Reverse
Jellal slumped back into his seat. Reading and signing documents were definitely not the best way to start the day.
Sighing dejectedly, he stood up and started to sort through the stacks of files on his desk.
A quick glance told him that the stack of documents on his left were way overdue their deadlines and he picked it up - feeling slightly happier - before dumping it on the floor heavily. Just another four stacks to go.
He shifted the weight of another stack into his arms and placed it at the corner of his desk. Letting out a loud sigh, he sat down at his desk. At least he could see the door now that the documents were piled on both sides of his desk.
A hand reached up to select a file but Jellal soon found that he couldn't quite reach it. Growling obscenities under his breath, the king stood up abruptly and grabbed the offending file. Sitting back down, he flipped it open and started reading, all the while still muttering darkly.
Slowly, Jellal found himself carrying out the task mechanically. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't hear the soft knock on his door or see the figure enter quietly.
A steaming mug of hot coffee was placed on the small spot on the desk that he had managed to clear. He didn't look up but his hand reached for it gratefully and he murmured distractedly, "Thanks Coco."
Something registered faintly in his mind that something was different today but he was too busy to notice. As he took a sip of the liquid, she spoke up. "My apologies for interrupting you, Your Highness."
His eyes widened and he nearly spat out his mouthful of coffee - be it because it tasted disgustingly like bitter water or because he recognized the familiar voice – he didn't know. Coughing slightly, Jellal set the cup down and looked up to find Erza staring at him with an amused expression on her face.
"Erz…I mean Captain Knightwalker, what are you doing here? Why…" He asked, gesturing at the mug of coffee.
Erza held back her laughter as she replied. "Coco was called away by Captain Dreyar. I happened to be passing by so I was given the task of preparing your coffee."
Jellal eyed the beverage warily. He was sure that he would die of food poisoning if he took another sip but he plastered a smile on his face, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
"Well then, thank you Captain," he said pleasantly.
Trying to ignore the bitter aftertaste on his tongue, Jellal picked up his pen and started to sign the document in front of him. He could still feel her gaze burning into him and he murmured, "Anything I can do for you, Captain Knightwalker?"
Erza straightened up slightly. "I would like to request permission for two weeks leave, Your Highness."
His pen slipped suddenly, leaving a long pen mark all across the piece of paper. He berated himself mentally. He was overreacting to everything little thing she did. It was ridiculous.
Sighing, he decided to abandon the task at hand and concentrate on the female in front of him. He spread out both of his palms, signaling for her to explain.
Erza nodded and continued. "I was hoping that I could go on leave to return home to…tie up some loose ends in regards to my marriage."
Jellal did not speak for a moment. For some reason, his heart was pounding against his chest so hard that he was sure Erza could hear it. He had forgotten about the whole thing. As memories of Laxus' blackmail came back to him, he stood up uncertainly.
Erza stared at him expectantly.
He cleared his throat quietly. "Of course, of course. Please, take all the time you need." His eyes flickered around the room nervously as he refused to look at her. Shuffling the papers on his desk, Jellal spoke again. "This is in preparation for one of the most important days in your life after all."
Relief was evident in her eyes and Erza saluted stiffly in thanks. "Thank you, Your Highness." She took a deep breath. "However, I'm afraid Captain Dreyar will have to accompany me as well since he has to organize some things for the tournament as 'adjudicator'."
As if on cue, Jellal took a step to his left, narrowly avoiding a hug aimed at him as said captain swung in through the open window and slid across the desk, throwing all of the papers into the air, and landed on his back in front of the female.
"Nice of you to drop in Laxus," Jellal smirked. He needed some excitement in his life at the moment. Paperwork was just pure torture.
The blonde groaned. "You're as good as they all say. How did you know?"
The blue haired man shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? I'm just that good." He grinned as he rounded the table. Extending a hand to the blonde, he jerked his head at Erza briefly. "Besides, Knightwalker would have taken your head off if you were an assailant."
"Good point," Laxus grunted as Jellal pulled him off the ground. Erza grinned easily as Laxus gave her a high five.
Jellal laughed. "Laxus, you can go with Knightwalker on one condition." He grinned wickedly. "Finish the paperwork here," he said, gesturing at the papers strewn all over his office.
At this point, Erza burst out laughing at the look of horror and mortification on Laxus' face.
"Come on Jellal! This is torture!" he whined.
"Welcome to my world," Jellal retorted dryly.
"I don't believe this…" Laxus snarled irritably and set to work, picking up all of the papers at his feet.
The king grinned as he made eye contact with Erza. He reached for the coffee on his table - which had somehow survived the blonde's surprise attack - and held it up to his lips before he remembered and instead set it back down on the table. He was too young to die yet.
Erza saluted once more and turned to leave at Jellal's dismissal. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to face him.
"If I may ask, Your Highness, is Mystogan back yet?"
The two men froze momentarily. Laxus glanced up from where he was crouched and he met Jellal's gaze. A silent understanding passed between them and Jellal said, "Um…yes, he just got back from his mission."
He winced at how stupid it sounded. Mages did not return from a 100 year old mission after three months only.
Swallowing, he called out at her retreating back. "Captain Knightwalker."
She stopped mid-step and turned to look at him.
He took a deep breath. "What is your relationship with Mystogan?"
Silence ensued. Laxus straightened up slowly, looking between the two of them curiously.
A blush crept up along Erza's neck as she tried to conjure up a decent reply. There was a glimmer of hope and expectation in Jellal's eyes and this confused her. Did he want them to be together?
He licked his lips nervously and her eyes darted down to his mouth before flickering back to his face. Somehow, she had a feeling that there was a deeper, hidden meaning behind his question.
"We're…we're friends, colleagues." She said, trying to keep her tone professional.
The tension was so thick at this point that it was almost suffocating. The two of them did not move, but there seemed to be some sort of connection. Jellal took a step backwards, almost as if to put some distance between them before he spoke softly.
"That's all?"
His eyes gave nothing away but Erza could feel the disappointment in them. She fought back the urge to smile. Did Jellal really approve of their relationship that much?
Laxus cleared his throat loudly. "Well," he grinned, trying to break the tension, "I'll see you in the morning then Knightwalker." He gave her a little wave as she left the room, clearly disturbed.
As the door closed with an audible 'click', the blonde said quietly, "She didn't mean it, don't worry Jellal."
Jellal sighed. "I hope so." He glanced at Laxus.
The captain grinned, "Yeah yeah, I know. I won't let any of her suitors touch her while we're there."
"You know me too well."
The moment Erza set foot in her house, she was dragged off to meet her parents before being locked in her room for hours as she had her measurements taken down for her wedding dress.
He had not moved from his spot in the courtyard all this time. Sitting on the steps in front of one of the many exits, he leaned back, resting his aching head against the cool wood as he breathed in the fresh air deeply.
Erza's house was modeled after the ancient Japanese houses, with the curved rectangular tiled roofs and the beautiful dragon sculptures balanced delicately on the corners. Surrounding the huge complex was an even larger courtyard, which was in turn framed by a maze of walls.
Slowly, he stretched lazily and struggled to his feet. Laxus shuffled over to the pond and stared down at the koi swimming leisurely. Somehow, the blur of gold, orange, silver and black seemed to relax him and his breathing slowed down as his eyes glazed over. Gradually, his thoughts drifted back towards Jellal and Erza.
Laxus loved helping the two of them out, trying to get the two of them to realize their feelings. But on the other hand, he recognized the importance of the two of them developing the relationship themselves. He could push them in the correct direction but he couldn't develop it for them.
He closed his eyes tiredly. Over the months, the whole ordeal had also helped him sort out his own priorities. Seeing Erza and Jellal had reminded him of the times when he had first started to date Erza, when he had been in love. With a pang, he realized that he wanted to settle down as well.
Someone called his name behind him and he turned around.
"They decided to call it a day for today," Erza explained breathlessly.
Laxus slipped back into his carefree mood easily as he teased her. "So why is it that you look like you've been chased all around the complex?"
The female punched him on the arm lightly. "That's because my suitors weren't as understanding as my parents were."
A scuffling noise echoed around the courtyard as someone shot around the corner.
"You're got to be kidding me," Erza murmured to herself.
A flamboyant looking man rounded the corner. He was wearing a thick fur coat, seemingly immune to the sweltering heat of the summer sun, and had long white hair that trailed down his back in messy strands. His wrinkled face was also framed by a long white beard and he wore a black eye patch on his right eye.
"Erza baby!" He cried, overwhelmed by joy now that he had finally caught up with the female.
Erza shuddered but Laxus let out a loud whistle. "Damn Erza, you've even got Purehito wooing you?" He let out a bark of laughter. "Isn't he like a hundred or something?"
Hades sidled over to her, eyes moist with tears. "I haven't seen you for so long, my dear," he crooned in a sickly voice.
"I don't believe we've even met," deadpanned Erza.
Hades ignored her pointedly and gushed enthusiastically, "And you're looking as beautiful as ever, ah what is this young love?" He threw his arms into the air before sinking down to one knee.
Erza was to busy struggling to keep her temper in check to tell him that he was nowhere near 'young'.
Laxus, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. He snorted loudly and Hades turned his attention to the captain. "And who is this mighty fine young fellow?"
Erza rolled her eyes as Laxus grinned wickedly. "Who, me?" He pointed at himself with dramatic effect. "I'm her boyfriend," he smirked.
Both Erza and Hades gaped at him.
Laxus feigned innocence. "What?"
Erza glared at him and shoved him towards the exit. "My apologies Lord Purehito, there has been some misunderstanding," she growled.
Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door shut behind them.
"What was that about?" She demanded, placing a hand on her hip.
"Just trying to save your sexy ass, that's all." Laxus retorted.
Her hands found themselves wrapped around his neck immediately. "Ack…what the heck are you doing? Can't…breathe…" Laxus choked out.
The redhead inhaled deeply, trying desperately to calm her fraying nerves. "It's only been a day and I feel like I'm going crazy."
Laxus chuckled. "Well, you're probably not going to enjoy what's coming next then."
"What's coming next?"
The door was flung open with perfect timing, smashing into the blonde's face. This time, a huge, overweight man with dark, spiky hair appeared in the doorway. He was sweating bullets, and at the sight of the woman, he immediately knelt down onto the ground. Extracting a sorry looking piece of paper from his pocket, he started reciting a poem monotonously.
"Dearest Erza," he stammered, "your hair is the colour of tomato sauce and you remind me of a blood coloured rose, beautiful but prickly…"
He was swiftly interrupted by Erza. "Lord Kain, are you trying to insult me?" She ground out between gritted teeth, massaging both her temples.
Kain never got to reply as he found himself flattened by the door which he had flung open only moments earlier.
Laxus picked himself off the floor painfully, rubbing at his sore nose. He had torn the door off its hinges in his rage and flung it at the man mercilessly as irritation finally got the better of him.
"That idiot! Is he trying to kill me?" He snarled bitterly. "Come on," he grabbed Erza's hand, "we're getting out of here before another one of your stupid suitors shows up and kills me."
They found themselves sitting on the roof, overlooking the courtyard. The sakura trees had started to blossom and the cherry blossoms fell down like a whirlwind of pink snow. The wind weaved through the petals and curled around them delightfully, dancing along with them.
"I love your place. It somehow gives off this really soothing vibe, you know?"
Erza smiled and flopped down on her back. "It is. My family's really traditional but you probably gathered that already." She glanced at Laxus, who in turn shot her a broad grin. "Probably that's why my father drilled into me the whole idea of fulfilling my duties and all that. Well, at least he didn't try to convince me to commit seppuku if I ever failed to do so." She laughed lightly.
"So, I'm guessing that he wants your fiancée to be a brilliant fighter to carry on the Knightwalker tradition?" Laxus offered. She nodded.
"Well what do you know? You've already found one." Erza sat up quickly as Laxus continued, "A dashing young captain of the Royal Edolas army. With the looks, the talent and a very, very long and big…" He trailed off, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. That earned him a punch on the arm.
"Geez, chill Knightwalker. I was just talking about myself," he mumbled. "But seriously, you've been a lot happier since you met him. You never used to laugh that much when we dated." Laxus pouted in mock jealousy.
Erza stared out into the courtyard, watching intently as the sakura landed softly on the water. Softly, she spoke. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For breaking it off so suddenly without trying to work things out or talk things over," she whispered.
"Hey." Laxus slipped his hand under her chin and tilted it up so that she was staring at him. "I understand. We were young and we made some mistakes. I got sent to the border and it just happened." He retracted his hand suddenly. "No hard feelings. In fact, we make better friends than lovers."
She stared at him wordlessly for a moment before she broke out into a smile. Laxus shifted over slightly so that they were sitting closer together.
"So, tell me honestly," he said seriously, "do you like Mystogan or Jellal?"
"I don't like Jellal," she responded defensively. "I…"
Laxus threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Erza, I've known you for five years. And I've dated you for two of those five years. I know when you're lying." He chided gently. "Besides, I recognize that look in your eyes."
She glanced at him guiltily but he looked away, eyes unreadable. It was that look in her eyes that still tugged at his heart strings. She had used to look at him that way too. Back when they were in love. But then he turned back to her and grinned and all was well again.
"Come on, tell me."
There was something about the blonde that made her let her guard down around him and she caved in. "I like Mystogan," she confessed. "But ever since he left, I've started to fall for Jellal, especially since the Devlin war." He didn't speak but his eyes sparkled with delight and Erza sighed. "Jellal just reminds me of Mystogan." She sat up straighter. "But it doesn't matter, right? Mystogan's the only one who's trying out."
"Ah," Laxus grunted knowingly. "Well, I'm very happy for you." He flashed her a smile. "Do I get to be the godfather of your kids?"
Erza groaned and buried her face in her hands and Laxus rolled his eyes. "Oh fine, we can talk about that later. But seriously Erza, I'm thinking of settling down too."
Her ears perked up. "Really? That's great Laxus. So who is she?"
"Oh you know Knightwalker. Since you were the Fairy Hunter, you got any hot babes from Fairy Tail that you haven't killed off yet that you can recommend?"
Rejoice, this is the longest chapter so far (though it's still quite short). Take it as a bonus for being such awesome readers.
First of all, thank you so much for the reviews. You have no idea how happy they make me and they give me a lot of motivation to continue updating this as fast as I can (reason why I'm updating this first instead of CC, sorry Saint :P ). Hopefully my updates make you as happy as your reviews make me.
Second is that I'm trying to improve my writing and so I'm experimenting with some different styles and my writing might be a bit raw. Is it better or worse or just about the same?
Third thing is that I've kinda moved away from the angst/action to humour/romance. Apparently I suck at writing shitty poems as well, sorry. I really wanted to let Rustyrose be the one to spout out nonsensical poems but then I remembered that he was in the previous chapters already (as Urtear's bodyguard). Bleh.
Anyway, Jellal will disappear for about one or two chapters. I know it seems like I spend too much time on Laxus but he's pretty good for character development (and pure humour). Plus, it seems like Erza never gets to talk to Laxus alone so I decided to write this little scene. I'm not a fan of LaxusErza but somehow I couldn't resist writing about their past relationship, it seemed like a nice comparison to Erza's current one. Yes, I made Hades a pervert (since he reminded me of one) and Kain a blubbering cowardly idiot. I'm sorry, I actually quite like Hades.
The last thing is that I have planned the story up till the fallout (which just about everyone has anticipated that there will be one) but I need your help. Any ideas on what they would be screaming at each other? Except for the 'I hate you' s and the wonderful death threats like 'die', any thoughts?
Wehey, so fun facts!
1. Laxus was never meant to be in this story at all. He just somehow jumped into my head when I was writing chapter 1 and I moulded the story's skeletal framework around him. And here we are, weird yeah?
2. I'm estimating that this story will have around 18 or 20 chapters, depends on how the fallout works