Happy holidays everyone! Wishing you a Merry Christmas or a joyful whatever else you're celebrating! ^^
And can I just say how much I have to smile when reading "This message has been truncated due to length"? Thank you for that Christmas present, something I don't know how to be deserving of more than once a month even!
Wendy Marvel, thank you so much for your review! So much fangirling!
Mitzy123, thank you so much for your review! This may sound weird but I'm actually kind happy I upset you xD makes me proud of my writing :D
Mikasa-Chan, hahaha that huge line of fangirling! Thank you so much! (The programme has now accepted the word 'fangirling' into its dictionary, so it seems - good job on that xD) Yeah, the already-having-a-dress idea is actually derived from the film where she just spontaneously bought one :D and yes, Jerza baby, here we come (my brain is overloaded with ideas concerning it; almost makes it heard to write until then)!
foxydame, thank you so much for that lovely gift of me having to visit FanFiction to read the entirety of your review! Yay! Thanks for also commenting on the dress; I wouldn't have know the name of her opponent but I remember the scene all too well where she fights in it xD I'm so glad to knooow that you liked the puppy jokes so much! As does Meredy ;D Also, thank you so much for commenting on how Meredy's POV about Jerza is appreciated! And how Jellal is in character with his over-fussing. Makes me a very happy Author-San!
Stay healthy, have a wonderful holiday and feel the virtual hug! Oh, and enjoy ;)
The ring spiralled where Natsu spewed the poor thing back out but she paid it no mind. Grabbing the remains of her skirt, Erza hurried across the aisle's carpet, past the righthand row of benches and a very worried Meredy, the frown crowning her brows speaking volumes.
The flash of a glance around was enough to assess the to her unknown room, finding him not to be there, steering her towards the door to the side.
"Jellal," Erza she tried, already overcome by anxiety – the constant anxiety he might have left, might have gone and would not ever be returning; that she had seen his face for the last time, this time for good. The handle rattled but would not yield. Her palm came to rest against the wood. "Talk to me," she pleaded, not being met with a reply. Not that she had expected one.
With a quivering sigh, Erza sank to her knees, her forehead joining her hand against the door.
This was all her fault, she knew. She had been too caught up in the event, too rushed with the execution, too used to the chaos Fairy Tail caused on a regular basis. Too blind to see what he felt while her own worldview remained undisturbed.
"Please don't shut me out," she whispered, raking her brain for solutions, aware that there would be none – none to turn back time and fix what was already broken. She winced in surprise when there was the faintest of grinding of the key against the lock, a click following a second later. With the handle still in her hand, Erza pulled it down, flooding the mostly dark room with a broad streak of light.
It was a bathroom, if a small one. Its window faced another building, explaining the half dark it was currently clad in, weak rays of the dusk-nearing sun drawing silhouettes of the interior. One of which was a small heap in the corner, head tucked behind his knees, arms slung around them. Her eyes melted into pity, the momentary jerking of his shoulders she might have only imagined causing a clod to form in her throat.
Swallowing it, Erza shuffled into the room. The door fell shut behind her, the room back into its half-dark gloom. The noise was almost completely gone, nothing but the rustling of fabric and lace disturbing the tense silence as she crawled over to where he hunched. Reaching out, her hand hovered above his knee when a voice interrupted.
"What's going on?" Warren's telepathy rung inside her head, and she feared Jellal to be hearing it too. "Why aren't we starting?" He asked, a jumble of voices overlapping right after, some apprehensive, some throwing insults and blames while others began to speculate, something that gave her stomach a twist. The last thing she needed now was someone making a comment he could not digest.
"Does it look like we can start?" Meredy was the one to drown out the chaos. "I'm not even dressed, not to mention my hair, my makeup…" she said through the open side door, a murmur of exasperated sighs and eye-rolling 'women' remarks ending the telepathic communication. Erza heard the Maguilty Sense Mage yell out instructions before shutting the door again, an even deeper sigh escaping her in relief of everyone having bought the excuse. Not that it was untrue.
With a tad of serenity returned to her, Erza finally let her hand sink onto her dejected fiancé's knee.
"Jellal," her voice was but a whisper, breaking off into silence again. There was nothing she could say to him that would put this right. Of course, no wedding in the world ever went flawless but for a regular person outside of the guild, this must have been horrid to watch. He must have had hopes, dreams of how it would go, how they would unite in peace and love without any hinderance like there had been for the past entirety of their lives. This was probably his worst nightmare coming true, and knowing him, those were bound to have haunted him more frequently than anything.
And now here they were, amidst the ruin of what he had once dreamed their oh so unbelievably real wedding to be.
"I'm sorry," Erza managed, having to bite her lip in order to suppress the lump that kept on scratching up her throat. "This is all my fault, I'm so sorry Jellal," she said, his head rising at her words – his hair was beyond handsome, she noted. At least one thing was reliable, and that was the fact that he was still utterly incapable of allowing her to take the blame for anything; that fact that it was for once not his fault and his alone. "It's my fault, I know that," she emphasised to shut down the protests she could already see coming. The tears he so bitterly fought not to tumble where they were brimming in his eyes were not something she had seen coming, though, something she should have well anticipated, feeling her voice to be thinning out at the mere sight.
Her other hand found his back and she swallowed, battling to keep a steady tone he could believe.
"I let it come to this mess, because I just cannot fully see with your eyes yet…" she exhaled shakily, casting her eyes downwards. "I'm sorry…" Erza repeated, lips quivering in a wobbly line when he finally moved.
Releasing himself, Jellal brought his arms around her and they fell into the other, grasping whatever skin and fabric they could without any regard to wrinkles or lightly reddened streaks. His hands were warm on her exposed back, fingers digging into her ribs where they already arrived at the opposite side of her torso.
He was still there. He had not left.
Breathing down his neatly ironed collar, Erza returned the hug just as fiercely.
"I know it shouldn't have happened like this and… and if you want to stop, we can," she offered in a small voice. His inhale was sharp but she used how his own voice had not yet returned to him. "We can go home or skip the ceremony or disinvite everyone, whatever you want," she stroked down his back. "You were right and I see that now," she detached herself, though only far enough to be able to catch his eyes. "Nothing matters but us. I really just want to marry the man I love with all my heart – but if you'd prefer things to stay as they are, then that's fine, too," she cupped his face with both hands, pressing a kiss beneath his eye where she knew he had tried to hide the escaped tear. She tasted the salt on her lips.
His arms only tightened, and his eyes fluttered closed, another unwanted tear staining his cheek. So she erased it just as gently.
"I'm sorry," his whisper was hoarse, forehead docking onto hers where the lack of strength in his voice announced his collapse. Erza felt the rare one-Jewels coin in her shoe as she pushed into the white courts, scooting her knees even closer to hold him securely. "I shouldn't have…" he sighed, not daring to open his eyes when her lashes' tickling told him about hers watching him.
"No, it's fine," she soothed, "you know how honesty-obsessed I am," she grinned, her heart skipping a beat when his own lips stretched into a mild smile. "I'm glad you're showing me how you feel; I'm sorry I messed up,"
"But I don't want to stop," he detached himself from her, bravely returning her gaze. "I want to marry you, I've never wanted anything more," Jellal's hands shook with resolve, drawing her even closer. "If you're still willing to take a coward like me for a husband, I couldn't be happier," he offered a sheepish smile that was almost reaching his eyes but was so him, it made her own eyes itch more strongly.
"It's too late for me," Erza reluctantly sniffled, blinking to keep from soaking her mascara. Panic washed over his face, right before relief replaced it. "I'm already beyond happy," she grinned through the blur in her eyes, gladly returning the tug he gave.
"Hey," Jellal chuckled quietly, leaning in again, "don't mess with me now," he mildly scolded, the vibrating of his chuckle resonating against her chest.
"Mh, I'd much rather mess about with you," Erza trailed a finger down his chest, relishing in the warmth of his breath on her cheeks.
"I'm afraid that'll have to wait until tonight," he murmured in a similarly lowered tone, the leaps of her heart skidding giddily.
"Says who?" She joked, lips already brushing his, the smirk never leaving either of them.
"Don't all Dragon Slayers have good ears?" He said against her lips, fleetly tasting a first kiss and she felt her insides coil with the need for more when he so temptingly pulled away again.
"You're right," she cursed to herself, "poor Wendy," she then laughed, drowning herself out in another kiss, regardless of her words. Then another, all of the excitement from before fluttering back to life, the unsatiable love for him churning through her body like a wildfire.
"But I can't go out like this," Jellal interrupted, blinking at her and she frowned in sympathy at the barely noticeable, yet not completely unswollen eyes shining at her in the half-dark.
"I suppose my own aren't too passable either," she said, dabbing the length of her finger beneath her eye, finding thin traces of black makeup. "Nothing that can't be fixed," she assured, getting to her feet.
Right, she then remembered, there was still the dress. She almost regretted to have offered the one she had already owned to be altered for the occasion – now there was no plan B to change into. The bodice was fine, as was the waistline and upper skirt where it bulged from her hips, but from her shins down, there was hardly more than a few shreds of charred fabric left. The gloves had seen better days where there remained almost no material to cover her hands, so she took them off. Similarly, the stockings she had alluringly strapped to her lingerie now bore holes.
Helping him stand, Erza kept hold of her fiancé's hand as she crossed back over to the door.
"Meredy?" She poked her head out. Pink curls flew as the Maguilty Sense Mage spun her head, gladness melting her eyes upon seeing them return. Her hair looked about ready, a braid on either side of her head leading up to the preferred high ponytail. The ankle-length gown was a stunning mulberry purple, the enclosing one-shoulder strap – undoubtedly chosen to keep from raising disfavouring comments from her best friend – still in her hand.
"You're back, I'm glad," she smiled, hardly minding the two to be entering while she was still getting dressed. Erza took the chance, aiding with the zipper while Meredy's smile only broadened gratefully as she gathered up her hair as not to get in the way.
"Would you mind asking Gray for a few ice cubes?" She asked, stepping back to indicate to be done.
"Sure,"
"And then maybe fix my makeup?" Erza sheepishly added, only more rays of her friend's smile beaming at her.
"Of course," Meredy plucked here and there at the fabric of her dress, hobbling over to the door. "Gray!" She roared into the echoing nave, making grown men flinch, then snicker at the stiffly frightened pace of the Ice Wizard. "Ice cubes, please," she smiled sweetly, receiving a handful from the baffled mage. "Thanks," she closed the door again, turning with the acquired order.
Unscrewing the lid of what Erza identified as Jellal's hair styling product, Meredy deposited the ice cubes inside the lid, then rummaged through her own makeup bag, presenting a couple of pencil like utensils Erza had yet to learn the names of.
With a sigh of relief, Erza sank down in the chair she was being offered. Her dress billowed around her, the lack of length not making sitting any easier than before. It made her ponder as to whether there would be a tablecloth in the guildhall to conceal what the laced skirt now partially revealed. Not that it bothered her.
Smiling, she watched Jellal deflate in his own chair, laying the ice cubes onto his eyes.
"Look up," Meredy said and Erza complied, feeling a drenched wad of cotton correct the stains beneath her left eye.
"Meredy," Jellal asked, voice still slightly hoarse.
"Mhm," she hummed, patting and wiping carefully.
"How do you know how to do makeup?" He asked and her lips tightened in their smile. He really was overprotective, though, in this case, she would not mind. Whatever distracted him from stress; neither she nor Erza would grudge any pains.
"I don't, to be frank," she admitted, grinning apologetically at Erza's raised brows. "But I documented every step of that makeup artist and I just did my own so this should be fine," she soothed. "Don't! My masterpiece!" She then cried as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Sorry…" he muttered, grabbing the comb, then putting it back down to wait for his turn.
Erza closed her eyes when being told to, the image of his hair not leaving her inner eye. It looked even more beautiful in proper lighting, suiting him almost more than his usual look. She could hardly wait to take it all in – the view that was her soon-to-be husband in his groom's attire.
Meanwhile, she felt her own half-updo to be coming undone, small strands tickling her nape and shoulders.
The legs of Jellal's chair scraped across the floor and not a moment later, Erza felt her hand being taken. Her smile only widened and she gave a squeeze, having it returned right away.
"I'm guessing you're standing in line for your hair, except, that is, if you'd like your lashes to be as luxuriously as Erza's," Meredy said with a giggle in her tone.
"Try poking fun at me once you've mastered the basic rules of grammar," Jellal countered, this time earning a scowl.
"I was reading," she defended herself. "I mean, haven't you ever asked yourself 'how to make your lashes look fuller in the blink of an eye'?" She read off the package. "'With just a few strokes, you can increase the volume of your lashes by around 170 percent' – how do they even measure that?" She frowned, a huge grin of triumph spreading from ear to ear when he had to snicker. "Now," she screwed the tiny brush closed, stepping over to grab the comb and fix what barely existent flaws she could find.
A knock on the door startled Jellal, prompting Erza to give another squeeze.
"Meredy?" Lucy peered inside.
"Yeah, we're almost ready," Meredy called while comparing his hair to the picture on her lacrima. "Could you get everyone seated and the music ready?" She asked, receiving a nod and cheerful affirmation. His hand was starting to sweat the second the door closed again, but he was not shaking anymore. He was not hiding anymore.
Lucy's voice carried through the cathedral, an uproar of enthusiasm being the response. Oh, how she loved her guild, Erza thought. Blinking repeatedly, she tried hard not to let any more tears paint her face. His dream might have been a flawless event but hers was already fulfilled and exceeded. She was marrying him. She was marrying Jellal and her family was celebrating with them, no matter how rowdy and misbehaved, there was nothing more she could have wanted.
Warmth spread through her with an intensity she had seldom felt. This was it.
Another wince once the organ blasted all the way up the high ceilings. She held his arm where they waited behind the closed door for Meredy to return with the bouquet. A different one, Erza noticed, seeing as the original one had burnt to a crisp a while ago.
"Organ music?" Jellal whispered, gaze trained forward where the Master awaited them at the new makeshift altar which consisted of an upturned bench, a fragment of the destroyed altar serving as bookend.
"You really don't know a lot about weddings, do you?" Erza teased, giving a playful prod with her elbow.
"Not a thing," he grinned and she turned to smile at him.
"Then let's find out together," she tilted her head, eyes sparkling as his smile shone back at her.
Meredy cleared her throat, making their backs shoot up straight. At the sound of the main theme following the introduction bars, they each took a deep breath, then made their way towards the Master.
Makarov was already crying. Mira was crying. Elfman was sniffling madly, while a few others kept their composure, though their eyes told a different story. Natsu and Gray were obediently sitting in the first row alongside the rest of the team plus Meredy, the other front bench lined with present-day and ex-Crime Sorcière members.
Seeing every face, taking in all the proud grins and waggly smiles, it seemed like an eternity where Erza could grasp her surroundings, the bonds to each and every one of her friends glowing through to her with an unmatched strength only Fairy Tail possessed.
At the same time, the moment ended too quickly, the acceptance, lack of wry looks and utterly unquestionable support everyone radiated with seeming to give Jellal wings, the approach to the altar with her on his arm taken in his stride. And while she wished his confidence to hail from faith in himself, she was glad to know she could bestow the strength he needed upon him.
Sniffling loudly, the Master cleared his throat, then sniffled again. The flashing of Jason's camera sounded more than once, at some point already fading into background noise. Proud that he was not wincing anymore, Erza gazed deeply into her beloved's eyes before turning her attention ahead again.
"We gathered," Makarov sniffled, wiping his face with his sleeve. "We have gathered here today to," his voice shook slightly, "to unite these two Mages in marriage." He managed, a whoop from Elfman spurring him to continue despite the joyful tears that only slowly ceased to flow down his wrinkled cheeks. "Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly – or so I would say if I could not read the opposite off both of your faces," he smiled at the couple, their eyes shining back with affection.
"I could go on about how to be faithful and grow together to overcome hardships, but while I doubt any of us to have seen the last of those, I know there is hardly anything I can still preach for you to uphold," Makarov's smile only stretched further, and Erza felt her heart dance with joy at the way her father figure trusted and loved her.
With threatening daggers stabbing their backs by not only Meredy's, but Lucy's and Juvia's eyes as well, Natsu and Gray rose from their seat, carrying a pillow upon which two silver rings lay. With tight lips at having to cooperate, though a sparkle in their eyes due to the event, they almost gracefully presented what the Master had asked for.
"Wait," they were halted in their movements, freezing to the spot. Erza's heart gave a small pang at the urgently sounding tone of her fiancé. Glancing up at him through her elongated lashes – realising to have forgotten about the veil after the commotion – she could not help but swallow.
The Master raised a brow, the rest of the guild holding their breaths.
"I'd… like to say something, too," Jellal announced, and she could feel his pulse shooting up where her fingers held his arm, the colour of his face changing into a bright pink.
"You don't have to," her eyes softened again, her voice careful and quiet for hopefully only him to hear.
"I know," Jellal met her gaze, the resolve she had reawakened blazing back at her. "I want to." He turned away from the altar, towards her and she let him take her hands in his, the bouquet dropping without a single regard. Not hers, anyway, Juvia diving for it for other reasons than just being of help. "You're," he grinned, almost apologetically, "making my life a constant rollercoaster but I'm willing to take every mountain and every valley together," he smiled that trademark sheepish smile of his, having felt the need to explain his sudden decision.
Jellal's chest expanded shortly, his preparing inhale unheard but not unnoticed. His eyes were trained on her, plunging in so deeply, she soon saw nothing but him, heard nothing but his voice, the beating of her own heart drumming avidly against her ribcage.
"I…" his gaze momentarily flashed over to the crowd, the blush rising further to his ears, "I thought I'd already known adrenaline with a life history such as mine but it seems that not even facing Acnologia in his dragon form head-on could have prepared me for this," he said, stirring laughter from the guests, and she had to smile even wider, feeling to be pulled in even closer.
"I owe you more than I could ever repay, more than I would have ever thought was humanly possible to give. You have cared for me more than I will ever fathom to deserve," Jellal said and she shook her head, the itching having returned to her eyes, "and there is only so much a Wizard Saint can do in return," he pretended a patronising shrug, more snickering emerging from the side.
"But," he tugged on her hands, and she rose with her inhale, eyes glued to the determination in his, "here and now, I offer my body and soul before you – because my mind and heart have already been yours for as long as I can remember," his voice was clear as it echoed through the cathedral. Awws emitted from men and woman alike, another hefty sniffle coming from behind the altar.
Erza felt her heart jolt and twirl, her stomach fluttering like a cage of a thousand birds, while her eyes glistened with tears, the hands he held so dearly beginning to shake of emotion.
"Erza Scarlet," Jellal's tone lowered as it came upon her warmly as the first summer's rain would, "light of my life, purpose of my being," his gaze glistered with devotion. "No matter how many more pieces of furniture you break or random questions you ask in the middle of the night," he said, laughter rippling through the guests, "I vow to protect, respect and worship you with every fibre of my entity for each and every day of my life," he leaned down, his voice lowering, "and beyond," he promised, the words she had spoken upon his proposal ringing in her ears.
Now with hardly anyone not in tears, Makarov only waved a hand at Erza to continue. This time, not only the others but Jellal, too, laughed, seeing as she was blubbering with tears.
"Later," she brought out in a squeak, a huge smile shining through the welling tears of joy that he tenderly wiped off with his thumps.
Stepping forward again, Natsu and Gray held out the rings once again, no more words having to be said for the exchange, not least due to the lack of ability to speak of both the Master as well as Erza.
"You may kiss the bride," Makarov hiccupped after excitedly quivering hands had adorned each other's finger with a ring. Overwhelmed, Erza could not wait, already raking on Jellal's collar to meet his lips in an eagerly awaited kiss. Her grasp relaxed when his hands came to rest on her waist, lips moving against hers as if there was not a single person present but them.
"Nice 'bride'," a few giggled about the overhasty execution the Master's wording cast to the wind, but she did not hear. She was where she wanted to be – in his arms, her own wrapped around his neck and with no power in all of Earthland able to separate them.
Scarlet light bathed them from the high windows, more colours of the stained glass dappling the cathedral's interior.
The bell suddenly chimed, if dully – the helping hands of Laxus, Elfman, Lily and Gajeel in the way of a proper sound while Natsu delightedly smashed stone afters stone against it. With the help of Lisanna, Lily lifted it up into the air, merely about a metre, and Natsu dashed to fling the clapper, ringing the bell – and quite possibly going deaf – while everyone cheered, following the newlyweds out the building and to the next location of their day: the guildhall of Fairy Tail.