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She had used the early evening to shower. With her amount of injuries, it had taken its fair amount of time, the sun tauntingly crawling down the horizon. Luckily, cuts and open wounds were the minority. Bruises, contusions and that cracked rib, however, gave her more than a hard time to make sure she looked her very best.
Erza left the bathroom door open to allow the sweet scent of her most precious shampoo (a gift from Lucy) to travel across her apartment. As she freed her hair from the towel and hung it up, something caught her eye. She stopped.
Perfume.
Perfume or no perfume?
Erza never used perfume. The very reason she owned one was, again, due to it being a gift. In this case, it had been a joke, Mirajane not having missed her chance to mock her childhood rival and now best friend. "Heavenly Enticement" was definitely not one of Titania's strengths and she had given her guildmate the evillest glare she could muster, seeing as the hint was too obvious.
"Just in case, you know," Mira had winked, the most innocent smile adorning her face. Erza sighed under her breath. She turned away from the bottle, starting to bandage her wounds anew, thoughts lingering on the idea of actually using the admittedly fetching fragrance.
She hissed upon stretching her arm too far, her ribcage stinging with pain. She tried to take deep breaths all the while not breathing too strongly as not to hurt herself. To show this much weakness during the day was unthinkable.
In order not to make anyone worry, Erza had gone out to town that day, grievously finding the cake shop to have run out of her favourite strawberry cake. Afterwards, she had gone to the Guild Hall.
Team Natsu was also still showing bandages, though no signs of being in pain. Of course, the boys had already started to brawl again, notwithstanding their own bruises, tables or guildmates.
Even though it had been the best way to celebrate victory and to get distracted from her injuries, Erza had not been able to focus. Fortunately, no one had noticed – or at least not stated to have – leaving the Queen of the Fairies alone with her overwhelming thoughts.
Jellal…
Erza shook her head. She found her heart racing at the memory of the last night alone. Not that she was expecting him to return, but one could never know. One could hope.
Finally leaving the perfume, she put on her pyjamas, though not without contemplating to wear something else. Something more… feminine. She tried to ban the idea, which worked about as well as ceasing to make up scenarios of his coming in her head.
Feeling herself blushing, Erza hid herself beneath her blanket, praying for a fleeting moment that he would not come. At least not yet. She knew that she was starting to become obsessed with the idea of him visiting, but Jellal being there and actually staying had burnt into her mind like a sword would slice through flesh.
After a minute, she peeked her head back out. She concentrated on seeming relaxed and half asleep. Daring to open one eye a slot wide, Erza scanned her dark room. Nothing.
What had she expected? Jellal to magically appear next to her, fresh strawberries in hand and asking to stay the night?
And there it was, her mind running wild again. The tint on her cheeks darkened but Erza ignored it. She could be cool about this. The window was open for the showers humidity to get out and only for that. Out of habit, she allowed her sweet-scented hair dry while in bed, what other reason could there be?
Inwardly facepalming herself, Erza turned away from the window. Her arm throbbed with her weight on it. Closing her eyes, she waited.
Minutes passed, then hours. She waited until even her long, silky hair had dried, losing hope of his return. And why would he? If she was right, he had been worried about her condition. Seeing as he had disappeared before she had woken up in the morning, not left any messages and her having walked around Magnolia as usual, it was almost too clear that he would not show. She had practically disinvited him by not showing any weakness during the day.
Cursing to herself, Erza finally lost hope. She fell asleep before long, shamefully admitting to herself how ridiculously she had acted. Special shampoo, appealing sleepwear, seductive perfume? This was not her. And yet, she felt as if she would have done all of it, just because it could have made him stay.
The night was cold, the wind from the open window deriding her. With a shiver, Erza awoke. She blinked into the darkness of her room. Reluctantly, she left the warm haven of the blanket she had tucked herself in. With tired steps, she crossed over to the window.
The sky was murk, not a single star illuminating Magnolia. There was a light breeze, carrying the scent of the lake with it. Everything was silent.
Suddenly, something moved in the shadows. Erza squinted, all thoughts of the cold gone. She was still the protector of Fairy Hills and her sleeping friends. It moved again, a dash bolting into the cover of the trees. A sword appeared in Erza's hand.
Leaning out, she stared towards the entrance. There was nothing there. Then, a shadow moved, appearing from behind its cover. It jumped, flashing towards her. Erza stumbled back. She lunged her sword at the shadow, which was now on her windowsill.
"Erza," she froze, every muscle in her body screaming at her to stop. The sword crashed into the wall next to his face.
"Jellal!" She exclaimed, furious with both him and herself. She had almost chopped his head off!
"I'm sorry, I-" he said, breaking off. The lights in front of the main entrance had turned on. A window creaked; a voice reached them.
Quickly, Erza grabbed Jellal's arm and pulled him inside. Without thinking, she closed the window and swung the curtains closed. Silence fell. Both stood still, holding their breaths. She could practically feel the regret radiating from him, just as much as guilt nagged on her.
She had let – no, brought – a man into Fairy Hills, where men were strictly forbidden and which everyone knew and respected. Bisca and Levy had both moved out for that reason and now Erza, Head Girl of the dormitories, had broken that one holy rule.
It was not as if he would suffer severe consequences if being caught. He would be kicked out and receive a warning – which she should give. He would most likely be fast enough to elude anyone who wanted to catch him anyway. Was she this selfish to disrespect the rules – rules that she most of all preached for others to obey?
The voice from outside disappeared. They waited, but the sound of a closing window never came. A minute went by. Erza felt her lungs nearly burst, so she dared to exhale as quietly as possible and he mirrored her immediately, as if having waited for her sign.
The room was pitch-black. Erza hardly heard her own breath, not to mention Jellal's, the rushing of her blood in her ears numbing them. Her heart raced, quickening her breath with the knowledge of him standing not even a few centimetres away from her.
Suddenly self-conscious, Erza's hand jerked, slowly drawing away from his arm which she had been pinching her nails into with tension. She gulped, wishing for a second that she had worn something different. Not that he could see anything at the moment.
Why had it been so easy the other night? She had worn almost nothing but bandages and knickers, yet she had dragged that confusingly attractive man into bed with her.
And she would do so again.
Closing her eyes, Erza reached out her hand once more. She did not have to search for long as he was still right in front of her. She brushed his arm, as if unintentional. She could still pretend it had been…
Biting her lip, the usually fierce warrior dared to let her hand wander, finding his. Jellal shivered as her fingers stroked down to find his, then – nearly making her wince and most definitely blush – linked them. Erza's heart jumped into her throat. For a second, her breath got stuck and she almost wheezed.
But she would not. She had made her day a living hell, her evening almost unbearable and night into a nightmare over the potential possibility of him coming. She would not let the chance slide, even if it meant disobeying the rules.
Firmly, Erza took Jellal's hand. She led the way to where she knew the bed was, the thought of it giving her stomach a fuzzy feeling. To her surprise – and great relief – he followed without complaint. He did not say anything at all, not even as she shuffled with the bedsheet.
For a moment, Erza felt a slight tremble wash down her back. She let go of his hand, making herself comfortable. Holding her breath. Hoping. His boots moved on the wooden floor, though not away. A moment later, the mattress sunk next to her.
The pink tint on her cheeks never leaving, Erza tentatively, yet happily greeted Jellal by cuddling close, waiting for him to drape the blanket over them. She gently shoved her head beneath his chin. Feeling him swallow, she allowed herself a sigh, which he copied, neither able to calm themselves.
Nonetheless, Erza fell asleep with a smile on her face, glowing with triumphant joy when she noticed Jellal to take a few deeper breaths with his face surrounded by her hair.
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