"Anonymous asked: Jellal falls in love at first sight upon seeing Erza walking around the campus au pls. Tnx ^."

I will bang on the Annalogia = Jellal drum as often as I can.


Jellal's Adventures in Speechlessness


"Aw, Lucy, come on!" Natsu's insistent whine grated all over Jellal's nerves. If Lucy wasn't his cousin he didn't think he'd bother tolerating her boyfriend at all. "I was gonna sleep in on Saturday! Why do you always sign us up for these things?"

"You say that like it's a punishment." Lucy flipped through the packet of papers in front of her. Jellal didn't need to look up to know her eye was twitching. "And don't forget it was this same Saturday last year when you took Happy home."

"That was a fluke."

"It wasn't a fluke!"

The back and forth between Lucy and Natsu went on and on but Jellal tuned it out. He didn't mind volunteering at the animal shelter. Cats were his favorite and dogs were, well, dogs. Jellal would do it with a smile because Lucy asked him to and it wasn't as if he had anything better lined up.

In an all out shun, Jellal spun around on the picnic table bench and faced the courtyard. Students milled around like ants between panes of glass. His eyes fell out of focus and he leaned forward on his knees. The campus was nice but he was bored. Lucy insisted his apathy was due to a lack of stimulation but Jellal was certain that nothing on earth could compare to the stars.

Even with a lack of focus Jellal's eyes snagged on something. Something red. Something interesting. He blinked rapidly and his head tilted to the side. She wore a plain purple sundress and with every step her brilliant hair fluttered behind her. He stared with rapt fascination.

"Erza!" Lucy's voice rattled his brain. "Hey, Erza! Over here!" Jellal glanced behind him. Natsu was still pouting but had been placated with a package of crackers. Lucy leaned over the surface of the table and wildly gestured.

He didn't so much as see the red haired girl approach but felt her. She slid onto the bench next to him and Jellal felt more awkward than he'd ever felt in his life.

"Rounding up volunteers again?" Her voice was like cake. Jellal wasn't even a fan of cake but he suddenly wanted it.

"Of course!" Lucy chirped.

"Run away while you can, Erza," Natsu said between mouthfuls of crackers.

"Go get another snack, Natsu." Lucy snapped. She pulled a handful of change from her pocket and shoved him off the bench. Jellal couldn't take his eyes off the person beside him. Somewhere in the back of his mind a rational voice was screaming that staring was rude and weird. "Anyway, we'll be at the animal shelter tomorrow morning and afternoon. I'd love it if you could make it."

"I suddenly have an endless string of free weekends," she said a little too quietly. "I'll definitely be there."

"Good!" Lucy's enthusiasm felt like over compensation even to Jellal's distracted mind. "And Jellal is coming too. Right Jellal?"

His mouth fell open in shock when Erza turned to him. She smiled and he smiled and he could think of nothing else. The silence stretched awkwardly.

"Jellal is my cousin. I don't think you've met but I promise he can talk." Lucy said pointedly. Jellal felt the toe of her sandal poke him in the back from under the table.

"Yes," he managed, still trying to gather his senses. "I am Jellal and I can talk."

Erza's eyebrow quirked upward and her smile twitched into a smirk. "It's very nice to meet you Jellal." She leaned slightly closer to him. "Just between us, I think talking is overrated sometimes. Some people talk entirely too much."

"Yes, they do," he muttered. Her eyes were the most beautiful golden brown and he thought for sure they sparkled.

"Well, then," Erza said turning back to Lucy. "I'll see you guys on Saturday morning bright and early."

Jellal wanted to say something. Anything! But his mouth just wouldn't work. Erza left him alone with Lucy. She snickered at him and he finally turned around on the bench.

"You're ridiculous, Jellal. I've never seen you fail at human interaction so terribly."

"Who was that? Is she your friend?"

Lucy smiled and leaned forward against the table. "That's Erza and yes she's my friend. If you weren't such a nerd, you'd have met her already."

"You didn't say you had a friend like that."

"Well you can try again on Saturday. You'll have to make a real effort, one I know you're capable of, to make up for whatever took over that otherwise brilliant brain of yours just now."

"Erza what?"

"Erza Scarlet." Lucy hesitated and bit het lip. "Listen, though. She just had a nasty breakup a few weeks ago. Be nice."

"Wow. Her ex must be a moron."

"Yes," Lucy said firmly straightening her mess of papers. "Simon is a Grade A moron. I'm glad it's over between them, to be honest."

"Simon Mikazuchi?" Jellal wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I can't believe a guy like that... I really need to get out more."

"I've been telling you, Jellal. You hide away in the science wing and miss everything." Lucy shoved the stack of papers into her bag. "I better go find Natsu. I'll see you on Saturday."

"Yeah, okay." Lucy wandered off in the direction of the vending machines and Jellal tapped the surface of the table in contemplation. He needed to have something better than 'I'm Jellal and I can talk' before he ran into Erza again.