Mommy's Home:
AN: Another Jerza chapter. Enjoy!
It wasn't a bad idea, exactly.
Afterall a requip wizard was only as good as his or her skill in using the armor and/or weapons they collected. And seeing as Roman had throwing stars and had a few other weapons that involved some type of aim in his small arsenal (well, small when compared to his mother's) it made sense that he needed some sort of target. But seeing as he was the son of Erza Scarlet-Fernandez just any old targets wouldn't do. He needed moving targets, as most of the foes he'd meet in the field one day would be moving. So a giant water-balloon slingshot had been placed in the back yard of the Fernandez house. It was a grand idea…
...unless you had a trio of very rambunctious, quite creative, and extremely naughty three-year-olds.
"Um, guys, I don't think this is a good idea," Von grumbled as he sat, rather reluctantly, in the slingshot while his two sisters pulled it back.
"Aw, c'mon Vonny, it'll be fun!" Eva cheered.
"But why I gotta be first?" Von asked. "Why not one of you?"
"'Cuz you the littlest," Minette said. "So you'll go faster!"
"Yeah!" Eva cheered.
"Wait, what?" Von squeaked. "But I don't wanna go-"
"Ready, Von?" Minette asked.
"No, I-"
"Okay! 1, 2, 3!"
"Go!" Eva shouted as she and Minette let go, sending Von flying-
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
-right through the opened window of Roman's bedroom. Van shrieked as he, thankfully, landed on the bed. Unfortunately the impact causing the mattress to bounce and throw a completely unprepared Roman into the floor.
"Yipe!" Roman shouted as he hit the ground, the comic book he had been reading flying in the air before landing on his face.
"Ooooowwwww…" Roman groaned, lying flat on his back.
"Roman?" Von sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed to peak into the floor. "Uh-oh. You okay big brother?"
"Von?" Roman asked, lifting the comic off his face. "What -"
"Yay, my turn, my turn!" Eva's voice rang out from outside.
"Okay!" Minette happily agreed.
"What are you three doing?" Roman stood up and walked to the window to peak out.
"No!" Von shouted, jumping from the bed and tackling Roman, knocking him first against the bookshelf next to the window, before he stumbled into the side wall, and then fell back into the floor, all while Von hung from around his neck.
"Ugh…" he groaned.
"Sorry, big brother," Von whispered.
"WWEEEE!" Eva's voice called as she flew threw the window and onto Roman's bed. "That was fun!"
"Hey, come back out here so I can have a turn!" Minette shouted from outside. As Roman pushed himself back onto his feet he heard the front door open.
Minette closed the door behind her, smiling widely at the success of her plan.
"Hey, Eva, Von, where'd you go?" she asked as she jumped up onto a small accent table behind the couch, before climbing onto the back of the couch, and taking a huge leap off.
Unfortunately she didn't bother to check that no one was sleeping on the couch first.
"OOF!" Jellal grunted as he awoke to his lungs, stomach, and entire torso being crushed by Minette's landing.
"Uh-oh!"
"Minette?" Jellal asked.
"Eek!" Minette scampered off the couch and ran down the hall.
"Aren't you supposed to be lying down for a nap?" Jellal frowned as he chased his daughter down the hall and into Roman's room-
-just in time to see Minette jump out of Roman's window.
"Minette!" he scolded, running towards the window. "You get back-"
"Daddy, no!" Roman shouted, tackling his father's legs, tripping him and making him fall to the ground.
"Roman?" Jellal gasped, shocked. Say what one would about the triplets (it was probably true) but it wasn't like his eldest to step out of line.
"Sorry, Daddy, but-"
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Von's voice screeched as he shot through the window, landing on the now dishevled bed.
"What on-" Jellal stood to his feet and leaned out the window. "That is not what that sling shot is for! Eva, get out of there!" Jellal jumped out of the window and raced towards his daughters. "Girls, you do not-don't run from me! Get back here!"
"Are we in trouble?" Von asked as Roman poked his head out of the window to watch the scene ensuing outside.
"Um, yeah!" Roman scoffed.
"Eek!" Von scampered out of his room.
"What, no, don't hide, Von!" Roman chased after him. "That'll only make it worse!"
Von, of course, didn't listen, but instead ran out the front door, hoping that since his father and sisters were in the back yard he could find a hiding place in the front. What he hadn't anticipated on was-
"MOMMY!"
"Why, hello, Von," Erza smiled at her son as she parked her massive cart of luggage, oblivious to the situation. "How have you-"
"AAAAHHHH!" Von screamed at the top of his lungs, taking off. Erza arched an eyebrow. That wasn't a good sign.
"Von!" Roman yelled as he raced out of the front door and onto the lawn. "Get back over-Oh, hi, Mommy!"
He smiled and waved brightly.
"Roman, what's going on?" Erza asked, a slight scowl on her face.
"Where do I start?" Roman sighed just as Eva's voice screamed out:
"NO BRAKES! NO BRAAAAAAKES!"
In a flash she zipped by on an out-of-control tricycle, flattening her older brother in the process.
"Oooooouuuuuccccchhhhh!" Roman groaned.
"Oh, dear!" Erza raced to her oldest son's side. "Roman, are you alright?"
"How come everytime the triplets do something wrong I'm the one that gets hurt?" Roman lamented as his mother helped him to his feet and began dusting him off.
Crash!
Erza turned to find that the white-picket fence she'd begged Jellal into letting them put up around the front yard actually did have a purpose. It was good for stopping tricycles.
"Whoa," Eva muttered as she stumbled dizzily to her feet. "Why is there two of everything?"
"EVA!" Jellal shouted as he rounded the corner of the house, Minette tucked under his arm. "Get back-Oh, Erza! Thank heavens you're back!"
"One of those days, I see?" Erza asked, standing to her feet. Eva tried to take this opportunity to slip away, but was stopped in her tracks by a firm hand grabbing her by the scruff of the shirt.
"Don't even think about it," Erza warned. "Now where's Von?"
"Here," Roman said, lifting up the branches of a hydragnea bush to find Von cowering under it.
"Taddle-tell!" Von spewed as crossed his arms.
"Von, come here," Erza ordered, pointing to the ground in front of her with the arm that was not holding onto Eva. Von ducked his head as he crawled out and shuffled towards his mother.
"Now then," Erza said, crossing her arms as Eva also made her way, defeated, to stand in front of her mother. Jellal set an angry looking Minette down next to her siblings. "What in the name of Mavis is going on?"
"It was Minette's idea!" Von said, pointing to the guilty sister.
"I didn't ask whose idea it was, I asked what was going on," Erza said.
The triplets all shuffled uneasily, exchanging glances, ringing their hands, but not speaking.
"You three are already getting a time-out, do I need to go pick out a toy to stick in the top of my closet too?" Erza threatened.
Von muttered something under his breath.
"I can't understand you when you mumble," Erza said.
"We were using the sling-shot to fly," Von said.
"Yeah, onto my bed and into my things!" Roman scoffed.
"But it was Minette's-"
"What did I tell you three before I left?" Erza asked.
They all hung their heads again. "Not to touch the sling-shot," they all grumbled in unison.
"So, what did you do?"
"Touch the sling-shot."
"Not to mention sneakingout of the house when you were supposed to be napping," Jellal added.
"Is that true?" Erza asked.
All three of the triplets nodded, Von sniffling slightly.
"Well, in that case, you are all going back to bed for your nap, but you will not be having any toys sleep with you, understood?"
"Not even Teddy?" Eva asked, horrified.
"Not even teddy," Erza said sharply. "And once you three have woken up you will go help your brother clean up his room."
"But, Mommy!" Minette protested.
"No, buts! Now inside and to bed!"
Erza followed after her children, making sure their window was locked and tossing all the toys (except for a jingle-bell bracelet) into the closet, shutting it closed. She walked out of the room, hanging the jingle-bell bracelet on the door knob as she left it opened just a crack.
"And on that note," Jellal sighed as he approached her, a soft smile on his lips. "Welcome home."
Erza chuckled. "Not quite the welcome I was hoping for, but then again I'm not sure what I expected."
He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her close and kissed her.
"Yick!" Roman shuddered as he appeared in the hallway.
Erza chuckled as she turned to him. "How are you Roman?"
"I just wanted to read my new comics in peace," he lamented as he headed for his room. "Is that too much to ask?"
Both parents couldn't help but laugh at their son's misfortune.
"I see your siblings have been giving you a hard time?" Erza asked.
"Like always," Roman sighed, stopping in his doorway to turn and face his mother.
"Hm," Erza nodded in sympathy. "Tell you what, give me a few minutes to unpack my things, then you and I will use that sling-shot for it's intended purpose."
Roman's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course," Erza ruffled his hair. "Now finish reading you comics."
"Yes ma'am!" Roman cheered as he cran to his bed, scooping up his comic to read.
"How did we go from that," Jellal pointed at Roman. "To those," He jabbed his thumb at the triplets door.
Erza shrugged. "Can't say I'm afraid."
"Hm," Jellal nodded his head before smiling once more and taking her hands in his. "It is good to have you home, Erza."
"Happy to be home," she gave hi a small peck before turning to walk out to her things still on the front lawn, Jellal following along behind her to help.
"How was the job," he asked.
"Rather uneventful," Erza sighed. "We were called to keep guard over an important meeting of a town's delegates a few miles from here. But nothing happed, so there was really nothing for us to do but stand there."
"Ah," Jellal nodded as Erza began stacking suitcases in his arms. "That sounds boring."
"It was."
"Sorry, darling."
"It's fine," Erza shrugged. "I suppose not every job can be filled with adventurous fun."
She stopped stacking her bags when she could no longer see Jellal's face. She took the rest of the load in on her back, bringing it to hers and Jellal's bedroom so they could start unpacking.
"When are you going out on your next job?" she asked her husband as they worked.
"Not for another few weeks," Jellal answered.
"Really?" her eyes brightened.
He nodded, smiling. "Both of us home at the same time for more than a few days, imagine that?"
"Sounds divine," Erza sighed, before blushing a bit. "Any chance we could send the children to play at a friend's house for a few hours some time these next few weeks?"
"Oh, did I not tell you?" Jellal said, half-jokingly. "A fair is coming into town in five days, and Persephone and Koree invited our four to go along with them."
Erza smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The twins asked our children to go along, or you asked Gajeel and Levy to take them?"
"Does it really matter which is was?" Jellal shrugged as he went to hang up some of her clothes in the closet.
"Not at all," Erza laughed, walking up behind him and hugging him, placing her hands on his chest. He sighed happily, placing his hands on top of hers.
A jingling noise came from down the hall.
"Get back in bed!" Erza shouted. The sound of the triplets shrieking and scampering back into their room echoed down the hallway.
Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!"
Erza arched an eyebrow as she slipped back into the hallway and poked into Roman's room. The little boy was thwoing punches at the bag she'd hung from his ceiling about a year ago. She couldn't help but smile at the determined look on his face. It was adorable seeing one so small trying to look so fierce.
Bonk!
Roman swapped techniques, choosing instead to kick the bag, bouncing it off his wall. He caught it with his fist as it swung back, punching it to a stop before it could hit him. Erza's eyebrows rose up, impressed. Maybe she needed to add a few more pounds of sand into that thing…
"Warming himself up?" Jellal asked, poking his head out of the doorway.
Erza nodded, walking back towards her husband. "Indeed he is."
"You know he loves these training sessions with you, right?"
"Yes, and I thoroughly enjoy them as well."
"Just don't go too hard on him."
"You say that everytime and yet I never do."
"Yes," Jellal arched an eyebrow. "How is that? If it's anyone else you always get too enthusiastic and end up overdoing it. But never with Roman…"
"Because whenever it's anyone else it's usually an adult, not a six-year-old boy."
"Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact he's your son?"
"He's your son, too!"
Jellal smirked at seeing a slightly flustered look in her eyes. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret."
"My-wha-I don't have a secret!" Erza insisted. "And even if I did, I didn't admit to anything just now."
"You didn't need to," Jellal smiled, ducking a shirt thrown at his head, chuckling all the while.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Splash!
"Ugh!" Roman cringed as he wiped to water from the ballon he'd missed off his face.
"Oh, you were so close to breaking your high score!" Erza called.
"How many was that?" Roman asked, pushing his wet hair out of his face.
"Nine," Erza answered.
"How many is my high score?"
"With your throwing stars it's ten."
"Aw, man," Roman huffed. "Can I try a different weapon?"
"Of course," Erza beamed. "What do you want to do next?"
Roman thought for a minute, then held out his hand. "Requip!" His whip appeared in his palm.
"Alright, let's see how you do this time," Erza said as she dropped another balloon into the sling-shot, pulled it back, and let it go.
Pop!
A crack of the whip and the balloon splattered into non existance in midair.
"One," Erza counted under her breath as she let another one go.
Pop! "Two..."
"Hey, Mommy?"
"Yes, Roman?"
"What made you wanna be the knight?"
"The knight?"
Pop! "Three…"
"Yeah. Y'know. You're the knight, Aunt Bisca's the gun slinger, why'd you wanna be a knight requip wizard?"
Pop! "Four…"
She thought for a moment, pausing from reloading the balloons.
"I'm actually not sure."
Pop!
"Five…"
"So there's no reason you wanted to be the knight?" Roman asked.
"Not any in particular. I guess I'm just better suited for knight-like weapons. Swords, spears, shields. A few maces and hammers."
Pop!
"Six…"
"Why do you ask, darling?" Erza called as she loaded up another balloon.
"I was just wondering if you had to pick a certain type of requip, that's all," Roman answered.
Pop!
"Seven!…"
Erza tried to keep her excitement of how well Roman was doing contained as she reached for another balloon.
"Not at all. The pocket dimension your magic grants you is for you to use as you see fit. You need not limit yourself. In fact it's best if you don't."
Pop!
"Eight!..."
She had to take a deep breath to keep her face from betraying her glee. She didn't want to do anything to break her son's concentration.
"For example, though I am, as you put it, 'the knight' and usually use weapons that fit that description, I also have a few katanas in my arsenal."
Pop!
"Nine!…Usually we requip wizards get out titles because most of find a certain kind of weapon that we prefer to use over others. That doesn't mean you can't step out of that range and explore a bit, though."
Pop!
"Ten!"
Roman's brow furrowed, he almost looked disappointed.
"Were you wanting to have a certain title, Roman?" Erza asked.
"Yeah…"
Pop!
"Eleven!...ahem...what was it?"
"I want to be a ninja!" Roman said brightly.
Erza chuckled. "I should have known those comic books would give you funny ideas."
"What's wrong?" Roman asked. "Do you not think I can be?"
"Oh, no, that's not it," Erza shook her head.
Pop!
"Twelve...I just find it amusing that you've thought so long and hard about this," she paused for a moment. "Well, as you said, ee already have a knight and gunslinger in our guild. Even outside of the requip wizard realm, Fairy Tail isn't exactly known for it's subtely. Perhaps we do need a stealthy ninja to add to our ranks."
"You think so?" Roman asked brightly.
"Absolutely," Erza nodded as she pulled the sling-shot back. "Besides, between the throwing stars, nunchuck, bo staff, knives, and whip, I'd say you're well on your way."
She let go.
Splash!
"Aw, man!" Roman grumbled as he shook the water out of his face.
"Oh, you did so well!" Erza cheered as she raced towards him.
"I did?" Roman asked, pushing his hair back.
"You're high score with your whip used to be six," Erza explained as she knelt in front of Roman and set her hands on his shoulders. "Guess how many you just hit?"
"Um...I don't know…"
"Twelve! You doubled your high score!"
"I did!?"
Erza hugged her son, stood up, and spun him around.
"Oh, you're getting so good! You'll be the best ninja Earth-Land has ever seen."
From one of the livingroom windows Jellal smiled as he watched. Roman's skills were improving rapidly. Not that Jellal was surprised. Roman was always pushing himself to do better and better. Maybe a bit too much…
It hadn't really been an issue yet, but Jellal worried about how that work ethic might grow to an unhealthy level as Roman got older. Still, it wasn't a problem yet, so there was no point in worrying now. Besides, Roan was doing fine. Better than fine actually. Jellal didn't know of any other six-year-olds that could hit 12 moving targets in a row with a whip!
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
"Get back in bed!"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Ugh!" Erza groaned as she sat upon hers and Jellal's bed. "Maybe that nap wasn't such a good idea," she grumbled, requipping into her pajamas, a tank top and pair of shorts.
"I thought those three would never get to sleep," she collapsed onto her back, dishevling her clothing and the bed's blankets a bit, but she didn't care.
Jellal chuckled as he climbed onto the bed, hovering over her, one hand on either side of her head. "Well, they're asleep now."
"Finally," Erza sighed as Jellal kissed her cheek. A smile played on her lips as she closed her eyes, running her fingers through his hair as he kissed her all over her face. He was incredibly gentle. These weren't lustful, seductive, hungry kisses. They were soft, adoring, appreciative. They told her how good it was to have her back home. How missed she had been while she was away. He left a lingering one against her right eyebrow, over her artificial eye. One of his hands wandered to trace the scar across her abdomen from her c-section.
He made a point to do this. To either touch or kiss her scars whenever he could, not that he needed to. Erza was not insecure or bothered at all by the various battle marks on her body. In fact she carried them with pride. Still, it was nice to know that he adored every part of her without prejudice or condition. She sighed in contentment, before locking her hands behind his shoulder and flipping them over, leaving her ontop.
Jellal didn't even have time to say the "Er" in "Erza" before she'd tackled his mouth with hers. She let his hands travel from his shoulders, across his chest, up his neck, and into his hair where they got lost and tangled in his blue tresses. He let out a loud moan, setting one hand behind her head, the other on her back.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Roman shouted from down the hall.
"But we just wanna play," Minette insisted.
"We're supposed to be going to bed!" Roman said.
"Aw, c'mon, Ro-Ro. Let us play, please?" Eva begged.
"No! Get out!"
Jellal and Erza both groaned.
"How many days away is that fair the Redfoxes are taking them too?" Erza asked.
"Too many," Jellal answered, causing his wife to at least smile a bit before she stood and walked into the hall.
"What do you three think you're doing?"