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Poetry In Motion
the final downpour of metaphors

Chapter Fourteen: The Promised Date

Next time, it'll be the kids.

What did the text message mean? A horrible memory resurfaced her mind as she remembered the wounds on Jellal's torso. She bit her lip so hard to suppress the possibility of torturing the kids. What kind of person would do that to anyone and then blatantly threaten the safety of his/her loved ones? Days had passed since she had read the message and ever since then, she'd been constantly keeping in touch with Ultear to ask how she and the kids were doing. The raven-haired woman would often reply with a "We're alright" or "We're fine" remark before asking if anything was wrong. Erza would quickly respond by saying that she was just missing them and that she's looking forward to the day where she'd visit them again. Although she kept pestering Jellal for another visit to the orphanage, he would just brush the thought off and refuse without thinking twice. Erza knew it had something to do with the message.

Ever since then, Jellal was quiet. Even to the point where he'd lock himself up in the room for a whole day talking to someone on his phone. She knew this because the redhead would watch his every move and sometimes, when she's too desperate to get something out of her roommate, she'd eavesdrop. Unfortunately though, Jellal was every bit of a mystery and a master in the art of concealing information.

"Erza?"

"Jellal? I-It's rare to see you."

He flashed that signature smirk of his and Erza felt a sharp twinge of pain in her chest. That smile just now was automatic and there was no sincerity in that smile. She knew that he was going through something yet he wouldn't even share that pain with her. She was more than willing to take up the burden since they have reached a certain point of understanding. And to her, that alone was reason enough to trust her with whatever this was.

"Missed me that much Ginger?"

"Yes." she answered without hesitating and that response caught the ultramarine off guard. He cleared his throat to make up for his sloppy expression.

"W-Well, that's unlikely of you."

Erza approached him.

"And it's unlikely of you to stay cooped up in your room all day."

Jellal sighed.

"Just tired." he curtly replied and headed to the kitchen. She followed him quietly and he didn't mind. It's not like he could shake her off or something, but he just figured he'd let her do whatever she was up to and he'd remain neutral about it.

"Hey," she placed her hands on her hips to catch his attention and to tell him through her action that she was serious about starting a conversation with him.

"What is it? I'm not really in the mood to—"

"Let's go on a date."

"—wait, what?"

"A date. I promised you a date didn't I? Or did you forget?"

He took out a bottle from the fridge and popped the lid open with a twist.

"I didn't forget. I just—"

"Well, where do you want to go?" she cut him off with another question.

"Look I—"

Erza raised a hand.

"No. You listen to me. There's something you're not telling me and I'm not going to force it out off you. It's just that, it's hard seeing you like this. Normally you'd sexually harass me—"

Jellal knitted his brows as if he was offended.

"—sometimes and verbally too." Erza ran a hand through her scarlet tresses and looked him straight in the eye. "What I'm trying to say is, loosen up. Don't you want to have a little fun?"

Silence enveloped them for a few seconds before Jellal placed the soda on top of the counter. This time he laughed—like really laughed and it was music to the redhead's ears. For quite some time now, this was the most genuine response she got out from the ultramarine. Her heart soared and it was nothing like she had ever felt before.

"So, is that a yes?" she asked excitedly.

"Absolutely." he smiled.

"Great, then we should—"

"Yeah about that, can I be the one to set up and plan the whole thing?" Erza raised a brow at this and that was when Jellal fished out a folded paper from one of his pockets and gave it to her. Erza unfolded the paper to see something written on it. "The thing is, I've already planned everything up." he confessed.

The redhead laughed.

"What is this, some sort of itinerary?"

"Sort of." he shrugged.

"Since when did you actually plan this?" she curiously asked.

"Right before the play."

"That long ago huh?" she further read the details on the sheet and nodded as if agreeing with the terms he'd made. "Alright, does this come in chronological sequence?"

"Y-Yes."

She laughed again, a little louder this time and Jellal couldn't help but feel hot and embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I just find this amusing." she held back another fit of giggles and tapped the ultramarine multiple times on his shoulders. "I mean 'Read shoujo manga', 'Watch a drama film', 'Play a game of tag'? I wasn't exactly expecting this kind of date."

"Well, what do you have in mind woman? I just thought even though doing normal things with you alone is fun."

Erza stopped laughing and she watched as the ultramarine whipped his head to the side to avoid being teased further.

"I was just thinking the same thing." she said softly. And for just a moment, time for him seemed to stop as he processed and weighed her words. What did she mean by that? "Anyway, since you've been spending your precious weekends mostly on books and your suffocating room, I'd rather we go out to an arcade center, or a zoo, or an amusement park."

"And have dinner later?"

Erza nodded. "And have dinner later."

"And then make out?"

"Mhmm, and then make—" she stopped abruptly, seeing the smug look on her roommate's face. "Fine. And then make out."

Jellal almost choked on his own words as he was ready for another witty reply but the redhead's response blew the words right out of his mouth.

"What? F-Fine?"

"Fine." Erza confirmed, leaving a gaping ultramarine alone in the kitchen as she headed towards her room to prepare.

"F-Fine."

Since the date was just decided out of the blue, they both really had the time to prepare for something either fancy or extraordinary. Though they both agreed to wear something casual and comfortable. Jellal chose a dark gray sweater and blue jeans for his outfit. As for his footwear, he picked a pair of Red Wing chukkas. He checked his watch and waited patiently until his date was finished.

"Now you make me look underdressed."

Jellal gave her a once over and then another before examining what she was wearing.

She's lying, he thought.

Erza settled for a white tank top sported by a gray cardigan and a pair of black, skinny jeans. Jellal's gaze went lower and that's when he started smiling dumbly.

"We match." he muttered all to himself.

"What?"

"I said, we match. Look, we even have the same shoes!" he exclaimed, pointing out to another pair that were about two or three sizes smaller.

"Calm down, we haven't even gotten out of the apartment yet."

Jellal cleared his throat to steady his breathing.

Calm down Fernandes, calm the fuck down.

"Right, well, shall we go?" he offered his arm for her to take it and as if it was the most normal thing to do, she hooked her arm around his strong bicep.

"By the way," Jellal began. "I love your hair like that."

Erza gave him a mischievous look.

"A ponytail? Of course you do."

They decided to go the amusement park—getting on every ride they could ride on and exploring the haunted houses. They were having so much fun that they completely forgot who they were supposed to be before this moment. Jellal was having the time of his life and Erza was just content seeing him back to himself even if it's just temporary. Of course, she would've preferred if this lasted a lifetime but it wasn't meant to be. The ultramarine checked his watched and realized how late it was now. He asked Erza to for the one last ride before having dinner someplace they haven't decided on yet.

The Ferris wheel.

Great, how cliché.

"I had a great time, honestly." Jellal said as he watched their pod slowly move upwards.

"Me too." Erza meant that with all her heart, but there was something troubling her at the meantime. Something that concerned about asking Jellal about the text message. She licked her lips to force her mouth to form words and blurt it out already, but Jellal beat her to it.

"I know."

"What?"

"I said, I know." Not sure what he was referring to, she still asked.

"Know what?"

"The message, Erza. The text from Zero. I know you've read it before." he softly spoke, his gaze tracing the lights our of their pod's glassy window.

"S-Since when?"

"Does it matter?"

"No...it doesn't. But what matters now is, I want to know."

He swiftly spun his head to face her and the look on his face was something she could not describe.

"Know what? About Zero? About my past? About me?" he was being impossible and he knew that. He didn't have any right to raise his tone of voice at her, nor did he have any right to speak to her like that at all.

Their pod stopped at the peak and for a few minutes they just looked at each other, drowning the unnecessary background noises back in their heads.

"Huh," she muttered indignantly. "You chauvinistic, self-absorbed asshole."

He cringed at the remark and was taken by surprise when Erza grabbed him by his clothing and pulled so she could get her message across clearly.

"This isn't just about you, you retard." she seethed. "I care about the kids as much as you do too. I never miss to call Ultear about their situation and that's only the thing I could do. But at least I'm doing something! While you...you'd rather stay locked up in your room brooding about the things you can't do!"

"I'm doing it to protect the kids." he explained.

"Why can't you just call the cops for help?" she yelled, anger getting the best of her.

"I can't."

"Why not?!"

"I can't! He made me into what I am now!"

Labored breathing substituted for words when Erza couldn't understand any of it.

"What...what do you mean he made you into what you are now."

"I'm an orphan too, Erza. Who do you think I owe my life to?"

A/N: Vacation time~ will post updates on a weekly basis :)