The story summary is so outdated by now xD Thanks for supporting me through it all!

"Now, place the other foot behind it."

"Behind it? Where?"

"Like, next to it," Erza pointed in his general direction, not being of much help. "You bend it over the leg you're sitting on – you're still sitting on it, right?"

"Something like that…"

"And now you put your foot down next to your thigh. Other side," she corrected. "Knee up."

"Up?" Jellal frowned fiercely.

"Place your hands on the ground, pointing in the opposite direction of your second foot, elbows facing one another – I mean insides, not elbows – head turned sideways," she instructed. He puffed, his spine popping in several places. "Was that relaxing? It sounded effective."

"It would be a lot more effective if you didn't sit on my yoga-doing lap."

"Says nowhere here that I shouldn't," she shrugged. He snorted exhaustedly, giving up. Detangling his torso, Jellal let himself fall onto his back. She was quick to follow, propping herself up above him. He could feel her gaze; see her shadow move into his field of view had he kept his eyes open. "You can check yoga off the list," he croaked, "it's not for me."

"Alright," Erza said matter-of-factly. He could hear her rustle with a sheet of paper, then the scratching of a pen. She was all too serious about this. "Next up is a hot shower," she announced. He allowed himself a deep breath. Not necessary, but at least not overly complicated. The steam would do them both good. "Right after – or before and after,
whatever you prefer – we—"

"We are not doing it in the shower."

"Oh, come on," Erza grumbled. "How did you know?"

"How did I…?" Jellal laughed shortly. In one sweep, he was sitting upright again. Erza squeaked, rising up with him. Flush against his torso – and almost bumping with her face against his – she blinked at him with surprise. "Erza, love, we can do whatever you like apart from something that risky," he said. "Just think of it: what if you so much as slip and hit your belly against the wall? Or the sink; the doorhandle – if ever, this is not the time," he insisted. Her lower lip shoved out into a pout.

"Whatever I want?" She asked. He gulped. The last time he had promised 'anything', it had not ended too well for him.

"Give me your best—" he stopped himself, "give me your second-best shot," he offered. Her features lit up instantaneously.

It was hideous. Neon-coloured almost, and then there were those odd tulle flounces in all the wrong places.

"Apart from that, shouldn't it reach past her ankles?"

"With those feet, yes," Erza agreed.

"I really don't mean to be rude – there must have been a lot of thought and planning in this outfit, but it's so…" he frowned at the article, not comprehending how the magazine was praising such a ghastly attire. The woman was famous, fine, but that could not make up for the outfit she had chosen. "Let's just say I admire her confidence," he concluded. Erza snickered.

"You're too polite."

"It's frank," he defended himself. "Would you like me to read you your horoscope – well, the baby's potential one, that is?" He asked, skimming through glossy pages. She pursed her lips, thinking it over.

"I doubt it to be any more insightful than usual – most of it is by far too vague to hold any truth," she complained. With one final stroke, she finished filing his nails. His hair was already done, sprouting in tiny pigtails from either side of his head.

"As could be said for the rest of this," he argued, noisily flapping the magazine. She consented with a hum. Then she moved on to his face, comparing shades of lip gloss. He was lucky she hardly owned any make up – and no nail polish whatsoever – but he found he was already lucky with the current lack of impossible stretching positions.

Having found his target, Jellal cleared his throat.

"Your week will be a stressful one, when Venus forms a conjunction with Pluto on Wednesday," he read, brows creasing fiercely. "They didn't have to bring planets into this," he grumbled, already cross.

"They always do, honey," Erza pecked his cheek. Then she swiped up a bit of eyeshadow with her little finger. He read with one eye closed.

"Working too hard might bring you out of balance; you will have to make choices, and abandon what isn't most important to you," Jellal continued. He could see Erza's smile grow the more he focused on his mystic, feminine voice acting. "Not taking a risk might deprive you of great fortune – are they telling you to go for it or lay low?" He huffed.

"I told you, they're ridiculous," Erza shrugged. "Look up," she instructed. He did as he was told, waiting patiently while she brushed black colour onto his lashes.

Never in his life would Jellal have dared to think he would be wearing makeup. No secret mission, no prank to outsmart the authorities, not even a drunk night. Erza of all people – the woman least interested in makeup and beauty products – was doing it. And happily so.

If their child would be a girl, she had told him, she would not want to be at a loss. She wanted to be consultable in all possible scenarios – however unrealistic, seeing as neither parent was too enthralled with makeup. He could not blame her. The words 'I don't know' were sparce on their tongues. They had found so much strength in one another, they believed that there would be nothing they could not handle together.

Practise, however, was unavoidable. He had told her that if the baby looked anything like her, there would be no need for makeup. Still, he appreciated the care she poured into her task – not to mention the manicure, masking the crewing his nails had suffered during long, nervous nights of overthinking.

Erza hissed when accidentally streaking black lines next to his eye. He used the time she corrected her mistake to finish reading.

"Stay clear of Capricorns, and always trust in yourself, Gemini, while you wait for Ursa Minor to light the night sky—hey, wait a minute," he narrowed his eyes at the last sentence. Erza took her moist pad away, tilting her head. "You can't see Ursa Minor in spring; you can't even see Ursa Major – we're way too close to the equator!" He fumed. Erza's smile grew back, replacing the momentary concern. "This is daft," he tutted.

"Then why not admire the Sorcerer Weekly some more instead?" Erza smirked. He gladly replaced the for his taste cheap magazine with their well-known favourite. Yes, he could now call a magazine his favourite, and even distinguish the quality of several others by the cover alone. It had been a long morning.

On the bright side, his legs were so soft, they were almost slippery.

Opening the Sorcerer Weekly brought him right to his target. The extra print was still there, fastened to the special article about Sting's birthday with a paperclip. Jellal unfolded it to its actual size, letting his with a golden shimmer framed eyes roam the image anew.

Jason had agreed to include their photo as a tiny, hardly detailed corner placement. As compensation, he had chosen the one with the sexy gazes. The extra printout for only them was nearly twice the size of Jellal's usual documents and showed the couple still in pose, but with their eyes meeting softly. Erza had already made plans of pinning it to the wall. Jellal opted for the inside of the cupboard door.

"Can we eat lunch at the guild?" She asked while pulling down the legs of his trousers. The lotion had finally dried.

"I'm not leaving the house with massacre on my eyes," he protested.

"Mascara."

"Yeah, that." He cleared his throat when she giggled. Not even having seen the final results, Jellal forgot about his sparkled-up face, rubbing his eyes. Makeup itched, he found, guiltily spotting black smudged on his knuckles.

"Oh, now I'll have to redo it," Erza lamented.

"Next time," he promised. She pouted. "Didn't you want to go to the guild?" He reminded. It would do her good, he decided. Gossiping with the girls would be much better than with him, even though he clandestinely confessed to have found liking in it. Most of all, he savoured the way she had enjoyed it.

Erza made her makeup bag reappear, just when the front door opened. Shoes dropped in the entrance, steps following Titania's invitation. As usual, it was too late to prevent her from letting people enter their privacy.

"Hey, I was just—oh, no, were you crying?" Meredy poked her head around the corner. Then she frowned, blinking at Jellal. "Wrong order of questions."

"Don't ask," he sighed.

"You can be next," Erza beamed. "I'm practising," she proudly puffed out her chest. Already having forgotten about her wish of going to the guild. Jellal had to smile to himself as he bent over the sink to wash his face. Admitting to practising something, thus admitting to not mastering a skill was a big step for the indominable Queen of the Fairies. She did not even seem to notice.

"You really did a great job on his nails – you forgot the cuticles though," Meredy noted. Feeling free to take his hand and demonstrate. He took a deep inhale to endure, watching them discuss Erza's handiwork. "Trust me, I'm an expert."

"She is," he approved.

"We might've lacked showers and proper hygiene back then, but Jellal never had unfiled nails." Meredy retold.

"It destressed her," Jellal supplied at the questioningly raising brow of his wife. "Otherwise, I'm sure Ultear would have cut off my fingers if I hadn't let Meredy live it up."

"So for when we get there, this time you should talk to people at the guild," Erza said. Jellal pursed his lips when Meredy unsuccessfully suppressed a snort of laughter where she trailed behind them. Not that he could blame her – it sounded like he was an eleven-year-old being scolded. The fact that Erza had insisted he keep his hairstyle did not help, even if it had somewhat morphed into two tiny, clumsy braids almost getting lost at the back of his head.

"Believe it or not, but I actually tried."

"Well, you shouldn't give up then," Erza encouraged.

"I got dragged away—"

"By whom?" Erza flared up angrily. He briefly closed his eyes.

"You, love," he reminded. Meredy gave another chocking breath, turning away fleetly when he shot her a look over his shoulder.

"I never—oh, right," Erza acknowledged. "Wait, no, but she was flirting with you! How dare—"

"She was offering me a drink."

"Even worse!"

"Erza, Mirajane works at the bar. She offers everyone a drink. We pay for them," he tried not to sound like the one educating a child this time. It hardly worked. Neither did the attempted mellowness of his voice.

"You paid her for her service—" Erza was about to keep fuming when they stepped through the double gates of the Guild Hall. Jellal heaved a sigh, though one of relief. She was already merrily skipping over to the girls' table..

"Hang in there," Meredy patted his shoulder.

"One month to go," he tiredly said.

They joined the others at the table – Jellal as usual being the only male wizard among the gossip and chattering. Erza had already slid onto the bench, right up to Wendy. The young Dragon Slayer seemed just as happy, not even complaining when Erza would not let go after the initial greeting hug.

"… just so awkward, all these silences," Juvia was saying when Jellal somehow squeezed himself next to his wife. "Now that Juvia is finally spending time with her beloved darling," she sadly retold.

"Silence doesn't have to be awkward, it can be very comfortable," Erza advised, barging into the conversation as if having sat there for hours. "You just have to make it pleasant – show him that it's fine with you to be quiet; since you're together already," she said, petting Wendy's head.

"We're not…" Juvia reluctantly confessed.

"I mean physically."

"We don't spend time like that," Juvia blurted, all flustered. Flustered and oddly sly-looking. Ambitious somehow. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with when it came to her crush.

"Just enjoy the silence like you enjoy spending time with him," Erza concluded.

"But what if my darling gets bored with me? What if he thinks I'm bored with him?" Juvia started panting. Lucy grimaced while Lisanna giggled. It was uncommon not to have Levy among them.

Rumour had it that Gajeel had moved all five of them – Levy, Lily, the twins and himself – back to their house. Liberated Porlyusica and the hospital staff after a successful birth and healthy first three weeks.

"I think you worry too much," Jellal supplied when feeling Juvia's eyes bore into him. Not for the first time did she make him wonder whether she could read his mind if only she stared intensely enough.

"You worry when I breathe, sweetheart," Erza nudged him from the side. Her gaze was soft though, completely and utterly in love without him having done an enchanting thing whatsoever.

"It… sounded a little rasping this morning," he sheepishly voiced his concern.

"Jellal," she gave him a look, though remaining gentle. "I'm fine," she directed her patting to his hand. Meredy snickered, setting the others off, too.

Erza remained oblivious like so often. Remembering then that they had come for lunch – appetite overruling hunger when the tray Mira carried past them wafted a deliciously savoury scent over to them – she climbed out of the bench to pursue her target. It made all the girls laugh as they watched.

"I would've expected her to act differently – like when she hugs you against her chest and almost breaks your skull with her armour," Lucy piped up.

"Then again," Lisanna chimed in, "I could've imagined her to, like, be all shy when you ask her out and go 'oh stop it' while accidentally punching you through the wall when being complimented," she told Jellal, causing another wave of giggles.

"She's landed a couple of vicious hits – though mostly unintentionally," he conceded.

"Mostly?" Lucy frowned. "Oh yeah, you had that sparring match on the beach."

"Right," Jellal pulled a face, "that probably counts as completely intentional," he laughed, the others easily infected.

"But then mostly intentional…?"

"They have tickle and pillow fights," Meredy supplied before he could invent an excuse. "It's the most adorable thing if she didn't kick him off the bed all the time," she snickered. Jellal rolled his eyes. Something struck him though, but when he glanced up the balcony properly, there was no one there.

"Mira says there's pudding for dessert," Erza eagerly placed down his plate in front of him. Her eyes sparkled as if urging him to inhale his food so that they could start on dessert already.

"Thanks, love," Jellal rose to his feet, making space for her to slide next to Wendy again. "Would you mind if I ate upstairs?" He asked. He was certain he had seen him.

"Of course not," Erza beamed. He leaned down to peck her cheek, her smile only broadening. The girls exchanged knowing glances, Wendy and Lisanna giggling again.

While carrying his plate upstairs, he could hear them bring up the topic again, this time drilling Erza with the couple's unexpected romantic sides. Between bites, she was more than happy to brag in detail.

His target was not hard to spot, so Jellal sauntered over to the table against the wall, sitting down.

"What do you want?" Laxus grumbled. Morose appeared to be his default setting.

"I came here because I pity the way you sit all alone," Jellal plainly said, taking a fork of his rice. Laxus growled threateningly. "I was joking," Jellal eased into a smile. "Can't a man sit with another of his own free will?" He asked. Laxus' frown turned awkward, so Jellal went on. "Maybe the fact that I'm married to a woman will make up for the way I just phrased that?" He offered a grin. Laxus let out a breath.

"You're a weirdo, Fernandes." He gave in. "Did Mira send you?" He asked after having eyed Jellal eat his lunch for another moment.

"Should she have?" Jellal asked after swallowing his bite.

"Definitely not!" Laxus recoiled into his seat. Crossing his arms, he slumped against the wall in his back. "Been avoiding her like the pest since that stupid party."

"Then maybe coming to the guild isn't the brightest of ideas," Jellal mumbled. He winced when getting kicked under the table.

"What're you all smug for today?" Laxus was growling again. His eyes narrowed, and Jellal feared there were still traces of glitter left on his lids. "Almost liked you better as Titania's puppy dog."

"Sorry, I suppose I'm a little… agitated," Jellal sighed under his breath. "Just a couple of weeks to go," he quietly said into his glass, taking a sip. "So why are you avoiding her exactly?" He distracted himself. To his surprise, Laxus responded without second thought.

"I'm not sure what happened that night; I think someone insulted her drawing skills or something, but she was all drunk and whiney and then she just clung to me all the time," he cringed as he retold. "Something about Elfman and Ever bein' together; no idea why that bothers her so much," he groaned.

"He's her younger brother," Jellal supplied.

"She didn't have to chew my ear off with that!" Laxus hit his fist onto the table. "She was being so annoying and weird; I still can't look at her – it was so… unlike her," he sat back again, overplaying his outburst.

"Maybe she really trusts you," Jellal said. "Who knows, maybe she's interested in you," he dared. "What's the worst that can happen if you let it develop?" He asked. Laxus only scoffed.

"Yeah, right," he crossed his arms again, not meeting Jellal's eyes. "I don't need none of that crap."

"Why not?" Jellal neatly placed down his cutlery once finished with his meal. "It can be nice to have someone physically close," he reasoned. "And it doesn't hurt the ego to be admired in more ways than just for magic power."

"You don't understand – have you ever been to her room?" Laxus cut in.

"Have you?" Jellal could not hide a hint of amusement dappling his tone.

"Gods, no," Laxus pulled a face, "but Lisanna once mentioned something about," lowered his voice, leaning over, "some secret den with collars and the likes," he shuddered.

"Ah." It was Jellal's turn to avert his gaze, focusing on his glass of water.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that you know immediately what that means…?" Laxus sagged against the wall again. He sounded the slightest bit shocked, disgusted for sure, but most of all, there was disappointment playing over his features. As if an idol turned out to be just as morally corrupt as the rest of the world.

"I know, because I was blessed with one of Erza's random sets of knowledge, and I think I now know where she got it from," Jellal disclosed in his defence. "The only thing she uses are costumes, thank goodness."

"Too much information."

"I did it again, didn't I?" He awkwardly scratched his chin. "That honestly is getting out of hand."

"You don't say," Laxus sneered. "It's that weird confidence you claim she gives you," he nodded to the side where the balcony's railing was. "Even I noticed that and it's not like I study you or anything," he said. Instantly wishing not to have done so. It was plain to see.

"Right," Jellal laughed. "In that case, isn't it nice to have a source like that?" He hinted back at the potential relationship the Lightning Dragon Slayer did not want to even consider. He noted to himself that Laxus was perhaps not as confident as he preached to be – at least not in the regard of relationships and affection. He let it slide purposefully though – Jellal knew he had come off well back then when anything Erza or even Fairy Tail related had made him blush three shades of red. Not calling Laxus out was merely paying him in kind.

Laxus only tutted. "I have more confidence in my little finger than you have in your whole body," he challenged.

"I believe that," Jellal said. "But it's not about comparing to each other – that's the nice part, I suppose. It's just for yourself, and at some point, it reflects outwards all my itself," he explained. He blamed the out-of-hand honesty. Laxus did not reply. At first, Jellal thought he had finally made an impression on the S-Class Mage, but when someone approached their table, he disposed of the theory.

"Your pudding," Mira smiled sweetly as she set down his dessert.

"Thanks," Jellal returned a kind smile.

"I don't mean to rush you, but I think Erza's waiting for you to come back," she informed. "She's so cute when you're around – she's been staring up here like a puppy for minutes," she swooned. So then Laxus was not the only one calling them such a nickname, Jellal bashfully realised.

"You sure she's not just drooling after his food?" Laxus jerked his head to the pudding. Mira giggled. Collecting Jellal's plate and cutlery, she descended the stairs again. Jellal rose to his feet, about to follow. "See?" Laxus hissed, gesturing after Mira. Jellal's brows creased with amusement.

"Doesn't she always laugh at other people's jokes?" He recalled. Laxus huffed, turning away.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he groused.

"Maybe if you ask her how she feels more often, she won't boil over with it all at once," he friendlily suggested. Laxus kept staring in the opposite direction. "You know where to find me," he offered, then made his way back to the girls' table. Laxus muttered something about a tough job that would take him weeks, defiantly stalking over to the S-Class request board.

Jellal nearly forgot about the bad mood of the Dragon Slayer when two chocolate brown orbs shone up at him. Erza must have waited, because her eyes were on him the second his head appeared over the railing. He had to smile. She excitedly hopped over to meet him, triggering giggles from the girls. He wondered why they were grimacing, until Erza spoke up.

"You're going to the Council tomorrow, right?" She asked. He frowned.

"I am," he cautiously responded.

"Okay," she said. Just like that. No crying, no fighting about him leaving her, nothing. "I'm out on a mission anyway," she proudly reported. "It'll take a week – at least – so as long as you. Natsu, Gray and I will be battling—"

"Woah, hold on, Erza," Jellal interrupted. "You can't go on a dangerous mission," least of all with those two, he inwardly added. "You need to be careful," he reminded.

"I'm more than capable of taking take care of myself," she defiantly retorted. He exhaled tiredly, setting down his pudding on the bar's counter. She picked it up in the same motion, spooning a handsome helping into her mouth.

"I know that, but the baby can't," he argued. "You'll have to stay safe and protect it," he urged. He knew she was unhappy and on edge after having been stuck at home for so long, but a risky mission at almost nine months pregnant? She was short of breath even now, but of course, Erza Scarlet would not be defeated by her own body's fatigue.

"I don't mistrust any of you to try your best, but while Gray at least has common sense, neither of the boys will dare tell you to take it easy, lest you bite off their heads," he said between his teeth. Lucy's brows rose, and so did Mira's. He only cursed his honestly again.

"That's right, because they shouldn't," she decidedly said. Jellal gave a sigh. There was no talking her out of this one. Unless…

"But won't you be missing out on that super special, secret mission the girls are doing?" He invented. Her eyes lit up. Yes, she was still his dorky, adorable wife. It was not just confidence she gave him, but pride – the pride of being the sole person who could tame her.

"What special, secret mission?" She asked, by far too loudly for it to be secretive.

"So then you didn't get your encoded invitation yet?" Jellal made up. Her eyes were sparkling by now, all thoughts of rowdy brawling gone. The costumes, it hit him – the mention of her dressing up must have sparked inspiration for something as mythical as a secret mission. She loved roleplaying; being a detective was right up her sleeve. And by far safer.

"It must have been sent here since we don't have a mailbox! I'll check upstairs!" The empty bowl in her hands clattered onto the counter. She hasted up the stairs, excitedly raking door after door open until disappearing in the data storage room. Jellal let out an exhale of relief.

"Secret mission, huh?" Meredy raised an amused brow when he quickly shuffled over.

"I'm sorry," he pulled a face, "but I'll make it up to you," he looked from one to the other.

"You don't have to," Lucy smiled. "What are friends for?"

"No, you gotta take this," Meredy insisted. "I get to be godmother for this, right?" She smirked, slapping his chest where he leaned over the backrest of their bench.

"Was there ever another option?" He gave her a look.

"Then Juvia wants to babysit together with her darling," Juvia immediately joined in. Bewildered, the others turned to her. "What? It might make my Gray want one of his own," she squeaked love-drunkenly.

"Fine, anything else?" Jellal asked. His flashed a glance up to the gallery.

"Cooking class?" Lucy ventured. He nodded, hastily glancing at Wendy next. She tapped her index fingers together, not wanting to demand anything.

"They'll think of something later," Meredy elbowed Lisanna. "You can and should thank us later – I'm not so sure we'll keep her in check anyway," she added under her breath. Jellal gratefully agreed. Erza had returned, about to climb down the stairs. He still had to come up with an encoded letter and make it. Before they got home.

He lowered his voice.

"Alright, here's the plan…"