Can't believe how well timed this is - first Christmas day (for many) and now New Years (also not for the entire world but the majority). Happy New Year everyone!
Also (and I have to crack this stupid joke; it's embedded in my genes, there's no stopping it) I haven't posted since last year! (Ba-dum tss) (Insert troll face)
Mitzy123, thank you so much for your review! Haha, they sure are a mess, but that's Fairy Tail for ya! Thank you so much for your praises on the realism and my writing! I'm really happy to know that I manage to reach you with the feelings I intend to evoke. Sorry for making you cry and sorry for smiling about it :D (it's pride, I swear)
foxydame, thank you so so much for such an incredibly detailed and super long review! So there is a drawing of his hair slicked back? I was wondering where I had gotten that image in my head from... I also apologise to you, but I feel proud and giddy with joy when you tell me I pulled at your heartstrings :D Thank you so much for mentioning the conversation/mood transitions, the inner monologue, quotes (heart kissing emoji, you know what I mean) and smashing of the bell xD So much time and effort in your more than kind review truly warms my heart, thank you so much!
And with that, I wish you, above all, health for you and your loved ones, the prudence to act wisely and the patience to refrain from what might cause harm.
Happy New Year 2021
Never mind the destination being the guildhall when the first obstacle to tackle was riding in a carriage. Not that it was a particularly difficult task in regular cases, but being a member of Fairy Tail quite obviously entailed a certain amount of competitiveness. And by certain amount, Jellal actually meant ludicrous overdose.
Clinging to his seat, he tried to keep his eyes open against the biting wind as it cut into his skin. He would have wondered how Erza coped, seeing as her current attire allowed more than just her face and hands to be attacked, but she was otherwise engaged. She was too keen on winning the spontaneous race through Magnolia, having overtaken the reigns of their two horses minutes ago.
Meredy had long resigned, having jumped off when things had only just begun to go crazy, saved by one of the more reasonable carriage drivers nearby. He was glad about that, because when the horses suddenly turned as not to smash head first into the guildhall and the carriage tumbled onto its side, Jellal only had to protect Erza.
"We won!" She triumphantly called from within his shielding embrace. Letting go, he watched her wriggle out of his arms and crawl to her feet, overlooking with satisfaction as her teammates plus their involuntarily accompanying partners crashed into the building, reducing their own conveyances to splinters. The horses neighed where they tried to get rid of the wreckage they now pulled after them, those of the wedded pair nowhere to be seen.
"You didn't!" Natsu yelled, brushing off planks of wood as he scrambled out from under them.
"You only won because you made me ram into that streetlamp!" Gray protested where he was still digging out Juvia from the pile of his own carriage.
They continued bickering, so Jellal sighed, peering down the darkening street. The sun had just disappeared, dusk reigning over Fiore where the sky was left ablaze in its wake. Their horses had to be somewhere.
It was then that the others arrived, some more civilised than others, Gajeel reluctantly being among the first group since Levy rode alongside him.
"Jellal?" Meredy asked, hopping down from next to Mirajane. She walked up to him, following his gaze.
"You go on ahead," he said. "I'll just go find the horses; they couldn't have gone that far," he explained, setting off for the empty road.
There was hardly anyone still outside with the shops closing and the cold seeping into one's bones. Then there was the fact that some pedestrians had nearly been run over by a parade of horse carriages, the news of Fairy Tail roaming the streets sending the sane population inside.
They had watched – seemingly half of Magnolia – standing outside of Kardia Cathedral to cheer for the Queen of the Fairies and, concomitantly, her husband. They had probably not even known his name or associated him with Fairy Tail, but that was fine by him.
The warmth of the guild hall faded rather quickly. Quite the contrary of the noise, rowdily arguing voices and gales of laughter travelling another hundred metres until merging into the evening silence. One sound, however, became louder no matter how far he went, following him. Jellal halted, the clacking of heels on cobblestone nearing by the second and he waited for its owner to arrive in front of him.
"Erza," he said, tilting his head where she momentarily hunched over her knees. "I was just-"
"I know," she straightened, the slight pant abating, "I'm coming with you," she beamed a smile. Her mood was indestructible, just like she was. Not needing any heater's warmth, Jellal felt his heart swell a little as she infected him with her smile. Oh, how she reminded him every day that he would die for her without hesitation.
"It's cold," he heard himself argue while extending his arm at the same time.
"And I thought you were getting better," she smirked teasingly, grabbing his hand instead. She had a point, though he could hardly ever say no to her, no matter how cleverly he figured out her strategies.
Giving a squeeze, she tugged on him and they started down the street. It was not long until Erza had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all and he caught it quickly, his chuckles forming clouds in the icy air.
Around the next corner already, they spotted the first of the two horses, the other not far behind, though behind it was. Jellal frowned.
"Is it still trespassing if we retrieve what's ours?" He wondered out loud, watching in dismay how the animal was chomping away at a neighbour's apparently on the clothesline forgotten pair of briefs. Frozen solid up until this point where it was used as an ice lolly.
He was going to ask again when he cringed instead. Erza had already stepped over the small, bare hedge, having to pull on her skirt when it got stuck on a branch. Not to his surprise, the horse spooked when she tried to rip the knickers out of its mouth.
"No-" she turned on the heel, but her shoe got stuck. With waving arms, she almost crashed head first into the hedge but Jellal was faster.
"How about," he heaved her over the hedge by her waist, retrieving her shoe, "I go talk to the horses?" He offered with a pretended seriousness and she giggled. Then again, a light blush tinting her with adoration puffed cheeks as he knelt down to gently ease her foot back into its shoe. "And you'll stand guard."
Hardly a minute later, he was sitting on the underwear-chewing horse, the reigns of the other in hand and the woman of his dreams leaning into his chest. It seemed his pigeon connection worked on horses, too.
"You know," he rested his chin on her shoulder, "this isn't how I imagined your riding lesson to go," he jested, feeling her smile against his cheek.
"I'm still charging the full price," she nodded matter-of-factly. "No refunds – oh, and don't forget your own riding lesson," she smirked, a devious spark in her eyes.
"Remember when I said I was clearing out?" He poked her rib and she yelped. Swatting his hand away, she let go of the reigns to cup his face next to hers. "Apart from that, I thought those weeks in Era had plenty of it," he defended, pouting when she took liking in squishing his cheek against hers. Her giggles turned into nagging when he rubbed his hair into her face instead.
"My makeup," she protested, still laughing, "and your hair," she shoved him away. Then she reconsidered, grasping his collar to pull him back, meeting his lips with fierce gentleness. He gave a muffled moan, then a grumble of complaint when it made her smirk into their kiss. Parting took almost as long as the kiss itself, lips smacking softly where they peeled away, leaving shimmering traces of lip gloss behind. Her smile never faltered, eyes dimly shining with a love so bright, he did not need the streetlights to illuminate the way.
Laxus groaned so deeply, Meredy could almost feel the vibration of his throat. She could definitely see it.
"Urgh, now he's talking to her again," he groused. She raised a brow.
"She's his wife," Meredy reminded. Yes, they had only just married a couple of hours ago, but the fact that said wedding had been going on all day with him as a guest should have made it easier to remember.
"Not her," Laxus said, rather slurred. Frowning now, she turned for what felt like the hundredth time to scan the guildhall for the groom. And he was indeed not chatting with the bride, but the youngest, most enthusiastic flower girl, currently laughing while tossing petals at anyone who passed them. "Bloody Titania…" Laxus muttered to himself, and she began to think he had either not realised that Asuka was not Erza or already forgotten their conversation. It would not be the first time.
Throwing his head back, he downed yet another shot. He was not stupidly drunk, but more than tipsy, notable by his honesty and colour that slowly rose to his cheeks.
"I mean, what's she got that I don't?" He asked, still too serious as not to be calling upon the services of his liver yet. It must have been ploughing its way through the alcohol already.
Meredy gave him a deadpan expression.
"Where do I begin…?"
"I invite him to play cards, he hates it. I take him on a mission, he hardly says a word," he kept on lamenting and her frown turned into a somewhat pitiful amusement. He made it sound like a date; as if courting Jellal – who was so obviously taken with every fibre of his body – would be the only method of bringing his walls to crumble. Truth be told, that was an admittedly hard task, almost a Sisyphean task, judging by how easily he bounced back and retreated into his shell. Nonetheless, it was pathetic to watch the Lightning Dragon Slayer reduced to what he was now, if a tad cute.
"From what he told me, you guys spoke lots," she held her own glass, if only for the sake of holding it. His example had its wanted impact, drying out her appetite for more liquor.
"I spoke, he didn't,"
"He didn't not speak," she defended and he grumbled something weakly defying. "Well, talking isn't his strong suit,"
"I know!" Laxus growled, slamming his empty glass onto the bar, cracking it quite efficiently. She scooted further away in her own seat, muscles only relaxing after another moment. He could be such a child, just like Jellal, she had to admit. Why was it that they only connected once both were boozed up?
Sighing to herself, she surrendered to her new babysitting job.
"Come to think of it," she tilted her head to catch his attention where he now traced the cracks in his glass. "How about doing something Jellal likes for a change? I'm sure he-"
"I don't cook." Laxus cut her off. He leaned over the bar, fishing for the next shot on a tray that had yet to be ordered. Mira was off duty, dancing with her sister, as were most of the Fairy Tail members, no need for drinks while partying to a wildly entertaining collection of music.
Her forehead creased in thought, trying to come up with other things the Heavenly Body Mage enjoyed. Laxus was faster.
"Nor do I have a girl to share experiences," he complained, a sneery side glance directed at Gajeel who had already announced to be proposing to Levy soon. "But he isn't much of a talker anyway, it's always just me who's talking,"
"So we've established," Meredy rolled her eyes.
"It's not like actions do anything either," he started to gesture with his hands, completely forgetting about the shot in his hand. It flew across the hall, luckily hitting a sturdy Elfman's shoulder – his temper kept in check by Evergreen – instead of Natsu, who was blissfully gobbling down half the meat the buffet had to offer. "I saved him from that twin dragon boy and..." he blinked a few times, losing his thread.
"How about discussing guild members? I'm sure you've had a few times when your team was not acting cleverly – and Jellal's certainly had his fair share of that and lots of fights within Crime Sorcière," she proposed, swirling her drink around without lifting it. He gave a grunt.
"My team's smart; they're not a bunch o' idiots," he barked. Then he kept on mumbling, something she interpreted at pondering on whether to invite someone stupid into the team.
The brooding was cut short when they were joined by a bright smile.
"You two seem to be having a blast," Jellal leaned with his arm onto Meredy's shoulder, flashing his smile from her to Laxus. Pity for the Dragon Slayer returned, if only by a tinge, but she returned the smile.
"You missed it – you should've been here," she laughed, giving it her all for him to take the bait and finally pay the attention that was so obviously demanded. Laxus shot her a glare, immediately seeing through her charade.
"Oh, something embarrassing about me again?" Jellal raised his brows in a teasingly strict manner, remembering her speech with, so she noted with devilish delight, a hint of a blush. He had handled it gracefully though, his own alcohol ingestion having loosened him up enough to even chat with Kagura – though not Milliana, which was, however, mutually awkward.
"No, she doesn't want to tell me the secret!" Laxus burst, shooting daggers at Meredy. She could have cursed – that was the least successful way to get to Jellal. No matter how intimidating the Lightning Dragon Slayer was, nothing in all of Earthland would bring Jellal to his knees when it came to protecting his loved ones, a trait that qualified him as a true member of Fairy Tail.
It hit her too late, but, fortunately for her, the same went for Jellal. He was visibly confused, neither registering the threat nor connecting the word to the actual secret they were currently guarding. The notion had not settled yet.
"There is no secret!" Meredy gave back. "I told you, I don't know any secret," she huffed. A wave of fright along his features told her that Jellal had caught up, however coming to the wrong conclusions.
"Meredy," he cautiously lowered his voice, bending down to her ear, "what secret are we talking about?" He whispered rather urgently. With a shake of negation, she turned her head to murmur back, not least because of the overall uproar, resounding music and tempest of voices.
"He wants to be friends with you, that's all, don't worry," she ensured and he heaved a sigh of relief. The smile settled back on his lips and he turned, but Laxus was gone. For some reason, though, Meredy spotted him striding – as much as staggering – over to the current and ex-members of Crime Sorcière, and she could guess he was going to try to milk out some handy knacks from them.
Jellal was meanwhile blinking at the suddenly empty spot. Then he sighed again, letting himself drop into the now free stool.
"It was kinda sweet, the way he talked," Meredy smiled, watching him pry one exhausted eye open. "He can be good company when not too tipsy," she grinned. Jellal rubbed his temple, his elbow requiring a few attempts before coming to rest on the counter with his eyes closed again.
"I never said we weren't friends," he said in a somewhat strained voice.
"Half-wasted Laxus doesn't seem to think so," she shrugged, "or maybe not enough," she reasoned, giving a helplessly encouraging smile. He considered it, frowning his lips in musing, then disapproval. His eyes had found her drink.
"And how many have you had already?" He raised a brow and she tightened her grip around the glass, following his nod to the dark liquid and back to him. She held his gaze, not quite sure what to do for a moment since 'none' was definitely a lie.
"Wanna dance?" Meredy got up, pulling him along by his hand. His brow only ascended higher but he let the subject go, following through the crowd. The music changed, a slower, more peaceful yet still vivid piece, as if to be accompanying them fittingly. She knew the musicians were adapting to the couple as much as they could, and when looking around, Meredy caught a glimpse of scarlet hair where Erza had apparently had the same brilliant, forcing Natsu to a second round.
Meredy nearly had to grimace. Dancing with Gray and Natsu had been nothing but pure disaster, both separately as well as at the same time – why she had not thought the latter to result in an epic failure from the beginning still puzzled her. On top of that, she had had to take oath of not being interested in the Ice Wizard to Juvia, whom had only been appeased by the fact that Meredy had used the entire dance to drop hints and spur the clumsily lovestruck man into making a move.
Which he actually might have, she realised, not finding a trace of either of the two when searching the room with her eyes.
"Where would I be without you?" Jellal snapped her out of her thoughts. She cracked a grin.
"In prison, probably," she nodded to herself, snorting at the unbelieving look he gave her. "It wasn't Ul alone who broke you out, you know?" She swallowed her laughter, if poorly. "Without the strong arms of a thirteen-year-old, you might've never seen daylight again," she lectured with what she hoped to be a very grave tone. It could not have been further from that.
"Is that so?" His voice trembled with held-back laughter of his own, and she could not help but let hers out. It died down when he halted for an instant, a kiss landing on the top of her head. "Thank you," Jellal smiled warmly, and she stumbled when he resumed dancing, "for everything you do."
Tutting, Meredy shook her head as if in disappointment.
"Marriage has mellowed you," she deplored, luring out a chuckle. "And don't you go soft on me now, otherwise I may have to take drastic measures to get the old you back," she announced with a spark in her eyes. "Like bringing a date,"
"A what?" Jellal almost stopped again, stiffening considerably and she almost yelled with laughter.
"There we go," she grinned triumphantly.
"Maybe that's how we're friends," he mocked a pout, "you manipulate me,"
"What? Me?" Meredy feigned an indignant gasp. "Manipulate? No!" She drawled, just when there was a nudge from the side.
"Partner change," she heard before she could react, but there was no denying the Queen of the Fairies' wishes. Not that she would have. Coming face to face with Mest, she smiled – it was good to see him enjoying himself, too, his job for the celebration having been to keep the Master from downing too much sake.
"Hello, husband," Erza was saying where her smile stretched from ear to ear.
"N'evening, wife," Jellal returned just as smoothly. They giggled like schoolgirls, and had not quite stopped yet when ending it in a soft hum that resonated from one to the other as they reduced the space between their bodies, sharing a kiss before resuming to lose themselves in each other's enamoured gaze.
Erza sighed with content, her eyes shining more brightly than any garland and any chandelier above.
"I should rather use the opportunity to call you groom," she grinned.
"Not me," Jellal smiled fondly at her puzzlement, meeting her lips again in a tender kiss before he spoke again. "You'll always be my bride."