Thank you all for your reviews, especially Isanien and Nina-Chan202! It makes me so happy to read them! Makes me realise which details you guys appreciate most or want to read about more .
Anyhoot, I hope you enjoy!
Jellal awoke warmer and cosier than he ever had in his entire life. His head – though throbbing with a huge headache – rested softly, nestled in and surrounded by the most amazing smell he knew: hers.
He opened his eyes, immediately closing them again when the hint of morning light stung him. Fresh pain zapped through his head and his body felt heavy. He could feel Erza's arms around him, her breath steadily rocking him. He frowned. How did she…?
He froze when realisation hit. He noticed the jiggly soft feeling beneath his cheek and on his chin. He felt his hand sweat when locating it beneath her top, her spine outlining against his fingertips. He noted her leg to be intwined with his, his elbow on the verge of laying on her hip.
"You're awake," Erza said in a hushed voice, and though his ears rang with any noise around him, he felt at ease when hearing it. At least as much at ease as his current position allowed. "How are you feeling?" She asked. Her hand carefully stroked through his hair, something that sent shivers of pleasure down his back.
"Just… a mild headache," he lied. It was more like an arsenal of hammers, pounding against the inside walls of his skull. "How late is it?" He spoke while leaning back a little, not wanting to leave her soothing embrace, yet eager not to brush his lips against her breast while moving them. "I promised Meredy-"
"I know," Erza interrupted, "I will go for you – you have to rest up," she decided. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened the last night. He did not remember coming home. He had dreamed about Erza – at least he assumed it to have been a dream – neither knowing how he had gotten home nor when.
"How do you know?" He looked up at her, worsening his headache.
"You told me," she averted her eyes, blushing lightly, "in your sleep." She confided. Jellal's pulse shot up rapidly, his heart pumping at high speed. What had he said that made her react like this? He stared at her, his eyes almost exploding as they fell onto her neck. There, just above her collarbone, where her neck dipped into her shoulder. That… mark.
He swallowed. What had happened? Now more than anything, he tried to recall the last night, without success. He could not ask her. There was no way he could convince himself that what he saw was a previously unnoticed battle injury. That it was anything but what he just knew it to be, and that he, no matter how much he tried to deny it, was its cause.
Even more, he feared her answer. Her confirmation. Then what would he say?
"Promise me you'll take it easy today." Erza pulled him out of his thoughts. Had she noticed what he had stared at? For a second, he almost hoped her to assume him to be staring further below, but he scratched that. This was bad enough. He met her eyes, strict and serious and a hint of… bliss.
He nodded, hardly managing to hum in agreement. She got out of bed, leaving him to ponder in the darkness – thank goodness it was dark and not garish and painful. Jellal could not comprehend why she would have stayed. He had probably forced or beset her after somehow finding his way home. He must have been a monster to make her this silent and enduring. It could literally be anything that he had done and the worst part was that he did not even remember.
He awoke from his dozing when the smell of food reached him. Jellal had to push himself up and out of the pillow he had pressed to his face, blinking to clear his vision. He had no idea how much time had passed or how late it was, anyway. On the other side of the bed was a tray, an entire breakfast menu piled up on it.
He ate until he almost threw everything back up. Lying on his back, he contemplated whether it was not yet too late to go on that mission he had promised Meredy. He fell asleep several times while pondering, drifting back and forth between consciousness, slumber and a booming headache. He showered, ate, slept, one thing never leaving his thoughts. He had to apologise to Erza.
"I apologise for keeping you waiting." Erza said as she neared the clearing deep withing the forest. Meredy looked up at her with surprise, whatever sly comment she had saved for Jellal getting stuck in her throat.
"Erza!"
"Jellal is still out of commission, I'm afraid," she let her voice lower threateningly and Meredy winced back a little, a sheepish grin stretching across her face. Soon, it turned into a gleeful smirk.
"So," she trailed, raising her brows in a suggestive manner, "then you-" she was cut off when the ground beneath them shook. Both women immediately widened their stance, trying to keep their balance.
"What is this?" Erza asked, staring at the ground. It bulged. Like a snake, winding its way through underground tunnels, rippling the surface. She jumped aside when it raced towards her, a sword appearing in her hand.
"The thing we're looking for," Meredy yelled over the rumbling noise, "I guess it found us first," she jumped to the other side of the clearing, dodging the winding earth. "It's been messing with acres and fields; it won't leave when the farmers set traps or try to- ah!" She yelped when it burst through the ground beneath her.
"Meredy!" Erza shouted. She leaped across the ridges and moulds. The creature was green but that was all they got to see. As soon as it had flashed up, it was gone again, leaving a trail of boulders and earth. Erza came to stand in front of Meredy who turned, putting her back to the S-Class mage's.
"Don't let it separate us," Erza instructed, receiving a nod. She held her sword upright with both hands, scanning the surrounding trees for signs of an attack. "Ah!" She shrieked when something pricked her leg. A plant of crescentic formed thorns was snaking up her leg.
"Don't let them sting you – they'll make you dizzy," Meredy warned, blasting them with her magic. They shrunk back. Erza changed into her flight armour, covering at least one leg with armouring. She decided that she would rather be quick and end whatever creature was lurking for them beneath the forest, no matter a little vertigo.
"Over there!" She pointed her sword into the thicket. Another thorn crawled up her foot, bracing itself in her calf. She swatted it off, cutting the entire bush in half, limping the plant. The earth rumbled again. A barrow was coming their way, turning around, circling them. It tightened its radius progressively.
"I'll fake an attack and lure it out – you strike," Meredy proposed and Erza gave a hum of agreement, "Come on!" The pink-haired mage challenged, jumping onto the mound when it was in front of her. It passed beneath, the ground between them bursting apart.
Erza had already turned, finally seeing the creature's long, worm-like body, catapulting into the air. She readied herself to attack, when it suddenly split in half. It were two. Meredy shrieked and Erza gasped unable to see her partner when one of the beasts thrashed down on her. She lifted her sword.
The creature screeched when her blade impaled the roof of its mouth.
"Meredy!" Erza exclaimed, trying to see past her own enemy, which slid down her sword. Its long fangs impaled the flesh of her arms and wrists. Erza gave the fallen foe a kick in the throat, tearing at her sword, slicing the beast's head in two, freeing herself.
The second monster reared, struck multiple times by Meredy's magic, eventually squawking and dropping to the ground. She breathed heavily, mostly out of shock rather than the actual battle and use of magic. There was hardly anything beside a dragon and an overpowered magician that could still pose a threat to them.
She lifted her gaze, grinning victoriously through her panting. Erza held out her hand, pulling the girl out of the ditch.
"It's best not to take any medications or painkillers now," Meredy said as she plucked the tiny remains of thorns out of Erza's leg, kneeling before the stump the Queen of the Fairies was sitting on, "but the poison is not strong; it should be all good in a day." She advised, sinking down next to her.
"Thank you," Erza said, letting the sun shine on her face, leaning back on her arms. She ignored their light bleeding – she could take care of it later.
"You're a really great warrior, Erza," Meredy smiled, then her expression turned mischievous, "just like Jellal always says: 'she's so great and powerful and pretty and the love of my life'!" She played a deeper voice, overdramatically throwing one hand over her face.
"He never said that." Erza cut in, surprised by the calmness of her voice while her cheeks were flaring up with blush.
"Not the last thing – out loud," Meredy grinned when the mighty Titania hid her blush by looking elsewhere, "but his face looks just like yours now when he notices. We used to trick him into rambling about you, Ultear and I," she said, giggling at the steaming woman next to her, who was pretending to nonchalantly be smoothing out her skirt. "I really miss those times; I'm glad we got to have some fun yesterday."
"You shouldn't have let him drink that much," Erza suddenly loomed over the pink-haired mage with gleaming eyes and a dark aura, "he could have gotten himself hurt or worse." She belted at Meredy, who winced, shrinking smaller and smaller.
He could have, it was true. He could have been mugged or beaten up easily – or worse, been triggered and beat up an entire city with his magic. He could have gotten lost or hit his head, even fallen into the river and drowned.
Erza had been worried all evening, waiting for him, only now realising how serious it had been. Not that she was not trying to distract right at the moment and… not that she had not enjoyed the actual outcome. She hid the triumph of a lovebite he had given her behind the collar of her blouse and a blissful sigh behind an exasperated exhale. She was still not completely over it, getting excited just at the memory alone.
"I'm sorry… we were just all having fun, I didn't want him to be all serious and reserved," Meredy confessed in a tiny voice, tapping the tips of her index fingers together. Erza sighed. She watched the darkening clouds wander across the sky.
"He is always the serious one…" she smiled to herself.
"Exactly!" Meredy gained a little confidence. "He never has fun or lets himself relax, not even when we did. That's why I'm so glad you're here; you make him so happy," she smiled, while Erza pretended that the rustling trees were of particular interest. "Ultear and I might not have been the best rolemodels, because no matter what we did, he would not laugh and seldom smile. I was hoping maybe you could teach him…"
"I'm not really a prime example myself," Erza cut in.
"To him you are." Meredy leaned her shoulder against Erza's, dropping her head on her shoulder. "You laugh and smile and express yourself in Fairy Tail. I couldn't imagine anything better to show him what it's like to live. He really looks up to you," she said, gazing up into the distance.
Birds flew overhead. Some dared to land in the clearing, finally returning after the commotion. Flies and other insects had already gathered around the defeated creatures, but there was no hurry to report in.
The warm breeze brought the smell of rain with it.
"Meredy?"
"Hm?" Meredy tilted her head, though leaving it where it was.
"Jellal talked about… Crime Sorcière. That you all met to… disband…" she carefully started, not yet knowing how to ask in the least blunt way. Meredy sat up, not tearing her gaze away from the sky overhead.
"Yeah…" she sighed under her breath, "that was the plan."
"Why?" Erza turned to watch her. Meredy put her hands between her legs on the stump she was sitting on, leaning over them. She lightly kicked a pebble that rolled into the ditch in front of them.
"Because… because." She smiled sadly. "It just feels like the right time. We've all grown up and are finding our own way, away from all," she circled a palm, shrugging, "this." She gestured up and down herself. "We're free now. It's a good starting point to find a new reason to live."
Erza watched her friend with astonishment. Meredy just kept smiling.
"We did not really come to a conclusion though; everyone was kind of going overboard on the drinks…" she grinned sheepishly, meeting Erza's eyes. "Erik said he met Cubellios- I mean Kin… Kani…?"
"Kinana."
"Yes, her. He sees her a lot and I think he wants to stay in Magnolia or at least close to her. You might be gaining lots of new members," she winked, almost back to her usual quirky self.
"Lots?"
"Come on, don't think I don't know that you've thought about Jellal joining," Meredy nudged Erza, who blushed, looking away for a moment, "I think he's considering it, too. I wish he'd just do it."
"What about you, Meredy?" Erza turned to her again, frowning when being met with that brave, sad smile again. Meredy let her shoulders drop, gently. She leaned back, letting her gaze wander along the sky, tipping her head back.
"I don't know yet." She did not flinch when the first drops of rain came, one landing on her forehead, travelling down her face. Erza watched, captivated. She wanted to invite her; she knew she had Juvia and others as friends in Fairy Tail. She knew Jellal would feel better about joining and when having joined, should he decide to.
She did not ask. Something about Meredy – that tranquil sadness and at the same time joy of a girl growing up – told her that she knew she was welcome without hearing the words out loud.
They parted ways, hugging each other. Erza promised Meredy Jellal's half of the mission's reward, naturally being met with protests. She automatically returned to his house instead of her own, reassured when hearing the shower's water run. She collapsed onto the bed, feeling a little dizzy.
Almost instantly, Erza drifted into sleep, not waking when he returned. Not even when he tried to wake her up, however frantic his attempts became.