"Why don't you rest for a bit? Today's been very tiring for you." Makarov made a motion for Erza to lean back onto the bed. She complied with his request but her eyes did not stray from the tiny bassinet near the bed.
"Did Warren manage to reach him?" She reached out to drag the bassinet as close as possible to the bed and she relaxed when her two sleeping babies entered her line of sight.
"Yes. Jellal is trying to get back as fast as possible. It doesn't help that the client is being difficult." Makarov gave an angry huff. "Mirajane is asking other guilds if they've worked with the client before filling out a letter of complaint to send to the Council. The client's request was out of line and should have never been given to the guild." What had been a simple escort mission that should have finished in two days had turned into a complicated mess. She didn't know all the details and all she really cared about was that it had taken her husband away from her when she needed him most.
Erza bit her lip. It wasn't entirely the client's fault. Jellal had been reluctant to leave her side, especially this late in her pregnancy, and was initially going to refuse the request but she had insisted he take it. It was rare for clients to request Jellal's aid as there were still some people who weren't convinced he had earned his pardon. After several assurances that she would be fine as members of the guild would be on hand to check on her and that there wasn't much to worry about as her due date was a month away, he left for his mission.
She knew something was wrong when he didn't call home to check-in. He always checked in, even if a mission was only going to take a day to complete. She felt he did that to remind himself that he had her to come home to now and that the life they've built together is not a dream but a reality.
Makarov had sent Meredy, Erik, and Sawyer to go to the town the mission was located in and everyone was unsettled when they were able to send a quick report back that the town was surrounded by a barrier that blocked people from entering and from communicating with those outside the town. They were positive Jellal was inside though as Erik had been partially able to hear Jellal's thoughts. It had been a week since that report and the unease in Erza's gut hadn't settled.
It wasn't uncommon for missions to run into complications and to take longer than usual but ever since Erza and Jellal had gotten together, they rarely, if ever, took long missions. Erza hadn't ever thought of herself as a clingy person before but the fear that the universe would find a way to tear them apart again had her seeking shorter missions so she could quickly return to his side. She knew he felt the same and that the fear would never go away.
A whimper from the bassinet broke her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see one of the babies with a disgruntled look on his face which quickly went away when she reached out a hand to stroke his face to calm him. She softly smiled when the baby quieted down and turned to face his brother. She hadn't had the time to process the shock of twins as her mind had been completely distracted by the pain of labor.
"I have to say, Erza," Makarov's voice was hushed but filled with warmth, "You and Jellal have made some adorable children." He peered closer into the bassinet and said with a laugh, "Even if they did come rather early."
She blushed. She knew he was referring to the fact that twins were born earlier than singletons but a part of her knew that he and the rest of the guild still made jokes about how quickly Erza had gotten pregnant. She and Jellal quietly married soon after her team had finished the 100-year quest and settled into a modest house on the outskirts of Magnolia. A few weeks later, they had found out that Erza was pregnant after she uncharacteristically burst into tears in the guildhall after Natsu had made a remark on her strange new eating habits. After seeing Porlyusica and breaking the news to the guild, everyone made sly remarks about now knowing why the two of them were never at the guildhall anymore but it didn't distract from the sheer joy Jellal and Erza radiated at the prospect of starting a family.
"I'll go inform the rest of the guild that we now have two new Fairy Tail members." Makarov began making his way to the door. Only he, Wendy, and Porlyusica had been in the infirmary with her and she had refused to allow anyone else to see her children before Jellal did. She was surprised that none of the members had tried to force their way inside and figured that they were all behaving for once. Though it could also be that they were still terrified of an Erza ruled by pregnancy hormones. "Warren might have some more news on where your husband is."
"Thank you, Master." Erza gave a small bow before sitting back on the bed. Wendy had healed her earlier but she was still absolutely exhausted.
"Please get some rest, Erza. You know Jellal always finds his way back to you," Makarov said before leaving. Though Makarov had tried to reassure her, Erza's worry would only disappear once Jellal was by her side. The silence in the room only served to remind her that he wasn't.
She turned to the bassinet and remembered what had transpired only a few hours ago. She'd endured many painful experiences in her lifetime but nothing could have prepared her for the pain of childbirth. It had felt worse with Jellal's absence though her tears of pain had turned to tears of joy once her children were placed in her arms. Their hair shared the same shade of blue as Jellal and when they had briefly opened their eyes earlier, she saw they had her brown eyes. After briefly being looked over by Wendy and Porylusica and declared perfectly healthy, they slept peacefully in the bassinet and hadn't woken up since.
"Your father is running a bit late," she whispered to the twins. "He's usually not like this. He's much more punctual than I am." If Erza was to compare all her failures, she knew a majority of them were caused by her tardiness.
She had been too late to save Jellal from being brainwashed.
She had been too late in figuring that Siegrain and Jellal were the same.
She had been too late to stop Jellal from casting the self-destruction spell.
If she had been on time, maybe she could've spared them all the heartache. Whereas, Jellal's timing, in her opinion, was much better.
He had arrived on time to save her from the dragons during the Eclipse Gate fiasco.
He had arrived on time to help liberate Hargeon Port from the Alverez forces.
He had arrived on time to save her and Wendy from Acnologia's attack.
She knew if she were to tell these thoughts to her husband, he would disagree and insist that in the end, all that mattered was that they saved each other. That their mismatch in timing wasn't something she should be concerned with and if anything, it meant they balanced each other out. Having a confident Jellal that was so positive about their future together was something she was still getting used to and reminded her of their time at the Tower, back when he was a bright-eyed boy and she a lost and confused girl who looked to him for strength. They've grown and changed since then but they were still quintessentially them and she was infinitely grateful that they found their way back to each other.
"I guess it's only fair that he's late this time since I'm so early. He can't always be perfect," she amusedly remarked. She recalled the few times a drunk Lucy and Levy had told her how lucky she was for having such a perfect husband and had wisely refrained from telling them all the stupid things Jellal has done.
She was content to just stare at her children until he arrived and she perked up when she felt the trace of his Meteor spell outside the window. He must've sped past everyone in the guild because in the next moment he was opening the door.
"Erza." His eyes quickly looked her over before they were glued to the bassinet in front of her. From where he was standing, she knew he couldn't see the babies. She felt the uneasiness in her gut disappear as she scanned him from head to toe and saw that he was alright aside from the minor cut on his forehead.
"You're here." She wanted to get up and go to him but she didn't have the energy. He seemed to read her mind as he went to go wash his hands in the sink near the door before quickly making his way toward her. When he was close to the bed, she rushed into his arms and he held her tightly.
"I'm sorry for taking so long." She didn't realize she was trembling until she registered his hand running up and down her back to soothe her. "Are you okay?"
She pulled herself together and nodded. "I am now." She leaned back and pressed her lips to his in a kiss that she hoped would convey the sheer mess of emotions that rattled inside of her since his departure. She ended the kiss before it could get out of hand like it usually did when one of them came back from a mission and muttered, "You missed a lot. Come meet your children."
"Wha-" She laughed at how speechless Jellal was at seeing not one, but two babies in the bassinet.
She reached out to take his hand and gently stroked his palm while she explained. "Wendy kept hearing echoes of a heartbeat but didn't think that could mean I was having twins. She's really sorry about making the mistake and offered to babysit them whenever we want. We should probably take her up on that offer sometime. I've been told that twins are a handful."
He grabbed both of her hands and stared at her with tears streaming down his face. She would never get tired of being able to see the love that shone freely from his eyes. "Erza, I…thank you," he choked out.
She felt herself tearing up as well. She murmured, "I should be saying that to you." They stared at each other for a few moments longer, hearts full of gratitude and love. They had taken a long and painful road to get to where they were now but it was fine as it brought them here. "Do you want to hold them?" she asked, freeing a hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks. He nodded and she arranged his arms in the correct position to hold them.
Once she safely deposited both babies into his arms, he whispered, "They're so small."
She rearranged the babies' blankets, making sure they were covered and warm, and said, "Porlyusica said they're the right size for twins and for being born early. They're healthy as well so there's nothing to worry about there. And it's a good thing we couldn't decide between those two boy names because now we can use both."
He chuckled, probably remembering when she would spend a whole day declaring one name to be perfect for their child before deciding the next day that the other name was the better choice. "I do love that they have my hair color but I kind of wish they had yours."
"Maybe the next one will." Though Erza had grown up with the guild and Jellal had grown up with the people at the Tower, they had still largely kept to themselves and basically grew up alone. They decided they wanted a large family and that their children would never know what it was like to be alone and unloved.
"I'm still sorry I was late and missed everything. I promised to hold your hand forever at our wedding, remember?"
"I think I would've broken your hand. Labor was awful."
"It would have been worth it."
She hummed in agreement and looked down at the babies who had begun to squirm in Jellal's hold. "Besides, you weren't late at all."
He gasped as the twins both opened their eyes to see their father for the first time.
"I think our sons will agree with me and say you came back like you always do, right on time."
A/N: It's been years since I've written anything so I'm rusty but I hope I've improved since the last time I wrote fic for these two. I caught up with the series during quarantine and I completely forgot how much Jerza owns my life. All the new Jerza moments and the tragic mess that is Space Jerza have refueled my desire to write fic so I'll be posting more often. Please leave a review or comment if you can!
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. This year has been absolute hell and I hope 2021 is much better for everyone. May we be blessed with more Jerza content next year and maybe an anime announcement for the sequel for the series' 15th anniversary.