notes: Ah! I'm so sorry, everyone! I think I was really confusing in the previous chapter, but that was definitely not the last chapter!
In fact, this one is the bookend to our whole story. Please do enjoy, nevertheless. ;)
Hot Spring
chapter six: finally, the onsen
at three am
When Jellal woke up from his early holiday pleasure, he smacked himself in the face.
He dreamed that he was married, had two kids, and was celebrating a goddamn Christmas with Erza.
It seemed like his unconscious mind was even way more outlandish than his conscious mind when it came to Erza.
And he settled into a new found terror for his id, he quickly wiped the blood from his nose before forcing himself to shut his eyes.
So be it. He wasn't going to deny it anymore. He was crazy about Erza.
No shame in that, right?
He kept a box of tissues by his bed. Just in case.
the next day
Jellal could barely believe that he still had blood in his body after his whole night dreaming of her naked body and the whole day after that daydreaming of her naked body.
But oh, thank goodness that he was still standing here today, looking at her beautiful self, about to go to the onsen with her.
His body could almost barely take it.
They parted at the entrance of the changing rooms, going into their respective men and women's bathrooms.
"I'll see you on the other side," she said, in a low voice, with a small smile.
Jellal could only muster a short, shaky laugh, tucking in a growing bulge. He was very happy to be retreating into the bathrooms, and he whipped off his clothes, throwing himself into the quick shower and waited for himself to calm down before he emerged on the other side, a big nervous smile on his face.
He looked up to see Erza already into the onsen—and also two other people in there already.
"Oh," was all he could say.
This is what she meant by "take him to the onsen."
Erza had simply invited Jellal to the trio's hot spring time, instead of having a private session with just the two of them, as his mind had imagined for the last 24 hours—eight while trying to fall asleep, eight while he was dreaming, and eight while he was awake the next day, waiting for this very moment…
The very disappointed Jellal sank into the water as quickly as possible, taking a place on the very far end of the spring.
He stared back at a flame dragonslayer and an ice mage, both slightly disgruntled at the fact that there was very clearly a fourth wheel in the onsen with them that day.
"So Jellal…" Gray said, clearly sitting a bit more tensely than how the ice mage would have normally been sitting in the hot water. "What do you like to do in your free time?"
Teehee.
Alright friends, I'm pretty much done with the story here (I already have ribbons in the request bin for an encore chapter next time), but if you want more, you're going to have to holler. I'd gladly go long for you dears. ;)
thir13enth
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psa: yes yes, dear friends. this is the final chapter of the story Hot Spring. all other chapters are this are pretty much set up to be individual one shots! thank you so so so much for reading and being great and silly and entertaining me while i cruised through writing this all the way! it was much fun and much of a challenge ahaha! please do let me know what you think of this story as a whole! i would love to hear from you!
and then for those of y'all STILL thirsty, turn the page, of course.
