Erza was falling.

She squeezed her eyes shut since she was scared of the impact. Sure enough, she heard a loud THUD! echo through the library room, followed by the sound of a shower of books and a wince. After hearing all those noises, Erza expected pain, but no pain arose. Instead, she felt two arms wrapped firmly around her. She was shocked when she realized someone was on top of her.

Erza's eyes fluttered open. She was appalled when she saw books scattered over the place and the ladder was lying on the floor. But more than that, she was about to jolt upright until she saw the face of the person who shielded her. Her eyes rounded as she gulped. "Jellal Fernandes," she whispered.

Jellal, who was inwardly groaning from the crash, opened his eyes in response to hearing his name. An audible gasp escaped from his lips. The girl's hat had fallen off, only to reveal beautiful, red locks. Instantly, he recognized the owner of the distinctive hair. Titania, he told himself. He held his breath when he realized that his face was only mere inches from Titania's.

"Uh," he uttered. The bluehead desperately wanted to run away from the awkward situation. But just as he started thinking about moving away, he realized his muscles were in much pain. "Er," he started. Truthfully, he didn't know what to say. He was never so close to another person before. Just act like a normal person around her, he thought.

"Are you okay, er, Titania?" he asked.

Erza, shocked by the sudden question, slowly nodded her head. She also realized how lucky it was for her glasses to stay in place, or else Jellal could see all those emotions flickering in her eyes.

"Haha. . .Imma try to get off," Jellal said awkwardly. He tried to ease the tension. During the whole time, he tried his best to keep his gaze off of the redhead as he slowly crawled away. He leaned against the bookshelf as he rubbed his arm.

Erza scrambled to find her hat. When she did, she slipped it on promptly. "W-what about you? Are you okay?" Erza stuttered as she stared at the fallen ladder. She didn't dare look at the Jellal. But something tingled inside her. She suddenly felt ecstatic all over again. Jellal was finally talking to her while acknowledging her at the same time. He wasn't running away, nor was he ignoring her.

"I'm fine. . .," Jellal replied. But he knew he was lying. He felt all the bruises forming all over his body. He didn't even know how he was going to get to class. Jellal was waiting for his chance to escape, but he made a temporary resolve to try his best to act normal around Titania. He knew that this completely violated his "plan", so he promised that it was only going to be this one time.

"You look like that you are very deep in thought," Erza commented shyly.

The bluehead felt sweat beads forming at his forehead. "Ah. . .It's nothing. Just that, I'm glad you're. . .safe. And, you shouldn't, um, wear that disguise." There he goes again, going all cheesy. His gaze switched to the redhead, who was staring back at him. Unconsciously, he reached out for Titania's sunglasses and gently pulled them off. "Haha. . .You don't need to hide your pretty face," Jellal complimented. When he realized what he just said, sounded so stupid, he instantly felt his cheeks warming up.

Erza sat there, bewildered. Did I hear him right? she asked herself. She was so shocked, she couldn't move.

"Erza, do you need to go to the nurse?" Jellal asked. "You seem to be in a daze."

The redhead only gloated even more. Not just because he talked to her again, but Jellal did one thing that rarely anyone did. "Y-you called me, Erza. Not Ms. Erza, not Titania. . .J-just Erza," the redhead stuttered. She was so happy, she could barely speak.

The bluehead raised his eyebrow. "Okay. . .?"

"T-thank you, Jellal," Erza uttered. She was so ecstatic, she flashed a smile. But wasn't just any smile; it was a smile that she only showed towards her closest friends and family. It was a smile that she showed only when she was truly very, very happy. It was a smile that was so genuine and warm, it left Jellal speechless when he stared at her endearing eye smile. Her happiness was contagious, as Jellal felt his lips curving upward.

Suddenly, his conversation with Lyon flooded through Jellal's mind.

"Say Jellal, did you ever see Titania smile?"

"I don't give a damn for how she smiles."

"Probably you just never saw her smile."

Lyon was right.

Jellal wanted to take his words back. He shook his head, trying to get rid of his thoughts. Jellal Fernandes, what is wrong with you?! Stop thinking about her. That's right, don't even THINK about her name. Or do you want to go to the nurse and complain that you had a heart attack because of A GIRL? He continued to scold himself.

Erza's grin disappeared when Jellal started to get up. Did I do something wrong again? The redhead started calling for his name, but the bluehead ignored her. She watched Jellal limp out of the room without saying another word. The redhead quietly fussed on how quickly his mood changed. From neglecting to protective to amiable, then ALL OVER again, Jellal's personality was surely multi-dimensional. And now that Jellal was back to disregarding her, he only agitated the redhead even more. If he decides to ignore me, then I guess it's only right if I leave him to find the nurse's office by himself!

Erza stood up and started to pick up her hat and sunglasses. You don't need to hide your pretty face. Erza smiled when she remembered the bluehead's words. She headed towards the garbage can and threw the items in. "Well, if you insist," she murmured.

Lucy scribbled her last sentence on her paper. "Thank you Gray!" she called as she slammed Gray's homework on his desk.

The dark-haired boy scoffed. "What the hell have you been doing last afternoon after we went to the library?"

"Stop pretending you're mad at me. I know you're actually empathizing," Lucy laughed.

Gray wasn't surprised by the accuracy of Lucy's prediction. After all, they have been friends for quite a long time. Though he often complained about Lucy copying his homework, he knew the troubles the blonde faced at home. He also knew that Lucy's smiles and smirks covered her dark relationship with her parents.

"So. . .What did you do at Natsu's house?" Gray asked. He didn't have to ask where the blonde went, he just knew. Besides, isn't that where Lucy always hangs out after school?

Lucy smirked. "I'm kind of curious about your intention of that question." As a response, Gray raised both of his hands to show his innocence. "Well," Lucy responded. "Nothing much to be honest. I mean, Natsu doesn't live in a large house like Erza. His parents work for Eru's company and get a good income. But they don't own a mansion. To be honest, I think his parents don't like me. They give a suspicious look."

"Probably because you go there every day," Gray suggested.

"Well. where do you want me to go then? Your house? Erza's house?"

"I wanna go to Erza's house," Gray mumbled as a deep blush started spreading across his face.

"Why don't you just confess to her already? I'm serious," Lucy said.

Gray tried to look surprised. "What are you talking about?!"

Lucy patted the boy's shoulder. "We talked about this, didn't we? You were captivated by Erza the second you laid your eyes on her, am I right?" Lucy placed a finger in front of Gray's mouth before he could protest. She continued, "I was friends with you even before you met Erza. So, I know something's going on with you when I see it. Look, you met Eru when you were five. Now, we're seventeen. Twelve years already slipped by! Soon, we'll be graduating high school. How long will Erza's warm hand belong to you? Worried about your family's reputation? Think about it, what's more important?" She held out one hand. "Reputation or. . ." Lucy held out her other hand. "Love?"

"What kind of choice is this?" Gray scorned.

"Well, that's basically the choice you're going to have to make," Lucy answered.

Gray knew Lucy was right, and it pained him. He knew the entire business world had eyes on him since they were curious about the boy's first move for the company. He didn't want to disappoint them. Nor did he want to give up on his love for Erza. "I really don't know," Gray sighed.

"Honestly, love is the only thing worth waiting for. I really think you should choose Erza," Lucy said as she gave a small shrug. "I don't know, that's just my two cents." She got up from her seat. "Class's gonna start soon. Going to get back to my best." But when she spotted Erza entering the classroom, Lucy sat back down. "Or maybe not. I'll stay for the rest of the seven minutes then," the blonde said.

Erza's hair was mussed up and her arm ached after spending her morning picking up library books and writing the outline of a report. Scared she won't make it to her first-period class, Gun Magic with Mrs. Connell, the redhead ran to the top floor building. She was still catching her breath when she entered the classroom. But to Gray, Erza was beautiful no matter what, hair messed up or not. Even though Erza ran into the room, in Gray's perspective, it seemed as if she gracefully glided in. He willed himself to try to breathe as normally as he could.

Students started crowding around the redhead.

"Titania, how was your morning? Would you like some orange juice?"

"Hey, Titania, can you sign my forehead?"

"Titania, you made it just in time! Thank god you did, or else I would have no one to stare at for the entire day."

"You may still feel worn out, but you always look amazing, Titania!"

Lucy glanced at Gray, and she could tell Gray was captivated by the redhead. The blonde sighed. Well, if you don't wanna take my advice, I really don't know what else you want me to do. A smirk formed on Lucy's face. Or maybe I do.

The blonde's spirits were flattened when a familiar person entered the room. "Oh there he is again," she heard Gray mumble. She knew who he was referring to. "That troublemaker, Jellal Fernandes. If he upsets Erza again, I'm going to have to confront him," the dark-haired boy continued.

Lucy watched Jellal saunter to his seat and begin a conversation with his seatmate. "Psh! What a playboy!" Gray snorted.

Lucy hummed in agreement. "I wonder why people are such good friends with him. He just transferred yesterday! What's his deal?"

"Ha! If you're really that curious, stalk him! Join whatever clubs he joins. Jellal's gonna have to pick a club someday!"

"What the hell! I'm no stalker."

"Don't you want to help Erza figure out Jellal's mystery?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to stalk him! What about you, Lucy?" Gray asked, pointing to his friend.

"Well," Lucy started. "I have my dates with Natsu~!"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Then I'm going to bring that boy with us."

Lucy paused for a moment before a grin started to appear on her face.

"What exactly are you planning?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow. The blonde leaned towards Gray's ear and started telling her ideas to him.

And then there was Erza.

Stranded. Stuck. Helpless. Heck, she couldn't even get to her seat on the second row. Now, that was a problem. Well, what was hindering her? If you think about it, when twenty teenagers try to talk to you all at once, it's not a pretty scene. She eyed her friends at the back of the room, who were obviously too busy talking about something. It must be a very interesting topic too since they weren't walking towards her and saving her.

Yup, this day sucks.

"What's your beauty secret? Please tell me, Titania!"

"Titania, are you going to get married to Gray?"

"Oh, lookie! Titania's eyeing her Romeo! Damsel in distress!"

"Um," Erza started. She gazed at her feet, embarrassed. How should I say it? she asked herself. She realized the classmates swarming around her fell silent and were intently listening. "I h-have to get to my seat. C-can I please get there?" she shyly asked. "Class is about to start, anyway. . ." her voice trailed off.

When she did look up, she saw her classmate's mouths gape open. But surprisingly, the students still parted a way for the redhead to get to her desk. As she walked there, she felt twenty pairs of eyes staring at her, watching her every move. "Thank you," Erza said quietly. But the class's response was something the redhead certainly did not expect. They started hooting and high-fiving each other.

"Did Titania just speak? Oh my god, this is like, the best day of my life!"

"She just thanked us. She thanked us! TITANIA JUST THANKED US!"

"Hold me, I think I'm going to faint!"

"Her voice is so lovely! Geez, I thought she was singing at first, not talking!"

"Titania's voice probably came from heaven!"

Jellal, sitting towards the back of the room, watched as Titania's face burned up. Guess Titania's really not used to so much attention. Oh, correction. . .she's Erza. She's adorable when she's shy, he thought. I guess some people don't change. And weirdly enough, Jellal felt a smile slowly forming on his face.

"He what?!" Lucy asked, incredulous of what her friend just said. It was lunchtime, and since the weather happened to be warm and sunny, they were munching on their sandwiches in the school courtyard.

The redhead quickly covered Lucy's mouth to silence her. She repeated what she said, "Jellal's living in my house. Not next to it. Not in front of it. IN it. In the mansion itself. He literally lives on the floor below me!"

In shock, Gray let go of the napkin he was handing to Natsu, the paper mache drifting through the wind before landing squarely on the pink-haired boy's face. "What? Why?!" Gray couldn't believe his ears.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to ask my parents, but they already left for a business trip."

"Then call them," Natsu suggested. He picked up the sandwich Gray dropped and started picking on the clean places to bite.

Erza sighed. "It's not that easy. I mean, it is a business trip with one of their biggest clients. So, I don't know if they're in a meeting, if it's a working hour, or if they're. . ."

"Making out," Lucy finished.

"Shhh! You know they are too old for that. What if my parents hear you say that! They will get a really bad impression of my friends!"

"Erza! They're two hundred miles away!" Natsu chuckled.

"True," Erza said with a smile. "Um, actually," the redhead started. She started fidgeting around. She wanted to tell her friends about the morning's events, but it was rather embarrassing. However, she never kept any secret from her friends. . . "I don't think Jellal's all that bad," she blurted out. "I mean, Jellal, uh, saved me. This morning, I was late because I was cleaning the library because there were a lot of books that fell. Going back even further, when the books dropped, Jellal. . .protected. . .me." Erza watched her friends' jaws drop.

"Woah, hold up!" Lucy commanded. "How exactly did he save you?"

Erza's face reddened up. What was she supposed to say?! "He. . .covered me," the redhead said. She knew that it was a vague answer, but hey, Erza wasn't lying. Just that there was more to what she said.

"With what?" Lucy questioned, her eyes full of curiosity. Her ears were capturing every word her friend said. Meanwhile, Erza gazed down at her shoes. Lucy watched as the redhead's ears turned pink. "Well?" the blonde asked.

"His. . .body." the redhead confessed. She squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel her face burning as if a torch was inside her.

"What?!" Erza heard her friends yell in unison.

In truth, Gray's heart fell. He read so many romantic novels (Lucy forced him to) and he always wished that he and Erza were the characters in the books. But he never had an opportunity to try to be "romantic" with the redhead. And when he did, it was really cheesy, so that didn't help much. He felt a mix of emotions when he heard what Jellal did. Maybe he should be glad that Erza was safe. He was also happy that Jellal was in pain. But he felt a twinge of jealousy. He wished that he had arrived earlier to help Erza. Gray silently cursed. Why was his life so messed up? Why couldn't he be Jellal?!

Then there is Jellal, wishing that he was Gray. That way, he'd have the perfect excuse to stay away from Titania.

"Geez, are you okay?" Lyon asked, tapping the bluehead's shoulder. "You're really spacing out. Here, do you want a lollipop?" he asked, handing a pink lemonade Dum Dums to Jellal.

"Thanks," the bluehead answered. He started picking on the candy's wrapper. "Just tired. That's all."

Lyon grinned."Did you have fun last night?"

Jellal looked at his friend, confused. "What do you mean?" he inquired as he popped the lollipop in his mouth.

"Did you have fun sleeping with the queen?" Lyon taunted. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The bluehead's green eyes widened. "Why you!" he shouted. He was rather tempted to hit his friend with his candy's stick. "You knew that the address I was staying at was Titania's, didn't you?! That's why you were so giddy yesterday! Lyon, what's your deal? Wait, first things first. How did you even know that Titania lives there? Like, how did you even get that information?!"

Lyon smirked. "A little birdie told me."

"Dude, I'm serious!"

"Haha! Fine. Ever heard of stalking?"

"Really? Is that all you did?"

Lyon nodded his head. "Sometimes, I just follow Titania home. Nothing much, really. She just ignores me. Now tell me, Jellal. Did you have fun sharing the same bed as her?"

"Oh, shut up! I only moved in yesterday. And I moved into her house, not her room. What did you expect me to do?!"

"Sleep with her," Lyon answered bluntly.

Now Jellal was really ready to hit his friend with the lollipop. "Stop dreaming," the bluehead commanded.

Lyon took another bite from his sandwich. "So," he said, changing the topic ever so swiftly. "I heard that you were around when the books at the library toppled over. What happened? And don't say that nothing happened. Look, you got a few bandages on your arm."

"Books fell and I bruised myself, that's all," Jellal said, nonchalantly.

"They're just bruises. What's up with the bandages?"

"I prefer bandages over people seeing purple blotches all over me."

"That's it?! Woah."

Well, there was more to Jellal's story, but he didn't want to say. I saved a girl and turned out she was Titania. Oh yeah, and when you see her smile, you start realizing why people get on both knees and worship her. Oh right! Lyon, I know you really like Titania, so you should call her Erza. She really likes it when people call her Erza. Jellal felt kind of selfish for not telling Lyon the entire story. Well, that's because there was a part of Jellal that wanted Erza's smile to be shown to him and him only.

"See look! You're spacing out. Again!" Lyon complained. "Do you want to see the nurse?"

"I said I'm just tired," Jellal explained. Well, that was a complete lie.

"Whatever you say," Lyon said. He changed the topic again. "Fine. I'm sorry, Jellal." the boy said with a sigh.

"I refuse to accept your apology." He tried to be mad at his friend. In truth, it was rather difficult to do so when Lyon was still pestering him nonstop.

"Please! I said I'm sorry!"

"No."

"Please! SOOOOORRRYYYY."

The bluehead shook his head.

"Please? For Gray!" Lyon pleaded. Jellal grinned, amused. Lyon's eyes shone with hope. "So does this mean you'll forgive me?"

The bluehead chuckled. "Fine then. Apology accepted." He extended his hand toward his friend. Lyon eagerly took it and shook it. . .with a smile, of course. :)

Yay! Another chapter finished! /wipes sweat/ It's such a long chapter too. It was also so cheesy (esp. the beginning). I haven't even started the fifth chapter, so I'll see when I will finish. But as soon as I do, I will definitely update!

Don't forget to follow, fave, and review! If you have something you want to personally tell me, PM me at any time! I will try my best to reply! See you guys next chapter!

Anyways, I hope you guys will continue supporting me! I love you guys! Fighting!