Thank you guys so so much for your long reviews! How you picked out particular parts, Nina-Chan202 and Isanien, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it!
Also thanks for the guest review, that was really kind of you to say! Thanks for leaving me a review ^^
Now then, without further ado!
The landscape flew by the window of their compartment. The train rucked, nearing its last station before arriving in Magnolia. Natsu groused through puffy cheeks, holding his stomach.
He had carried Jellal all the way to the station in Oshibana, saving Erza the strange looks from the side. She had wanted to offer Meredy her help, but Lucy had been faster, having supported the still staggering girl with one arm around her. Meredy was in way better shape than Jellal, conscious, mentally well and able to stand – only walking still posed a challenge to her dwindling balance.
Now sitting on the opposite bench of her comrades, Erza felt their stares, even after hours of riding the train. Jellal was lying on his back where Natsu had blithely dropped him back to rest his head on Erza's lap. They had propped up his legs but Meredy did not mind, allowing them to stretch over her own. It was hard to decide whether her gaze was the most or least tolerable of them all.
The train rucked again and Natsu and Wendy gaged in unison. The loudspeakers cracked and a man's voice announced the next stop. The second it died down, Jellal stirred.
Erza looked down when he gave a groan in his sleep – or unconsciousness, she was not entirely sure. His brow furrowed with discomfort and his body twitched, then he turned onto his side. She winced, freezing.
"Erza…" Jellal purred, winding an arm around her hips to snuggle his face into her stomach. Blood shot up into her cheeks, and her eyes widened. Turning her head, Erza stared out the window as if her life depended on it. She prayed for no one to have heard his mumbling but the gazes that drilled into her said otherwise.
Lucy could not keep from giggling, a light blush tinting her own cheeks. Gray's taunting look was the one Erza avoided the most, her face by now glowing in the colour of her hair. She was pretending far too obviously not to have noticed – neither his cuddle nor their reactions.
Meredy watched with a mixture of amusement and affection shining in her eyes.
The station came sooner than expected which Erza was eternally grateful for.
"Finally!" Natsu yelled, still holding a hand over his mouth as he lurched out of the compartment.
"Natsu, we're not there yet," Lucy stood, then followed. He loudly argued about being hungry on his way out and she scolded him, knowing he would not be able to hold the food in for long.
Gray rolled his eyes, then got up, muttering something about eating, too.
"Can we get you anything, Meredy?" Wendy asked, still pale as a ghost but back on her feet. Meredy smiled, then turned to Erza on the other end of the bench.
"Do you want me to take over?" She offered, receiving a smile. Erza shook her head.
"It's alright, go on,"
"Okay," Meredy went after the four, stretching her arms above her head, "I could use some fresh air,"
"Don't miss the train," Erza called after them. More people changed compartments, got off or on the train. Someone hit the door with their elbow and the compartment closed. Silence fell, the crowds passing nearly soundlessly in front of the window to the corridor now.
Erza sighed, allowing her gaze to drop. Then her shoulders.
"Jellal," she said quietly, as if afraid to be heard. She checked the hallway once, though there was hardly anyone anymore. With longing and concern, she ran her fingers through his hair. She repeated his name, stroking a hand down his back. He in- and exhaled deeply.
Her eyes closed halfway as she watched him. She was not sure about what to do. Should she wake him? Would he be able to comprehend? He had been in his right mind back at the inn, however it was unlikely that he would be capable of sitting for another hour or more. He had barely managed in the morning.
Then again, Meredy was bettering by the minute. She had not been afflicted as much as him, or perhaps merely not received the same dose of whatever they had been slipped. It seemingly affected him like alcohol – sleepy, unknowingly flirty in a way, unaware of his surroundings. She pondered about how Meredy acted when drunk, even though she found the idea of knocking powerful wizards out with sake relatively ludicrous.
Then again, using a former Wizard Saint as bait for Fairy Tail's Titania was already quite ludicrous.
Ultimately, Erza decided against waking him. He needed rest if he was to report back at the guild. She would spare him the awkwardness she most likely had to endure a little more. She hoped he would not do anything like that again, especially nothing more intimate than saying her name in a dreamy way while nuzzling into her. Remembering the first time she had experienced him drunk, she knew there were worse things he could do – in front of people; not that she minded otherwise.
"Thank you," Meredy smiled upon receiving her tea.
"Of course," Juvia sat down opposite of her, "Juvia is happy to provide her home," she smiled back, sipping her own cup. She had already explained everything about Fairy Hills – the monthly rent, the no-men rule, who currently lived there.
They had all decided to leave the big discussion for the next morning, even if Jellal had been able to walk home by himself. He had offered his guildmate to sleep at his place, but Meredy had declined. Not only because Juvia had nobly sacrificed the possibility of spending the night with the team – including Gray – to host her friend. She knew better than to intrude on the in a way freshly reunited couple.
"Do they… live together?" Juvia burst, clearly on accident. They stared at one another and while the water mage looked ready to take the question back, Meredy did not want to leave her hanging. Still, as much as she valued their friendship…
"You can ask them tomorrow," she loved Jellal more. "And I would have thought you'd move in with Gray," Meredy smirked. Juvia's eyes popped into hearts and she clasped her hands together when hearing the name of her crush.
"Juvia has lived with her darling, but not anymore, now that the guild is back together…" she mumbled. Juvia seemed conflicted and with the skills that Ultear had taught her, Meredy could read how the wishes of Fairy Tail to be together and still living with Gray were battling each other, guilt reigning first and foremost. The pink-haired mage let her tone soften alongside her eyes.
"Has he not yet made a move?" She asked, banning all mockery from her voice. Juvia sighed in defeat.
"Not exactly…" she muttered, staring into her tea, "he did invite me to his place once, though," her eyes suddenly gleamed with treacherous ambition. She could really see any and all forms of life as 'love rivals'. She did not even have to address anyone. It was as creepy as it was sweet how she defended her adoration for the Ice-Wizard.
"Say, wasn't it strange to travel with Jellal for so long and only the two of you?" Juvia asked, changing the topic. They played them like a ball between rackets. Meredy sipped her beverage.
"You mean because he's a man and you'd like some juicy details?" She cocked a single brow, smirking above the rim of her cup. Juvia's cheeks flared with blush at her counterpart's choice of words. She stared at her, waiting, finally too impatient for the game the independent mage was playing.
"Was…" Juvia sheepishly tapped her index fingers together, obviously caught. She was such a hurricane of emotions; she could run hot and cold within seconds; shrink away and nearly murder someone within the blink of an eye. She was adorable and Meredy felt her heart swell upon watching that goofy, shy side of her. She wanted to hug and squish her.
Still, she did not think she would ever tell anyone about the nature of their relationship and the trials that travelling had put before them. That was her keepsake to have; she would not share it.
"Was he never… tempted?" Juvia finally asked, glancing up from below. It was nothing she had to ponder about but Meredy took her time with answering, just for the sake of those viciously curious eyes.
Finally, she sighed shaking her head with a hopeless shrug.
"Oh, no, not in the least. You know Jellal – he never looks at other women; he avoids all humans equally." She nodded matter-of-factly. "He's like," she put a finger to her chin, pushing her lips out as her eyes wandered up to the ceiling, "Erzasexual."
She should not. She knew she should not but she could not get herself to stop. He was burning and her own body surged with heat as she pushed it against his. She moaned when his lips found her neck, throwing her head back as he trailed his tongue further down.
He would not stop, either.
With a groan from deep within her throat, Erza let him caress her torso with his lips, her breath hitching as she begged him to go on, to leave marks and suffocate her in pleasure. Already, he had vaporised her every concern about his condition with steamy kisses. She bathed in them.
Hands shaking, she fished for the buttons of his shirt. She hardly managed the first few, when he pulled away, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head. She felt a shiver run down her spine at his boldness, stirring her insides with a fuzzy feeling. She grabbed his jaw, pressing his lips back onto hers. He returned her force and they started a battle of rising passion.
They should stop, the thought came knocking again. He was not fully rested, she worried as his hands trailed up her thighs until the hem of her skirt. He might still be injured, she fretted while undoing the last buttons of her blouse. There would be questions at the guild should he not be able to make it, she feared, fumbling with the hooks of her bra.
The contact of his lips drowned out the voice in her head. She drilled her knees into the mattress next to his hips, then pushed him over onto his back. With blazing eyes, she towered him, claiming his mouth with hers, both pairs of hands roaming, rambling, reaching.
Tears itched in her closed eyes, tumbling down her cheeks without mercy.
She was too relieved that he was there. That he was fine. Only one night ago, she had been worried sick, anxious for his very life – now he was here, he was fine, even after those horrendous hours of incertitude and pain. The image of his contorted, seared and bloody form still haunted her.
She could sing with joy that he was healed now. She was eased of her tribulations, relieved of her anguish, she was…
She gasped when he sucked on the supple skin on the top of her breast, arching her back into him. It drove him on, every sound that escaped her lips like petrol in a fire. She let them, purposefully encouraging his actions with husky moans, clawing her nails into his shoulders. She could hardly believe how he had already figured her out, making her weak under his every touch.
Jellal sighed her name in question and she whimpered her consent.
Erza had watched with pity how Jellal had gobbled up his breakfast. At least what little she had been able to find in the emptying fridge and cupboards. She knew he had not eaten for an entire day and night, neither breakfast with them at the inn, nor a snack on the train – and for dinner, the only thing in his mouth had been hers or her supple, now stamped skin.
Nonetheless, he insisted on only eating when she would, too. Left no room for debate, that clumsy, unfortunate, enchanting lover of hers.
She suppressed a sigh, then went to get ready. They would meet at the guild to report in and discuss the now serious situation. It had been one thing to be ambushed by lowly culprits or to feel watched on a dark street. But it had gotten out of hand. And completely off the scale, not only by involving others, not even members of the guild, but the sheer brutality with which a wizard as powerful as Jellal had been tricked and subdued was terrifying.
It was nothing to belittle.
"Jellal," Erza glanced at him when he sank back down on the bed, looking nothing like a short break. Rather a morning of resting. She frowned with concern, but he had to account, too. He looked fine, merely as tired as her. "Come on, we have to get ready," she urged, collecting his clothes for him on her way to the shower.
"Ready?" He asked, meeting equally confused eyes.
"To go; they will be meeting before lunch, I presume," she explained and he blinked at her twice.
"I'm not going," she looked bewildered, stalking back towards the bed. He gulped at her questioning gaze, most likely forcing himself to be honest. "I can't show my face there anymore," his voice crumbled away, just like when he had admitted his shame at the inn.
"Why not?" Erza furrowed her brows until they almost met.
"Because…" he sighed, raking a hand through his hair, pulling on it to the point where the skin at his hairline turned white. He bit his lip, avoiding her eyes. She repeated her question and he exhaled sharply through his nose. "Now I can't ever join Fairy Tail; how embarrassing, having to be saved…" he sighed, letting his head hang, not even daring to look at her.
"Nonsense! That's not a reason," Erza shot back immediately, "you've saved me several times and I don't stay away from you," she argued with determinately flaring eyes. His tone was quiet, the same reluctance to speak and convey his self-loathing feelings as usual. As before. They had come this far; she would not let him be bogged down again.
"I'm glad we don't think alike then," he said, almost whispered, a bitter smile on his face.
"That was supposed to be convincing," she put her hands on her hips. It was starting to enrage her. She loved him enough for both of them, how could he not even accept himself a little?
"I know," he lifted his gaze, "please try again," Jellal quietly requested. Erza stared at him, puzzled, thinking for a moment that he was as unnerved as her when his eyes shone at her. Pleading. Begging her not to stop trying. Wanting to be convinced.
Erza sighed.
"Alright," she let her voice soften alongside her features, straightening her back again, "I promise you whatever your heart desires when we return," she proposed. To her surprise – and rising haste – he looked just the way as before. Before before. Ashamed. The infamous unworthiness clasping him in its grip. He was not one to demand.
She would just have to overtake the task herself.
Pushing her lips out, she dropped his clothes onto the bed. Jellal winced when Erza sank down on his lap, gliding her hands across his still bare chest, leaning in until her lips brushed his ear which pulsed with blush.
She unequipped everything but her undergarments.
"Then how about payment in advance…?"