Reviews, yay!
And I've noted down who wanted what regarding the spoilers, so I'll try to stick to that individually.
Isanien, thank you so much for such a loong and detailed review! I loved to read what you thought about all of those things! Thank you so much for such much effort! Vague spoilers is it - if they are too revealing, I will write them in a PM ;)
Mitzy, haha how you started with the 'cooool' made me smile to much xD since you're here without an account to write PMs to, I'm sorry to tell you that I can't fulfil your request about spoilers; it would spoil everyone else as well. But we will solve that, no worries. As always, thank you so much for your review! I enjoyed your enthusiasm a whole lot!
Guest, thank you so much for your review! I'm so happy to read about so many things you mentioned; thank so much for taking the time and letting me know what you thought! I did include the Sorcerer Weekly in a following chapter, but not anything that is not regarding that last Jerza scene. Would you like more of Sorcerer Weekly content in the future?
Mikasa-Chan, love how you write your reviews, thank you so much for it! I'm so glad you chose the no-spoiler option; I do like my sadistic cliffhangers and it always makes me so insanely happy to see all of your reactions when I finally drop the solution :D Thank you so much for such fangirling and kind words at the same time, I hope you'll have a good day, too :)
Frangellica, your review was so long (and Isanien's, too) that my mail just stopped displaying it at some point, saying I could only read the whole thing on the site itself xD hilarious, thank you so much! So much work and thought went into your review and I honestly appreciate it loads! And so many suggestions! I'll try to think about it again.
felly16, thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a review! And you're absolutely right, he's really bad with money and not spending it to spoil her, heh ':D
Somnolent Sushi Roll, yay, thank you so much for such a fangirling review! Loved it! You're so welcome for the update! As for the spoilers, I'll keep them to myself then unless you say the magic words (something along the lines of 'gimme a spoiler' or so ;D). Glad to be surprising you though; I do love my little shocks when I get such delicious reviews such as yours (happy smiley)! Haha, I can just see your dog's head tilting in confusion xD Thank you again for such effort!
You've pointed out several times that you enjoy them to just be talking and hanging out like the domestic couple they are so I'll do my best and include more ;) Let me know if there's anything else I should include/repeat.
Happy reading!
"I…" Jellal took a breath, his back expanding against her touch, "I actually think so, too…" he muttered honestly.
"You're extraordinary with words, you know the field, you'd be…"
"Accepted?"
"Untouchable, kind of…" she confirmed his idea. It was no secret – both knew how worrying his status still was to them. Him most of all, transferring to her, especially after that ambiguous arrest. She disliked to bring it up, not wanting to give him the feeling that she was not absolutely undoubting of his freedom, but it would be a lie if she had objected. Because there were still people out there who believed him to be a criminal. At least a former one, unable to change.
A position at the Council – and the high one he had been offered – could wipe all of those insecurities away. Perhaps even off his own mind.
"But I wouldn't be able to join," Jellal pointed out. Erza pouted thoughtfully.
"I'd still like it if you had a look; just hear them out and what they have to offer."
"Then we can think about it again," he agreed and she was warm with gladness that he did. That he took the opportunity. And that he took his own will into account.
She gave his back a kiss as a reward.
"Where do these come from?" She then asked, changing the subject again.
"Hm?"
"These," she stroked along the gashes, enticing another shiver, "what caused them?"
"Oh, that was…" Jellal frowned his forehead, but she could not see. "I'm not quite sure what it was, but I do remember to have been glad that it were the claws and not the teeth that got me,"
"Venomous?"
"No, just gigantic,"
"A monster?"
"Something in between a bear and a badger or so," he retold, "but bigger. Provoked and then released onto its new target,"
"You,"
"Mhm," he nodded. She reached for his hair as it caught her attention with the movement. She loved his hair, wanting to bury her face in it. So she did. Jellal gave a soft chuckle. "Comfortable?"
"Mh, very," Erza took a deep breath. "Is there anything else you want to do? Anything at all," she purred into the back of his head. Perhaps he would utter more than one wish that day – a worldwide phenomenon! So far, it had not caused him any disadvantages, so he might as well keep lucky streak going, she thought.
Shortly disappointed when he moved, Erza soon found herself even happier than before when he turned to face her. Noses touching, nudging lovingly, they practically inhaled the other's face.
"Anything with you," he gave back in a low voice. She smiled against his lips, simply enjoying the contact for a few moments, only then puckering her own to reply with a lazy kiss. He returned it, though absently, she noticed. Opening her eyes again, Erza saw his to be staring down.
Tenderly, his hands came up to her neck. He drew along the red streaks around her neck with his fingers, tracing down her chest and she had to inhale to allow the space between their torsos. They wandered further, to her ribs and abdomen.
"I'll ask Wendy again to take care of them,"
"Please," he breathed. She frowned with sympathy at the concern on his face.
"That's nothing new, don't worry," she appeased when his hand found her flank, cautiously rippling over the with receding blisters speckled skin. "There was hardly a time when I didn't have minor burns when we were young – Natsu always wanted to beat me,"
"Beat you?"
"He never did," Erza smirked.
"I had no doubts," Jellal said, finally smiling again. He leaned in once more, though not meeting her lips. He seemed to simply want to be even closer, his hands encircling her waist to do just that and she could not be further from complaining.
And then she was suddenly very near. There was a knock on the door. With a noise of protest, Erza peeled away from her beloved, rolling over the bed to pick up her shirt on the way to the door. Slipping through the long sleeves, she pushed it down, then the handle of the front door, coming to face her guildmate.
"Oh, Wendy," she greeted, "we were just talking about you," she said. Wendy's expression changed to slightly uncomfortable puzzlement. Holding up her lined wrist, Erza erased the awkwardness off her friend's face. "How impolite, please come in," she stepped aside. "What can we do for you?" She asked, just when Jellal came from the bedroom, back in his shirt, too.
"I'd be happy to help," Wendy smiled, gladly offering her healing magic when the opportunity arose. "And," she lifted a small bag from around her shoulder, "I bought some ice-cream but couldn't finish it, and since I don't have a freezer I wanted to ask if it's okay to use yours," she requested in a small voice, "you can have it, too," she quickly added.
"Of course," Erza said. She placed a hand on her guildmate's head, giving an encouraging smile. Wendy smiled back, gratefully, and it did not take her long to feel just as relaxed and at home, Erza found, as the last time when she then joined them for a late lunch.
They once again welcomed her idea of pancakes, taking turns in flipping them over. At some point, Jellal whispered to Erza exactly what she had been thinking, wanting to invite the young Dragon Slayer more often. She seemed to miss cooking, only now discovering that.
Wendy did not eat much, already having had lunch, but she gladly sat down with them. Afterwards, they found another of Erza's old games from her apartment, making more sense than the last one and keeping them busy for hours. Wendy healed Erza's wounds and – per her request and despite his dismissals – Jellal's, too.
The only thing Erza could come up with to downplay the lovebites they were cluttered in was too lame to be believable. Jellal quietly disappeared into his corner, his blush brighter than the colour of her hair. The only reply was an even more drastically steaming head, apparently having been filled in by someone.
Then they switched places as Erza realised no one to be healing Wendy in return for her magic. Wendy assured that she was Porlyusica's priority and received the best of mending salves in existence, her cuts looking almost better than those of her team, but was tended to anyway, as the Queen of the Fairies insisted on bandaging them anew.
When evening fell, it started to dawn on Erza how the girl just did not want to leave, perhaps not wanting to be alone.
"I was so relieved when Charle came up with the excuse at the guild," Erza commented, "please send her our gratitude," she said, earning herself a smile while Jellal nodded.
"Yeah, I was surprised, too," Wendy said over her shoulder. Jellal turned the plate on the counter and Wendy refocused on her task of decorating Erza's dessert artistically. "You were lucky; she left right after that,"
"Where to?" Jellal asked and Erza swallowed her astonishment at how the two did separate things. That confirmed her theory, however, and she was glad to be sheltering her guildmate in the meantime, feeling an almost motherly warmth at how she was the first choice to go to when alone.
"Lily asked her for company – since Gajeel and Levy spend so much time alone, he probably wanted someone to talk to," Wendy explained. "Gray and Juvia left together, too," she mentioned, "and I think Natsu and Lucy are staying overnight at their quest's destination," she elaborated without being asked.
"It's getting late – Wendy," Jellal gave a kind smile, "would you like to sleep here?" He offered. Erza smiled fondly to herself. She could almost see his thoughts – how he knew Meredy and her ways of not asking for things but obviously hinting at them without meaning to, seeing the same in Wendy. And how he had put two and two together, knowing Fairy Hills to be rather empty with Juvia not there.
"If you really don't mind," Wendy said happily, somewhat immediately agreeing.
"Of course not," Erza chimed in. She invited her guildmate to eat with her while Jellal declined, hardly ever craving for sweets and rather working on the dishes of their dinner. "Do you want to sleep upstairs or downstairs?"
"We honestly don't mind either way," Jellal assured without hesitation, returning the affectionate smile of his beloved. She could not wait for him to finally join the guild, seeing as they not only understood each other wordlessly, but read people the same way, making the perfect team on missions. Her heart skipped at beat at that thought; that long-ago fantasy.
"Uhm, well, I don't want to intrude," Wendy wagged her knees together beneath the table. Being able to see through the politeness however, Erza did not accept a 'no', and soon enough, the couple was scooting together closely on Jellal's side, making space for their guest.
Hardly an hour later, Erza awoke from lightly dozing off. She frowned, giving a moan when Jellal poked her side, opening her eyes. Unnecessary, as she then found, being perfectly able to hear the reason for being disturbed. He released her from where he laid behind her and the Requip Mage shuffled over to her guildmate.
Wendy's sobs shortly hiccupped in surprise at the hug. Her arms came up, returning the tightening embrace, pressing her now wet face into her friend's cleavage.
"I'm sorry," Wendy sobbed, "I didn't mean to wake you,"
"You didn't," Erza honestly soothed. She held Wendy's head with both hands, one of them travelling down for a reassuring stoke along the girl's back.
"I've just…" Wendy sniffled, tears seeping through the fabric of Jellal's shirt that Erza wore. "I've had so many nightmares ever since that mission – and before," she managed in a croaking voice. "I couldn't sleep. I was always so afraid they'd come and attack me like they did with you and I know-" she sobbed, "I know that it's stupid because it's over," she sniffed, fists tightening around the fabric on Erza's back.
Sighing through her mouth, Erza put her cheek to Wendy's head.
"It's not stupid," she said. "Being afraid is not a bad thing – it protects us,"
"I just didn't want to be alone…" Wendy's voice wobbled, muffled against the shirt she was sobbing into.
"Of course," Erza hurriedly appeased. She turned to Jellal for help, not knowing what to say besides that. Besides hugging and giving physical comfort.
He neared her back, then put a hand over Wendy's cramped one.
"They won't be back, I'm sure," he softly said. "And we beat them each time," he reminded. Wendy detached her face from Erza, blinking into the darkness past her shoulder at him. "I've had nightmares about that, too," he admitted. Erza twisted her neck to stare at him, surprised, wanting to ask why he had not told her but he continued. "At night, I thought to hear their steps on the roof and outside in the streets; sometimes I can still hear them in my head when it's quiet," he whispered.
Wendy's ears were perked and she soaked up every of his words like a sponge. His own horrors of the night, how he sometimes saw through them and unmasked them as nightmares and what allayed him when waking up. He told her about the trap with the mutant beast and how it showed that there was nothing left – no witty setup or strong opponents or disgusting plans on capturing them. Nothing but a mindless beast, hardly enough to keep him in check and on its own and defeated. He confessed to having gone back and given the man another beating and even though it was unnecessary violence, Wendy felt better knowing that.
Erza frowned to herself when the two started comparing their nightmare patterns and exchanged fears. Not much later, she found the young Dragon Slayer to be yawning frequently, her cracking voice having become bubbly again, now fading into quiet sleepiness.
Erza smiled fondly when Wendy nuzzled back into her, welcoming the embrace to feel even safer, not alone, falling into a deep and this time undisturbed slumber.
Smiling, Erza welcomed Jellal's body behind her own, humming lovingly at the kiss on her nape, then drifted off not a minute after. Finally convinced for it to be truly over.
"Oh, we forgot the form!" Erza noticed, having turned the kitchen upside down.
"That's alright. I can put them in cupcake forms, too – they'll taste the same," he said, dabbing a finger into the sweet batter. Nodding to himself, he repeated the action with the next finger, holding it out.
"That wouldn't be very professional now, would it?" Erza said matter-of-factly. She enclosed the tip of his ring finger with her mouth, sucking the dough off. Licking her upper lip, she made a thoughtful face. "I'm getting you those forms,"
"It doesn't really make a difference," he tried. How she determined the quality of unbaked batter to be inferior without the proper mould was a mystery to him. Then again, how Magnolia had a shop with an entire department of various forms such as madeleines was a mystery in itself. Was there such a thing as an actual hobby? He hoped she would not enregister him in any weekly meetings. Or worse: contests.
"I'll go out and get them – oh, and didn't we need milk? I'll get groceries, too," Erza equipped her boots in the entrance, pairing them off with a padded coat and scarf. He followed.
"You don't have-"
"I will. You stay put and bake," she ordered. He sighed. Stepping closer, Jellal gently tugged at her shawl, draping it more closely around her neck.
"Am I allowed to do baking-unrelated things, too?" He asked while she patted her pockets for her purse.
"Hmm…" Erza puckered her lips in thought, "if they include your presence in the house,"
"Erza," he frowned but she shook her head.
"Please let me do something for you, too,"
"You always do,"
"Jellal," she pleaded.
"Erza," he scolded in return.
"Please?" She kept her head lowered, glancing up at him with her doe eyes. He saw it coming and not a second later – slowly, convincingly – her bottom lip shoved out into a tiny wobbling pout. He had not left the house in a week, neither, almost. Erza sometimes had plagued herself out of bed in the early and freezing-cold mornings to run down the street for fresh bread rolls for his breakfast. Only to end up back in bed, cuddling until she was warm again.
He sighed, this time in defeat and her eyes brightened immediately.
"Am I allowed to see how Meredy is?"
"Out of the question," Erza said, and he opened his mouth for more protesting. "As in, it's out of the question that you ask that, of course you may," she grinned at him. Having to rise to her toes, she pecked his cheek, then turned on the heel to head out into the icy early evening.
He closed the door. Guiltily glad not to be the one outside, Jellal sauntered back into the kitchen. He turned the preheating oven off, then placed the dough in the refrigerator. Once in the bedroom, he flopped down, closing his eyes for a minute.
Not long and he would be a member of Fairy Tail. Officially. In one guild with Erza – her guild, the one that had saved her, that was her home and her family. In one guild with her family…
His first guild mark, Jellal noticed. He wondered where Meredy would want hers. And which colour. Whether she was just as insecure as him or merely excited. She would be a perfect fit, he knew. He could picture her there, amongst the rowdy and the kind, the funny and the calm, in action or slacking off with her friends. She would like it, he thought, happy for her to finally be gaining a proper family of her own. Joining a guild and being with people she chose to be with, not following into whatever he and Ultear dragged her into.
She would be missed at Crime Sorcière. Everyone loved her, and even with Solano and Ultear gone, she was still the heart of them, bringing them together and keeping their spirits high. Giving everyone a reason to care – to take care.
He turned over, crawling across the mattress to fetch Erza's lacrima from inside her nightstand. He had hardly spoken to his guildmate all week but it did not occur to him to be tentative in any way – they were always like that. Fighting and not mentioning anything until perhaps another argument. Wordlessly agreeing on moving on.
Jellal found her few messages – the very top one being the confirmation of having received her new lacrima. He lifted his thumbs. They hovered there for a while.
Where would he fit? When picturing Meredy, it could be anywhere and with anyone. Laughing, joking, goofing around. Consoling or competing. But he was nowhere.
Would he be missed in Crime Sorcière?
Jellal sighed deeply. The lacrima in his hands sank to his stomach and he closed his eyes. He was everything but ready for this. Perhaps it would teach him how Meredy had felt back then, he thought, being pushed into a guild someone else wanted her to join, handling members someone else admitted to. What did one say when being accepted into a guild? Was there no protocol he could follow?
Or a 'skip' button…?
Ready for tomorrow?
He finally typed, tapping the send icon. The front door opened and Jellal gazed over the rim of the lacrima to see his beloved return.
"I'm back," Erza called. He smiled to himself. At least there was a reason to his madness. A place he could picture himself, a seat he belonged in, a friend he could count on to want him there. A family member.
I guess… I'm really excited!
Meredy's reply made a little buzz and his eyes flashed down to scan it.
"Jellal?" Erza came back down the hall from the kitchen before he had the chance to get up. He set the small device aside, ready to shove himself out of bed when she opened the door completely. She blinked once. Then, spotting the opportunity, Erza suddenly threw herself onto the bed, onto him.
Jellal gasped, groaning.
"Cuddle!" Erza called. It was like a child's chant; like hectically determining to be free in a certain area while playing catch. Jellal laughed. He brought his arms up to hug her. There was the urge to unwind her shawl, but he knew it was a set and would disappear alongside the coat into her dimension.
Not a second later, it did, trading for a comfortable skirt, tights and a long-sleeved shirt.
"Oh, look what I found!" She thrust what he identified as a magazine into his face. "Here," Erza shuffled on top of him, kneeling on his lap, giving him the time to sit up against the headboard while she flipped through the pages. "Look!" She giddily held it open for him. Jellal found his mouth dry out, cheeks flushing.
Across glossily finished, coloured double pages was his face. And her face. In huge purple letters, the title above their heads read 'Titania Tamed', accompanied by way too many exclamation marks. He swallowed.
In the end, it seemed that Jason or whomever was responsible for the final version of the publication had not gone for their kiss. Instead, it portrayed the moment just afterwards. Erza's eyes were still half closed, though shining most brightly in a mesmerised daze, her perfect lips parted, nose almost touching his. Her hands on his chest were still visible, the tips of her fingers bordering at the rim of the pages. Jellal had a similar expression, lids lowered and eyes sparkling in adoration. It was an image for the gods. Or perhaps, he admitted, of a goddess. She was breathtaking, plain and simple and even when being two-dimensional.
"I still can't believe how you just did that," Erza raved, fondly regarding their picture, losing herself in it. She seemed to not even be angry at the heading, completely doting, just like him. He pondered whether to allow himself the notion of her sharing a similar opinion about him as he had of her.
"You seemed as if you really wanted it,"
"I did," she looked up at him. Smiling, she melted his heart. "Thank you."