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Jellal sighed tiredly. His eyes were almost falling close of their own accord but he forced himself to stay awake. And to focus.

He had returned in the late afternoon from a mission, wiping out a large group of dark mages, preventing them from forming a Dark Guild. Usually, he was just glad to have done the right thing; he did not care about his deeds being recognised; quite the opposite – it was embarrassing to be honoured. This time, however, he wished to have been rewarded far more handsomely instead of a small payment and an ocean of praises.

After returning to Magnolia and bringing food for Erza, he was interrupted from seeing her when the installers arrived with the new bathtub. He ate his own meal while overseeing the works, then folded the dried laundry until the men left. He made the bathtub his priority, starting on sealing the edges precisely where they met the walls and floor.

He nipped his hand on a broken floor tile, ignoring the light bleeding and hammering the tile off of the ground. He stacked it with the other ones, continuing to seal the bathtub. His head was buzzing with things he still had to do. He wanted to finish his work that evening, no matter how late. Half of the laundry was still waiting, as well as the dishes and then he had to find a new job to at least be able to order new flooring.

The bathroom door creaked open. Jellal wiped his forehead with his forearm, trying to keep his face clean of his working material.

"How are you feeling?" He asked without turning. She remained silent for a few moments, but he could feel her gaze on his back. Her feet gave small sucking sounds as they moved, curling up like she used to when indecisive. Or embarrassed.

"Come to bed." Erza ordered in a pouty voice. A smile stretched across his face. He turned his head, spotting her in the corner next to the door. She was sitting against the doorframe, knees drawn to her chest, cheeks puffy and eyes veiled with sleep. She avoided looking at him, sulking to herself.

"You shouldn't sit there, it's cold," he said, turning back to his work. She had to know that he wanted nothing more than to do just as she said, but he was also keen on finishing his work. And all of the other things that still waited. Bare skin tapped across the tiles. He stopped his motion when something hit his back.

"Come to bed." Erza tried again, letting her head rest against him. He swallowed when her arms crept around his sides, hugging his torso closer to her, squishing her chest and face into his back. "Come on," her voice skipped as if encouraging a child to down a small slide on a playground. He almost rolled his eyes, his smile tugging up into a loop-sided smirk. He had missed her during the day. It was painful to stay away but it was undeniable that distance brought the best results. And this was one of them.

"I'll be right there. Just let me finish this-"

"Bed, Jellal." Her usual bossy tone returned, giving him a short shiver of surprise. She noticed and he gave an annoyed hum when he heard her supress a giggle. She was still the master of the house, no matter whether it was actually his. She could probably march into any building and claim it without reason. And without protest.

He sighed in defeat. He would bring her back to bed, off the cold floor, and then continue working.

"Alright, you win," he said and she grinned into his back. He waited for her to let go, in vain. She kept her arms where they were, clinging to him, also waiting. He felt blood rush into his cheeks, finally doing as he was wordlessly told.

Gingerly, Jellal let his hands travel down, then behind him. He found her ankles and – without touching her legs – made his way to her thighs, rucking her up onto his back. She would still not let go, though her head fell forward onto his shoulder. Her warm exhales tingled the skin on his neck and he focused hard on looking straight and not moving his hands another millimetre.

The sight of the bed alone made his lids drop with sleep. He was terribly exhausted from the day and Erza's heavy, sleep warm body on his back made everything worse. He went around the bed to her side, slowly allowing her to glide down. She did not take the invitation. Instead, Erza threw her entire weight back, making him gasp and fall, too.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, trying to get off of her, but she clung to him with arms and legs, as if pulling him into her death trap. He thought to hear a kettle's whistling with the blood streaming into his face. His hands were trapped beneath her behind and he had no choice but to leave them there, not daring to move.

"You should sleep," Erza's lips were just above his ear, her voice low and melodic. Every hair on his body stood on end. She freed his hands, crawling backwards without letting go of his torso, pushing him down. Now on his back, Jellal felt his lungs grasp for air, his body surging with heat. All of his plans flew out the window when she grabbed his legs with her own, pulling them onto the bed.

"I have to-"

"Tomorrow," she purred. She tilted her chin up, kissing his neck. Jellal's insides flung up into his throat, breath hitching. His heartbeat was all over the place. She whispered something about him needing to rest, trailing another kiss down to his collarbone, lazily brushing her lips along his blazing skin. He shivered. His mind was going blank and soon enough, it spun around and around.

He panted, coming back to his senses after what seemed like minutes. Erza was asleep, cuddling into his side, her knee still hooked up on his abdomen. He cursed inwardly about how unbelievably weak she made him. She was not only the master of the house, but of him, too.

Jellal closed his eyes, listening to her rhythmic breathing, falling into a deep, dreamful sleep within seconds.

"…ellal, Jellal!" He heard, his head so far from reality, he had to fight his way through sleep as thick as stormy clouds. He blinked his eyes open. And they widened. "Jellal," Erza said with relief, her eyes huge and hardly a hand's width away from his. Her hands were on his shoulders, having shook him, now holding him up.

Slowly, she let him sink back down. Jellal blushed deeply, noticing her to be sitting on top of him, straddling his stomach. It gave a loop, then a growl. She looked down at it, then at his face again.

"You didn't wake up," she explained, her voice still shaken with distress. He stared at her, blinking twice.

"I was sleeping." He said.

"Oh…" Erza awkwardly rolled her lips inwards. Was it that rare for him to sleep longer than her? "Sorry…" she muttered, lowering her gaze. He shook his head, giving a hum to dismiss her apology. They fell silent for moments to pass. She had let go of his shoulders, her arms now hanging at either side of her, unsure of where to go.

It took another moment until she dared to break the quiet that engulfed them.

"Can… can I stay here?" She finally mumbled, as if to herself. He heard her anyway. His face fired up with a blush as red as her hair. Her cheeks glowed with a light pink tint. He swallowed.

"…okay." He managed. He stared up at her but she looked away. Her toes on one side of him curled around the blanket. She shifted uneasily, then noticed her actions and stopped, freezing on the spot. Not even Titania dared to rub herself on his abdomen. He gulped again.

"Come here," he said, his voice by far too collected in comparison to his racing heart. He stretched out his arms. She smiled shyly, lowering herself into them. He held his breath, sucking his stomach in. Erza remained still, hands, torso and head on his chest. Her hair flowed loosely around him and he loved the smell of it, no matter how long it had been since the last wash. Even the scent of undried sweat in the back of her neck was sweet to him.

"Jellal?" She lifted her head. He met her eyes and she tilted her head at him in question. He watched, waiting, not knowing what was wrong. She propped herself up on her arms, crossing them over his chest, giving an intense look. "Breathe." She ordered.

He remembered, then, inhaling. He panted lightly, seeing her rise and fall with his every breath. A smile softened her features, enchanting him anew. This time, he tried hard to keep his breathing regular. And to do it in the first place.

Erza rested her head sideways on her arms, closing her eyes. He felt her relax, rocking with his breathing, her own calm and even. He closed his eyes briefly, collecting his courage, then lifted his arms to put them on her back, embracing her gently.

He did not notice himself to drift back into sleep, and they dozed off half the morning. Her weight on him did not bother as he would have thought – on the contrary. It almost made him sleep better, giving him the security of her being there. He wondered whether she had chosen to lie on him because of that and if he had stayed away for too long during the past days, worrying her.

"Erza," he whispered. They had slept for hours, the sun crawling up to its peak. She gave a sleepy moan. He repeated her name, raising his voice a little with every time until she stirred. She arched her back, stretching her neck, then set it back down, eyes remaining closed. "We should get up."

"Why?" She slurred, making herself comfortable again.

"It's eleven thirty," he reasoned. She sighed, her forehead wrinkling with a frown.

"So? Do you have a job?"

"… not yet." She smirked.

"Then there's no reason to get up. It's cold outside, anyway,"

"Not helping, Erza," he pushed his lips out in slight annoyance.

"I wasn't trying to," she returned, opening one eye to give him a smug look. He tried to return a serious expression. Judging from hers, he was failing miserably. He lifted his hands off her back, giving nudges, trying to gently shove her off. Erza chuckled complacently, keeping her balance with ease.

He bit his lower lip, narrowing his eyes. Her eyes widened ever so slightly and she suddenly yelped when he struck her with surprise tickles in her sides.

"H-hey," Erza laughed, fishing for his nimble hands, "no fair!" She exclaimed.

"You'd be angry with me if I kept you from going on a job," he argued, only being met with the most teasing smug again.

"But you don't have one." She smirked. He growled playfully, diving his fingertips back into her sides. Erza burst into laughter, wiggling and squirming. She waved her own arms to fetch his, her knees drilling into the mattress next to either side of his waist in order not to lose her precious spot on top of him.

She snatched his wrists, pinning them down next to his head. She wheezed, triumphantly grinning at him, her hair falling around their faces like curtains. Her bangs brushed his forehead and her panting steamed against his cheeks.

He let her have her victory. Also, because he was not entirely sure whether he would actually win against her. He had to smile, catching his breath, too, though not as much as her.

"How about," keep going, his inner voice yelled at him, "you let me get up and then I'll take you out for dinner tonight." She was visibly stunned, forgetting to breathe for a moment, almost immediately loosening her grip on his wrists. He suppressed a deep sigh that begged to be released. His heart beat wildly in aftershock. He had actually asked.

Erza's shoulders sank and she released him, throwing her leg back over him. Jellal tried his best to smile confidently and it seemed to work because she blushed, staring at her knees instead. She was smiling widely. He got up from the bed, brushing down his shirt, when arms captured him from behind, hugging him closely. He opened his mouth to protest, but she was faster.

"You said 'get up', nothing more," her smirk was audible in her tone.

"I-"

"I know. I'm just teasing." She squeezed him once, then let him go. He froze when she hopped up to peck his cheek. With a giggle, Erza hurriedly shuffled across the carpet and he noticed too late that she was not only running to hide her blush, but to get to the bathroom first.