Hello dear readers! Good news is that Author-San is now free again to update and thank you and write! The slightly worse news is that we've almost run out of pre-written chapters so let's keep those fingers crossed for inspiration!

Here we go... and I shall include reviews from the chapters 60 and 61 because I feel like I haven't done them justice and I really, really appreciate each and every one of them.

Guest(order of reviews): yes, they are a mess. and thank you for the compliment as well as reviewing!

Guest after that: you're so cute, again with the 'matureness' of fights being part of relationships and you're absolutely right of course. Hope you'll like how they'll overcome this because, I mean, we all know they will at some point ;)

Somnolent Sushi Roll: thank YOU for your reviews to my updates! I really love your reviews so much, they really make me feel as if I can talk about fanfiction to someone, thank you to much! On your side note, it was hinted that Levy will have a baby and they continue that in the 100 Year Quest so I assumed I'd have to include it, sorry if I confused you! Hope that wasn't a spoiler...

Guest after first Sushi: I know right? He's hot when he's confident so let's hope she can bring that out more and more because he's hella good at it if he just tries. And thaaaank you so so much for the kind compliment! I'm still swooning! Repeat away how amazing I am (wow that sounded not arrogant at all, but still, you made my day!) ^^

Guest before the second Sushi (61): so many paragraaaaphs, thank youuu! I love all your pointing out and reactions to it, I really appreciate it a lot! It'll be found out for sure sometime what happened to her, don't worry, there will be proof. And thanks so much for pointing out the typos! I changed both of them and like 20 others in previous chapters ':D (What does Cmiiw mean?)

Finally, the last person to have reviewed as a guest: thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a review! I loved to know what you were thinking!

Finally finally (it's the new also also), please enjoy!

"Jellal?"

"In fe bafroom," he answered through a mouth of foam. Erza turned on the heel to follow his voice. She had been on her way to the guild to ask about Levy's progress over the past week, when noticing halfway that she was missing her compass. The one he had given her.

"Have you seen my compass?" She asked, poking her head around the corner. He was slightly obsessed with brushing his teeth, she thought, and she had started to think he was afraid of the dentist, now that the possibility of going there had arisen. She had scratched the idea however, seeing as he was occupying himself with laundry and cooking and cleaning to an equally high extent. He was simply giving domestic life one hundred and twenty percent.

"You' compaff?" He asked with his full mouth, rinsing it out then.

"The one you gave me," she stepped into the room to point at her hip, "the one-"

"From the black market," he remembered. "Yeah, I threw it away," he said, patting with a towel around his mouth as if he had not just rammed a dagger through her heart.

"You what?" Erza could not stop herself from shrieking.

"You didn't like where it came from and I didn't want you to worry about it anymore,"

"You…" she exhaled exasperatedly, "you just…" she shook her head. It began to spin as it sometimes did and she felt nauseous just thinking about it. She would not tell him that, though. She loved being spoiled but he was way too concerned with her wellbeing so she kept the not-so-serious aches to herself.

"You didn't," she stared at him. As if having all the time in the world, Jellal neatly folded the towel back over its bar, then met her unbelieving eyes.

"I did," he said. It shattered her anew. How could he just take it? And throw it away? Yes, she had been torn due to its origin, but she had adored it with all her heart. It had come from him; it was probably the first thing she had ever been gifted by him since her last name. Her blood started boiling in her veins.

"You…" she breathed as he passed her. He did not get too far. With her fist still clad in her gauntlet, she grabbed his shirt by the front. Jellal huffed when she nearly threw him against the wall, eyes gleaming dangerously. His innocently confused blinking irritated her even more, making it almost impossible to calm herself. She did not want to fight; they had only just stopped!

"I thought you were unhappy with it," Jellal defended himself. He held his hands up palms facing her. He was not even trying and it only riled her up more.

"I loved that thing!"

"I'm sorry," he said, his back being pressed a little further into the wall, "let me make it up to you," he offered. Her hand eased on his shirt, releasing him. "How about a piece of cake?" He smiled friendlily. Erza wanted to scream. And to put that armoured hand of hers to use. She just could not hurt him, though, and she did not want to, but the urge was there out of habit.

Inhaling shakily, she closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm down. Threw it away, it echoed in her head and she felt the heat rise once more. Or so it would have if it had been gone in the first place.

"Or maybe some ice-cream," he went on and she felt her arms shake angrily. Jellal escaped from where she had confronted him, now rummaging through his jacket, pulling out his wallet. Did he seriously think a cone of ice-cream was going to set this right? He could not just give things and then take them back again. That was not how presents worked. And anyway, how could he dare to just throw it away?

"Oh," he searched through the coin section. Erza thought she was going to snap when he fished something out, tossing it over. Taken aback, she almost did not catch it, snatching it with both hands before it could hit her face. "Perhaps that might serve as compensation?" He said with the same plain face.

Erza glared at him, then opened her hands. It was her compass! Her eyes sparkled at the small object, its fine swirls and artistically crafted gears, the detailed face peeking through the delicately carved lid. As if seeing it for the first time again, she merely stared for moments to pass.

"You…" she whispered, then caught herself, "you lied to me!" She accused, quickly fixing the chain back around her belt to keep it close to her.

"I didn't," Jellal cheekily retorted. Narrowing her eyes, Erza traded her armour for a different set of clothes, just to be sure. A thief and a liar – and she had worked so much for those traits to vanish! "Look at the chain," he went on. She held his gaze, still upset and that steady, tranquil look he returned it with only fired her up again.

She hesitated. Then she requipped again. Without glancing away from him just yet, her fingers found the chain the compass was attached to. Jellal remained where he was, as if appeasing a tigress protecting her cubs. Lifting it up, Erza eyed it critically.

The chain was different, indeed. She could not understand how she had missed it before. It was not as broad, the links less angular and shinier, too. Another thing struck her when having it turned on its front. An inscription. In swirled letters, it read her name. His swirled letters.

Her eyes flashed up to stare at him, even more unbelievingly as before. She opened her mouth but the words did not come, so she glanced back and forth between him and the compass again. How in the world did he manage to make perfect even better?

"You were so troubled that I bought it at a black market, I had a copy made. Legally," Jellal added for good measure. He stuffed his wallet back into his coat, as nonchalantly as before. But she could see the smile on his face and hear it in his voice. That voice that was so full of colour now. However much percentage he gave to being a housewife, his main focus was still her – and he bloomed in his task, glowing with pride at the reward that was her happiness.

Erza exhaled through her mouth, trying to grasp it all the while also blinking the itch from her eyes. Unsuccessfully. A single tear of joy rolled down from her left eye.

"I thought for a second that you made it," she managed, lifting the backside for him to see. Jellal smiled, crossing over to her.

"I wrote the template," he disclosed. It made her smile widely, the fact that it was his handwriting making the small but precious object all the more special. "I hope you like it," he said, a hand on the back of her head while he pressed a kiss to her crown. Erza fell into him, sighing.

"You moron," she lovingly scolded and he grinned above her head.

"I'm your moron."

Erza strolled back home from the guild. The rain had kept her inside for longer than she had intended, glad to finally be going home. The sun was already bidding farewell for the day, its last rays blinding her.

There had not been any replies from the Council to the outstanding letters of Jellal which he had written in the name of Fairy Tail. It was a pity, she thought, having hoped to boost his confidence with the grovelling he could conjure. He must have been a valuable part of the Magic Council back then, even if an ambiguous one.

Levy had nearly finished with her research, only missing a handful of samples, having promised to work through the night if she had to.

When passing the market, Erza felt her stomach cramp uncomfortably. She really was sensitive to fish by now and Happy carrying one around all the time was not helping her condition one bit. Fleetly, she turned a corner to escape the stench, unable to avoid gaging anyway.

She decided not to concern Jellal with it, seeing as the nausea stopped upon arriving at home. Rather, she was concerned about him. He had been acting more and more strangely over the past days – getting up earlier and avoiding her clinginess. It hurt a little but Erza labelled it as still not ready after their fight. Perhaps it was her punishment for always rushing things…?

"I'm home," she called while locking the front door behind her. She loved saying those words. She loved how it felt to say them.

"Welcome back," Jellal greeted her. He had already changed into his pyjama trousers, still missing the shirt. Any shirt, for that matter. Not that she minded. It made it harder to stick to her resolution, however. Perhaps if she just…

Erza watched him saunter into the bathroom to find a fresh shirt. She followed, swiftly trading her daily armour for a short, lacy nightgown. A risky choice, but she wanted to try.

As casually as possible, she pretended to search for something in the cupboard beneath the sink. She peeked at the window to the side without turning her head, the darkness of the evening perfectly reflecting the interior of the room.

Jellal was stiffly standing there, staring. She smirked to herself, seeing how he utterly forgot about whatever it was he had been doing, the shirt dropping out of his hand. She almost laughed out loud when she could hear him gulp.

"Did you get hurt?" He asked, his voice thin and he clenched his teeth, inwardly cursing. Erza's eyes widened when she realised to have forgotten to keep searching. And that there was hardly anything but bandages and supplies beneath the sink. Improvising, she fished for the nearest lip balm.

"No, it's fine," she smiled sweetly, fluttering her lids at his rising blush. Jellal cleared his throat, turning away to awkwardly pick his shirt back up. She narrowed her eyes. That was not the reaction she had aimed at.

It was by far more.

Wondering where the problem was – whether she interpreted correctly – Erza lifted the lid of the lip balm and skimmed its content with the tip of her little finger. Gradually, almost sensually, she traced it over her bottom lip, pretending to be staring at nothing at all. She felt his eyes burn into her, though, the tiniest of smirks tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Would you like some, too?" She asked with the same played innocence he had tricked her with the other day. All he did was swallow again, then he caught himself, focusing on the laundry basket.

"No, thank you," he managed, exhaling sharply under his breath. She smiled sadly. He might have tried but being hard on himself was just something he failed time and again to let go off. "Actually," he surprised her. He did not finish his sentence, but stretched out a hand.

Attempting to give a hint – not knowing to be taking his in the progress – Erza accompanied the tin box. She repeated the same process, coating her already sticky finger, blinking up at him. Jellal watched her insecurely, but he let her.

"You're eluding me," she went like a bull at a gate. He winced, but she pursued him, gently tracing his lips with her finger. "Why? Did I do something wrong?" She asked, planning on mentioning their sort-of argument again when he spoke up.

"I don't-" he stopped again. Erza's eyes sparked up. He had stopped on purpose. He had tried to avoid lying! He had automatically started to negate like he always did to circumvent dispute and then noticed, halting himself before coming up with a habitual lie. She wanted to burst with joy.

Judging by the look on his face, he guessed.

"What is it?" She persisted. "Does something bother you?" She went on. "Did I forget something?"

"No, no…" Jellal retreated further, until he was all but hunched in the corner. She stood her ground, planting her bare feet on the cold tiles. She would not let him go until this was solved. She really wanted him to relax again, to joke again and not have to be careful all the time. And hold back.

"Tell me how I can help," she assayed, unable to catch his eyes. An idea sprung into her mind. "Do you want something?" She asked, making him wince. Bull's eye.

"I…" Jellal bit his tongue in order to keep from making anything up. With pity, she watched him shrink, sink into himself, seemingly wanting nothing more than to disappear. That, and one other thing, as she had just figured out.

With a sigh of sympathy, she let her features soften. Instead of backing away, Erza advanced again, crouching her knees the slightest bit to be able to shuffle right beneath his shamefully hanging head, fitting like the final piece of a puzzle.

"Please tell me," she asked quietly. She asked again, pointing out how it was the only way to help him and only when she mentioned to be able to decline whatever it was that he wanted did his raise his voice. It was even quieter than hers.

"I…" Jellal pressed a breath from between his teeth, eyes glancing to the side when she had positioned herself so perfectly below his field of vision. She took his hands in hers, which aided greatly. "I… wanted to…" he struggled and she was starting to anticipate the worst, "make love…" he merely breathed.

Erza almost gasped, refraining from it the last second. She tilted her head, eyes soft with understanding.

"You don't have to ask for that," she said and he shook his head heftily.

"Of course I do," he stressed.

"You said yourself we had the same right to claim-"

"This isn't a piece of bread we're talking about," he interrupted, and her eyes widened at how serious he was. "I can't just take whenever I please; it's your body," he said, fading out, retreating back into his corner.

She sighed through her nose. Then she squeezed his hands in hers, letting them go to cup his face, finally meeting submissive eyes.

"Then I hereby give you my permission," she mumbled, already brushing her lips with his. Jellal shuddered at the touch and Erza felt him melt into her, shortly thinking to lose her balance at his increasing weight. She responded strongly to his longing, firing back with her own desire, enticing a groan from deep within his throat. It sent her heart into a frenzy.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Erza practically inhaled him. She kissed him over and over again, her stomach lurching and fussing when his hands finally lifted, resting on her sides. Then her waist. Her hip. She could feel his chest heave against hers, demanding his tongue in her mouth rather than granting inlet. She moaned when he obeyed.

Another deeper moan escaped her lips when he acted without having to be encouraged; when his hands wandered further, testing the waters, eager at what they found and met with nothing but lustfully vocal sighs and positive physical responses.

Erza hooked one leg up around his hip and he took the hint. She gasped when he lifted her up to enclose him with both legs, digging his fingers beneath her thighs, carrying her out the door.

His shirt was long forgotten.

Using that to her advantage, Erza roamed his torso with her hands, tracing the outlines of his defined muscles, scraping them lightly with her nails, finding goose bumps as she went. She moaned when his head dipped down to her neck, suckling and nibbling, leaving a trail of marks that he continued along the top of her breast when having eased her down onto the bed.

Clawing into his back, Erza grinned up into his sultry, hazy eyes. He would have to touch and grope if he wanted her to move. With a surprisingly devilish smirk, Jellal slid his hand down her backside, torturously slowly pushing her upwards to the centre of the mattress. With her legs still around him, Erza squeezed in response.

She dared to let go of him with one hand, making her way down to his belt in a greedily impatient hurry. Her head fell back into the pillows when his lips dragged along her cleavage again, her hand shaking and dropping when he found a particularly soft spot further below. He detached his hands from her behind to stroke up her legs, over those protruding hipbones and along her flanks, lifting the flimsy whisper of fabric up and over her breasts.

Erza groaned lasciviously, then held her breath when he did not take the nightgown off. She blinked beneath the veil that was now on her face, then puffed.

"Jellal?"

"Leave it," he breathed, giving her insides an excited jump. The attire was not very thick but with the room half-dark, she could not see a thing. It made her giddy with anticipation. Tenderly, his hands caressed the skin of her stomach, his lips following shortly. Her breathing quickened the more area he covered, hungry kisses setting her ablaze.

The tingling lightness of fingertips teased the insides of her thighs, enticing more and more moans. Erza bucked with frustration when they left again, arching her back to find his touch. Her guts slummed and twisted, thrilled when his broad hands travelled back up her sides, chest and arms, taking the nightgown with them, ending at her wrists above her head.

His face hovered directly over hers when she opened her eyes. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage, breath venting against his chin.

"Thank you…" Jellal muttered, affectionately kissing her lips with his already bruised ones. His voice made stars dance before her eyes and Erza smiled into the kiss, parting strands of his hair while whispering her consent.

It was pitch-black outside. Erza stared at the ceiling, arms and legs outstretched. She panted, glancing to the side to watch his chest to be rising and falling just as relentlessly. The window was lined with fog and she smiled at that. And at the placid smile on his flushed face.

"It's been too long…" she panted, briefly shutting her eyes, "I'm all out of breath, how embarrassing…" she managed, her chest vibrating with a chuckle.

"Over two months," Jellal wheezed just as much. His voice was so different now, full of content and self-confidence. She felt warm, hearing it that way.

"Oh, so that date you can keep track of…" she smirked mockingly. She held his breath when he did, expecting to have overdone it. Erza shrieked when being attacked with tickles, but he was even more exhausted than her and she managed to fend him off within a few seconds.

Panting even more now, the two flopped onto their backs again. A comfortable silence stretched across the room until she rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows. She loved his face even more when he smiled, adoring his blush and trailing that signature mark of his with her eyes. He was at least as beautiful as he found her to be.

"Don't you hesitate to ask again – you made me wait," she grinned, seeing a broader smile curve his lips while his eyes remained closed.

"Mm," he hummed lowly, almost becoming one with the mattress, exhaling blissfully. He looked quite ready to be taken into heaven now – or perhaps he had already arrived.

"And, Jellal?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Mmh,"

"… wanna go again…?"

With a heart full of love, Jellal enclosed his beloved in his arms. Erza sighed happily, snuggling up against him, her head below his chin and her hands on his chest. He shuffled with the blanket, pulling one up to cover her bare back. He froze. Both did.

There it was again.

His eyes flashed to the window, though the shadows of the night revealed nothing. Wind howled down the street and the pattering of droplets from the rain down the roof and onto the cobblestone was all that was heard for a moment. He felt Erza stiffen.

"I heard it, too…" she whispered, harking. There. Steps. Right outside the house, swishing and sneaking. Noiselessly, the Queen of the Fairies crept out of bed, her body glowing momentarily when equipping her armour, sword in hand.

There was a scraping on the front door.