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And since you guys are so quick with reading and reviewing, I've already written the next chapter,
hope you enjoy!
The guild's tower came into view. Erza inhaled deeply. It was always good to be home.
"Oh, Erza," Lucy piped up from behind the giant wagon of suitcases that Erza was pulling along, "you lost something," she waved a letter in her hand.
"Huh?" Erza frowned.
"It fell out from in between your luggage." The blonde handed it over.
"Thank you," Erza said, holding up the rope attached to her wagon, "would you mind taking this for a moment?" She asked. Lucy nodded, obviously keen to see whatever there was inside of the letter. She realised too late that the street was on a slight hill. She took the rope, arms nearly ripping out of her shoulders. She yelped, struggling to keep the wagon in place, her legs shaking with effort and she broke a sweat, muttering swears under her breath.
Erza hardly noticed. She focused on the letter, calmly opening it. It was too heavy for a simple sheet of paper, an object clearly within. She looked inside. A key. Erza felt her pulse rise. A single, golden key. To a door. The door of a house.
She unfolded the note inside, completely unaware of Lucy's wheezing – luckily keeping the Celestial Wizard too busy as to peek in on the writing.
'It would seem that fate had other plans than to keep us apart for one day. I'm afraid I have to challenge it. I'm sorry.'
Erza did not remember how often she read the note, again and again. She came back to the present when Lucy shrieked, being dragged down the street.
"Who wrote it?" She asked with the most innocence she could muster without choking out of lack of breath. Erza blinked to clear her head.
"It does not say." She said, reaching into the envelope. "Someone must have noticed me to have lost my earring," she explained, retrieving it from next to the key, hiding the still heavy end in her armoured palm. She thanked Jellal inwardly for the clever excuse.
"Why did they not just give it to you?" Lucy pressed. Just like her voice. Nonchalantly, Erza fetched back the rope, tugging lightly to get the wagon back up the hill. Lucy nearly crashed into the street, panting heavily, her arms sluggishly wobbling along.
"I wouldn't know." Erza said, fixing the guild hall with her eyes. She was not the best at keeping secrets, she knew. Someone being this persistent either meant they were suspicious or wanted to hear a certain thing. She would have to dodge questions with wit or even better, distract from them altogether.
"Did you happen to see anything?" She turned to Natsu whom she could count on not to have paid attention.
"What?" He lazily said, not even acknowledging the girls with a glance. He had his arms crossed behind his head, striding ahead, hardly able to stand their stopping. He wanted to get home. And he wanted to eat.
"Never mind." Erza smiled to herself. "I will see you all at lunch," she declared, taking a turn towards Fairy Hills to drop off her suitcases.
"That's right! I wanted to take a shower beforehand; see you guys later!" Lucy said, turning on the heel and running back down the street to her house.
"I can't believe they have to reconstruct everything…" Lucy pondered out loud as they walked down the emptying streets.
"I think it is a chance for growth," Erza nodded to herself, "It could mean technological and economical wealth for Fiore – competing companies would be at a loss against the kingdom."
"But shutting all trains down for over a week?"
"Look at it this way: when they are done upgrading the railway system, the trains will ride more efficiently and take less time."
"I'm sure Natsu will be thrilled,"
"He already is. After all, there won't be any train rides for a while," Erza chuckled, making Lucy laugh alongside her. They took a turn at a street corner. The light lacrimas were turning on as the sun set the sky ablaze, dipping down behind the horizon.
"At least my rent is safe until then." Lucy smiled, gazing out into the distance.
"Lucy," Erza started, taking a moment to formulate her question without raising suspicions, "did you have to do much around your apartment when you first moved in?" Lucy turned her head, tilting it in puzzlement.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean with the interior. Did you have to renovate the walls and floors or furnish your rooms?" Erza kept looking on ahead. She was not usually nervous and right at this moment, it was not even difficult to keep a straight face. After all that practise of being around Jellal – just breathing normally in his presence – this was done with ease.
"Oh, not really. I liked both the floors and wallpapers. It was furnished, too; I guess that's why the landlady is always on my case; probably thinks I'll wreck some of her stuff…" she pulled a sheepish face, scratching the back of her head, though smiling. "Why do you ask?"
"I just always wondered why you didn't move into Fairy Hills. I'm sure you would have liked it, but I understand that you need some peace and quiet, too." Erza shrugged, proud of her acting skills.
"Yeah, I wish… it's not like Natsu doesn't barge in every time I try to relax,"
"Perhaps if you banned food from your apartment,"
"Ha, he'd bring it anyway." Lucy rolled her eyes, having to grin. They arrived at Lucy's place and said their goodnights. Erza pretended to make some late shopping, walking down the street and taking as many turns as possible. She looked around before fishing for the key in her pocket. It really was his key.
Once inside, Erza quietly called his name. She tried a second time, then checked the rooms. He had not returned yet. She wondered whether she should stay or go back to Fairy Hills. In the end, she stayed.
She shivered through the night, waking up once, taking a few moments to realise where she was. It was cold in a top and shorts without him. But pyjamas were too hot when he was there, so she gathered the sheets around her, waiting.
Erza awoke alone. After two nights without his return, she started worrying. She contemplated whether she should go to find him, see if he was okay. She distracted herself with small missions around Magnolia, only then coming to the conclusion that he could be taking this long due to the stagnating train traffic.
After three nights alone, Erza had an idea. She would prepare a surprise for him. She had already earned her rent for two months – not even counting the current one – and was graced with more time than him. At least time at home.
She became so obsessed with doing him a favour, she started by ripping out the musty old carpet in the entrance. With force and dedication, she tore on it, freeing the concrete beneath. She rampaged for hours, until every trace of it was gone, then brought it to the dump to dispose of it. Proudly, she returned to her neat handiwork, buckets of white paint in hand.
The following day, Erza – full of energy – dipped the brush into the paint, suddenly stopping dead in her tracks. She lowered it again. She had no idea how Jellal wanted his house to be. Whether he would want his walls to be white or painted at all. Perhaps he preferred wallpaper. She did not know whether he would want a new carpet or wood or stone on his floors. Whether he had wanted to change the old rug at all.
Her shoulders slumped. She put the buckets into the corner and washed the brush. This was not going as planned. What had she hoped? To become an interior architect over night? To solve all his problems so they would have more free time to spend together? That her saved up money would be of use in case she would move…
No, she could not finish that thought. She dared not to say it, not even in her head. She would only get her hopes up to have them crushed and booted into the dirt. Just like him joining Fairy Tail… Could she not just be happy for what she had now? Was she too ambitious? Would she send him fleeing at some point?
Slightly stricken, Erza sank down with her back against the wall. So much for the surprise. She felt disappointment gnawing at her insides. She had wanted so badly to pay him back for the cake he had acquired from so far away. He had not even eaten a single piece of it.
Frowning her forehead in concentration, Erza formed a new idea. There had to be something to welcome him back and she had just the thing…
Jellal sighed deeply when his feet finally touched the first cobblestone of Magnolia. It was the strangest feeling; so unlike arriving at a quest's destination or resting area for the night. This was… home. Or at least it would be, he hoped.
He passed through the empty streets, the stars shining overhead. He was tired to his bones, having walked most of the way from Crocus to here for the past three days. He had always appreciated the smooth ride of a train, especially in comparison to a bucking carriage, but there had been no other option. He did not mind walking, but he minded the time apart from his aim.
Erza… he wondered how she had been for the past days. He had not been able to get her out of his head, not even during battle or observations. He hoped that she had been able to keep a better focus, though a small part of him held against that. Perhaps, just perhaps, he had been on her mind, too.
He ignored the voice in his head, telling him that there was no food awaiting him. He was not particularly hungry, but he wanted to stock up. Make his house a proper place to live and not just a base to return to in between missions. He had earned enough for a month's worth of meals and the thought of spending some on eating out plagued him endlessly.
Was it too soon for that?
Opening the door to his house, Jellal halted in the doorway. The smell of warm shower steams filled the air, mixed with the sweetest scent he only knew Erza's hair to possess. He breathed in deeply, a smile plastering itself on his face. His heart skipped a beat and he felt an excited shiver travel down his spine, heating him up on the inside.
The feeling of home. Of being something more than just himself – a part of someone else's life. Only she could give him that, he thought, knowing that every step until here had been more that worth it.
He removed his boots and locked the door.
"Jellal," Erza appeared from the bedroom, already changed for the night. Her hair was still damp, her scent intoxicating. She smiled at him, the strong feeling of gratitude nearly exploding as he returned her greeting. For a second, he dared to dream that she would always be there to welcome him.
"I'm-" he stopped. Looking down, he stared at the bare floor, his feet wincing at the cold. "Did… did you remove the carpet?" He asked, blinking in astonishment. Erza gazed at her feet. She sheepishly wagged her knees together, mumbling something incomprehensible. He noted the buckets of paint in the corner. How did he deserve this woman?
"Thank you," he said, confused by her surprise. He gave a smile, trying to reassure her. How could she think he would be mad at her? And for helping.
"I wasn't sure what you would want instead,"
"That's fine; I haven't even thought about that yet." He came to greet her, boldly taking both of her hands in his. She glanced up into his eyes. "You really did me a favour," he assured. She smiled shyly, nodding.
"Good…" she hesitated, averting her gaze again. Her toes nervously clawed at the floor. "Then that would make up for the kitchen I burnt."