Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.
XXXX
"Did you manage to get the information I asked?"
The man who sat in front of the computer tensed and he already had his answer. He felt anger rise up in him but he contained it, waiting for him to say his final words.
"Sir," he croaked, "We got caught before we-"
The sound of his gun abruptly halted his subordinate speech, overcoming every other sound in the room. Then, the useless sack of blood previously seated on the chair, slid down to the floor with an unceremonious thud, littering it with blood and brains which gushed out from the open wound on his head. The wound his Master had opened with his gun.
A couple of gasps followed but were quickly stifled, because they all knew how much Master hated fear. The woman near them, who got a facial of blood and brains, looked ready to scream and cry but all she did was stare at the screen of her computer and clutch the mouse in her hand, hard enough to break it. That was fine; she knew how to survive.
Master eyed every single one of them, watching in satisfaction how their eyes darted away from his if their gazes happened to cross, before he finally sighed, bored and tired. "Clean this up," was the only thing he muttered as he walked out of the room.
Useless fucking wastes of space, he thought viciously on his way to his office. If he hadn't already wasted too much time finding them, since the previous ones were dead already, he would have killed them all again. He didn't give a shit about them; they were there to serve him and his goal. They were there to help him destroy this filthy world.
He was strong, of course he was, but he wasn't strong enough yet. He didn't have the means in his hands yet, the means these shitty old hags had.
But he was close, he was so fucking close he could taste victory on his tongue already.
There was only one thing standing in his way. That guy, the guy with the hood covering his face. Siegrain. He was the key, Master knew that much already. He was the key which would help him realize his dream. All he had to do was kill him.
But he didn't know how that guy was, what was his face like. All he knew was that he was part of the Council-
"Wait a minute."
Siegrain was one of them, right?
The smile that took over his face was edging to feral. Since they couldn't break their defenses, there still was a slightly more direct way.
He picked his phone and dialed the number of the man who could be of any use to him. When a man's rough voice answered his call, the smile on his face grew bigger.
"Get your ass over here as soon as possible. I have a job for you."
XXXX
"Erza, Erza... Long time no see, huh?"
"What the hell are you doing here?", Erza grunted tensely.
The blond chuckled in a humorless way. "What I've always been good at doing; following you," he stated bluntly, his blue eyes darting at Jellal, scanning him from top to bottom. "That yer new pet? You could do better."
"He's not-"
"If I recall correctly," Jellal grinned sarcastically, not intimidated by that guy at all, "You are the ex in our little company while I am still with her."
The scowl that took over Sting's face was the biggest satisfaction Jellal had gotten lately. "What was that?"
"Oh, other than an eyesore, you're also deaf." The blunet shook his head and sighed dramatically. "Such a shame."
Sting growled, his shoulders shaking in rage and Jellal smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing. Erza, however, didn't know what he was doing or who he really was, so she squeezed his arm and frowned at him, slight panic filling her gaze. "Don't taunt him!"
"You think you're tough?", Sting spoke before Jellal managed to tell Erza he had everything under control, "I'ma fuck you up, pretty boy."
"Pft, I beat up guys like you for warmup," Jellal scoffed.
What happened next was fast enough to give Jellal a whiplash; Sting's shoulders tensed up and in the blink of an eye, his right hook was sent flying towards Jellal's face, almost connecting with his jaw. Almost. Because Jellal reflexively caught the angry fist before it caused any damage. Their skins smacked together forcefully, Sting's joints clacking from the force and Jellal's palm was numb for a few seconds before it started to throb ever so slightly. But the pain wasn't enough to even make him flinch. He just held Sting's angry glare with his own, breathing heavily, until Erza's voice broke the ominous silence that had nestled between them.
"Stop this right now," she gritted, her tone dangerous and clearly containing anger, "Or there'll be one hell to pay."
Jellal suppressed the urge to break the asshole's fingers just yet and did as Erza said, letting go of Sting's fist, both his hands in the air in the form of surrender. Sting flicked his wrist and flexed his fingers but the nasty look he fixed Jellal with never wavered.
"Now that you're acting like humans again," Erza continued, calmer but still strained, "Jellal, I'd like you to give us some time alone. To talk."
That, the blue-haired man hadn't expected and he turned to his girl, brown eyes wide. "What?" Was she serious? "Do you really expect me to leave you alone with this asshole?"
"Jellal, I wasn't asking for permission," she stated evenly, her face expressionless, "Now if you were ever so kind to leave, I'd be grateful."
"If you ever so kind to leave," Sting mocked her voice and then grunted, "Just tell him to piss off."
Jellal snapped, "Want me to break your face, shithead?"
"Oh, I'd like to see you try!"
Clearly, neither of the two men saw Erza's hands move until they connected with their cheeks, leaving a stinging sensation. Jellal's head whipped at her direction, shocked beyond belief but everything he had to say died on his throat as soon as he saw her glaring daggers at him. Even his breath died in his throat and he in fact stopped breathing until Erza's eyes broke their spell and darted to Sting. "Jellal," she said, her tone clashing like a whip, "Give us some time."
Did she just establish her dominance?, Jellal mused and a very sudden heat overcame his body, overwhelming him. Fuck, that's hot.
No Jellal, this is not the right time to get turned on, a wiser voice chided, effectively snapping him out of his dirty thoughts, Get your shit right!
"Alright," he nodded curtly, then his eyes glanced over to that blond, who had a shit-eating grin on his face, a grin he would gladly wipe of had not Erza been present. "But I won't be far."
Erza offered a small smile before he left. "Thanks."
He didn't go far; he didn't even think about going further than twenty meters away from them, yet he couldn't hear anything they talked about. He could see them gravitating against each other under the dim light of the street and it irritated him more than he wanted to admit. Of course Erza didn't seem remotely excited to be talking to her ex, if her tense shoulders were any indication, despite the huge grin the other had on his face.
Jellal's hands were itching. Itching to get a hold of his gun and plant a few bullets in that guy's body, but he wasn't allowed to fire his gun unless it was a life or death situation.
Yet... Yet he had this odd uneasiness... The same skin-irking sensation he got whenever an upcoming disaster was about to happen. Restless brown eyes glanced at the surroundings, scanning every corner like he had been taught to. What he saw, however, made his whole body go rigid. That son of a bitch, Jellal mentally scoffed when he saw a dozen of men watching them from the darkness. Fuck, there was a very high chance they were all armed. And he wasn't fucking allowed to use his gun unless his life was endangered. He just hoped his and Erza's fists would do. Or maybe Erza was armed too. But he didn't know that.
So, he decided to take matters in his own hands.
Making sure he wasn't too suspicious, Jellal slowly drifted away from the light and into the darkness where he was so used to work. He fished the Swiss knife he always held in his pocket, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it but just in case it was necessary.
Sharp brown eyes scanned the area around him, spotting the targets ridiculously easy and Jellal moved towards the closest one. It was a man, five seven height, around sixty-five weight; thirteen meters away. Jellal tiptoed, approached, then, as soon as he was close enough, he lunged forwards, knocking the enemy out with just a couple of perfectly-aimed strikes. The man didn't have time to make a sound, which as good because it would blow Jellal's cover.
The blue-haired man handled three of Sabertooth's members like this before he noticed that they were starting to move closer to where Erza and Sting stood, in the form of a circle.
Mother. Fucker. They were more than twenty of them. That Sting-guy came prepared to capture Erza, didn't he?
Not when I'm here, Jellal mused and dashed in the darkness urgently. Even though he would have preferred his evening with Erza to end up on his couch with her on top of him while they pretended to watch something else on the TV, kicking some Sabertooth ass wasn't that bad. It had been a while since he had some action in his life, other than having Erza as his girlfriend and all, so he had missed the thrill of knocking out enemies without anyone noticing. He had been trained for that after all.
With the corner of his eye, Jellal kept the duo under his hawk gaze while he did his business in the darkness, however, he didn't manage to handle every one of Sting's men before the rest lunged towards Erza after Sting's command. Jellal cussed loudly and frantically searched the last guy's pockets for the existence of a gun - since he couldn't fire his, he might as well use someone else's, right? - finding a rather satisfactory pistol, which he took in his hand and rushed towards Erza's side. But he didn't just attack them head on; he went from behind, sneaking like the snake that he was, hitting the back of their heads and sending them to an unconscious sleep. He could see them, he could see their hands clasping around Erza, he could see ropes fastened around her wrists and ankles, he could see hollow muzzles pointing at her threateningly and Jellal growled, fishing out the gun he stole before.
He fired.
Everything after that spiraled in vertigo speeds; moans of pain pierced the stillness of the night, Erza's and Sting's wide eyes fixed on him - he kicked. He kicked someone away from him, he shot another on the leg, he punch a third and dodged a kick directed to the back of his thigh. It was easy. He could maneuver away from their attacks and bring them to their knees as if he was swaying to some sort of dancing routine.
Yet someone got him. Right before he almost got to that bastard Sting, someone jumped on his back and shoved him on the ground in a tight headlock, immobilizing him. Jellal saw stars at the impact, he heard his shoulder and a few ribs crack but he struggled through the pain, he struggled intensely against the vice grip but it was futile. The man holding him was far stronger than what Jellal had been trained for and he was crushing Jellal's respiratory system at the same time. Dying from asphyxia wasn't a way he wanted to leave this world, so he laid there still, glaring daggers at a now smirking Sting.
"I must say I'm impressed you managed to knock out so many of our elite men, but no one stands a chance against Orga," the blond said in triumph, "Thanks, big guy."
A gravelly deep voice cackled, "Heh, no probs."
"Let him go," Erza grunted with a frown, trying to free herself from the gripping hands, "I'll bloody come with you, just let him go."
Jellal wanted to say that he was okay but the pressure on his chest wasn't exactly making it easy for him to speak. Either way, Erza had eyes; she could see his compromising position herself, so lying would be unnecessary.
"Ha!", Sting snorted, "He's coming too. I'm sure some of us would love to beat him up."
Erza struggled again, her face morphing to a sneer. "You son-of-a-bitch, he has nothing to do-"
Her words were abruptly stopped by Sting's violent slap across her face. A gasp went past her lips and Jellal's eyes widened comically before his vision turned all the way red. He squirmed and grunted under Orga's weight, trying to free himself and beat Sting to a bleeding pulp but a white flash of hot pain coursed through his entire body at once, arresting him. Bide your energy, he reminded himself, You'll take care of Sting later.
"Shut up, bitch," Sting barked at her and he dared to yank her closer to him by the hair, "Nobody told you to fuckin' speak."
The fiery glare Erza threw him resembled the murder in Jellal's face. He was going to mutilate that bastard.
"You're not getting away with this and you know that," Erza hissed in his face.
Sting laughed loudly. "What can you fairies do to us?", he questioned smugly, "Kill us with glitter?"
"You were one of us too!"
"...and I've finally come to my senses." Sting shook his head, throwing Erza on the ground and kicking her. "Make peace, make peace..." He kicked her again. "That's why you scums aren't powerful."
Jellal couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't bear to watch that fucking piece of garbage treat Erza like this. Erza. His girlfriend. The most amazing woman in the world. She didn't make a fucking sound as he beated her. She only stared at him, her look full of...pity?
"We are family," she whispered shakily when his kicks stopped, "That's what makes us powerful."
"Family?", Sting barked mockingly, "You of all people should know exactly how empty that word is."
Erza's eyes filled with fear. "Sting no. Please."
However, Sting didn't answer her plea. Instead, he kneeled down at her level and grasped the hem of her shirt, toying with it in an almost threatening manner. "Have you shown him?", he purred, "Have you shown him your scars?"
Scars? What scars?
"Sting," she shook her head, eyes filling with tears, "Please don't."
"Have you shown him how ugly you really are?"
"Stop!"
The blond grinned evilly and when he slowly started to lift her shirt, Jellal knew. The shirt; Erza was always apprehensive about her body, apprehensive to direct touch, to revealing clothes. And that piece of shit got off with her fear? Because she was afraid. She was trying to squirm away from him, her features pulled to a mask of anguish and that was basically what set Jellal into action; gathering every bit of his strength, he undulated his body violently and the giant man's balance faltered above him which was enough for him to free himself. Three others lunged themselves at him but despite the excrutianting pain all over his body, Jellal was able to reward them with a kick or a bullet in non-vital points, yet it was enough to bring them to their knees.
The smug expression was gone from Sting's face as the man stood up again. "You don't give up, do ya?"
Jellal tossed away the now empty gun and clenched his fingers around his Swiss knife. "Unfortunately for you, I don't," Jellal grunted, containing his anger with difficulty, "I'll fuck you up, scumbag."
Sting took out his gun and sneered, "We'll see, pretty boy."
It all happened within milliseconds; Sting's gun fired once, twice and Jellal ducked and rolled his body around to avoid getting hit with an ease that resembled a ninja. Sting's eyes widened momentarily and this mere second his guard dropped was enough for Jellal to deliver the final hit; a punch to the solar plexus, which forced the blond's body to fold forwards, then a side-kick to the head, which in turn sent Sting face-to-face with the ground. Leaping towards the wobbling man, Jellal managed to pine him with his body and immobilize his hands behind his back before he got up again. Sting dropped his gun and moaned in pain when Jellal laced his fingers with his hair and shoved his face hard in the dirt.
"Anything witty you'd like to add, pretty boy?", Jellal spat viciously and lifted Sting's head so that he could bang it on the asphalt again. Sting's groan of pain made him smile humorlessly. "That's what thought, you piece of shit."
The body underneath him moved around desperately but soon realized that Jellal held him down for good. "Fucker!", Sting cussed in frustration.
"Heh, you got that right," the blue-haired man cackled and yanked that blond head towards his chest, making Sting's spine to bend in a very uncomfortable position. "So if I ever see you around Erza again, I will kill you, I promise." He pushed Sting's face on the ground again, gaining satisfaction by the pained groans the man made. "I will kill you and your entire motherfucking guild," Jellal hissed, "But for now, you scum, eat some fucking dirt."
Sting had the audacity to laugh at him, even though he was in such compromising position. "Don't be so fucking full of yourself," he grunted, "What do you know about Sabertooth?"
Jellal's mouth twitched. Oh the irony. "I know enough to destroy all of you."
"Che."
Jellal wrapped his fingers around Sting's neck and squeezed. "You doubt me?", he murmured in fake-hurt while the blond made distressed noises. "I'm hurt."
"Nhgggh!"
"It's nothing for me to kill you right now," Jellal whispered in Sting's ear, "But you may be useful to me in the future, so I won't."
He finally released the other man, who started gasping and wheezing for some air while Jellal stood up and glared at him. Sting slowly sat up and his blue eyes locked with Jellal's, lips pulled in a sneer...but the bitter expression fell as soon as the blond took in Jellal's face, only to be replaced by shock. All alarms went of in the blue-haired man's head and his entire body went rigid when he saw realization dawn in his enemy's eyes.
Oh shit. He recognized me.
"Wait, you are Lo-"
Jellal kicked the blond in the face almost reflexively and Sting fell unconscious instantly. Fuckery, that was a close one. Revealing that he was Lord fucking Siegrain in front of Erza wouldn't be a good thing. The woman had been through enough for the night, another shock wouldn't be good for her health.
Speaking of which, Jellal turned his attention to the red-haired woman, after he made sure Sting was alive but nowhere near regaining consciousness, and quickly made his way towards her, scanning her for any possible injury. He could see her hands shaking ever so slightly and her lip was slightly slit, but these were nothing compared to the astonished look on her face. Her brown eyes were wide and big and staring directly at him, as if she was trying to see through him. She suspected that there was something up with him, she wasn't dumb. Nowhere fucking near dumb actually. She just saw him taking out thirty people on his own; that wasn't something an ordinary civilian could do.
Jellal knelt in front of her and cut the restrains around her wrists and ankles, avoiding her gaze like the plague. "Are you alright?", he asked instead.
"Jellal, what the hell was that? H-How..?"
He couldn't avoid it after all.
Jellal looked up at her dumbfounded eyes and cupped her face, caressing her cheekbone. Her face was still slightly redder where Sting slapped her. "Did he hurt you too much?"
She frowned deeply. "Jellal, nevermind me," she said, "How the hell did you take so many of Sabertooth's men down?"
"I just did," he shrugged stiffly. The lies were bitter on his tongue and he hated it.
Of course Erza wasn't buying any of his unonvincing act. "Are you specially trained?"
Fuck, she's persistent. "Erza, let's go home -"
"Which guild are you in?"
"I'm not in a guild."
She grabbed the front of his shirt. "Don't lie to me, Jellal," she scowled.
"Erza," he tried to calm her down, rubbing her wrists gently, "I suggest we go home and make sure you are alright first. I will explain everything when the right time comes. We have all the time in the world."
Erza stayed quiet for a few seconds, her eyes fixed on him hard enough to make him nervous but in the end, her expression softened and she nodded. "You're right," she muttered, "That was an...event."
"It was," Jellal agreed, "I'm very concerned about you though, because he...well, he said and did some things. Are you alright?"
She shook her head negatively. "No, not at all. I'm very upset."
Shit. "You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"You want me to hug you?"
"No." She stared at her feet, her arms awkwardly wrapping around herself. "Please don't touch me at all for now, if it's okay with you."
Jellal pulled his hand away from her face almost instantly. Although he really wanted to squeeze her in his arms until her distress vanished, maybe not touching her at all was what she needed more. So he understood. "What is okay with you is okay with me too."
She smiled in gratification. "Thank you."
"Don't even mention it. Let's go back."
Their walk back home was dead quiet, tense but somehow it was the best they could do in a situation like that. Jellal's back and ribs ached like a motherfucker, his throat was dry and sore, his shoulder thankfully not dislocated but he was nervous as hell because the time to tell Erza about him had come. How on earth could he tell her? Hey Erza, in my free time I am Siegrain, the head of the Council? How about no. He didn't want to lose her; he didn't want her to push him away because he was practically her boss. Ah, this was so hard.
Things were perfect, he mused bitterly, Why did it turn out like this?
Jellal had given up on a normal life with his significant other yet that didn't mean he wanted to give up on Erza. Erza was different; she completed him in a way. Maybe it was just the infatuation talking but she did make him very happy.
He facepalmed and huffed in despair and his obvious distress didn't go unnoticed by the intelligent woman walking next to him. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"
"No, it's just... I didn't ask for any of this," Jellal muttered, "I just wanted a normal life."
"It's all my fault."
"Of course not, sweetheart. You are the best thing in my life right now."
Erza blushed and chuckled weakly. "You're such a sap."
Jellal managed to smile a little too. "I'm serious."
"...Idiot."
"Of course."
That playful banter was enough to lighten up the mood ever so slightly but not it was yet not enough to relieve their stress. They argued slightly on the elevator, Erza wanting to go to her house and Jellal insisting she came to his, which was basically what happened and it would have happened even if the world ended. Jellal wasn't going to leave her alone. Probably she wanted to be alone and that was fine, however, what if she went into a shock and he wasn't there to help her out? Plus, what if the scums from a Sabertooth knew where she lived and paid her a visit later? No one assured him that Gray or Lyon were still there and Jellal wasn't risking it.
Eventually the redhead admitted defeat and followed him in his apartment, quickly claiming the shower. It was fine. It gave Jellal some time to think and relax his tight nervous system. He left some of his clean clothes on his bed for her - a pair of sweatpants and a shirt really - and dropped his entire weight on his couch in the living room. Long fingers pushed through blue tresses restlessly and a long sigh escaped his lips. What a fucking night, he mused humorlessly. No, of course it wasn't entertaining. First of all, because Erza was upset and secondly because he had to pay a very personal visit to Sabertooth's headquarters. The sooner the better too. Maybe they were the ones behind the cyber attacks, they did have a motive. This time, however, he would go prepared; Urtear and Meldy were coming with him.
I'll call them later, he decided as the dull dripping sound of the shower came to an end, Now I have to make sure Erza is alright.
At that moment, the redhead stepped out of the bathroom, clad in steam and a fluffy towel but she didn't spare a word to him as she went straight to his bedroom and shut the door. Jellal stood up and concerned as he was, he gently knocked on the door. "Erza?"
He response was muffled. "Hm?
"I have some clothes for you on the bed."
"Yeah, I saw them."
She sounded strained and Jellal swallowed his nerves thickly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay."
It was a lie but Jellal wouldn't press her if she didn't want to talk. "Listen," he added, "I'm taking a shower too. If you need anything, just yell."
"Okay."
Albeit still hesitant to leave her alone, Jellal excused himself to the shower which he very much needed. He turned the water to the scalding hot section because there was no other way his stiff muscles would unwind and he just stood there, waiting for the voices in his head to shut up. He could see the bruises forming on his torso from the impact with Sabertooth's Orga but his ribs didn't feel broken, thankfully. However, he would do an X-ray some time soon, just to confirm it.
Jellal wasn't sure how long he stayed in there but when he gathered his wits to get out, his skin had reddened enough to make him look like a freaking lobster. He wrapped himself in a towel and stepped out, only to break into goosebumps as soon as his bare skin came in contact with the chiller air of his apartment. Shivering he headed towards his bedroom, however, he halted on his tracks because the door was still closed.
"Erza?", he called out while knocking, "You still in there?"
"Mn, yeah."
He didn't like how broken her voice sounded. "Is it okay if I come in?"
Moments ticked slowly as he waited for her answer. "Yeah, it's fine," she muttered in the end.
Without further ado, and a little to hastily because he was worried, Jellal pushed the door open only to have his fears confirmed; Erza sat on his bed, wearing his clothes and sniffling every once in a while. She didn't look up when Jellal came in. She didn't even acknowledge his presence when he sat down next to her. Jellal had to kneel on the floor in front of her to catch her gaze. "Erza," he said sternly, "Look at me."
She complied, albeit reluctantly and the sight of her red-rimmed eyes, Jellal felt anger bubbling up his throat. I'm gonna kill that Sting guy next time I see him, he mentally promised but kept his face soft. "What's wrong?"
Her brown eyes dropped to her lap again and she shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Are you hurt somewhere? You wanna go to the hospital?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Physically, I'm fine."
That was good to hear, considering how rough Sting had been with her before, yet, Jellal still had this urge to touch her and sooth her sadness away but she had asked him not to. So he swallowed and tried again. "I know you may want to be left alone but seeing you cry breaks my heart. Please, lemme help."
Erza fixed him with one of her scanning stares and in the end, she wiped the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sting...", she started hoarsely and Jellal could feel his eyes narrowing dangerously, "It's about what Sting said."
"Whatever came out of his mouth was crap," Jellal cut her off, "So don't let it get to you."
"He's...", she tried, another tear rolling down her cheek, "He's not wrong... I am ugly."
So that's what it is. Jellal paused and took a deep breath to calm himself down before he said, "I promise I'll kill him next time."
"That's not-"
"Erza," he added earnestly, "You're the most beautiful person in this world."
She shook her head defiantly. "That's because you haven't seen me...naked. Sting has."
Only the image of this jerk eyeing his woman made Jellal sick to his stomach but he swallowed the bile that threatened to come out the wrong way. "I don't get what you want to say, sweetheart. Unless you want to make me wanna kill him more, because if that's what you're after, it's working."
Erza gave him a long, pained look before she reached for the hem of her shirt and just...took it off. Jellal blinked in shock and even though it was one of the rare times Erza had a bra on, he blushed slightly at the so sudden display of soft-looking, creamy skin. But that was until his eyes saw something he wish he hadn't; there, upon Erza's flawless and very much freckled skin laid patches of nasty scars. Burn scars. Cigarette burn scars. They were everywhere, on her chest, sides, abdomen and something told Jellal they would be on her back too. They weren't that many but they were enough to make his breath catch on his throat. He looked up at Erza's strained expression. "Who... Who did this to you?", he breathed.
The red-haired woman chewed her bottom lip so much it started to bleed. "I never met my parents," she started, her voice a mere, shaking whisper, "I still don't know what happened to them. In the orphanage I grew up in, they told me they found me in the..." She sobbed. "...in the garbage can one rainy night."
Jellal's chest constricted painfully. And he thought he had it bad with his partially erased memories. Erza had all of her memories and her pain was much worse.
"Until I was ten," she continued quietly, "I stayed with them. In England. But then a man and a woman decided to adopt me. They looked nice and pretty and they were very rich; what else a lonely child like me could have asked?" She laughed without humor. "They took me to America a few years later, because their house was there and..."
"And?", Jellal prodded, nearly breathless with anticipation.
Erza peered at him through her lashes, the glanced back at her lap. "Then the problems started; the man's work started going wrong thus the money was less, the woman spent too much at the same time as she tried to cover up the problem in their social cycle... The man started drinking. He..." She swallowed, her body trembling. "He took his anger out on me. On my body. He..."
"The cigarettes," Jellal whispered, his eyes wide as the realization dawned on him.
Erza nodded and sobbed. "He said it was my fault they didn't have money. He said he wasted too much money on me, to feed me and educate me and dress me... The woman was jealous of me because people praised my looks and...and she told me how ugly I was. She said that no man would ever want me with those scars. She told me every day."
"She was a psycho, Erza," Jellal gritted out, "You know that's not true."
Erza however didn't seem to be aware of his words because she kept talking. "I ran away after a while, I couldn't take it. And I lived in the streets... Until Master found me and took me under his wing." A small smile grazed her lips and she finally looked up. "Fairy Tail is my family. These people you met, Gajeel, Laxus, Natsu, Gray, Lyon and so many others, they are my family. Without them, I have nowhere else to go."
Jellal tried to smile at her but the frown that marred her face once again killed whatever intention he had. "Sting was a Fairy Tail member too," she murmured, "He was someone I came really close with. Both physically and emotionally. So I told him my story. I showed him the scars..."
Albeit irritated at the memory of that shit, Jellal asked, "And?"
"He said I am ugly," Erza barely whispered.
This explains a lot, Jellal thought sarcastically. He was so mad, so fucking mad; at Erza's adoptive father, at her adoptive mother, at Sting, at anybody who would ever think of hurting a creature like her. Suppressing all that anger wasn't an easy thing but Jellal tried; he licked his lips and sighed. "Your taste in men is bloody horrible, mate," he said.
A small smile tugged the edges of Erza's mouth upwards. "I'll say," she clipped.
"Since you know that, why do you listen what they say?"
"Eh?"
"Sting is a freaking jerk," Jellal deadpanned, "Why does it matter to you what he thinks?"
Erza hesitated to answer, worrying her lower lip. "Then," she stuttered, "Then what do you think?"
Although he wasn't sure what he was being asked, Jellal replied in the most general but earnest way he could. "I think that you're the most beautiful person in this world. Scars or no scars."
She chuckled sadly. "You're just trying to rub salve to my wounds."
"Erza," Jellal stated, making sure she was looking at him when he said it, "I am so fucking in love with you I don't know what to do with myself. Everything about you is perfect to me. I ain't rubbing no salve to no wounds, believe me."
A new round of tears filled her eyes and she averted her gaze. "No one is perfect," she argued lamely.
"Of course not," Jellal agreed, "But what we're looking for in this life is someone to see perfection in our imperfections too."
Brown eyes locked with his and Erza smiled a little. "You really think that?"
Jellal tilted his head to the side. "If I really think you're perfect? Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, if you let me, I'll make the sweetest love to you just to prove my point."
"It won't be necessary," she chuckled.
"It's not something I wouldn't enjoy to be honest, so don't try to be polite and save me from the effort."
Erza cupped his face and grinned. "You are trying so hard," she teased.
Although a little heartbroken to be turned down, Jellal was glad to see a smile on her face once again. He leaned into the touch and winked. "Anything for you, beautiful."
Despite snorting derisively, Erza quickly closed the distance between their faces and their lips touched tenderly, slanting over each other in a comforting way. It was great, it was emotional, it was fucking beautiful and it was Jellal's green card to touch Erza again because the redhead started pulling him closer to her. He couldn't deny a request like that, he could barely resist the temptation himself, so he climbed to his feet and they fell on the bed as one. Erza hooked her legs around his waist and caressed his back while they kissed, even daring to push the towel around his hips down in order to grab his ass. This was bad; this was really bad. Because Erza was being daring and a daring Erza was sexy and sexy things usually turned Jellal on like a switch. And all that combined with her intoxicating scent which mixed with his shower gel, as well as her teasing tongue, were enough to have Jellal's blood pooling down south.
"I think," he gasped as he forcefully ended their kiss, "I think I should put some clothes on."
Erza panted underneath him, her face and chest flushed with what Jellal hoped was arousal but she nodded nonetheless. "I think it's a good idea."
Although he really hated parting with her warmth, Jellal hopped off the bed and hastily covered his butt with the towel while digging in his closet for some clean underwear. With the corner of his eye he caught Erza staring at his backside and because he wanted to get completely rid of the heavy mood from before, Jellal just let the towel pool around his feet. Erza's tiny gasp - which she tried to mask with a cough - entertained him plenty.
"Your butt is cute," she said moments later.
Jellal turned around and grinned at her, after he tucked himself in of course. "I'm glad it pleases you."
She flicked her hair, trying to hide the blush on her face but it was just too evident. "What are we gonna do now?"
"I think sleep is a good idea."
"I think so too."
Jellal finally got a shirt and some pants on and they nestled under the comforter. Erza clung to his side as he switched the lights off, her breathing evening out in a matter of minutes and Jellal held her, he held her tight but he didn't sleep. He couldn't sleep. His mind was too busy. After everything Erza revealed to him about her painful past, after what happened with Sabertooth not so long ago...his nerves were far too taut for sleep to take him over.
I have to pay Sabertooth headquarters a visit, he decided with determination and carefully detached himself from his girlfriend. He closed the door of his bedroom, quietly not to wake her, and switched on the lights in his living room. Phone phone phone, he muttered absently until he found the device somewhere in the pockets of his jeans from before. It was surprising but it hadn't shattered under Orga's weight, which was good.
He went to his speed dial and clicked on the first name on the list. The name of his most trusted person in this world. The line rang. It rang and rang for quite a while before a gruff and agitated voice answered, "Jellal, do you understand that it's three in the fucking morning-"
"Urtear." He could literally hear his partner go rigid at his tone. "Take Meldy and come at my house. We have a problem."
XXXX
So because I've received a bunch of annoying anonymous requests (which I've deleted of course) about updating this story, I'mma say this once and never again; I'm busy. Very fucking busy. I understand that you want to read the continuation, but I must have some free time in order to sit down and write it properly, arite? This year has been hell on me and I definitely don't need rude people pissing me off.
Between us, if you really can't stand the wait, it's not my fucking problem. I have already mentioned a thousand times that the updates are not going to be often. Please read my A/Ns or visit my profile to learn that I am currently on hiatus. For every fic.
To those who are always there, leaving kind reviews and putting up with my sporadic updates patiently, thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness and understanding are greatly appreciated and I will continue this story for you only.
How was this chapter? I made it extra long to make up for the lack of updates... Editing was hell, but I hope you liked it! ^_^