p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"strongChapter 15/strong/span/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"emAfter the ball ended/em/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Jellal was finally feeling more relaxed after the ball had ended. Everyone had left the main ballroom, and some guests were still escorted back to their accommodations or transported by the guards. There was staff bustling around and cleaning up, organising dirty glasses and plates and collecting leftover food. Jellal was happy to see that a particular person had hung around and was chatting to Dreyer with considerable vigour. Serana was talking to him as they assessed the small model made by the sculptor, and he slowly approached them to not disturb their discussion. Serana must have felt eyes on her, though, as she tilted herself back to her full height, drawing her attention away from the model she had been leaning over to examine./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Their eyes met, and she smiled. Jellal smiled back, and he could already feel his heart hammering in his chest. Dreyer noticed him and bowed his head respectfully before thanking Serana for her thoughts before he zipped off, heading somewhere else that Jellal ignored. Serana was the only thing he was currently interested in, and he hadn't had a chance to tell her how incredible she looked./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Those close to the King had noticed where his eyes were drawn all night. During most of the evening, he had been glancing at her from afar, even while conversing with people regarding Veruze. There had been people he hadn't seen since his formal coronation event, so it had been essential to catch up with them. Depending on the research his engineering team was doing, he may also need some funding to continue their research and eventually implement them on a large scale. He had struggled to focus throughout the night, and he tended to ensure that Serana was always in his eye line. In his gaze towards her had been warmth and affection. The few times they had made eye contact throughout the night, nervous excitement had been evident. Coco had watched happily as they interacted a few times briefly, just sharing a smile for a moment./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"As he walked over to her, he noticed a brief flash of colour on her cheeks as she smiled at him. From his left, a staff member appeared with a large plate of leftovers, mostly just finger food and tiny pastries, and someone else handed them a glass of water each, which Serana took for them wordlessly. He began walking out of the ballroom, Serana following behind silently until they came to a small sitting area just far enough away that most of the noise from the clean-up was hard to hear. It was dimly lit with candles, and Jellal laid the plate out on the coffee table, and they sat down on the soft lounge. He hadn't eaten enough throughout the night and was probably dehydrated, so it was a good idea to eat and drink something before he called it a night./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""How did everything go?" Serana asked softly, keeping her voice low since it was quiet now./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I think it went well. We did get a lot of donations, so I'm pleased with the result. I'll probably find out how much it ended up being tomorrow. Were you talking to Dreyer about the model?" Jellal responded just as quietly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Mmm." She bit into a small quiche before she finished speaking. "He was telling me about the progress of the site. His friend and colleague is the curator, so he gave me all the inside information."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Ahh, lucky you. Dreyer selects people he will talk to at length very carefully. He seems to have taken a shine to you." Jellal enjoyed a small pastry filled with some apples and custard after he spoke./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I am glad to hear that I'm among the select few… I really enjoyed coming tonight, so thank you for inviting me." She smiled and took a sip of water./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'm pleased you had a good time. I knew you would appreciate the reason for the ball, and I thought you'd like seeing all the different historical research and the people working on them talking about it." Jellal breathed as if he was going to speak, but he couldn't quite get his head around how to say what he wanted./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Mmm?" Serana made a noise to say she was listening to him and waited patiently until he got his thoughts straight. She had known him for long enough that he didn't say things unless he had thought about it and meant it, so she was always patient./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""You…you look beautiful." He tried not to stutter, but her reaction was worth the embarrassment./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Her cheeks flushed bright red, looking towards the floor but smiling brightly. Jellal could feel his heart race faster again, and his face flushed with colour./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""If for no other reason than seeing you like this, it was worth all the effort of throwing a ball. Veruze be damned." Jellal didn't worry about thinking his words through as much as usual, knowing that something said from the heart was more important now./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I must admit that seeing you in your suit was my night's highlight. You certainly scrub up well, Your Grace." She said with a smirk, but he knew she was honest with him./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Thank you. I think I'm still not used to people seeing my face." He offered shyly, and Serana raised an eyebrow in question, so he turned to face her more straight, which she copied. "Ah, I covered my face in Earthland. The Jellal there caused some…trouble. The Erza there was a childhood friend of his, and I didn't want her to freak out, so I covered my face all the time."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I see. You don't talk about Earthland much. I presume it's not easy to talk about. I'm sure you miss everyone there." Serana spoke with wistful sadness, showing her emotional intelligence and appreciation for his experience./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He nodded slowly before he answered. "You're right. I still find it hard to talk about it." He stared into space for a moment before he took a deep breath in and out. "I'll try to talk more with you if that's alright."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Of course. I'm happy to listen anytime." She put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, and he smiled in response./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Did you eat throughout the evening?" Jellal asked, suddenly wondering if Serana was as hungry as he was./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Not much. I was a bit too nervous." She admitted with a soft laugh at herself./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Same. I think that's why the staff gave us the plate and water." Jellal pushed the plate towards her, and she picked up another mini quiche and began to nibble on it./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He ate as well, enjoying the calm silence of Serana's company. He'd been talking all night and probably spoke more than he had in months within a few hours. He just wanted to not speak, and Serana allowed that without questioning it. He genuinely appreciated it; she seemed to just know when he tried to speak and encouraged him to do so but didn't force him to talk when he didn't want to./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"After eating what was left of the plate and finishing the water, they sat back in the lounge and relaxed in companionable silence. They could still hear the sounds of stacked dishes and people talking from the ballroom down the hall, but it was muffled through the doorways and walls. Jellal closed his eyes to slow his mind down now that the ball was over, and he could unwind. He heard Serana stand up a minute later, and he opened his eyes to watch her walk over to a painting on the wall opposite them./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"It was of a sunset in Edolas, with the Royal City on the left and mountains in the distance. She inspected it closely, and Jellal watched her from the couch. The painting had been there since before he had gone to Earthland, so it was just another part of the wall. Since it was new to Serana, he could appreciate seeing it for the first time by seeing her reaction. He levered himself up and walked over to stand beside her, a little closer than he would usually dare, but he felt brave. Serana was still looking at the painting, but his eyes were glued to her./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""It's beautiful," Serana said quietly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Yeah…" He replied, and something in his voice must have drawn her attention./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"She looked up at him, partly over her shoulder since he was standing behind her and to her right. When they made eye contact, Jellal couldn't help but smile softly. Serana smiled back and turned to face him, and before he could react, she had gotten on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes went wide, and when she dropped back to her usual height, she must have seen his shock and chuckled happily before staring at her feet./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Still feeling brave, even more so since she had taken the first step, he wanted to ensure that she knew exactly how he felt about her. Letting his inhibitions go, he stepped toward her to close the gap between them and placed a hand on the small of her back to keep her close. As he did this, Serana's head tilted back to look at him, and it was his turn to move before she could react. His other hand cupped her cheek and kept her head in place as he gently pressed his lips to hers, trying his best to convey all he felt for her. There was only a brief second of delay, probably due to surprise, before she responded and grasped his shirt in her hands to keep him close as she kissed him back./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Jellal had no idea how long the kiss lasted, but it only stopped once they needed to breathe. When they pulled back, they smiled happily, and Jellal wrapped his arms around Serana to hug her tightly. She put her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his chest. Resting his chin on the top of his head and breathed deeply, taking in the clean scent of her hair. They stayed that way, tangled in each other, until someone's footsteps sounded down the hallway, disturbing their quiet interlude./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Not wanting to let her go completely, he took her hand and led her back to the lounge, and they sat down again. As they shuffled to get comfortable, Jellal put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. She put her head on his chest and relaxed with him./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""For our first date… what do you want to do?" Serana asked abruptly, her head tilted up to look at him. He could see the flecks of colour in her eyes and how her long lashes fluttered as she blinked. He could watch the way her mouth formed the words she spoke. The scent of lavender in her presence filled his nostrils and calmed him, despite his nervous excitement at their closeness./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Pardon?" He had to ask her to repeat what she'd said since he was too busy staring at her./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I asked what you wanted to do…for the date." She repeated with a smile, and her cheeks flushed once more./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Uhh, I hadn't thought that far, to be honest. I wasn't sure you'd agree." Somewhat embarrassed at his lack of preparation since that was usually his strong suit, he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly and smiled shyly. Serana tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""You didn't think I'd say yes?" She asked him to clarify, and he nodded shyly in answer. "Also, am I legally even allowed to date you; you are a King and all?" She said, trying to lighten the mood a little, and he couldn't help but laugh softly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Even if you weren't, I'd just change the law." He said with a smirk./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"They stared at one another for a moment, but she broke out in a big smile after a second, confusing him. "What?"/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""You're blushing." She answered gleefully./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Oh." He put a hand up to his cheek and smiled shyly. "Should I not be?"/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Nothing like that. I'm pleased I'm not the only one looking like a tomato." She snorted to suppress her laughter, but it didn't quite work./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He couldn't help but laugh, too, picturing himself as a tomato with a tattooed face and blue hair on top. They laughed together for a minute before settling down again. Serana always had exciting and colourful descriptions and metaphors that always made him laugh. She just had such an amusing way of looking at things. He was getting better at understanding and acknowledging what he liked about her, and he would make sure that he built up the courage to tell her these things./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"For now, though, he would have to figure out what they should do for their first actual date. The other thing he wanted to ensure was that they wouldn't be bothered by anyone while they were together, so maybe it would be worthwhile to do something in the palace. The staff would know what to do if he told them and let them have some privacy. However, he also didn't want to utilise the options he had at his disposal as King. He wanted to just be himself while they were together, not King of Edolas, not Mystogan of Fairy Tail. Just Jellal./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'll think of something," Jellal said thoughtfully, staring into space as he tried to think of ideas./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Hmm, leave it to me. I'll figure it out and let you know," Serana replied./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Okay, I'll wait for you to tell me the details."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"They both shared a soft laugh together, and although Jellal was enjoying their time together, he knew that it was late and that he should make sure that Serana returned safely to the Fairy Tail guild hall. He stood up from the lounge and extended a hand out to her./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'll walk you home."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Her eyes widened, and she took his hand and stood up too. "Don't you have things to organise here?" She asked with curiosity./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Shaking his head in answer, she smiled and nodded knowingly. He probably did have things to do, but he didn't care much. He just wanted to be an ordinary man, not the King. So they strolled out of the palace, and he immediately noticed the cool breeze once they were outside. It wasn't too cold, but he thought it would be polite to offer Serana his robe to ensure she wasn't cold. After all, she was wearing less clothing than he was, so he undid the button on his robe and carefully put it over her shoulders. With the light from the moon, he could just see her smile and the colour that flushed her cheeks as she thanked him softly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I think Robin liked you." He offered, knowing that their conversation would eventually turn to Veruze./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Yeah, he seems really lovely. I admit it made me feel a bit better about possibly working for him." Serana replied thoughtfully./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""So you're meeting him tomorrow morning to talk it over?" Jellal asked, but he was feeling a little wistful, knowing that Serana would leave for a while if things went well, and she agreed to go./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'll keep you in the loop." She smiled knowingly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"After a while longer walking in companionable silence, they reached the front door of the guild. Jellal felt shy, but when they stopped walking, he summoned his courage and pulled Serana into a hug. He pressed a kiss to her hair and held onto her tightly. It wasn't as if she would be leaving tomorrow, but if she decided to go, it wouldn't be long after she would head to Veruze. So it was important to him to get every second with her he could./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He pulled back first but didn't let her go, and Serana looked up at him with a smile. A smile that tugged on his heartstrings since she must have understood the reason for his tight embrace. She waited patiently for him, but he was too nervous about making the first move, even though he'd done it only an hour ago. Instead, she did it for him, took hold of his collar and pulled him down to her to kiss him. He smiled as he kissed her back, putting a hand on her cheek and wrapping the other around her waist to pull her close./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"It didn't last long since they needed to breathe, but they hugged once more, tightly and warmly, before they finally let each other go./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Thanks for coming tonight." Jellal thanked her, pleased to have been able to see her looking so beautiful./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Thank you for inviting me," Serana answered warmly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Opening the guild door, she smiled again and went inside slowly to drag out the goodbye. After she was safely inside, Jellal turned on his heel to walk back to the palace. Realising that he was warm, he looked down to see that Serana must have put his robe back over him, probably during their kiss. He huffed in amusement, as he had been hoping she would hold on to it, so he had an excuse to see her when she wanted to return it./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"The ball was successful, and he had spent quality time with Serana. He grinned the entire time he walked back to the palace, showered and cleaned up, and even laid down to sleep.../p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"emAfter the ball ended/em/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Jellal was finally feeling more relaxed after the ball had ended. Everyone had left the main ballroom, and some guests were still escorted back to their accommodations or transported by the guards. There was staff bustling around and cleaning up, organising dirty glasses and plates and collecting leftover food. Jellal was happy to see that a particular person had hung around and was chatting to Dreyer with considerable vigour. Serana was talking to him as they assessed the small model made by the sculptor, and he slowly approached them to not disturb their discussion. Serana must have felt eyes on her, though, as she tilted herself back to her full height, drawing her attention away from the model she had been leaning over to examine./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Their eyes met, and she smiled. Jellal smiled back, and he could already feel his heart hammering in his chest. Dreyer noticed him and bowed his head respectfully before thanking Serana for her thoughts before he zipped off, heading somewhere else that Jellal ignored. Serana was the only thing he was currently interested in, and he hadn't had a chance to tell her how incredible she looked./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Those close to the King had noticed where his eyes were drawn all night. During most of the evening, he had been glancing at her from afar, even while conversing with people regarding Veruze. There had been people he hadn't seen since his formal coronation event, so it had been essential to catch up with them. Depending on the research his engineering team was doing, he may also need some funding to continue their research and eventually implement them on a large scale. He had struggled to focus throughout the night, and he tended to ensure that Serana was always in his eye line. In his gaze towards her had been warmth and affection. The few times they had made eye contact throughout the night, nervous excitement had been evident. Coco had watched happily as they interacted a few times briefly, just sharing a smile for a moment./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"As he walked over to her, he noticed a brief flash of colour on her cheeks as she smiled at him. From his left, a staff member appeared with a large plate of leftovers, mostly just finger food and tiny pastries, and someone else handed them a glass of water each, which Serana took for them wordlessly. He began walking out of the ballroom, Serana following behind silently until they came to a small sitting area just far enough away that most of the noise from the clean-up was hard to hear. It was dimly lit with candles, and Jellal laid the plate out on the coffee table, and they sat down on the soft lounge. He hadn't eaten enough throughout the night and was probably dehydrated, so it was a good idea to eat and drink something before he called it a night./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""How did everything go?" Serana asked softly, keeping her voice low since it was quiet now./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I think it went well. We did get a lot of donations, so I'm pleased with the result. I'll probably find out how much it ended up being tomorrow. Were you talking to Dreyer about the model?" Jellal responded just as quietly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Mmm." She bit into a small quiche before she finished speaking. "He was telling me about the progress of the site. His friend and colleague is the curator, so he gave me all the inside information."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Ahh, lucky you. Dreyer selects people he will talk to at length very carefully. He seems to have taken a shine to you." Jellal enjoyed a small pastry filled with some apples and custard after he spoke./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I am glad to hear that I'm among the select few… I really enjoyed coming tonight, so thank you for inviting me." She smiled and took a sip of water./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'm pleased you had a good time. I knew you would appreciate the reason for the ball, and I thought you'd like seeing all the different historical research and the people working on them talking about it." Jellal breathed as if he was going to speak, but he couldn't quite get his head around how to say what he wanted./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Mmm?" Serana made a noise to say she was listening to him and waited patiently until he got his thoughts straight. She had known him for long enough that he didn't say things unless he had thought about it and meant it, so she was always patient./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""You…you look beautiful." He tried not to stutter, but her reaction was worth the embarrassment./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Her cheeks flushed bright red, looking towards the floor but smiling brightly. Jellal could feel his heart race faster again, and his face flushed with colour./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""If for no other reason than seeing you like this, it was worth all the effort of throwing a ball. Veruze be damned." Jellal didn't worry about thinking his words through as much as usual, knowing that something said from the heart was more important now./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I must admit that seeing you in your suit was my night's highlight. You certainly scrub up well, Your Grace." She said with a smirk, but he knew she was honest with him./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Thank you. I think I'm still not used to people seeing my face." He offered shyly, and Serana raised an eyebrow in question, so he turned to face her more straight, which she copied. "Ah, I covered my face in Earthland. The Jellal there caused some…trouble. The Erza there was a childhood friend of his, and I didn't want her to freak out, so I covered my face all the time."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I see. You don't talk about Earthland much. I presume it's not easy to talk about. I'm sure you miss everyone there." Serana spoke with wistful sadness, showing her emotional intelligence and appreciation for his experience./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He nodded slowly before he answered. "You're right. I still find it hard to talk about it." He stared into space for a moment before he took a deep breath in and out. "I'll try to talk more with you if that's alright."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Of course. I'm happy to listen anytime." She put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, and he smiled in response./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Did you eat throughout the evening?" Jellal asked, suddenly wondering if Serana was as hungry as he was./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Not much. I was a bit too nervous." She admitted with a soft laugh at herself./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Same. I think that's why the staff gave us the plate and water." Jellal pushed the plate towards her, and she picked up another mini quiche and began to nibble on it./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He ate as well, enjoying the calm silence of Serana's company. He'd been talking all night and probably spoke more than he had in months within a few hours. He just wanted to not speak, and Serana allowed that without questioning it. He genuinely appreciated it; she seemed to just know when he tried to speak and encouraged him to do so but didn't force him to talk when he didn't want to./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"After eating what was left of the plate and finishing the water, they sat back in the lounge and relaxed in companionable silence. They could still hear the sounds of stacked dishes and people talking from the ballroom down the hall, but it was muffled through the doorways and walls. Jellal closed his eyes to slow his mind down now that the ball was over, and he could unwind. He heard Serana stand up a minute later, and he opened his eyes to watch her walk over to a painting on the wall opposite them./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"It was of a sunset in Edolas, with the Royal City on the left and mountains in the distance. She inspected it closely, and Jellal watched her from the couch. The painting had been there since before he had gone to Earthland, so it was just another part of the wall. Since it was new to Serana, he could appreciate seeing it for the first time by seeing her reaction. He levered himself up and walked over to stand beside her, a little closer than he would usually dare, but he felt brave. Serana was still looking at the painting, but his eyes were glued to her./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""It's beautiful," Serana said quietly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Yeah…" He replied, and something in his voice must have drawn her attention./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"She looked up at him, partly over her shoulder since he was standing behind her and to her right. When they made eye contact, Jellal couldn't help but smile softly. Serana smiled back and turned to face him, and before he could react, she had gotten on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes went wide, and when she dropped back to her usual height, she must have seen his shock and chuckled happily before staring at her feet./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Still feeling brave, even more so since she had taken the first step, he wanted to ensure that she knew exactly how he felt about her. Letting his inhibitions go, he stepped toward her to close the gap between them and placed a hand on the small of her back to keep her close. As he did this, Serana's head tilted back to look at him, and it was his turn to move before she could react. His other hand cupped her cheek and kept her head in place as he gently pressed his lips to hers, trying his best to convey all he felt for her. There was only a brief second of delay, probably due to surprise, before she responded and grasped his shirt in her hands to keep him close as she kissed him back./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Jellal had no idea how long the kiss lasted, but it only stopped once they needed to breathe. When they pulled back, they smiled happily, and Jellal wrapped his arms around Serana to hug her tightly. She put her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his chest. Resting his chin on the top of his head and breathed deeply, taking in the clean scent of her hair. They stayed that way, tangled in each other, until someone's footsteps sounded down the hallway, disturbing their quiet interlude./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Not wanting to let her go completely, he took her hand and led her back to the lounge, and they sat down again. As they shuffled to get comfortable, Jellal put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. She put her head on his chest and relaxed with him./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""For our first date… what do you want to do?" Serana asked abruptly, her head tilted up to look at him. He could see the flecks of colour in her eyes and how her long lashes fluttered as she blinked. He could watch the way her mouth formed the words she spoke. The scent of lavender in her presence filled his nostrils and calmed him, despite his nervous excitement at their closeness./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Pardon?" He had to ask her to repeat what she'd said since he was too busy staring at her./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I asked what you wanted to do…for the date." She repeated with a smile, and her cheeks flushed once more./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Uhh, I hadn't thought that far, to be honest. I wasn't sure you'd agree." Somewhat embarrassed at his lack of preparation since that was usually his strong suit, he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly and smiled shyly. Serana tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""You didn't think I'd say yes?" She asked him to clarify, and he nodded shyly in answer. "Also, am I legally even allowed to date you; you are a King and all?" She said, trying to lighten the mood a little, and he couldn't help but laugh softly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Even if you weren't, I'd just change the law." He said with a smirk./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"They stared at one another for a moment, but she broke out in a big smile after a second, confusing him. "What?"/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""You're blushing." She answered gleefully./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Oh." He put a hand up to his cheek and smiled shyly. "Should I not be?"/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Nothing like that. I'm pleased I'm not the only one looking like a tomato." She snorted to suppress her laughter, but it didn't quite work./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He couldn't help but laugh, too, picturing himself as a tomato with a tattooed face and blue hair on top. They laughed together for a minute before settling down again. Serana always had exciting and colourful descriptions and metaphors that always made him laugh. She just had such an amusing way of looking at things. He was getting better at understanding and acknowledging what he liked about her, and he would make sure that he built up the courage to tell her these things./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"For now, though, he would have to figure out what they should do for their first actual date. The other thing he wanted to ensure was that they wouldn't be bothered by anyone while they were together, so maybe it would be worthwhile to do something in the palace. The staff would know what to do if he told them and let them have some privacy. However, he also didn't want to utilise the options he had at his disposal as King. He wanted to just be himself while they were together, not King of Edolas, not Mystogan of Fairy Tail. Just Jellal./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'll think of something," Jellal said thoughtfully, staring into space as he tried to think of ideas./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Hmm, leave it to me. I'll figure it out and let you know," Serana replied./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Okay, I'll wait for you to tell me the details."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"They both shared a soft laugh together, and although Jellal was enjoying their time together, he knew that it was late and that he should make sure that Serana returned safely to the Fairy Tail guild hall. He stood up from the lounge and extended a hand out to her./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'll walk you home."/p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Her eyes widened, and she took his hand and stood up too. "Don't you have things to organise here?" She asked with curiosity./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Shaking his head in answer, she smiled and nodded knowingly. He probably did have things to do, but he didn't care much. He just wanted to be an ordinary man, not the King. So they strolled out of the palace, and he immediately noticed the cool breeze once they were outside. It wasn't too cold, but he thought it would be polite to offer Serana his robe to ensure she wasn't cold. After all, she was wearing less clothing than he was, so he undid the button on his robe and carefully put it over her shoulders. With the light from the moon, he could just see her smile and the colour that flushed her cheeks as she thanked him softly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I think Robin liked you." He offered, knowing that their conversation would eventually turn to Veruze./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Yeah, he seems really lovely. I admit it made me feel a bit better about possibly working for him." Serana replied thoughtfully./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""So you're meeting him tomorrow morning to talk it over?" Jellal asked, but he was feeling a little wistful, knowing that Serana would leave for a while if things went well, and she agreed to go./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""I'll keep you in the loop." She smiled knowingly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"After a while longer walking in companionable silence, they reached the front door of the guild. Jellal felt shy, but when they stopped walking, he summoned his courage and pulled Serana into a hug. He pressed a kiss to her hair and held onto her tightly. It wasn't as if she would be leaving tomorrow, but if she decided to go, it wouldn't be long after she would head to Veruze. So it was important to him to get every second with her he could./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"He pulled back first but didn't let her go, and Serana looked up at him with a smile. A smile that tugged on his heartstrings since she must have understood the reason for his tight embrace. She waited patiently for him, but he was too nervous about making the first move, even though he'd done it only an hour ago. Instead, she did it for him, took hold of his collar and pulled him down to her to kiss him. He smiled as he kissed her back, putting a hand on her cheek and wrapping the other around her waist to pull her close./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"It didn't last long since they needed to breathe, but they hugged once more, tightly and warmly, before they finally let each other go./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Thanks for coming tonight." Jellal thanked her, pleased to have been able to see her looking so beautiful./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;""Thank you for inviting me," Serana answered warmly./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"Opening the guild door, she smiled again and went inside slowly to drag out the goodbye. After she was safely inside, Jellal turned on his heel to walk back to the palace. Realising that he was warm, he looked down to see that Serana must have put his robe back over him, probably during their kiss. He huffed in amusement, as he had been hoping she would hold on to it, so he had an excuse to see her when she wanted to return it./p
p style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"The ball was successful, and he had spent quality time with Serana. He grinned the entire time he walked back to the palace, showered and cleaned up, and even laid down to sleep.../p