Chapter 17

Jellal was waiting in the library for Serana. She met with Robin, and they talked through the details about her going to Veruze with him upon his return in a day's time. He was pacing across the sitting area, nervous since he had planned to tell her how he felt. In his mind, he had gone over what he would say a thousand times to be ready when she was in front of him.

"Hi." Her voice was soft and quiet, and he flinched as the sound drew him from his thoughts. "Sorry. You must have been deep in thought."

"I was. How long were you standing there for?" Jellal offered shyly.

"Mm, about half a minute. I figured you hadn't noticed me arrive."

"Sorry, I was elsewhere." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, watching her feet as she shifted her weight between them.

"It's okay. I'm glad you had some time today, so I could say bye.." She appeared to feel as sheepish as he did.

When she sat down, he moved to do the same, but he grabbed the chair and pulled it so he would sit directly in front of her. He made sure it wasn't too close to make her uncomfortable, but he wanted to reach out and touch her, at least hold her hand. She turned to face him quizzically as he sat in front of her.

"I wanted to say something before you go. I know we never really had a chance to go on a date, but I would like us to do that when you get back." He said, staring at his lap and fiddling with his hands. "If that's okay with-"

"Jellal." She cut him off. "Why don't we go right now?"

"What?" He choked out, attempting in vain to collect his jaw from the floor.

"Our date. Why don't we go now? If you have meetings, I can wait. I don't own much, so packing won't take long." Her bright smile made his heart race.

"I...I don't have anything scheduled." He couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. He was swamped, but this was his chance. She would be leaving tomorrow, so it was now or never.

"What do you want to do? Shall we go somewhere and get coffee?" Her suggestion was simple, and in that simplicity, it was perfect.

"That would be great. If I stay in the Palace, I'll end up working. Can I get changed quickly into something less...flashy?" He admitted with a shrug.

"Of course. I'll give you a minute." Serana stood up, still smiling, and left his room for a moment to allow him to get changed.

Jellal was confident that he didn't have anything to wear that was inconspicuous and also nice enough to wear out on a date with Serana. His clothes were raggedy shirts and pants for training and exercise, suits, and formal robes. As quickly as he could, whilst panicking about this suddenness, he rifled through his wardrobe to find something suitable. He pulled out a pair of plain navy pants and a long-cut t-shirt, and he grabbed a lightweight sleeveless jacket with a large hood, so he could better hide his face. Surely Serana had somewhere in mind that they could have a decent bit of privacy, so he trusted that he wouldn't get mobbed while they were out. Since he was regularly out and about in the Royal City, it was rare that people bothered him, but they would crowd him and try to talk to him sometimes. However, on this outing, he wanted to stay out of sight and out of mind of everyone but Serana.

Once he was changed, he headed out into the hall and gave Serana a smile before tilting his head towards the direction of the Palace's front door. She pushed off the wall she was leaning against and fell into step with him. The silence between them wasn't strained or awkward, but neither of them felt the need to break it. Just being together was fine. Conversation just for the sake of it wasn't needed. As they exited the Palace, Jellal waved off Coco, who watched them leave with a smile, almost jumping out of her shoes in excitement for him. He felt his face flush with embarrassment and pulled the hood over his head to hide his face better as they left the Palace grounds. Serana led them towards a quieter part of the city, and they talked about the scenery as they went by. As they turned left into a small alley, there were a few cafes, bars and two restaurants along both sides. The first restaurant was busy for lunch, but the second appeared to be closed, and they passed it all and went to the cafe at the end on the right. Serana seemed familiar with the cafe and ushered him to wait nearby, so he did as she asked. One of the staff called her name and thanked her a minute or two later while Jellal kept his head down to avoid being spotted. She emerged with a takeaway cup in hand for each of them and smiled as she led him toward the end of the building.

When they passed it, Jellal realised where they were. It was a back entrance to one of the gardens with one of the oldest (still-standing) trees in Edolas. He didn't realise it since he'd only come through the entrance from the front, which was to their left. Since it had so much coverage from the sun, with the trees and plants, there was a cool, shaded area that Serana took them to, and they sat down on a wooden bench together. As they sat, sipping their coffee and talking quietly, a few people passed them, but no one paid them any mind. It seemed that everyone was here to enjoy the company of whoever they were with and the park themselves and weren't interested in anyone else's business.

"Is this why you like this park? It's quiet." Jellal asked her curiously.

"Mmm, yeah. I came here to read a lot, and I sort of missed it. Veruze doesn't have a place like this." Serana bent one leg and put it on the bench to face him fully.

"I'm glad you came to see me. Things won't be the same without our-"

"Tea parties?" She asked with a cheeky smirk, and he chuckled softly, nodding. "I know. Veruze is incredibly interesting, and I'll be busy, but I'll write at least once a month."

"I would like that. Even if I don't get to see you, I don't want to lose touch with you." He took a deep breath and sighed softly. "I'll miss you." He couldn't help but look at his lap, feeling shy.

"I'll miss you too." She confessed with equal shyness.

"Have you thought about becoming Dreyer's apprentice when you get back? I'll admit that my motives for the offer aren't entirely constructive..." Letting himself trail off, he wondered if she'd take the bait and ask him what he meant.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he knew that he'd hooked her. "What do you mean, not entirely constructive?" Her tone held a hint of playfulness.

"Well, if you became his apprentice, you would live in the Palace. I would get to see you more often." He said, running a hand through his hair that had been tousled by the afternoon breeze.

"Ah, I see. You've put some thought into this." She responded with a soft blush on her cheeks.

They continued to chat, and eventually, Jellal was brave enough to put an arm over her shoulder and pull her close. They conversed quietly for the next hour and enjoyed their time together. Serana leaned her head against his shoulder and occasionally looked up at him through her lashes with a smile that threatened to stop his heart. He knew that he would have to let her go soon, so she could pack and get back to work himself, reluctant as he may be. When the sun had almost set, he figured it was a good time to let her go. They agreed to head back towards the guild hall, using the remaining sunlight to their advantage.

Serana didn't appear to be in a rush to get back to get her things together before tomorrow, but he guessed that she was probably organised already. He didn't mind if he had to stay up late to finish his work from today since he was so pleased to have had just a bit more time alone with her. Their pace subconsciously slowed when the Fairy Tail guild hall appeared in their line of sight.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a year or so." Serana piped up wistfully as they got closer to their destination.

"Yeah. I'm sure you'll be fine, but please take care. Construction on such a scale can be dangerous, so please don't take any risks." His statement was phrased as more of a request.

"I'll be careful, and I'll write as soon as I arrive." She answered, her arm brushing against his own as they strolled.

They finally reached the hall's front door and stopped walking. Jellal was relieved since the doors were closed, meaning they didn't have an audience. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and took a breath to steel his nerve. He stepped closer to her, and she looked up at him with a warm smile before she realised what he was doing. Carefully, he lifted one hand to cup her face and put the other onto the small of her back before gently pressing his lips to her own. The hood over his head almost concealed what they were doing. However, when she put her arms around his in reciprocation, and her fingers tugged into the fabric, the hood fell back slightly, and his blue hair began poking out. Only pulling back when they needed to breathe, he rested his forehead against hers as they smiled happily. As hard as it was, he released her from his embrace.

"Bye. Be safe." His sad voice wasn't missed by her, but she smiled in defiance.

"Don't work too hard while I'm away." She nudged him with her elbow before she turned and headed inside the guild hall.

Once she'd closed the door behind her, only then did he let out his shaky breath, and stare at the sky as if he was looking for answers…