SO many and Long reviews! Thaanks!

Mikasa-Chan, two reviews, thank you so much! All the time you take to write them for me, I couldn't be happier! And thank you for being so understanding and supportive; I really don't want to rush writing and make the quality suffer... made be glad to know :)

Isanien, such a long review! Thank you so much (had to retype this twice cause I'm so excited xD)! Your idea about Team Natsu was already in planning, but I didn't know how to put it in... thanks to your encouragement, I came up with a good plot! Please look forward to shipping! And the talk/question that was interrupted, I'm trying to think of how to do it, too, since you asked.

Mitzy, haha I love the way you write in fangirl - so glad I'm fluent :D thank you for your review!

Guest, I'm glad to hear that you liked Erik's appearance - I always wonder if I'm focusing enough on the pairing, so I'm more than happy to hear that you were content with it! ^^

Somnolent Sushi Roll... once again, your review is filling up my entire screen... I have no words to properly thank you but just know that you make my day over and over again! All days :D Don't worry, he'll find out... but I like how you go on further - would be hilarious if someone spilled the beans about Jellal's fantasies/dreams etc... Regarding the word you learned: me too xD I looked it up and liked that one best :D The other two I knew but never use actively, but oftentimes, I research a word I wrote when rereading cause I already forgot its meaning ':D

Frangellica, I've already relied to you but just once more, thank you so much for your review! I love that you, too, point out what you liked; makes me really happy!

Now then, let's see about that letter...

The look of shock made her heart stop. Her entire world seemed to crash, to blacken and to vanish under her feet. Erza stared at his expression for what seemed like eternity, all clocks halting alongside her breath. Her knees shook.

The grocery bag fell from her limp arm. It gave a loud thud, a rustle of paper and plastic as its contents spilled onto the carpet. Jellal winced, blinking himself back into the present, looking up.

"I didn't hear you coming," he said, perhaps returning from thoughts even further away that hers. Had not heard her coming… he awoke in the middle of the night by the sound of her toes curling but he had not heard her coming now.

Before his sentence had finished completely, she rushed him. Everything was as if standing still and flying by at the same time. Her shin hit the side of the bed hard but she did not even notice. He gasped at the sudden assault, then for breath when she nearly choked him with her arms thrown around his neck.

"They can't take you away!" She cried. "I won't let them! I'll fight whoever tries, each and every one of them! We'll run away, far away; you can teach me how-"

"Woah, woah," Jellal managed in between her exclamations. Finally, he moved, putting his arms around her trembling form. He felt for her spine beneath the coat, soothingly tracing down the sides with his fingers, digging into the padded fabric. It was cool from the air outside but all she felt was surging heat, pulsing through her veins, boiling and thumping in her ears.

Over her dead body would she let anyone ever tear them apart again.

"Don't give up your life for me…" Jellal whispered, gently stroking her back.

"I will," Erza sobbed heftily, sniffling loudly next to his ear. It was far too late for her eyes, brimming and overflowing with tears. He carefully detached himself, but she clung to his shirt with quivering arms.

Trying again, even more gently, he sat back without letting her go. She stared at him with a desperate frown, eyes swollen and miserable. Pitifully, he sighed through his nose. Then he leaned forward, his lips tenderly kissing away a tumbling tear.

"You would run for me…?" Jellal's voice was so soft, she would not have heard it had she sniffled that moment. Then she did, blinking in order to be able to see. It lasted merely a few seconds before everything was blurry again.

"I love you," her voice wobbled. "I'd go anywhere; I won't let anyone take you, not even the Council or-"

"They're not arresting me," he interrupted. For a moment, it knocked her out cold. Blankly staring, Erza could not make any sense of his words for nearly a minute to pass. He waited patiently, giving her arms gentle squeezes through the coat. Finally, her breathing returned. She slackened a little, adrenaline of pure panic subsiding, leaving her body exhausted.

"I think it's because of all those letters I wrote on behalf of Fairy Tail,"

"What is?"

"The Council… offers me a job," Jellal illuminated. He was supporting almost her entire weight with his embrace and the last confession had not made her balance any better.

"A job?" Erza asked, stupefied.

"A pretty high position, too," he sheepishly smiled. The fear melted off her body, replaced by relief and joy, changing so quickly she shook with a shiver down her spine.

"But that's great! They're really asking you to work there?" She burst, not giving him the time to even nod. "I don't think anyone has ever been asked by them to work there! You'll be incredible, just like with the letters – you have such talent; you're succinct and persuasive,"

"Working there means I can't be in a guild," he interfered for the second time, shattering her mood anew. Her vision blurred, though not due to tears. They could not focus, fixed on nothing in particular while her mind was turning in circles – again, both slow motion and high speed.

Silence stretched across the room. Erza became aware of his arms for the first time, feeling them hold her, reassure her. Being there. Not gone. Not arrested. It should have been all that counted but she felt the sting of reality like a stake through her insides.

Jellal working for the Council. Redeemed for all the world to see. Irreplaceable to the Magic World's most important people. In his element, constructing sentences, paragraphs and pages over pages of immeasurable worth. Out of danger of a mission. A stable income. A way to prove to himself to be valuable.

"Let's make dinner, shall we?" Jellal brought her out of her trance. Shaking her head, Erza returned to him, lifting her head to meet his eyes. They shone at her with the same torn confusion, putting her before him as usual and shoving aside his insecurities as best as he could to calm her.

She sighed deeply.

"We should talk about this,"

"We will," he assured, "only I'm getting hungry and you've kind of infected me with that ramen-craving," he grinned and she smiled a small smile in return. "To be honest," he let her go only after having checked for her to be able to sit on her own, "I think I need a little time to think…" he crawled off the bed, offering his hand. "Talk it over at dinner?" He asked and she nodded slowly, then repeatedly. Accepting the help, Erza let herself be led into the kitchen.

"This was the only thing the girls would trust me to make," Jellal retold after having collected the missing ingredients from the floor. The stovetop clicked with the ignited flame and he covered it with a pot full of water. "This and plain rice or noodles – whatever we had," he went on. Erza watched quietly, though she could not say 'no' when he reminded her how she had asked to be taught.

Mostly in silence, they chopped and stirred. Cutlery clinked for minutes of quiet eating.

Erza pushed her noodles around in her bowl, watching them swing and float. It was good, but suddenly, her appetite had vanished. She sighed again.

"Then we'd have to move, I assume…" she pondered out loud. She could feel his gaze on hers but did not lift her head. He sipped his water before answering.

"There's no exact description of the position, so perhaps it doesn't require permanent presence," he supplied hopefully. As much as he could muster.

"Levy might know," she suggested, "since she worked for the Council," she said. He gave a vague hum. Glancing up, Erza saw his indecisively twisting lips. She was glad to be able to read him better by now, though that happiness was not overweighing her concern at that moment.

He did not want to tell anyone, she presumed. It reminded her of when they had first started to see each other in private – secretly, even though there had been nothing to hide, really. Only… neither of them had known what to make of their situation, of their feelings. She understood how he must have felt that time, as well as the current instant.

"Perhaps we should just sleep it over for now,"

"Good idea," he agreed. There was gratefulness in his eyes when he returned her gaze.

They finished their meal and she helped him dry the dishes. With his mauled hand, they had switched places, and now again, for her injured wrists not to touch the dirty soap water in the sink.

"I think this'll need a looong bath," Jellal said and she smiled genuinely. She nudged his side as they strolled down the hall. He teasingly nudged back. Pushing her lips out, Erza gave him a look from the side, shoving again, only to have the gesture returned. They were not down until the bedroom yet when it turned into a tiny war of slapping the other's hand off.

Erza squeaked when his fingers dove past her defence, into her waist.

"Stop!" She nagged when they struck again, laughing with mild unease as his hand hovered in circles. "No, Jellal, no," she threatened, cornered against the wall, glaring playfully at his witty smirk. "Don't- ah-!" She shrieked when he attacked, struggling but rather sinking down into the new wainscoting. He crouched in front her, poking her ribs and she slapped his hands and arms. He dove down with his face, his breath tickling her neck. His lips brushed her skin but that second, she accidentally kicked him over.

Landing on his behind, he blinked at her. Both laughed and Erza wiggled away as he neared on all fours again, when there was a knock on the door. Freezing, they exchanged looks. Erza felt a tight grasp of anxiety cling to her like a giant claw, stealing her breath, but she forced herself to relax again. It was over. It had to be.

His hand on her knee made her look up. She had not even noticed Jellal to have gotten up. He aided her to her feet, then made the last metre to the door.

"Gray," Erza heard herself mutter with puzzlement.

"Hey," he said, and he said it awkwardly, making her notice how uncomfortable he looked while trying to seem unbothered as he leaned against the neighbour's wall. It was still cracked from the two men Jellal had punched into it. "Can we talk?" He asked directly, hardly daring to lift his gaze to meet her eyes.

"Come in," she came up to stand beside Jellal and he made space in the doorframe but the Ice Mage shook his head.

"I… didn't mean you," he said, shortly glancing at Erza. She frowned.

"If this is another useless fight-"

"No, it's nothing like that," he defended himself immediately. Jellal put his arm around her and she looked up to meet his eyes.

"Walk?" He asked Gray, who nodded, still stiff and visibly uneasy. "Is that okay?" He addressed her and she gave her consent with a nod.

"Don't let yourself be talked into a brawl,"

"I won't," he chuckled at her strict expression. To her positive surprise, he leaned down to kiss her forehead and she left her eyes closed, tilting her chin up to demand his lips on hers. Obeying, he whispered to be back soon and she hummed quietly in understanding.

Then they left into the night, into the darkness.

Jellal shrugged his coat over his shoulders. He buttoned it up while they walked along in silence. Rucking up the hood, he smiled to himself about the fluff of the clothing she had chosen for him, knowing his preferred style, having an eye for what suited him and what he felt comfortable in.

Minutes passed and Jellal turned a corner for them to round a house and come back by the channel in a while. He peeked into the shop where Erza had been only an hour ago, still open. The bank was closed, as was the bread bakery next door.

"So…" Gray started, fading out again. Jellal waited patiently. He was everything but used to giving advice, but he did not feel as out of place as he had thought he would. "You… have you ever screwed up really badly?"

"Constantly,"

"I mean… with Erza," Gray said between his teeth. Jellal sighed.

"More than I'd like to admit," he replied. Neither held eye contact, watching their feet across the dark cobblestone. Luckily, it was dry that evening.

"Then… well," Gray muttered, "what if… say, she… said she loved you and you told her you didn't…"

"Asking for a friend?" Jellal raised a brow and Gray grumbled something unintelligible. Jellal smiled to himself, exhaling sharply in good-natured amusement and understanding.

"Was it the truth?" He asked softly. Gray gave an unhappy mutter, shuffling his feet, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"I mean… I… couldn't just take it back then! And it's not like that, it's just… that… maybe, I kinda, in a way, sorta might do… a little…"

"Hm…" Jellal thought out loud.

"What did you do afterwards?" Gray turned for the first time, frowning helplessly.

"When I screwed up?" Jellal asked and the Ice Mage nodded, his face glowing with a bright blush. "Well, the next time we properly talked was quite some time after, and to my surprise, she forgave me. Almost as if nothing had happened – though we knew that was not true." Jellal said, not knowing why it came so easily. Perhaps because she really had forgiven him and they were so much closer and more honest than back then. Because it was out of the question that she loved him despite all of it.

"I don't think keeping my distance is going to be that easy, unless I shun the guild…" Gray groaned.

"No, I don't think it's a good idea either." Jellal agreed. "If I could go back, knowing what I know now, I would have never taken that long to approach her again," he confessed.

"But that's now. We're… not like you." Gray said. "I don't feel as if we'll ever be like that,"

"You don't have to be like someone else,"

"No, but I mean you're so… sure and," he struggled but kept going and Jellal quietly nodded along, "cool about it,"

"Over time,"

"Not you two," Gray balled his fists in his pockets.

"Her?"

"Me…" he sighed deeply. "How do I know that if I tell her – if I would have said yes, that I… mean it…?" His voice died away into an icy breeze.

It was Jellal's turn to sigh again. He gazed up at the sky, spotting the glinting of stars in the far distance, winking down from between thinly veiling clouds. He thought of Erza. Of when they had been friends, enemies, friends again and then something that was hard to describe until finding it to have been love. That… unknown bond that had tensed and cracked and strengthened again.

"I think…" he began, eyes still trained upwards, "there's a difference between 'being in love' and 'loving' someone. Being in love is… pure and sweet and making you look past all of those flaws and obstacles because of the flutter in your stomach or that vaguely clouded mind that blocks out some ugly reality you just don't want to see yet. And that's fine because you're in love." He shrugged. "It's testing whether your feeling is right or wrong, having to take the chance and perhaps the fall.

"Loving is different, I find. It's more…" he put the tips of his fingers together in the pockets of his coat. Gray listened quietly, watching intently from the corner of his eye. "It's hard and deep and like a punch in your guts every day and every time you realise anew. It never really goes away. It's aware of your flaws, of her flaws, and it can be angry and disappointed and sad all the same as happy. It knows that it's not perfect but it's okay with that, I guess. It's not loving despite those differences but because of them. Accepting that she's your other half and that that can mean the exact same way of your thinking as well as the opposite."

"You sure you've never secretly worked as a marriage consultant?" Gray asked and Jellal laughed shortly.

"If I had, I wouldn't be where I am now…"

"But… what if it's neither of those things? Like… more of an in between?" Gray went on, and Jellal was glad he was not harping on about the marriage thing.

"Why wouldn't that be possible? Feelings are never black and white; where there are people involved, there's bound to be some grey in the mix,"

"The way you make it sound, you're way beyond that already," Gray commented and Jellal had to smile to himself. He offered it, being met with raised brows.

"Not quite wrong." Jellal admitted. "I think my stage is something you could call 'Erza or die' written in capital letters across the front of my brain,"

"I'd actually believe that to be true," Gray digressed but Jellal found he did not mind since it seemed to be calming him down and made things less awkward. Made it more approachable to talk about himself in return. And for some odd reason, Jellal did not seem to mind talking about himself, either – about his affection towards Erza, because there was nothing to hide and he realised that, right then and there, he did not even want to, either.

The water was gently lapping through the channel, but the sound did not drown out the nearing steps. Looking up, Jellal acted out of reflex, catching the big falling paper bag.

"Careful," he held it up to meet familiar brown eyes.

"Thanks," Lucy smiled with relief. She unlocked the door they had coincidentally arrived in front of, regarding the strange ensemble. "I wasn't expecting you two together," she grinned at Gray who shrugged. Holding the door open, Jellal took the opportunity to carry what he discovered to be groceries upstairs. What was up with people shopping so late at night?

"Don't tell me you've been missing two ingredients, too," he joked and she nodded to his surprise. "Where to?"

"Ah, this way," she pointed to another door, "sorry for the mess,"

"All I see is green onion," he gave back, puffing to get the leaves out of his face where they stretched out of the bag.

"Thanks again," she said, having followed where he put it down on a counter. "What were you guys doing out so late?" She asked again. Having been on their heels, Gray pretended not to have been talked to, reluctantly standing around the kitchen.

"Just on a stroll," Jellal disclosed. "How late is it anyway?"

"Eh, not too late." Lucy unpacked. "Wendy is coming over – we wanted to cook together and then she and Charle will sleep over," she merrily explained.

"That sounds lovely,"

"Actually… we wanted to ask you to join us," she said into the fridge, "since you're the most proficient of us now, but we kinda didn't dare," she grinned shily, then turned back to sorting her kitchen. A replacement action, for sure.

"I'd love to," Jellal replied without thinking. When he did think, his mind did not change, he noted. "But I'll have to ask Erza first," he barely finished his sentence when Gray pulled out his lacrima, handing it over. Lucy giggled.

"That sounded a little like a kid asking his mother's permission," she laughed. He did not negate it.

Of course, have fun!

The reply read a minute later. Smiling at the screen, Jellal wished her a good night, receiving a heart in return. There was no warning or asking for him not to be late, to be coming over too or anything related. She was simply glad that he was spending time with her friends – perhaps sometime even their guildmates – giving him the opposite of a bad conscience for going to bed on her own.

It was not much later until Wendy arrived and Gray even stayed, too. He did not say why, but Jellal assumed the Ice Mage to be sneaking some hints on what might become an apology dinner to Juvia.

"Urgh, I can still smell it," Lucy groaned to herself. She plucked on her top, sniffing carefully.

"It's as if embedded into my nose…" Wendy whined, nostrils flaring though not wrinkling like before. The night was cool and the stench of their unexpectedly ruined dinner experiment not lingering anymore.

"Fish of all things," Lucy complained, shoulders dropping.

"You can take a shower if you like," Jellal offered, rummaging through his pockets for a door key.

"I think changing clothes will be fine," she said, patting the bag that hung over her arm. She had already changed into something else after their disaster, but walking to his house had apparently been enough to blow out the reeking stench.

"Thank you again for letting us stay," Wendy piped up, "I would've felt so bad for going back home and leaving you there," she turned to her guildmate who grinned sheepishly.

"Don't mention it," Jellal said. The lock clicked and he harked shortly before turning the lights in the hall on. "Just glad I could help," he smiled, bidding them in before him.

"I hope we don't disturb Erza," Wendy whispered but he shook his head.

"There's hardly a thing that can when she's asleep," he assured.

"How did you notice the intruders then?" Lucy wondered, following his example and toeing off her shoes. Swallowing, Jellal looked elsewhere, pretending to be busy with picking out a hook for their coats.

"We… stayed up late," he nodded to himself, avoiding eye contact. Neither of the girls seemed to notice and he exhaled in relief. Erza really had done an outstanding job on him when lying of all things had become a challenge – he had always considered himself a flawless liar. Even inventing a truth that did not betray the actual situation was giving him a hard time now.

"Is she asleep?" Lucy whispered loudly, spooking him for a second. Feeling caught for nothing at all, Jellal snuck over to the bedroom door. He opened it a slot wide, finding it to be clad in darkness, just like the rest of the house.

"Probably," he said, then retreated. He offered something to drink and they settled with tea. After getting ready for bed, Jellal left the lights in the hall on for them to find their way in the night, then pointed up the now dimly illuminated ladder. With their bags, they climbed and he did not notice them to stop while he crawled into bed, sinking down with a sigh.

"Mmh," Erza frowned in fading sleep. She felt him near her, arms and legs searching, docking onto their target the instant he was close enough. Hooking onto his hip with her ankle, her hands found his neck, enclosing it, snuggling up to it with her face, rubbing it up his throat to nose his chin.

"Jellal…" she sighed, tightening her embrace. His expression softened. Had Lucy not squealed quietly from where she hovered half way up, he would have forgotten completely about their guests being there.

"Did you wait up?" He asked, gently winding his arms around his beloved's tired form. She was so warm and her skin so subtle despite its many crusted ridges. She smelled sweeter than her shampoo after a fresh wash, her nape the slightest bit moist with sweat he loved to inhale when she was not yet awake.

"Hmmmaybe…" she lulled, raking a hand up the back of his head, messing with his hair, sighing blissfully. His smile widened.

"You shouldn't have,"

"I'm just…" she yawned, her voice fading out, also because she squished her face into him, "glad… you're back…" she breathed. Her hands' grip loosened, if hardly, and her chest took up its calm rhythm from before. Fondly, Jellal placed a kiss on the crown of her head, being all he could reach without waking her back up and enticing protests.

"Sooo cute," Lucy hissed from the ladder. He chuckled silently.

"You're like Meredy," he said, then sighed to himself. He had not thought of her since leaving the guild hall, guilt gnawing on him again, giving a twist in his stomach. The Council letter came back at the same time, another thing he had gladly ignored over the course of the evening. Without having been there, Erza had successfully taken his mind off and he could not help but thank her inwardly for granting him an evening of peace.

"She crawled into my bed, too, at the Grand Magic Games but this is worlds apart – I got kicked out," Lucy shook her head with an awkwardly amused grin. Wendy giggled, covering her mouth. Charle – having remained quiet for most of the time – only rolled her eyes to herself, though not in a mean way.

"At least you're allowed to leave," Jellal retorted.

"I think I'd kick her out in the morning then,"

"Me, too," Wendy affirmed, lips rolled in tightly while her knees wagged. He did not dare to shrug, giving an indifferent sound in return.

"That's not too much of an issue anymore," he read her hints, "weeks and months of training with a knee on my bladder,"

"How do you even stand that?"

"It's more survivable than moving away," he exhaled in silent laughter and the girls joined with agreeing giggles.

"I could watch this all night," Lucy tilted her head, raving on about her so unusually peaceful and gentle guildmate. About how she usually inflicted brain damage with her 'hugs' of gladness, now hardly even seen with a piece of armoury. How she preached discipline and stayed in bed without moving a centimetre until midday, how she was home more often than at the guild, how she cared for her hair or how she could melt at a handful of words and a single look of his eyes alone.

When their exchange had turned into a chat and then a lengthy discussion of everybody and his dog – though still mostly centred on the couple – it was well past midnight. Jellal's blush seemed to have become permanent but he did not feel pressured to speak; he caught himself half way through the next comment to be enjoying himself. Talking about her – his everything for most years of his life – with someone else was a pleasure. His heart swelled with pride every time they concluded her to only be a certain way when around him. Which happened many times.

"It's still all so… hard to believe," Lucy finally sighed. She was leaning against the ladder by now, hers and Wendy's feet dangling between the rungs. "So…"

"Surreal," Jellal tiredly agreed. "I'm still expecting to just wake up one day…" he muttered, watching Erza sleep soundly in his embrace.

"It's not a dream," Wendy softly said. He smiled in return and the two Fairy Tail Wizard's finally wished their goodnights, though he could hear them chatter at a low volume for well over half an hour.

Jellal's eyes fell closed of their own accord and he only slightly adjusted his position, cuddling up closer and taking several deep inhales of Erza's delicious scent before drifting off into a deep slumber.