notes— so who wants to hear about the stupid thing i did. i accidentally posted ch27 as ch26. yes, i actually managed to do this.

Also, update on the playlist thing— 8tracks' recently changed international streaming service (i.e. the removal of it...) kind of threw a spanner in the works, considering I'm outwith the US myself; no worries, I'll figure something out, but ughhh annoying... In the meantime, let's add Bare by Wildes to the list of must-listens.

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21 ; red string

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"Did you read it?"

"Hmm?" Erza takes the cup from the barista, murmurs a quick, "Thank you," and moves on down the street. "Sorry, what was that?" she says into the receiver, balancing the phone against her shoulder as she switches the warm cup to her right hand and then phone to her left. "I just got my coffee, I didn't quite catch what you said, sorry."

Jellal laughs into her ear. It makes her smile into the rim of her cup; smile like she can't help it, like it's the instinctual reaction to his own. "The comic link I sent you, did you read it?"

"Oh, yeah." She nods even though he can't see it. "The 'string of fate' thing? Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"Hmm~?" Erza can't resist teasing him, just a little. "And what?"

This time his laugh is more a huff than anything else. "And, what did you think? Did you like it?"

She takes a moment to ponder the question, sipping from her cup and dodging pedestrians walking the other way. The streets are always the most crowded at this time, loud and busy and packed, but given how exhausted Erza is after her morning classes and subsequent 8 hour shift, the early mornings are the best time to talk to Jellal — really the only time she can set aside if she wants to talk with her boyfriend every day. And there's something strangely intimate about it, something Erza loves a bit too much about having a conversation that only they can understand. The world around her hears half, but the rest — the rest is hers to keep. Like Jellal is her own best-kept secret.

They have both, after all, gotten so much better at keeping each other's secrets like the should.

"It was okay," she eventually offers, side-stepping around a sandwich stall. "I don't think it was anything amazing, though, I mean... I probably wasn't the target audience. The art was gorgeous and the ending was definitely emotional, but—" she dodges out of the way of a flustered salary man "—I'm not sure I buy the whole soulmate thing, so..."

"No?" He sounds amused, or maybe just interested. She can't tell over the slightly crackly line. "You don't believe in fate?"

She comes to a stop by a crossing and readjusts her backpack. "I don't think some overarching power is keeping tabs on everyone to make sure they end up with the other half of their heart, no. I don't know, the idea of there only being one other person for you out there is a bit scary. The chances of never meeting are so high. And if you screw it up, that's it, game over. I don't like the idea of that at all." The light turns green and she starts walking. "Too many risks, too many ways it could go wrong. Fate's too flimsy."

"I should have guessed you'd think like that." Am I mistaken or does Jellal sound... Despite herself, she can her cheeks warm in a light flush. Because his tone is so unabashedly fond, so entirely endeared, and... Honestly, doesn't he ever get embarrassed at all?

Of course he does, she knows. He just doesn't let it stop him.

"But Erza," he continues, obviously not aware of how flustered he just accidentally made her, "it's kind of romantic in it's own way, don't you think? Because the thing is, right, if you're really soulmates, you're fated to meet, and you're fated to work out. What if it was like that? That no matter the obstacles or the fights or the distance, you always end up together when it's over. And if that doesn't work out, there's always the next life as well... Like infinite second chances. I don't know, something like that... I could believe it. I could want to."

The flush on her cheeks is certainly not faint anymore. She's waiting at another traffic light, watching the red little man across the road and listening to Jellal's words with a fluttering feeling in her chest. Obstacles, fights, distance... "Are— Are we still talking about the e-comic?"

She closes her eyes against his soft laugh in her ear, and takes a slow sip of her coffee, savouring the heat.

"Are you crossing the street now?" Jellal says softly, an entirely different meaning wrapped in his words, hidden just for her. "Look both ways, love."

I could believe it, she echoes, heart thumping too hard. I could want to.

The light turns green, and she walks.