3rd POV
"I see my lil bro is finally getting bitches." A low pitched voice spoke. Erza looked up and her eyes immediately widened.
"Siegrein..." she spoke in a whisper. Siegrein chuckled, staring darkly at the woman who's life he had destroyed. Without another word, Erza was aggressively yanked backwards and pulled into the arms of none other than Jellal.
"What the fuck are you doing with him, Erza!?" He yelled, turning her to face him. His eyes wide with confusion, frustration, anger, concern and nostalgia. "Why is he here damn it!!??" He ran his fingers through his hair and grinded his teeth, pushing Erza back behind him.
"Would you calm down, Jellal? It's been ages, let's catch up before getting into another fight." Siegrein mocked, grinning and watching with amusement as Erza held Jellal by his arm to hold him back.
"Ultear is fucking dead and you didn't do anything!!! You piece of shit how dare you come here!!!?? Get the fuck away from her!!!!" Jellal yelled.
"So tell me, Jellal. How was it? Did you rail her or was it more of a 'making love' kind of thing? How many hickeys?" Siegrein continued wickedly. Jellal paused for a moment and shook Erza's hands off of him. He walked up to his brother and rocked his fist into his jaw.
"If you speak of her that way again, I'll run my fucking katana through your fucking stomach. And then put multiple bullets in your fucking skull." Siegrein lightly touched the irritated, bloody skin of his cheek.
"Someone's mad— Jeez..." Erza stared at Jellal, not knowing what to think of the situation.
"So you're going to suddenly come back all these years later and act like you fucking care!!!??? You must be out of your mind if you think I'll allow you anywhere near here." Siegrein scowled and dusted himself off. He knew exactly what he could say. He knew exactly how to get his brother to be quiet. He knew exactly how to ruin both of their lives again. The question was whether it was worth it or not. Was he willing to waste his time on this man he couldn't care less about? And he decided it absolutely was. With a smirk, he spread his arms out to his sides.
"Jellal, boy... I have much more control over the both of you than you know." Jellal scoffed and glared at his petty sibling. "For example, I could say a few simple fucking words and destroy your life. Without even trying!" He chuckled between words and dropped his arms back down to his sides.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Jellal spoke. He paused upon noticing the look in Siegrein's eyes. No. Not now. Not in front of her. He gripped Erza's arm a bit tighter, alerting her of his anxiety.
"Invel Yura." It would not have meant anything. Had Erza not already been told by Siegrein the truth. Erza froze, slowly turning to Jellal with wide eyes.
"Jellal?" She whispered, his grip tightening even farther. Jellal turned suddenly and began stomping off in the opposite direction, pulling Erza close behind him. Everytime Erza attempted to speak, Jellal would glance over at her or pull her faster. Finally, he slowed down once they arrived in front of his house. He pulled her inside and shut the door, breathing heavily. "Jellal what's wrong!? He was speaking to me you don't have to get so upset about it!! It's okay, I didn't take it to heart!!!" Jellal grabbed her wrists and pinned them against the wall. Erza's face turned bright red and her heartbeat picked up.
"If you ever see him, immediately tell me... please..." he whispered. Erza nodded slowly, confused as to why he was so upset. "Promise!!!" He shouted, looking at the floor.
"Y-yeah I promise." Her breath hitched when her partner's lips collide with her neck. He ran his fingers through the back of her hair and pushed her head upwards. Erza pulled him closer, wanting to feel more. "Work is almost over so... boss won't suspect anything, right?" She gasped. Jellal began undressing her and didn't respond.
~
Again in the morning, Erza woke up feeling sticky. She smiled at the man changing at the end of the bed. He ran fingers through his royal blue hair and leaned back to peck her lips. Although she had heavy suspicions about what Siegrein had said, she decided that whatever it was could have been figured out after they had their moments. Jellal gripped her shoulders and slid her down to hisspot on the bed, leaning over her to kiss her.
"You look beautiful." He stated casually, sitting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Erza lightly moaned and kissed his neck.
"Is that rhetorical or should I respond?" She whispered between kisses. Jellal wrapped a hand around her ass and pulled her farther in.
"Shut up." He said as a reply.
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'll do it for you, darling." Erza lightly gasped and paused for a moment. "What is it?" Erza looked around the room and stared at her clothes on the floor. Looking down, she noticed she was completely naked and her face immediately began burning red. She understood that running away or hiding wouldn't make any sense. So she leaned her head against his chest and sighed, covering her face lightly with her fingers. Jellal laughed heartily and stroked her head. "It's okay, Erza." He placed a kiss on her head and fell backwards on his bed, Erza on top of him.
~~~
"Are you guys really still fighting?" Erza sighed, Jellal behind her as they entered Phoenix to find Gray and Juvia avoiding each other again.
"It's a bit immature, you two." Jellal added, rolling his eyes.
"I have every right to ignore him..." Juvia grumbled, receiving a glare from the one sat across from her.
"Okay then what did he do?" Erza asked. Juvia's cheeks flared and she stood up, right along with Gray who did the same.
"I called her beautiful, okay!? And then she got mad at me for complimenting her and so I told her I would never do it again and she got mad!! Please explain what I did wrong!!??" Erza stared at Gray and then Juvia with a look. And then she busted in a fit of laughter. Jella walked over to Gray and pulled him away from the two girls.
"Listen, Gray..." Jellal began with a small smirk. "Juvia is what we call a tsundere," Gray rolled his eyes and looked away. "She didn't get mad because of the compliment, she got flustered." Gray curved his lips and mimicked his superior.
"Flustered~"
"And then when you said you wouldn't do it again, she got upset because she actually liked the compliment."
"Yeah I know that now but still. It's embarrassing."
"If you want her, you gotta put up with it." Jellal finished, walking away and seeing his comrades temporary look of determination. Then he paused and quickly turned.
"Wait! Wait! I didn't say that!"
~with the girls~
"Why did you laugh so hard? It's not even that funny." Juvia told Erza, not looking in her direction.
"Why are you still upset? Jellal is the one who should be upset."
"Well maybe he would be if you had told him. Or maybe if you weren't fucking him every day in every corner of fucking furniture, you would have the guts to tell him how you destroyed his life." Erza cheeks lit up in both frustration and embarrassment.
"Stop it already. I plan on telling him, alright? Just..." she paused, walking over to Juvia's table and collapsing with her head in her arms. "It's actually... making me feel whole again. And it's so amazing that it scares the shit out of me... but I can't fucking help it. I'm going to chase him until the ends of time, no matter how long." Tears spilled over he cheeks and landed on the wood below. "I never want to feel anything without him again."
"And guess what? He probably feels the same fucking way. But you're fucking deceiving him. Hiding things from him will only make it worse. This way, it'll never work out." Juvia grunted finally, standing up and walking away. Jellal entered, noticing Erza's lowered head and sat beside her.
"Hey." He began, lifting her head and wiping the tears that brimmed her eyes and fell down her skin. "Are you okay?" Erza sniffled and leaned her forehead against his. He pecked her lips lightly, causing a small smile to form on her lips. Behind them entered a shorter girl with a coffee in her hands. Gray also walked into the main hall and noticed Wendy. The two met eyes and then turned to the loving couple, noticing they hadn't realized either of them entering. Gray and Wendy looked back at each other again and smiled, continuing and minding their business. Gray following after Juvia and Wendy entering the nearest bathroom. Jellal removed himself and ran a hand through his hair.
~~~
"Oi." Gray spoke, leaning against the frame of the back door of Phoenix. "What's up?" Juvia turned suddenly, tears threatening to spill over her lids before she ran towards her partner and wrapped her arms around him. "Woah! Are you okay!?" He asked hurriedly, concern bubbling in his veins. Juvia let out short sobs, burying her face into Gray's chest as he held her back firmly. Turning his head around, he searched for prying eyes and pulled her away from the door, sitting beside her on the floor as she continued her show. Her nails gripping the fabric of his jacket, she grunted. He placed an arm around the small of her shoulders and pulled her closer; she didn't protest. He rubbed her milky skin lightly and wiped her tears with a thumb.
"You're not gonna tell me it's okay?" She asked suddenly.
"I'm not. Because I don't know that. I don't know if it's okay. I'd rather say to let it out but you'd probably hit me. Why? Do you want me to?" Juvia looked up at him and ignored him, leaning back on his chest.
"Thanks."
"Yeah... Any time."
~
The two continued talking until late into the afternoon.
"Are you hungry?" Juvia asked.
"Are you?" He asked in return, earning a light blush from the woman by his side.
"I could eat, yeah."
"Then let's go." The two stood up, brushing themselves off and preparing to enter Phoenix. Gray suddenly paused when the light from the sun hit her face and hair in a way that made his heart nearly stop. Before she could move anymore, he grabbed her hand to stop her. Juvia looked down with red cheeks at their hands and then up at him.
"W-what is it...?" She whispered, seeing a slight glimmer in his eye. He watched as her hair blew and in the light breeze and her eyes remained lightly on his, the soft skin of her hand.
"I... think you're very beautiful, Juvia." Her cheeks tinted darker, her hand became slightly moist, her eyes widening and her expression softening. The two dozed into the other's eyes.
"Thank you, Gray. I think you are very handsome as well." She replied, noticing the almost unnoticeable blush that covered his upper cheeks.
"Thank... you." He whispered, both begining to step closer. He took both of her hands in his and pulled her in closer, heart pounding and irises swimming with desire. Juvia lifted herself on her toes and lifted her head, closing her eyes. Gray squinted, guiding both of them.
BAM
The very moment the back door swung open, the two let go and turned away with red faces. Levy stepped outside, turning to find Gray and Juvia brushing themselves off.
"Oh hey guys! You were out here for a while so I came to check on you. What were you do-..." she stopped, noticing the fidgeting and red cheeks. "Oh shit... that's my bad. I'll go back inside, sorry for the intrusion." She smirked and walked back inside, giving them one last peek. Gray turned to Juvia and scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. I promise not to do it again." Her heart dropped at his words. His eyes fell to the floor. "I wasn't really thinking, I hope everything is okay between us." He sighed and walked toward the door, opening it before pausing for a moment. "I'm..." he began. "I'm sorry." It was as if a thousand words were packed into two. Gay hesitantly, slowly entered the building and silently shut the door behind him. Juvia fell, sitting on the floor and holding her cheeks. Her lip trembled as tears, again, spilled endlessly down her skin.
"What's wrong with me?" She asked herself, staring at the horizon illuminated by the sun that was past its midpoint.
~
Gray huffed against the back door and held his head, suddenly losing his appetite. "I can't fucking do this." He told himself out loud.