X: Jellal

Jellal had a headache. The kind that throbbed between his temples and drained all of his energy. It was so late that the sun had already risen, and had been that way for some time, and he hadn't seen his bed yet. There was cotton between his ears and a hollow in his belly. He was tired and hungry.

Mayor Neekis' body had been brought back to the morgue, all of the evidence that could be gathered up was gathered, Jellal's notebook was out of paper after taking down a plethora of names and numbers and statements.

Everyone he spoke to seemed to remember the mayor being in the bar. The hitch? They couldn't remember who it was he spoke with. Some people said a man, some people said a woman, some people said no one. The best Jellal could tell was Neekis was speaking to transients as he enjoyed the entertainment, and wasn't particularly involved with any of them.

A search through Somnium's record logs told them something that made the vein on Laxus' forehead bulge—Neekis had seen Mira just before he died. He'd been up there for an hour before coming downstairs and sitting at the bar.

Questioning Mira didn't get them anywhere. She told them the same story again and again and told it flawlessly. She even offered to let them go through her room, searching for evidence.

They found nothing.

Jellal was inclined to believe her. He thought Laxus was, too, but knew that look his partner wore. He was skeptical of himself, in his objectivity. Jellal got it. It wouldn't be the first time someone close to Laxus went behind his back and did wrong. He was trying to be open-minded, and in doing so was actually being skeptical.

Broaching the subject was like swimming through shark-infested waters with a bleeding gash. Laxus got angry and when he was angry, he was unpleasant, so Jellal let it lie. For now, anyway. Eventually, Laxus would purge his thoughts on the matter.

Jellal heard a lighter schwick and narrowed in on Laxus standing by the brick wall with his crumpled old cigarette in his mouth and the tip of the flame almost touching the tip of the cigarette. Like he felt Jellal's eyes on him, he looked up. Jellal watched first stubbornness flit across his face—he was going to smoke anyway—and then guilt—he'd had such a hard time quitting before.

"I hate you."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it, though," Laxus said.

"That's your conscience, not me."

Laxus sighed and put the unlit cigarette back behind his ear and his lighter back in his pocket.

Jellal leaned beside him and watched the last of the technicians slip beneath the Caution barrier and get back into their cars. Soon, it was just them and a couple of uniforms in the alley. "I saw Jenny Realight earlier."

"Yep. She's been bugging me for a statement all night. I told her to walk."

"She said Captain promised her some of your time earlier. About the last vic."

"Mmhm. I didn't think she'd agree. How stupid of me."

Jellal laughed. "She was probably thinking better you than her."

"Probably." Laxus blew out a lungful of air that condensed in the cold. He did it again like he was smoking. "Are we done out here? My fucking feet are freezing."

"I think so. For now. Captain pulled the ME in early to get on the autopsy. We should have results soon and go from there."

"Then I think we should get out of here."

Beau was probably wondering what happened to him. She liked Wendy well enough but Jellal knew it wasn't the same. Wendy didn't stay with her for very long anytime she visited and Beau didn't like sleeping alone very much.

"Let's hit it, then."

Laxus was quiet all the way to the Tahoe. Jellal passed it off as exhaustion but when the truck was started, he looked in the backseat like he suspected a stowaway. Once he determined what Jellal already knew—the coast was clear—he dropped, "Natsu told Mira that he knew where Lisanna was."

Jellal let that sink in, churned over what that meant and what that meant in the future. "He broke her out?"

"I guess so."

"And now he's keeping her and Kagura someplace?"

"Seems like, yeah."

"Where?"

"Mira said Gildarts interrupted them before she could get the location out of Natsu," Laxus said.

Jellal drummed his fingers on the wheel, thinking. "He'll never tell us where she is."

"Really? I think we could probably get him to speak."

"And violate protocol doing it," Jellal said.

"So what?"

"Natsu might not rake us over the coals for it, but Zeref would. We have to be cleverer than that. We need him to lead us to her."

"If you say stakeout I'm quitting."

"You're not quitting."

"You want to make a bet?" Laxus challenged.

Jellal rolled his eyes. "You don't have the cash to pay up." Not after Tante Eileen got to his bank account. "We'll head home, catch a few hours of sleep and then set up. When Natsu goes to Lisanna, we'll follow." Easy. Tidy.

Laxus, who never cared too much for the rules before, said, "Captain didn't say she wanted us investigating the breakout."

"We'll tell her we thought it was connected."

"We did?"

"Sure. So far, all the guys Mira's been seeing have been culled." Laxus got sour. Jellal said, "Natsu was up there. We're worried for his safety. Another high-profile kill? She'll thank us for tying it up. Are you in?"

It didn't take him long to decide. "Alright."

"Good." Jellal turned onto the suburban road Laxus called home and pulled into the driveway. Porlyusica's huge pink Cadillac was there.

"Great," Laxus muttered. "Just what I needed. Just call Porlyusica Shreeky."

Jellal laughed too hard imagining Porlyusica as the Care Bear's nemesis. He really was tired. "Maybe she made breakfast, though?" His stomach cramped thinking about food. He was starving.

"You want to come in and see?"

Jellal shook his head. "The dog."

"Right." Laxus got out of the car but leaned in through the door. "When'll you be back?"

Jellal checked the time. It was ten. "Let's shoot for seven." Visiting your escaped convict of a girlfriend seemed like a nighttime endeavour.

"Alright." Laxus slammed the door. Jellal waited until he was in the house before backing down the driveway.

He considered stopping at the station to pick up his car but the likelihood of the press being there made him decide that he was too tired to leap through the appropriate hoops and he took the Tahoe home.

Well before Jellal made it into his apartment, he knew he had a visitor. He smelled her perfume in the elevator. That gave him a little burst of energy.

His apartment door was unlocked when he tried it and the smell of toasting pastry hit his nose. Again, his stomach cramped. He heard Beau's paws hit the floor and the shepherd rounded the corner at a run. Jellal expected her to jump but she circled his legs and told him in no uncertain terms what she thought of him being gone for so long. He couldn't help but agree and promised her a run. Later. After breakfast. After sleep.

"I took her out already."

Erza stood in the kitchen with her back against the counter, a plate of toasted waffles held out in front of her. At her side was a troublesome bottle of tequila.

"Thanks."

"Mmhm. Do you like waffles? I guess I found them in your freezer. So yes." She spoke a little stiltedly. Jellal determined she was just awkward letting herself in and not high. How many days would she appear in his home before she stopped feeling that way about it?

"Thanks."

Erza quarter smiled and handed him the plate. Jellal set it on the counter and took the knife and fork Erza offered, too. The first bite was almost too sweet, she'd doused everything in maple syrup and butter. It was satisfying in ways he couldn't quite pinpoint. He ate the rest quickly.

Erza draped herself on the counter, looking unintentionally sultry in the things she called pajamas, black silk shorts so short he could see the curve of her behind and a matching shirt so thin, he could see every detail of the skin beneath. It was distracting. "Did you get any more leads?"

"No."

"Pity."

"Do you actually feel that way?" Jellal asked.

"Why wouldn't I? I don't know how much longer we can keep our clientele coming around when they keep dying and I don't like walking outside to dead bodies."

Neither did he, when he opened Somnium's back door for Erza and her pipe and found the Mayor sprawled out on the pavement. "I'll do what I can."

"Please do. We don't only have male customers, but it's a pretty big chunk of our business. I had a man tell me tonight that he's never coming back and he was a weekly regular."

She didn't usually push him so hard. Jellal chalked it up to stress. "Is your mother putting pressure on you?"

Erza said bluntly, "She thinks if I'm going to keep a detective around, he should be worth his salt." Like her mother, her tongue was a weapon.

"We're working as fast as we can."

She looked like she had something else primed. Then she sighed. "She's being… difficult lately."

"In my experience, your mother's always been difficult."

"Yes," Erza agreed. "Yes, she has been."

Jellal ate the last piece of his waffle. Erza took his empty plate and dropped it in the sink, then went for the tequila and poured him a shot, and herself.

Jellal said, "I have to hit the road again soon."

"So you should drink faster."

"You're a bad influence."

"I've had a bad day."

"So what's your excuse for all the other times you're a bad influence?"

"Shut up." Erza pressed two fingers against the bottom of the shot glass and lifted it up to his mouth. He'd never had much of a strong constitution when it came to her and drank it back. Erza eased the sting, not with a lime but her tongue and pushed him back against the counter. If the tequila wasn't message enough, he knew absolutely what she wanted then. He put his shot glass on the counter so he could kiss her properly; she almost never initiated this level of intimacy and he wanted to squeeze out all of its worth.

Buttons presented no obstacle for Erza, she undid his coat, loosened his tie, and had his dress shirt undone in record time. Her hands were cold on his skin, and thorough, leaving their trace as they moved from his shoulders down to his belly button. Her mouth followed, much warmer. Jellal was stiff when she got to his pants and kissed through the material.

"Did you want to move to the bedroom?"

Erza looked up at him through thick, dark lashes. "We'd be there if I did."

She really was in a mood. He leaned back against the counter and let her do as she wanted. It was easier to let her get her frustrations out this way. And he liked it, to be honest, the way she pushed against his thighs and kept him flat against the counter, the way she undid his pants and pulled him out right there in the small, illuminated kitchen with the stove at his one side, the sink at the other.

Erza's impatience dripped from every action. She opened her mouth and took him inside. It took Jellal a moment to really appreciate the sensation, it only felt really good when she'd taken him in a few times, and even after that, Erza seemed to get more from it than he did, making short little moans and, when she cared to release him, grabbing her breasts and occasionally stroking between her legs. Jellal wanted to see more of her and slid the straps of her tank top down over her arms. Erza did the rest, pushing it down so her breasts came out.

"Grab my hair," Erza commanded, and Jellal did. Loosely at first, guiding her back into a steady rhythm but she seemed to really enjoy it so he tightened his hold and tipped his hips for her. It was really too fast for him to pick up on the nuances of her skill, but the way she was enjoying herself, the way she made herself come, made everything tighten for him. She kept going through her orgasm; her moans travelled through him. He said something that may have been a warning. Erza kept going so he came on her tongue.

Erza slowed to a stop and leaned back after Jellal released her hair. Red locks were everywhere, messy, her cheeks were high with colour. She wiped the back of her mouth and stood, reversing their places. Now she was against the counter and he was between her legs. She kicked off her shorts and pulled Jellal in so he was pressing against her, but no further, not while she went back for the tequila and took another huge sip, this one straight from the bottle, and another.

She handed it over to him and Jellal set it right back down. She didn't seem to notice that he didn't drink any or if she did, she didn't care, more interested in getting him to grab her. Jellal did that gently and kissed her that way, too, remembering how it wasn't so long ago she wouldn't let him have her like this. She had to control everything and absolutely no kissing. He wasn't foolish enough to think he'd won the war, she was still reserved and still got drunk or high when she wanted to be together, but he liked to think that he was at least getting his licks in. She came to his apartment, after all, she initiated this.

Erza's back bowed. There wasn't much room on the counter, her shoulders hit the cupboards and she couldn't lie back. That was okay. Jellal replaced his fingers with his mouth, kissing one of her pert nipples and then the other, and then backing up and bending so he could kiss between her legs that way. Erza's breathing elevated and she gripped his hair. He stopped before she could get too demanding and Erza huffed in frustration. He kissed that away and positioned at her entrance again. She wrapped her legs around his middle and pulled him in.

If there was one thing Jellal could say he liked best about being this way with Erza, it was the way she seemed to suck up every bit of enjoyment. She was vocal, not with praises but with moans, and very physical, in the sense that she was always either touching herself or touching him. How much was real and how much was an act? He never knew. He liked to believe she wasn't like this with other people, though, it made him feel less foolish for trying to court the Spider's only daughter, professional escort and the face of Somnium.

Erza grabbed his askew and loose tie and pulled him in close. Jellal thought it was to kiss him but it was to spit out a demand. "Harder. Fuck me."

Jellal draped Erza's legs over his arms and pulled her down so she was no longer sitting on the counter, just holding herself there with her planted elbows. He held her aloft and did as she asked, slamming into her and making her moans breathless. One of the shot glasses got dropped into the sink where it broke, the tequila bottle got pushed against the backsplash, the toaster behind Erza's head left crumbs in her hair when she tilted her head back. She was lovely. Drunk and needy and lovely. And orgasming. Jellal felt her spasm and her back bowed even further, cinching around him like a soft vice. Pleasure rolled through him, starting at his toes and moving up. He pulled out and came on her belly, ruining her very nice pajamas.

The seconds that followed were split by heavy breaths. Erza wiggled some and started to lift herself back up onto the counter with shaking arms. Jellal set her legs back on the ground. She didn't say anything. She didn't kiss him or scold him. She moved by him and went to the washroom. He heard the shower turn on.

Jellal took his time, picking up her shorts from the floor, cleaning out the sink, putting the cap back on the tequila bottle and cleaning the counter and the floor of any mess. When he was done, Erza was still in the shower so he decided that meant she wanted him to join her. There was no turning into him when he opened up the glass door and stepped inside. She barely acknowledged him, actually. Jellal thought like everything else, this was a front.

Water spray wetted his face and his hair. It was too hot; Erza always liked her showers like that. He preferred them cool. He moved her wet hair aside and kissed her shoulder and her neck and even her cheek. Her shoulders were stiff before he touched her waist. They dropped and she leaned back into him ever so subtly. If he wasn't always watching for her tells, he never would have noticed. He smiled. The war wasn't won, no, but he did like how many victories were on his side.

Erza renewed conversation with a macabre opener. "Do you really think Mira could be killing those people?"

"No."

Her shoulders dropped a little more and she leaned her back against his chest more fully. Water transferred from her skin to his, startlingly warm. "But you think she's involved?"

"I think it's suspicious that all those men were seeing her within an hour of their death."

"Do you think she's ordering them dead?"

Usually, Erza didn't let him wring her for information but it seemed to Jellal she was inviting him to do so. "I don't think Mira's that kind of girl, do you?"

"We're all capable of awful things."

"But why would she? Where's her motive?"

"Does motive matter?"

"Motive always matters." There was always a reason for killing. Vendettas, psychosis, passion. Poisoning took time and planning, so Jellal was inclined to believe that there was some kind of reason behind all this. She didn't just break and decide that she was going to poison random men, right? "Has she seen the victims before?"

"Mister Erigor would stop into Somnium on the rare occasion he was in town," Erza said. "He always saw Mira. Mayor Neekis, too. Simon… generally, he wanted to see me, but he went to Mira now and again. And Mister Connell…" She screwed up her face. "Does that matter? Mira has lots of customers. She's one of our most popular escorts."

"You were the one that brought this up," Jellal said, perhaps unwisely.

Just like that, she was angry again. "Because your presence at Somnium is disruptive. You're ruining Mira's customer base with these accusations."

"None of this is public knowledge," Jellal told her. "I haven't ruined anything."

"That reporter has been snooping around Somnium," Erza said. "She's been trying to get a peek at our log books and she's been cornering everyone she can for information. How long do you think it's going to be before she finds out that you're digging through Mira's client list and puts two and two together?"

"I have to go where the investigation takes me," Jellal said. "I can't skew the evidence."

She looked at him for the first time in many long minutes and Jellal read her clearly. He had once before, why not again?

They finished the shower in silence and afterwards, Erza dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and left without much of a goodbye. Jellal climbed into bed with Beau and tried to get as much sleep as he could, which ended up being six hours before he had to get up, take his dog for a cold and snowy run, shower again, and hit the road.

Dinner, which also happened to be breakfast, was a BLT on a bagel. Jellal bought Laxus one, too, to make up for the drinks he made his partner buy last night. Laxus ate it all and looked hungry for more. The only thing Jellal had was a bag of Doritos that Laxus gaily marched through while they parked at the mouth of road, waiting for Natsu to come tearing out of his driveway and into the city.

"He could choose to go the other way," Laxus reasoned, likely if Jellal had to guess, just to be a drag.

"If he's trying to throw someone off his tail, he'd chose the road most travelled," Jellal said. "Going the long way is too obvious."

"I think you're giving him too much credit. Or you're overthinking it. Hell, probably both."

Jellal took a handful of Doritos and crunched on them to avoid answering. He gambled choosing this route. There were only two ways into town, and Natsu had to choose one of them.

Laxus didn't let the silence linger for long. "What were you and Red doing out in the alley last night, eh? When you found Neekis?"

"What do you think?" Jellal responded.

"She wanted to do it out there? Is that like a thing for Somnium's girls? Because Mira will do it anytime anywhere. She loves it. I don't fucking want to get caught but what can I do?"

Jellal looked at his partner and shook his head. "Erza was smoking a joint, not trying to fuck."

Laxus huffed. "Never mind then."

"Have you talked to Mira since last night?"

"She's not answering her phone. I think she's mad we were asking her questions again."

It bothered him, that was obvious. Jellal tried to be supportive. "She'll get over it."

"You make it sound like we're fighting over which TV channel to watch. I'm investigating a murder and it doesn't fucking matter what I do, I keep coming back to her doorstep."

Jellal felt like he was chanting a mantra saying, "She knows that we'll follow the evidence, she said so when she said she'd rather us handle the investigation."

"She didn't count on everything pointing to her then, did she?"

"If she didn't do it, we'll figure it out."

Laxus scrubbed his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Have you talked to Capt about Neekis?"

"Briefly." Ultear was so unhappy, Jellal had to find an excuse to get off the phone with her. His ear was still ringing. "She wants a debriefing. I told her we had to follow up on a lead and we'd do it as soon as we're able."

Laxus puffed out his cheeks. "She's going to be mad when she realizes what kind of lead we're following."

"Nah. I have a good feeling about this one," Jellal said.

"Glad that's one of us."

The bag of Doritos got finished. Laxus turned to the radio, scrolling through the channels, listening first to music, then the news. Everywhere was talking about the asylum breakout and the Mayor's death, and the police's inability to comment on either. He got bored of that rather quick and turned to his phone. He was on that for another hour before informing Jellal that he didn't think Mira was mad anymore because she sent him compromising selfie.

"Proud of you," Jellal muttered, distracted by the set of headlights coming down the snowy road.

"I wonder if fucked up relationships are it for me," Laxus mused. "There was that chick in IA, remember? She was a fucking cuckoo. And before her, I knew this girl who seemed normal enough but then we got into the bedroom and she was into some weird shit. Weirder than Mira. Which is a level of weird on its own. In Police Foundations, one of my professors was in. She was hot. But scary. Pretty sure she could have kicked my ass. That's a weird feeling. Emasculating, actually. Didn't matter that she was telling me to fuck her, I always felt like I was the one being fucked. And then—"

"Remember that rambling TMI thing your grandfather does and how much it pisses you off?" Jellal said.

That got him a glower. "This is different."

"Actually, it's not."

"Have I ever shown you the old lady titties I get sent to me from Last Wishes? No. No, I haven't. Meaning this is totally different. I rest my case."

Jellal took in a deep breath. "This is likely regret, but what the hell is Last Wishes?"

Laxus laughed humorlessly. "It's a porn site for people over sixty-five. Gramps is part of it. His new favourite way to torture me is to take stills and send them to my email."

"Why do you open the emails?"

"Because. The tricky old bugger has made an army of email addresses mimicking the ones at the MPD," Laxus complained. "The other day, I got an email from what I thought was Captain Milkovich but when I opened it, you know what I saw? Sally Montgomery's tits."

"And that is?"

"A mature adult porn star," Laxus spat. "I fucking hate myself for knowing that."

Jellal grinned as he turned on the lights and pulled out of the pull off he'd hidden the Tahoe in.

"Where are we going?"

Jellal pointed ahead to the Chevelle that had passed. "That's our guy."

"Good eye." Laxus sat back and seemed to clear his head of all the nasty things his grandfather tried to fill it with. "Make sure you don't follow too close. Chances are, he'll be watching."

"Yeah," Jellal agreed and eased off on the gas, trailing six car-lengths behind, sometimes more. Natsu took a roundabout way to get to where he was going, stopping at a coffee shop and ordering something that he ate on the way, then heading to the drug store. Jellal put the Tahoe in the Hardware parking lot across the street and kept his eyes on the SS. It opened, Natsu got out and wandered into the store. It was hard to tell for sure but Jellal thought he was in the first aid aisle.

"What if he's just out running errands?" Laxus wondered.

"Then we wasted a lot of time," Jellal replied.

Laxus didn't thank him for his input.

Natsu came out again and took his car to the left. Jellal gave it a second, then started to follow once more. Natsu took a turn that brought him into the Stacks.

Laxus said, "Why is baby Dragneel slumming it in this part of town?"

Jellal saw a figure way ahead on the street corner. "He's picking up?"

"Okay. He can afford nice girls at proper bordellos. Why's he playing STI roulette with the girls out here?"

Jellal could think of a hundred different reasons why but the one that felt most appropriate was, "He doesn't want to be caught associating with them."

"He's never cared before."

Jellal shook his head, seeing the glint of pale hair in the streetlight and things made a little more sense if he was correct. "I don't think he's looking to fuck her. They're meeting up for something."

Natsu started driving again. Jellal took a left.

"Where are you going?"

"There's another road out to the main one," Jellal explained, coming up on a stop sign and waiting, looking down the main road to where Natsu would most likely turn. He saw the nose of the Chevelle but no blinker so he thought it safe to assume that Natsu was turning right. He made the same turn and ended up back behind him again.

"You got lucky," Laxus told him.

"I call it skill, but hey, whatever gets you through."

Natsu made a right on a short street. Jellal crept by and waited to see which way he turned at the stoplight before following through on another street and coming in behind him once more. The next time Natsu turned was a left on Watcher Avenue. Jellal mimicked him and when Natsu made a sharp right into a nondescript parking lot, Jellal kept driving past, circling around the block once, then choosing a spot for the Tahoe in another parking lot down the road.

Laxus was out before the truck's e brake was engaged and jogging down the street. Jellal locked the vehicle and followed, catching up with a little bit of effort. Laxus had long legs.

"Look, more reasons not to smoke," Jellal joked. "You're almost getting fast."

Laxus said something rude as he came around a building on a street corner. Jellal caught his arm and pulled him up short on not much more evidence than two sets of tracks, one large and one small, a man's and woman's if he had to guess.

"This is it."

The tracks led between two buildings. It was hard to make your steps quiet in snow; he tried walking on his tiptoes and then heel to toe.

A corner of one of the old grey brick buildings came up. Jellal peeked around it and saw that the tracks entered another industrial building, this one squat. Laxus mimed and went ahead first, checking in the window and then trying the door handle. It was unlocked. The door squealed open lowly. Jellal edged up to it and listened through the crack. He could hear a huge industrial heater, shoes, and voices, one high and reedy. Afraid, if he had to put a term to it. Out came his gun. He mimed for Laxus to open the door further and went in, gun first. Laxus followed, letting the door close behind him with a not-so-quiet click, despite his efforts to be covert.

The voices stopped. Jellal held out his hand, motioning for Laxus to stop, too. Neither one of them breathed for a whole thirty seconds.

"Don't touch me," said the woman.

"I thought I heard something."

"And I think you're crazy."

Jellal came unstuck. He crept closer, over a grey concrete floor illuminated by fluorescent lights. Soon, he was close enough that distance and large spaces didn't echo and distort the voices so much.

"Hang on."

"I told you not to touch me."

"Alright. Fine. No touching."

"Thank you."

There was a hallway. Jellal peeked around it and found a body on the floor. Male, and very, very still. That was all he could tell from this angle. Footsteps started and their quarry kept talking. Jellal put his back against the wall and motioned for Laxus to do the same.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe you. There is someone dead in here and now we have to call the police."

"Mira—"

"No. I don't care what you say, Natsu. I'm doing it." A distressed Mira came around the corner, face illuminated by her phone. She'd dressed up for the night in a tall pair of leather heels and a short skirt, playing the part of the freelance escort on the Stacks' corner. Natsu caught up with her easily, swiping the phone from her hands. A short scuffle ensued in which Mira pushed Natsu hard and sent him stumbling back. The phone fell from his hand, bouncing twice and spinning before coming to a stop, and they both scrabbled for it, shoving and in Mira's case, kicking Natsu when he was crouching to grab up the purple case. He swore and called her something awful. Mira balled her hand into a fist.

Laxus spoke before the blood could spill. "Stop. Both of you. Stand and separate."

Mira squeaked and jumped to attention. Natsu went for his hip, looking for the revolver there, no doubt. Jellal trained his gun on him. "Don't."

Natsu looked up at the barrel and reluctantly raised his hands. Mira sighed. "Fuck."