A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for all the reviews/follows/favorites. I realllllyyy appreciate them. Here's another chapter for you. Hope I'm still going at a steady pace and not rushing things a bit. 3

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Poetry In Motion
the final downpour of metaphors

Chapter Twelve: Silence And Attachment

The bleeding had stopped.

At least the bleeding had stopped.

Erza had gone through the events over and over in her mind when she finally managed to calm down. One, Jellal was not hurt that bad for him to be able to make it to the play and go home by himself; the wounds were tolerable—but they still hurt the way the redhead observed. Two, Jellal chose to just shrug the whole damn topic off, throwing it out of the window when he refused to say anything. Not that she was prying, she was just...curious? Was that the proper term?

"Why the long face Ginger?" groaned a bedridden ultramarine, the smirk on his face masking the pain he was feeling.

"Who did this to you Jellal?" she asked, and for a moment Erza knew the unbearable cycle of question running on and on in her mind wasn't just curiosity.

It was concern. And if there was anything else laced with that, she'd blame it all on that one emotion.

Jellal uttered a sound of annoyance and she didn't know if it was because of his wounds or because of her persistent quest for an answer for her question.

"We're done talking about this."

Erza gripped the fabric of her shorts tightly, her knuckles turning white from the welling anger inside her.

Was the way she asked the question so wrong? Why won't he answer her? What was he going to lose if he did tell her? What was he so afraid of? Why—

Why am I getting so involved?

"Jellal," she firmly stated, her voice grabbing his attention once more. "I don't mean to pry if that's what you think I'm doing. Really, I'm not. I'm just concerned about you."

The ultramarine looked her in the eyes and for a split second they connected, like all their thoughts and feelings merged and they completely understood each other, but Jellal broke it by averting his gaze and his voice suddenly dripped with an emotionless tone.

"I didn't ask for it."

"No you didn't but—"

"I don't need it. I'm fine. You can go now, Erza."

"Fine!" she roared, frustration getting the best of her.

Silence was his reply and the redhead stood up, leaving a completely bandaged Jellal as she slammed the door that put an end to their conversation.

She needed air. Space. Any room for her to breathe.

Erza knew talking to someone would help her alleviate the burden she was carrying, but she also knew she had to figure this thing out alone. This wasn't a problem related to Jellal. This was her problem.

And it terrified her because she didn't know where to start.

Jellal was an intelligent, manipulative and unpredictable man. This was already a given to her and she furrowed her brows because other than that, he was a mystery. Hell he was mystery per se.

Thinking that there was no way she could get this out of her system with him just a wall away, the redhead went outside of their unit and headed to some place where she could perfectly think and reflect.

The coffee shop out of town was her favorite spot. From there, she could just sit all day and mind not a thing in the world. But today, she came for a different purpose and that's to sort out whatever emotions she was feeling.

Erza ordered a cup of espresso because this has always calmed her down.

She took a sip and immediately felt alive and refreshed.

And almost unbelievably, a thought crossed her mind.

She and Jellal has something.

She still couldn't put her finger on it but there's something between them.

It wasn't friendship comparable to her guy friends like Natsu or Gray, and it definitely wasn't like the girls'.

Erza knew it wasn't love, and if it was, she'd knew right away. She has never fallen in love but it was just pure instinct to know that a person has fallen in love right?

She decided that this something bordered between friendship and love. Perhaps, a deeper sort of understanding but a lesser kind of affection. The redhead wasn't going to label this because she had no reason to. Right now all that mattered was, she had finally set the line between them and it was vividly there.

The reason why Jellal refused to answer her was because she didn't have any hold on him. There was no reason to give her something to fret over about because there was nothing going on between them that required both their attention and maybe because the ultramarine did not want that line to be blurred. He was happy with the way things were between them, and crossing that safety zone which they had so carefully set and drawn was going to cost them so much.

Erza snorted all of a sudden.

If this was his decision, she certainly was going to respect this so long as he gets to respect hers.

Jellal was contemplating whether he had said something wrong to his roommate. He checked the clock and it was almost seven. He groaned as he forced himself to stand up. He needed to wash himself and to change his bandages to prevent the infection but this was going to be a tough task even for him.

If only—

He vigorously shook his head, ridding him the thought of a certain redhead. There was absolutely no way he could keep on relying on her because that would certainly deal a lot of damage to his ego.

Pride, after all is all that a man has.

Choosing the rough road ahead of him, Jellal grunted in pain when he flexed his muscles to stretch. It was tasking, but it was necessary still for his health. But fearing that his wounds might open once again if he worked out too much, he stopped and settled for something else. He grabbed a drink from the kitchen and felt himself immediately hydrated. From there he stared at the bathroom door, silently arguing with himself if he could bathe himself in his current condition.

Jellal ran a hand through messy hair, a sigh escaping his lips as he pondered on the thought of being in the hospital and being taken care of. Instead of wasting his time fantasizing the benefits he could've had in the hospital, he peeled his shirt off and dropped it to the floor.

"I'll take care of that later."

He was in the middle of removing his bandages when a soft thud landed on the kitchen floor. Jellal had expected to see one of the fruits on the floor which he believed to have rolled out of the basket, but was apparently surprised to see her.

Erza Scarlet was back and she's walking towards him.

He followed her movements and when she finally made contact with his skin, her fingers encircling the bicep of one arm, Jellal couldn't help but feel his strength draining. He silently slumped on the chair, sitting informally as he still had his eyes glued on the now kneeling woman.

The ultramarine didn't know why but he allowed her to peel off his bandages. He wasn't complaining. In fact, it was the opposite of it and he loved how, from time to time, her fingertips would brush his sides. He was about to say something—anything—to break the silence but he only managed to open and close his mouth quite a few times before he was rendered speechless once more.

He pushed her away and ironically, she was back.

Jellal couldn't help but think about it over and over. The fact that he had explicitly shut her off was a thing he thought that would repel her completely away from him, but the effect was opposite.

He watched her as she dabbed the cloth gently against his wounds, and he winced slightly in contact. She was here, and she was treating him softly, kindly...delicately. He was about to speak again, maybe thank her in the process of doing so when Erza beat him to it.

"If you're thinking of a way to push me away again, don't. Just let me finish and—"

But she never finished her statement because Jellal had gripped her so tightly, she thought her wrist would snap.

Erza frowned and looked up to question his appalling reaction when his other hand lightly cupped one cheek. Erza thought how amazing the contact was, but was still disturbed by the fact that one hand was cold and unyielding while his other had was warm and longing.

Jellal smiled sincerely and that made her heart beat erratically.

"I wasn't. In fact, I was thinking of a way to thank you." he spoke softly, his gaze locking into a pair of parted lips.

Erza noticed this and chose to dart her tongue out, the muscle leaving a glistening trail to coat her lips.

"Tell me who did this to you then." she breathed out, her hand dropping the wet cloth on the floor and her fingers lightly tracing the edges of his reddened cuts and purplish bruises.

Jellal hissed at the contact and whether if it was because of pain or pleasure—or maybe both—that he didn't know but he was enjoying it.

"You haven't earned that right yet, Ginger." he grunted, loosening his hold on her wrist and dropping the other hand to his side.

Silence once again filled the atmosphere but Erza wasn't fazed. She grabbed a fresh set of bandages and began wrapping it around the ultramarine's torso, the sterile cloth making the only sound in the kitchen. Her resolve was clear as day and it only made Jellal uncomfortable.

"Erza—"

"I won't ask again." she promised, securing the bandage in place.

Jellal let out an frustrated sigh and cursed before pulling the redhead to him.

She found herself on his lap, straddling him on that tiny piece of furniture called chair, and briefly she wondered if it could hold both their weight. But she knew the chair was the least of her worries because Jellal was hugging her, locking her small frame against his as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. Sighing tiredly, Erza wrapped her arms around the wounded man's back and whispered soothingly into his ear.

"I'm here. It's going to be alright."

"I know. I just felt the need to hug you." he half-jokingly said.

"You're selfish you know that?" she blurted out and he smirked at this.

"Speaking of selfish, I want that date you promised me."

"If the play went horribly I would, but since it was a success," she gently pushed him aside, a twinkle of mischief present in her sienna orbs. "You haven't earned that right yet, Jellal."

He pouted and mocked a look of disappointment before responding.

"But I was so awesome at the play."

"You were." she flatly complimented.

"Don't I get a reward?" he grasped her hips and pulled her closer to him, the tip oh his nose touching hers in a feathery sort of way.

"What more do you want from me?"

He chuckled nervously before dismissing the idea. He simply gave her an innocent peck on her cheek and when he pulled back, he was shocked to see the redhead lean forward and do the same. For a moment they just stared at each other, his eyes a lost cause while hers were confident and sure. She boldly took the first move, slowly inching her face as she softly pressed her lips on his. Jellal's eyes were wide because this was the first time she initiated the kiss.

Erza withdrew too fast for his own liking and the ultramarine craved for another contact. He pushed himself to reunite their lips and it all happened once more, contact ending abruptly until they decided it wasn't enough.

Soon their lips were moving and fusing and grazing for more. Erza's arms snaked their way to his neck and Jellal's hand cradled the nape of the whimpering woman in his hands. The sexual tension between them finally burst, their bodies desperate for more. Jellal slid his tongue inside her mouth the moment she parted her lips, and Erza couldn't help but tighten her hold on his neck for dear life. He gave her swollen lips one final kiss before stopping to give both of them room to breathe, when they finally managed to fill their lungs with a sufficient amount of oxygen, their lips met once more.

His hands roamed the small of her back while hers stayed glued into his neck, refusing to let go of said body part. Jellal smirked into the kiss before moving down to the direction of her chin. Erza threw her head back, allowing access to a part of her that he had always fantasized about.

And boy was he living the dream. He was about to go further down when he suddenly winced in pain.

Erza snapped out of trance and checked the ultramarine's condition.

"Let's stop. Your wounds might open up again." she breathed, slipping out of his grasp and leaving his lap.

Jellal laughed weakly, holding his torso as he looked at her with flare in his eyes.

"I was enjoying that."

Erza chose not to comment on that and decided to just leave him there, but he stopped her once more.

"You know, you're going to help me out here again."

"Why?" she asked.

"I haven't taken a bath yet, and I'm going to be needing your help on the bandages."

Erza blinked.

"W-Why didn't you tell me?" she suddenly yelled out, blushing furiously at the thought. Erza had planned to reward him with nothing but a measly peck on the lips but her desire got the best of her and now that she thought she could escape from the embarrassment this had caused her, she was once again stuck with the absolute, cocky bastard that was the blue-haired devil.

"So do I get the reward of bathing with you? Or just you bathing me? Either way's fine with me."

Erza nodded silently, coming to a conclusion that would best suit the situation.

"You haven't earned that right yet, Jellal."

She gave him a pitiful look and slowly turned on her heel and walked away.

"O-Oi, Erza!"