A/N: iknowwhatyou'rethinkingandi'msorrygah!
here are my heartsheartshearts and thanks in advance. well this is short :/
Disclaimer applied
Poetry In Motion
the final downpour of metaphors
Chapter Eight: A Sick, Sick Cycle
Erza woke up with an unbearable throbbing in her head. Apart from the fact that her body ached all over, the young woman could hardly breathe. The apparent redness and itchiness of her nose had her sneezing at the slightest irritation in a most unladylike way.
Erza Scarlet had come down with a serious case of cold.
She forced her weak body to sit up from bed, dragging her clammy hand to the alarm clock on top of the side table.
Shoot, I'm gonna be late for class.
Her knees took most of her upper body's weight, slim legs shaking from gravity and pressure. The redhead groaned the moment she unlocked the door. She stepped outside only to bump into her roommate.
"Good morning—what happened to you?" Jellal asked, his tone concerned.
Erza sniffed before pushing him aside.
"You're not supposed to be awake yet."
"Haven't slept yet actually. Are you sick?" he asked once more, but the redhead dodged the question again by walking right past him.
Jellal grabbed her by the elbow and shoved her to the wall, his body trapping hers in an unbreakable state.
"Hey!" The protest came out in a short staccato, clammy hands coming up on the ultramarine's chest in an attempt to push the young man away.
Jellal slicked Erza's fringes back, his forehead resting on hers.
"You're hot." he commented, the concern and hint of playfulness ever present in his statement.
"Peachy." she retorted, a sudden pool of liquid clogging her nose.
"You should be in bed." Jellal held her by the shoulders, coaxing her to return to her room and rest, but Erza Scarlet was the quite stubborn woman.
"I'm fine." she grumbled, swatting both his hands away. She was panting, as Jellal had observed and she swayed as she took one step at a time. It had not been long before the ultramarine's guess came true and since he had already predicted this, he effortlessly caught her before her body slumped down on the floor. He sighed as he carried her to his room.
I hope she considers this as an exception.
Erza woke up from the coolness that emanated from her forehead. Even though it was sort of relieving her condition a bit, she still couldn't shake off the burning sensation beneath her eyelids and skin.
"39.8 That's high." A low voice spoke and Erza turned her head to find its owner. "You've got a flu, Ginger."
"Jellal? Wha—" Erza furrowed her brows, her hoarse voice rising in pitch. "What are you doing inside my room?!"
The ultramarine shook his head, setting the thermometer down on top of a desk that was unfamiliar to the redhead. Erza was sure she had no medical books and apparatus on her table. So either she forgot she had them or—
"You're in my room." Jellal flatly informed. The next thing Erza did confused him for she sharply got under the sheets and surfaced back in the same hurried state, sighing in relief at the fact that she still had her pajama blouse and bottom on.
"Ouch." Jellal cringed in a mock display of hurt.
"You haven't done anything...right?" Erza asked, her flushed face—clearly from the fever—stern as she met his mischievous pair of shamrock eyes.
"None yet." he chuckled when the redhead pulled the blankets up in a defensive manner, shooting daggers and growling for his impeccable timing to upset her.
"Stay there." and without another word, he disappeared right before she could protest.
The door slammed shut and Erza was left alone to bask in the new surroundings. The walls were painted the same color as the hallways of the dormitory which was powder blue. She noticed that there wasn't much in his room. Just the desk and dresser for furniture, an old model of a guitar, a basketball at the corner, books piled up on the desk, a table lamp and a wall clock. The room was plain to say the least and this most definitely didn't suit the ultramarine Erza knew in every way. She had expected a messy room filled with posters of scantily clothed or naked women and a few issues of porn magazines scattered here and there but it wasn't.
The room was neat and clean and it reminded her of her room. Somehow, she felt a pang of hurt hit her because her roommate was a mystery still. A person with many and different faces. A pervert on their first encounter; a charmer and gentleman in the latter. Who was Jellal Fernandes really?
Her thoughts stopped abruptly when the doorknob turned, from behind the door emerged the familiar figure holding a steaming bowl in one hand.
"I hope you like porridge." he beamed as he took a seat beside her. Erza watched with hidden interest as she eyed his every movement. She was assessing him once again, reading his actions and then judging afterwards. She may not be good at this, but the subtle hints he was throwing was enough to give her an idea of who he really is.
"Say 'ah~'" Erza immediately swiped the spoon from his grasp and shoved the warm porridge inside her mouth. Jellal feigned a look of disappointment but a sincere and satisfied smile followed.
"I thought I would do the honors of feeding you." he smirked, handing her the bowl.
"I may be sick but I'm not helpless." she regretted the words almost immediately when she spilled the contents on the sheets and she blamed her trembling fingers for that. Jellal cleaned up the mess with a towel and silently asked her permission to take the bowl back. Thinking that she didn't want to owe her roommate anymore, she conceded.
Jellal blew onto a spoonful of porridge before giving it to her.
"After this you have to take your medicine." he softly said and the redhead nodded in agreement.
"Thank you."
It came at an untimely moment that it actually caught Jellal off-guard making him blurt out an incomprehensible noise and blush. Erza raised a brow at this.
"S-Sorry. I just wasn't expecting something like that from you but you're most welcome." he scratched the back of his head to cover his embarrassment.
"Did you think I was some sort of ungrateful, chauvinistic, selfish woman?"
"No! No, of course not."
There it was again. His unlikely submissive and out of character attitude. Erza had briefly wondered what it meant.
"I guess you will need to bathe as well." Jellal cleared his throat.
"I smell that bad?" she asked, her face unable to hide the hurt and offended look on it.
"No, but you're already sweating so much. Wouldn't want you soaking on my bed." he smirked and she glared at him for the obvious and downright sexual innuendo. Though she was much more concerned on the sudden shift of his personality again. It was like a defensive mechanism.
"You're a jerk."
"And you're hot."
"Because I'm sick." she countered.
Jellal let out an amused laughter before collecting the now empty bowl. Erza's eyes widened. Since when did she finish the porridge? And how fast was she?
"Rest easy, Erza." he smiled genuinely as he tucked her to bed. He kissed her forehead and left the room without another word.
Erza Scarlet brought her hand to the part where the ultramarine's lips had touched her heated skin. She sighed and scolded herself for not taking his goddamned hoodie last night. If she had, she probably wouldn't be in this shameful predicament.
Jellal woke up to a strange poking sensation on his cheek.
"Hn?" he groggily sat up from the couch where he had slept last night. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he brought his gaze upon a fully dressed redhead.
"You can't boss me around now." Erza flashed the reading on the thermometer and Jellal nodded upon seeing the numbers.
"You're good to go." he yawned, returning back to the comfort of the couch for another dosage of sleep.
Instead of doing what she's told, the redhead remained with an impassive expression on her face and arms folded across her chest.
"What?" he inquired.
"I don't want to be indebted to you." she stated.
"You're not." Jellal turned to his side and dismissed her.
"I am," she said it like it was an unpleasant thing to say. "So is there anything you want in return?"
Her conditional statement caught his interest as he once again faced her, his lying form both relaxed and tense at the same time.
"Anything I want?"
Erza pressed her lips to a thin line before letting out a weary sigh.
"Yes, so long as it is within my capabilities and not a violation of any human rights."
Jellal smiled.
"Spoken like a righteous lawyer."
Erza scoffed.
"Well? It there anything you want or not?"
Jellal finally sat up, planting his chin on the palm of his hand, a smirk stretched on his face.
"Actually, there is something I want."
Something told her she had signed her death wish.