3rd POV

(Domestic violence warning)

A Few Weeks Later

"Who made you cry?" He asked, mildly irritated at the tear stains that ran down his partner's cheeks. The two lay in bed, warm under the ruffled covers on Jellal's bed.

"No one, Jellal. It's okay." She placed a kiss against his bare chest.

"So you're not going to fucking tell me?" Of course she wasn't. What would she say? Oh 'Juvia yelled at me for taking advantage of you after killing your sister but don't worry because that's in the past'? She couldn't do it. She felt too heartbreakingly terrified of the potential outcome. What he would say would hurt the most.

She looked up at his dark brown eyes and smiled lovingly. Her hand made its way into his blue locks and she pecked his lips. In truth, after having the best evening since a few days ago, neither wanted to deal with an argument.

"I'll... tell you when the time comes."

Three Years Ago

"Ugh!!!" A loud grunt echoed through an alley of the city. Jellal decided it was a fight and ignored the scratches and tumbles that followed. A cigarette wedged between his fingers, he puffed out some smoke and sighed heavily. Small screams of protest, frustration and pain continued, beginning to annoy him. That was until he noticed the voice was that of a woman. The bruises under his eyes seemed to disappear when he whipped his head around and dropped his cigarette onto the dark concrete below. Running down the deep alleyway, he came to a corner and turned. A woman lay on the ground, grunting, dirty from what was clearly being kicked. By a man with light blue hair tied back into a low ponytail. His boot repeatedly slammed into the stomach of the red head on the floor. She began coughing, he gripped her hair and yanked her head back to meet his eyes.

"Look at me you shit!!!!" He yelled, cheeks tinted pink. Jellal's face twisted with an angry glare as he stomped over to the man and woman.

"Invel, please...!" She pleaded. Jellal neared the two and Invel scowled, annoyed, clearly wasted. Jellal's fist collided suddenly with the man's cheek and he immediately began to bleed. His body heavily fell to the floor. He was a lean man who clearly spent a decent amount of time at the gym. Invel stood and seemed to stand at about 5'11 at first glance. Jellal towered above him and kneed him in the gut, holding his shoulders to steady him. The drunk fell to the floor again, holding his stomach like a hurt child. Jellal bent down and gently picked up the woman in his arms.

~

"Who are you...?" She asked groggily after waking up from a nap. Jellal sighed and changed his shirt, throwing the old one in a hamper in his room and walking to stand beside the woman resting on his bed.

"How are you feeling?" He ignored. Erza looked up at his ceiling, tears slowly streaming down her temples.

"I'm better than before."

"Of course you are. I had to patch your shit up. The bleeding wouldn't stop for a while, I was getting worried."

"Thank you, I appreciate it more than you know."

"So who was that guy?"

"Don't worry about it..."

"Sure."

"I'm sorry. He caused you trouble..."

"It's fine, I don't mind. I was getting lonely anyways. You don't seem to have anywhere to go... you're welcome to stay here, if you wish." Her eyes widened slightly and she sat up.

"I-I could never burden you like that!"

"It's not a burden if I offered, stupid." She didn't answer for a few moments before touching a hand to her lips, cheeks flushed.

"Right... but I don't know you..." she implied. Jellal rolled his eyes and smirked, holding out a hand.

"I'm Jellal. It's a pleasure to meet you, sweetheart." Erza grabbed his hand and immediately felt his firm grip. Hands calloused and warm, she lightly gasped and let go. Her cheeks burned red.

"My name is Erza. It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Jellal grinned and held a wrist up to his face.

"Well it's already nine, I'm guessing you're hungry. We should eat." He stood from his spot beside her and began on his way out of the door. Erza stood quickly and followed after him.

"You can cook?" She asked. Jellal nodded and pointed to a table across the room. Erza sat down in a chair and waited for the food to arrive.

~

"So what do you do for a living?" She asked, a glass of red wine in her hand. She swirled the liquid around in its place and grinned, looking up at him with lidded eyes from alcoholic consumption. He stared back, emotions beginning to stir behind his deep irises.

"I'm an assassin." At this, Erza was taken aback. She flinched and sipped her wine.

"You speak lightly. Not very ubiquitous, is it?" She chuckled, somehow not very staggered. Jellal remained hushed for a moment.

"It's because I think our superiors, the government, are noxious, tyrannous pieces of shit." He continued, expecting a look of disgust. Instead, he received a smile and soft eyes. Filled with red.

"I agree." She voiced. And his eyes widened, truly astounded that she was more kindred with him than he would have thought. "That's why I admire people like you. Who try to do what's right. And get rid of the rot, mold, in this world before it spreads. Before you have to throw away the whole loaf. Of course there are those of you who are corrupt, although..." she finished another glass of wine. "That isn't like you, is it? You're candid. I like you. I guess you could say... in my eyes, you're an essential worker~" she laughed heartily, a deep blush coating her cheeks. Jellal chuckled, leaning back while his eyes drifted to her lips. Her revealed, and very obvious, cleavage and dainty fingers. Erza followed hii his eyes and poured them both another glass, purposely pushing her arms together.

~

"We were talking about your job..." she began, staring into the eyes of the equally drunk man across from her. "Who do you work with?" She hiccuped and placed down her finished glass.

"A bunch of amazing people. My sister, my best friend... maybe you should join." He teased, chuckling lightly.

"Yeah as if... I could never meet the requirements for something as elaborate as that. I can't even handle a gun, much less assassinate the governmental hierarchy..."

"You're beautiful. That's all you need for now..." they both laughed and began staring at each other. The two had just met. It was almost like they were two humming birds who had also just met. Their eyes shone in the dim yellow light of Jellal's dining room. Heart beating fast, Erza played with her fingers against the table. Jellal noticed this and smirked.

"You're calling me beautiful now?" The red head giggled and flipped her hair. "I thank you."

"What? Do you want me to lie? Okay, you're ugly." He raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.

"No I just thought... because I have a boyfriend." Jellal froze, eyes widening slightly in shock. He leaned forward a bit and tried to play it off coyly.

"You have a boyfriend?"

"Yep."

"Please don't tell me it's that pathetic kid that was beating you to a pulp..."

"What's so wrong with him?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He spoke calmly with a shocked chuckle. Which soon faded to a frown.

"Why'd you think that?" She questioned, serenely. Almost as if in her own head, she knew what he was going to say. As if she was going to ignore it anyways.

"You do remember the fact that he beat you the fuck out?"

"Y'know it's not really like I have a choice." She chuckled, sadness leaking through her voice. "He's practically in control of me... I know he's toxic. I know I should end it. But I can't." She sighed in defeat. "He'd kill me. I've tried before and he..." she clasped a hand over her throat and swallowed. Jellal scowled, noticing the dark hand mark over the skin of her throat.

"Oh yeah? I'll rip his fucking head off his shoulders if he touches you... would that work?" He spoke with a deep voice, blue hair shadowing his eyes. Erza leaned back and sighed again.

"Oh?" She chuckled, the sight of the handsome man in front of her beginning to process properly. "What else can you do?"

"Crush his windpipe, literally crush his heart, slit his-... Y'know what? You don't need to know how I'm going to kill your boyfriend." Erza smiled and looked down at her buzzing phone. He crossed his arms, a small tension growing with the lingering question in the air.

Erza's eyes shined with the silent plead for him not to ask her what he wanted to. "The question is..." he began, seeing her eyes fall. The room they stood in suddenly felt colder.

"Do you love him?" Erza let out a dry sob.

"I'm sorry!!! I don't fucking want to!!!" Tears slowly began on their way to her wrinkled chin.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"Because... because I know your silently judging me..."

"Well yeah of course I am. But that's not bad or anything..." he stood and walked over to her, grabbing her bicep and yanking her into his naturally warmed chest. A bright pink blush covered her cheeks almost immediately.

"I get it. It's complicated. Don't worry, darling." A unknown feeling bloomed beneath her chest. One she was sure was called comfort. Her unstable voice sobbed discreetly.

"I miss the days when we were okay..." she murmured.

"Don't act stupid. You can't miss it if you've never had it." Erza turned around when she heard a ding from her phone again, remembering how she had ignored it before. She let go of the man in front of her and picked up her phone to text her boyfriend, earning a hurt look from Jellal. He looked away, pushing down emotions he wished would never have showed themselves to him. After a minute or two, she turned around with a look he hadn't seen in a long time. One that you would give if you just watched the train your brother was on fall off a bridge. If you just saw your dead dog in the middle of the road.

"He..." she said, her heart nearly breaking with every word she spoke. "He just broke up with me..." a lone tear fell down her left cheek, landing on her clothed chest.

A couple days later

"Who are you!?" Invel yelled, staring terrified as a blue haired monster stalked quietly toward him with eyes that could kill a puppy. "What do you want!!??"

"You piece of shit!!! Don't act as if you weren't going to go kill your ex fucking girlfriend because she slept with me!!!" Jellal fumed, seeing the large knife in his hand. Only feeling he was safe because of the large pistol held in his hand, pointed at the man who broke Erza's heart. His other arm by his side, he stood in nothing but pajama pants. Disheveled hair. They stood outside Jellal's house, staring from a window at Erza's peaceful body in bed after her first night with the blue haired man.

"Sh-shut up!!! You know nothing of our relationship!!!" Once more, Jellal's blood began to boil. And for once, he wanted to see red. So that he would rage. Adjusting the gun in his hand, he aimed again.

"Tell me exactly what you planned to do with her or I'll smear your brain on the wall." Invel shuddered and found himself suddenly breaking out in a nervous sweat.

"Dunno maybe just some adult fun! Then we'd slit her throat of course..." a voice from behind spoke. Before Jellal had time to turn, the gun in his hands appeared on the floor.

~

Two bodies layed on the concrete, a sight Jellal was used to by now. Just maybe not the part where his hook up was across the wall. He had become blinded with white rage when he heard of their intentions and imagined what they could mean for her. And soon enough both men were corpses. Each huff of breath he absorbed sent a wave of pain through his lungs. And with one last look at the girl in his bed, he decided to run. Away from everything that had to do with her. Or maybe more like not get involved. He scowled and quickly made his way inside, quietly entering his bedroom where Erza lay. Slipping on better clothes and shoes, he left.

~

"Just because we had sex doesn't mean we're in a relationship. Love is more than that." Jellal protested to Erza, watching and ignoring as she pleaded for him to be with her. But he couldn't. Not with what he had done. Not that he was going to tell her. Of course, she had known long ago that her beloved had been cut off from the living world. But never gave thought to the idea that it would've been someone who ended his life instead of a 'fallen object' or 'mistake'. Much less that, that person would be the one she was beginning to fall for.

"B-but..." he bit his tongue, realizing what he needed to say. But also what he didn't mean in the slightest.

"You were..." he began, feeling a lump catch in his throat. "You were just another hook up." A tear fell down her cheek. An involuntary gasp hiccuping through her breath.

"Oh."

"So just..." he ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply, his heart nearly falling apart. "Let me go. I won't do any good for you, Erza. Please."

"Well... I'm sorry I was... unable to become anymore than just another number." She bit her lip pitifully, turning on her heel and walking away.