Erza said, "Natsu, perhaps you should return to bed? Now that everything's all taken care-"

"What are you doing here, Jellal?" Natsu asked as the man only took a deep breath and took a look around. Erza, noting the darkness, rushed to turn on a light then. "The world in peril? You needed me? Ha! I knew it. But how'd you know to find me here? You following me or something?"

He looked to Erza then for an answer who only sighed.

"Go to bed, Natsu," she told him. "Jellal is merely in need of a place to stay. The same as you."

"Huh. Well, I call bed!" he said loudly. "And me and Hap don't share with nobody. 'cept for Lucy sometimes, but now that she kicked us out-"

"What's going on? Natsu?" they heard then from the hall. "Is it Lucy? Come back to apologize? Tell her that we're happy here! Unless she has fish, in which we will eat it and then decide."

Could the night get any worse? Erza only held down a groan as Happy appeared in the living room. At the sight of Jellal, his hands went to his mouth.

"Oh, I see," he giggled. "Midnight visitor, Erza?"

"You-"

"Well I don't see," Natsu said. "Just because you've known him awhile doesn't mean that he gets the bed, Erza."

"No one said that he was taking your bed," she told him, frowning. "Now go there before I change my mind. Either that or I might just strike you in the head. Would you rather that?"

Nope. Natsu turned to head off and go back to bed. Happy took to snickering again, pointing, before running after his best friend, as if in need of his protection.

It was only once they were alone that Erza and Jellal actually addressed one another again. And even then, it was only her nodding towards the kitchen.

"I shall make some coffee," she told him. "And-"

"There is no need," he assured her. "It's early. Go back to bed. Now that you have let me in, I shall only sleep on the co-"

"I would be up in the next hour or so anyhow," she told him through a yawn. "Come. I will make you some breakfast. And then I shall head out early on my workout."

"There is no need. Honestly, Erza. I-"

"I insist." She glanced back at him. "You were foolish anyhow, to think that it was best for you to sleep out on my porch. Honestly, Jellal, did you-"

"A porch, out in the forest. It is all the same."

"Still." She hit the light in the kitchen before going over to her coffee pot. "Sit, sit. And tell me of what you've done since we last spoke. Did you and Meredy complete your task?"

And with that, they fell into a long discussion, one that lasted longer than breakfast. He told her every detail. It was almost as if he was nervous or something, just spilling everything out in an attempt to keep her from asking anything serious. Like, oh, what they were going to do about what took place before he left.

Not that she was planning on saying anything about it. Unless he brought it up. Because she just couldn't bring herself to do so. It was just another thing to hang between the two of them, she figured, just like so much else in life. Maybe that peace they'd reached before the kiss was only momentary. A fleeting reprieve that they'd lost just as quickly as they'd gained it.

Then, as they were sitting there, plates empty and her contemplating leaving to go on her pre-warmup jog, he said it.

"I think we need to speak on the last day I was here," he told her randomly as the previous conversation reached a lull. "On how we…"

She only stared at him. "Yes, well-"

"I should not have kissed you," he told her before she could even comment. "It was wrong of me. I shouldn't have-"

"Jellal," she cut him off. "I kissed you. I thought. But-"

He blinked. "Then you are not…angry about it?"

"Of course not. I just," she began, but was unsure of where to take the statement. "I'm just confused is all, I suppose. Did you…wish to kiss me as well?"

"Of course," he told her, if not a tad overly enthusiastic. Then, realizing this, he looked off and cleared his throat. "I mean, Erza, I…"

She was staring at him then, so openly, that he had a hard time looking at her. What was there to say anyhow?

"I suppose," she said slowly, "that you would not mind if it occurred again?"

"No," he told her slowly. "Would…you?"

That got a shake of the head.

Then they were both grinning at one another. Right up until Erza stood, taking their plates and coffee mugs to the sink before announcing something totally different.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Ready?"

She nodded. "You told me when you left that upon your return, we would workout together. Do you recall? Morning, noon, and night. All three sessions."

"B-But Erza-"

"No better day to start than today," she told him. "I heard it's going to storm tomorrow. And you wouldn't wish to run with me in the rain, would you?"

"You workout even when it storms? Outside?"

"Of course. You can never predict the elements of a battle." She nodded at him. "Let me go put on some workout clothes and then we can begin, yes?"

Jellal could only nod numbly.

What exactly had he gotten himself into?

"Tell me that I need not call someone here to check you out, just from a simple workout."

"Two," Jellal sighed. "Two workouts."

It was the middle of the afternoon then and Erza, after washing the sheets in Natsu's room (she did so every time he visited), was shocked to find Jellal still resting on the couch as he had been since they finished their noon workout. Well, shocked was a strong word. More amused than anything else.

"Come on," she sighed about then as she went to grab his hands making his eyes, which had been shut, fly open. Tugging gently, she made him get to his feet. "I have to do the dishes. You can help."

"I don't want to. Leave me here to suffer," he groaned. "All this time I've been wasting time trying to punish myself in all sorts of different ways when all I need to do was spend an entire day in Erza Scarlet's shoes."

"Ha ha," she said as she let him go before heading into the kitchen. "You know, I think that you make yourself out to be weaker than you truly are if only to make me feel better."

"What? No."

"You think that it's boosting my ego to see you in pain over the simplest of workouts?"

"Again, simple is not something that I would consider what you do."

"You are not sore," she said simply as, instead of going to help with dishes, he fell into one of the kitchen table chairs. "You are only trying to make me feel better. Well, knock it of."

"I assure you, Erza, that the last thing in this world I need to do is boost your ego," he sighed as he rested his head against the table. "And, honestly, my stamina in magic is insurmountable for most. But running? And pushups? And all those other things you do? That is not what I consider a workout, no."

"Then you are foolish," she told him as she ran the tap water, getting it warm before she started the dishes. "Keeping your body in shape is as important as keeping your mind sharp or your magic in check."

"I do other things, of course," he told her. "But just not to your level."

"Find a new way to flatter me, Jellal. Speaking of my many accomplishments does not work."

"But doesn't it?"

She wouldn't look at him to give him the satisfaction of seeing a smile form over her face, but that was fine, as his own mask was being over run by a wide grin.

"When do you find the time to go to the guildhall?" he asked her after a moment.

"I do not go every day," she told him. "As with today. Since you are here, I planned on forgoing it. There is nothing there for me to attend to anyhow."

"Other than making sure, of course, that Natsu and Lucy make up."

"Oh?"

"Well, yes. Where am I to sleep if they do not?"

"Mmmm, I was thinking the couch."

"No fair," he said as he slowly got to his feet and walked over to her. She only stared down at the sink. "Erza."

"Tell me what is not fair about it."

"There should be some sort of seniority here," he told her as he made it over to the counter, though he only stood there, facing her. "And besides, I thought that tonight, perhaps you would wish to skip your evening workout and maybe I could treat you to dinner? As a show of gratitude for how you let me stay-"

"Ha!" She pointed a soapy finger at him. "You're trying to get out of your workout. Mr. I Can Do All Three. I knew-"

"We can go on that last workout after, if it's so important," he said, reaching out to grab that accusing finger. He had her full attention then, her turning to facing him and all. "But I still wish to take you out to dinner. If that's okay with you."

"I-"

"Aw yeah! Dinner sounds great!"

They both about died then as they turned to a far door in the kitchen that led down to her basement. In the doorway of it was Natsu with Happy resting atop his head. He had a huge grin spreading across his face just from the thought.

"We can all go out," he said. "We-"

"What are you- Have you been here the entire time?" Erza hissed as Jellal took a step away from her, releasing her finger as well. His eyes even drifted downward, as if he were shameful of being caught. "Natsu?"

"Of course," he said, holding up a helmet in his hand. "Hap and I were down there trying on all your armor and stuff you. You have all sorts of cool-"

"Give me that!" She crossed the room to snatch it from her. "And go! Back to Lucy's!"

"But-"

"You have ten seconds, Natsu, before you get another hit to the head." When the Exceed began to snicker at his friend being scolded, she added, "You too, Happy!"

"Sheesh," Natsu complained as he and Happy left the house in a hurry, his little buddy flying above him as they headed to the guildhall. Though Erza had been kinda rude about it, she was correct. The time was finally right for them to make up with Lucy. "You play a little bit of dress up with the woman's things and she-"

"Natsu," Happy snickered from above. "I think she was more embarrassed because we heard Jellal ask her, you know."

"Ask her what?"

"Out on a date!"

"What? No. Ew. Gross." He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Erza doesn't date. Erza isn't even… Gah! It makes me sick just thinking about it. Think Lucy will let us take the bed tonight? I need to lie down."

Happy only kept giggling. "I think Erza and Jellal are in love."

"Stop being gross," Natsu ordered, making a face.

Erza? And Jellal? Sickening. Bleck. He about vomited just from the thought.