A/N: HI! For those of you unaware, it's Jerza week this week so naturally, being the Jerza lover I am, I'm getting involved! Because, well...Jerza!

ANYWAY, I really enjoyed writing this one. The prompt was 'tattoos' so I decided to have some fun with it. Featuring Jerza and their children! Yep, I have created multiple kids for them now, totally getting ahead of myself.


Title: Tattoos, Twins and Trouble
Rating: K+
Summary: They left Meredy to babysit the kids. What could possibly go wrong?


"We're kids, aren't we? Yes, kids with grown-up powers." - Lang Leav


Tattoos, Twins and Trouble

After weeks of Meredy badgering them to go out and have an evening to themselves, Jellal and Erza finally gave in with defeated sighs. She had that way about her, able to trade in her sweet and bubbly nature for stern and persuasive in a flash of pink.

As parents of three, the couple found it hard to engage in other activities that didn't revolve solely around the kids, so when Meredy once again offered to babysit the children for the night, her arms crossed over her chest and her face solemn, they finally decided it really was an opportunity too good to let pass by.

The two walked hand in hand through the front gate of their home, all smiles after having had a terrific dinner together. In a way, Erza had forgotten what it was like to go to a high end restaurant, having known nothing but pizza places and kiddy meals for the last few years. Putting on a silky dress, letting down her hair and sitting across from a smart and handsome blue haired man almost seemed foreign to her. She had missed this.

Tenderly, her fingers roved over his knuckles as she let her head fall against his shoulder. "It was so kind of Meredy to babysit the kids for us. I feel like we haven't had an evening alone in so long."

"Four months, two weeks and four days to be exact." Jellal chuckled dryly.

"They've kept us busy, haven't they?" she mused with a light laugh.

"Indeed, they have."

They stopped outside the front door, Erza turning to face her husband with a warm smile gracing her features. He smiled back, his hand never leaving hers as he ducked his head, letting blue locks fall over his eyes and frame his face in just the way she always found so enticing and dangerously attractive about him.

He murmured her name in his low voice, sending a shiver up her spine. No one else could ever say it the way he did; it made her heart hammer in her chest every time. He cupped the side of her face, bringing her closer to him, merely inches apart. Her own hands reached up to touch, fingers threading through the blue hair at the nape of his neck as she held his steady gaze with her own.

Once more, her name rolled off his tongue like a spell, falling off his lips and onto hers as they sealed the end of their perfect evening with a kiss. His mouth slanted over hers and as they stood outside their house, Erza couldn't help but feel like she was in her early twenties again, as though she was reliving all the nights he dropped her off outside Fairy Hills, each goodbye of his laced with lazy goodnight kisses that stole her breath away.

Jellal pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as an amused smile worked its way onto his face. "I think Meredy has suffered enough babysitting them."

"I'm not sure about that," she said, breathless, her gaze trailing from his eyes to his lips and back. "They're good kids."

"You could say that about Violet. The twins though, Erza?" He laughed quietly, his breath ghosting over her lips and tingling her cheek. "I'm surprised the house is still standing in one piece."

"It'll remain standing in the next few minutes as well," she said with a suggestive smile, her mouth chasing after his.

With a low hum, he indulged her with another kiss, wrapping his arms around her and letting everything else just fade away for another few fleeting moments.

But then, all too suddenly, Jellal pulled away once again, his brow furrowing. His eyes focused on the living room window with growing concern. "Erza, did you hear that?"

"What is it?" She stepped back with a frown, her gaze following his warily.

For a few moments, silence flattened between them until Erza's ears pricked at the sound of their daughter's voice booming through the stillness. "Jam! Eli! Stop it! I'm gonna tell mom on you two!"

"Meredy is there to keep an eye on them…" Erza said, mustering up her most calm tone, though even she had to admit, she didn't sound very convincing.

Meredy was a skilled mage, there was no denying that. She was more than capable of taking care of a few children. Really, there was nothing to be concerned about. She should have that much faith in her.

"Put the markers down! Mom and dad aren't going to be happy when they get back—"

Except these children were not ordinary children. They were the children of a fiery armour mage and a previously escaped convict. What had they been thinking letting Meredy babysit them? She had no chance to begin with; she was practically an overgrown child herself.

Jellal and Erza exchanged panicky glances.

"Erza—"

"I know."

Erza flung open the front door, Jellal following behind as she marched along the hallway to the living room, high heels making angry clip-clop noises against the hardwood.

"What is going on here?"

She froze in her tracks.

The walls had been stained from white to crimson, incoherent red squiggles and scrawls doodled everywhere their small hands could reach, marker pens thrown on the ground and their caps long gone along with Erza's patience.

"What exactly—"

"Mom! Dad!" Violet, their eldest, ran towards them, her purple ponytail swinging wildly behind her as she hugged her parents. "Finally, you're home!"

Jellal's brows shot up, his eyes travelling from one wall to the next. "Seems as though someone has turned our house into an art studio."

"And I have a feeling I know who was responsible." Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously.

All gazes shifted to the twin boys, their small figures covered in bright red from the scarlet of their hair to their matching red pyjamas, not to mention the scribbles etched onto every visible portion of their skin.

Jamie and Elijah had their hands behind their backs, eyes wide and guilty as they passed a red marker back and forth between them as though trying to pass off the blame on one another.

The marker fell to the floor with a deafening clatter.

Erza's eyes travelled from the marker to them. She peered at them suspiciously. "Mind explaining what happened here? Why are you both covered from head to toe in red marker?"

Upon hearing no explanation, she sighed in a defeated motherly 'what am I going to do with you kids' way, stepping aside from Violet to crouch in front of the twins.

She turned to Elijah first, her fingers gently wiping at his face. She hoped the marks weren't too hard to wash off. They had Natsu and Lucy's anniversary dinner to attend to later this week and no child of hers would show up looking like a red scribble monster.

But then she paused, her gaze landing on Elijah's right eye. Different from the rest of the aimless scrawls of his body, this one seemed to have more detail as though he had tried drawing a specific design.

Understanding beginning to flicker across her eyes, she swept a hand under the red locks framing his face, pushing them back so she could take a closer look at the drawing above and below his right eye.

"Jam said he was more like dad than I was because their names both start with the same letter," Elijah said, his lip jutting out in a shamefaced pout as he looked down at his feet, "but I wanted to be like dad too so I—"

Erza's face softened. "So you were trying to draw dad's red tattoo, weren't you?"

He nodded, tears welling in his eyes. "It didn't turn out very good though."

"What are you talking about? I think it turned out perfectly." Jellal crouched in front of Elijah, taking the boy into his arms as a warm smile broke out on his face. Laughing, he pushed back his son's scarlet hair along with his own blue hair, revealing the interesting red engraving that was the source of all this commotion. "Almost identical, wouldn't you say, Erza?"

"I agree," she replied, a smile in her voice.

Jamie pushed forward, brushing his own hair back to show his attempt as well. "I did it all by myself too! Look, dad! Just like yours!"

Jellal laughed once more, folding Jamie into his other arm. "It's like looking in a mirror."

Erza crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side fondly to watch her three boys laugh and exchange smiles. She couldn't help but smile too, her heart bursting with love for them all as she wrapped an arm around Violet. A night off once in a while was nice but could never amount to the time they cherished together as a family.

"Did you have a good time, mom?" Violet asked, nuzzling into Erza's side. "I tried really hard to look after them for as long as I could."

"Hmm?" Erza raised her eyebrows at her daughter. "My, my. Since when did you become so responsible?"

But then she blinked, her eyebrows knitting together in a frown. "Wait, where's Meredy? She was the one supposedly looking after you."

"Oh, erm—"

Erza squinted. "Violet, where is Aunt Meredy?"

"Upstairs," she squeaked, clasping her hands nervously in front of her chest.

Erza raised a brow before spinning on her heel and marching out into the hallway without another glance back. Like Natsu had a nose for food, she had a nose for trouble. She'd grown up with the likes of Fairy Tail mages after all.

Skipping steps up the stairs, she stuck her head in every bedroom, examining them with sceptical eyes before approaching the final bedroom belonging to the twins.

What could Meredy be doing in there whilst the children wreaked havoc unsupervised downstairs?

Clicking open the door, Erza peered around the doorframe. The room was exactly as she'd expected it to be: toys strewn about, today's clothes thrown on the floor, an empty marker pack abandoned on the desk. Normal for two seven-year-old boys—asides from the pink haired mage sprawled across the bed with both arms spread wide and flat while she snored softly in her sleep.

"Is Meredy in there?" Jellal's voice came from behind and Erza turned to see him approaching her, both boys in his arms playing with tufts of blue hair whilst Violet trailed after them quietly.

"She appears to be asleep," Erza commented as everyone stepped into the room.

Jellal arched a brow. "She snores."

"Yes."

Unable to hold the truth back for any longer, Violet sighed, tugging on Erza's dress with a guilty expression plain on her face. "Jam put a sleeping spell on her."

"I did not!" Jamie immediately protested, puffing out his cheeks. "Liar, liar!"

"You did too! I saw you," Elijah interjected with an accusing finger.

"You saw and still didn't help Aunt Meredy?" said Erza, folding her arms sternly.

"…well, I didn't really see—"

"Where did you learn to use a sleeping spell, Jamie?" Jellal asked, shooting him a puzzled look.

"You, dad!"

Erza's eyes widened to the size of orbs as she spun around on her husband who instantly sweatdropped. "You taught them Mystogan's sleeping magic?"

He had indeed.

Jellal opened his mouth to speak, the badly conjured explanation already on the tip of his tongue but instead, a loud yawn filled the growing silence.

They all stiffened upon hearing the sound, the Fernandes family turning to see Meredy sitting up, rubbing her head groggily. She blinked at them once before her eyes widened and heat rushed to her cheeks. Springing to her feet, she rubbed the back of her neck in a sheepish manner. "Oh no…don't tell me I fell asleep on the job! I'm so sorry!"

Jellal and Erza exchanged a quick glance with one other.

"It's quite alright," Erza said, offering her a warm smile while Jellal tilted his head to both sides, gesturing to the twins.

"We've got things under control. Don't worry, Meredy," he said, eyes travelling back to Erza to smile amusedly.

It seemed they were the only two who could handle the Fernandes children.