Mikasa-Chan, don't worry about being late, remember this is not an obligation but payment in kind you are free to do or not. Thank you so much for reviewing now, I'm really happy to know what you liked! (Is 'nim' a Korean honorific…?) Stay healthy, too!
CheesyDelphox, thank you so much for such a wonderful complement! I'm really grateful for it!

Mitzy123, thank you, too, so much for such lovely praises! I can't believe I deserve them but it makes me so very happy to know that you like my writing and the moments you mentioned! Thank you!

Somnolent Sushi Roll, yeah the toothbrush :D Thank you so much for reviewing, you never disappoint; I always look forward to your remarks! Ah well, she really has one thing on her mind lately and the armour does suit her xD Trying hard to keep the sorcery up – your words always a great aid!

foxydame, makes me so happy to read and reread your review – so many details and even a quote, thank you so much for putting so much effort into reviewing! I appreciate it a lot!

Thank you all so much for your support! Author-San is more than happy to pay you back with chapters!

On a different note, I've taken the liberty of using our world's weekdays, seeing as the Fairy Tail universe both uses different languages (Blumenblatt, Kreuz etc. being German; Fleuve d'étoiles etc. being French; Ice Make, The Knight, Magnolia etc. being English; Juvia, Oración Seis etc. being Spanish...) and historically funded terms such as Christmas (meaning Christianity exists/existed/is somehow known) and July (meaning Caesar exists/existed/is somehow known). I hope it doesn't bother. I myself find it to be working fine.

Enjoy!

A hearty sigh escaped Erza's lips when warm water streamed down her head, rinsing out her hair. He handed her the shower head and she crawled forward to place it back over the faucets on the opposite side of the tub. Then she leaned in again, resting her back against his chest. Jellal gently shoved her off a little to have better access.

"Do you have any wishes for dinner?" He asked while combing through her hair with his fingers.

"I'd rather wish for you to tell me how it all went," she countered and he grinned which she could not see. "But I am rather hungry… do we have groceries?"

"Good question." He nodded. Judiciously, he gathered up her scarlet tresses that he had previously washed, twisting them around into a bun. "Maybe we'll find a night shop," he suggested.

"Mh," she agreed. She hugged her knees to give him room, closing her eyes. "So…?"

"Right," Jellal reached for an elastic, accidentally dropping her hair. "Well," he said with his lips pressing together to hold on to the elastic, redoing her hair, "they were not too amused with me imposing conditions and all – of course they thought I was joking but they figured I wasn't when I actually took the strawberries with me," he gave a short chuckle and she smiled with amused fondness. He stroked along the sides of her head, twisting once more. "And then they said they'd hear me out, which they did.

"It all went down the drain for a while… They took a couple of breaks in between – to discuss amongst themselves, but I didn't dare to leave and have lunch or so. Everyone seemed a little unsettled with you here as well, though they should have known, seeing as they sent someone to bring us here."

"They knew – the guards saw me and they had to have the order not to let me in from somewhere…" Erza grumbled. She relaxed from tightening her arms around her legs when he placed a soft kiss on her nape. It brought that small smile back to her lips.

"At first, I thought they were going to throw me out – hearing about you somehow really bothered them," Jellal went on, struggling with the elastic. "But I think they then found an advantage in that."

"In me?"

"All of Fairy Tail, I'd assume. Just like we speculated it to be an advantage for us to have me defend the guild at the Council, they probably calculate that they can pressure Fairy Tail to keep a low profile when it comes to destroying things by having me there – being able to threaten my employment,"

"As long as they don't threaten you," she growled and he laughed shortly.

"They won't,"

"They'd better not." She pulled a sour face. It loosened again when she focused on his movements. He had done the bun over twice, now finally done, though still tugging and plucking here and there. She later found it to be one of the best messy buns she had ever seen herself with, looking just so that one would believe it to be coincidentally casual.

"Do you have to redo your hair when it falls out of place?"

"When I requip?"

"Mhm," Jellal hummed, finishing his masterpiece. He wrapped his arms around her torso, gathering her up close to him again and it made her smile widely.

"Of course. It is the same with armoury that gets damaged – every change needs to be treated to later on if I trade it in for something else."

"Can I help you next time?" He asked. Erza giggled.

"You like doing hair, don't you?"

"I like your hair," he grinned. She smiled to herself, tracing down his arms to entwine her fingers with his above her ribs. "What would happen if you cut it? If it was short all of a sudden – hypothetically," he added, a tad hectically.

"I wouldn't know for sure, but I suppose my hair ribbon would be summoned and then everything would fall out again," she theorised. "I actually wanted to cut my hair,"

"No, don't," Jellal immediately said, making her laugh. The water splashed when he almost sat up and she tilted her head back to give him a quick teasing look at how upset he was. With a darker blush now, he settled down again, avoiding her upwards twinkling eyes.

"Just the tips," she appeased. He sighed in relief, enticing another giggle.

"…why?" He asked, his voice having retreated into a pouty one.

"It's healthier," she argued. He muttered something incomprehensible and she smiled broadly at how adorable he was. And how protective not only of her, but her hair, too. It was understandable that he was so besotted with it. She was, too, for obvious reasons that predominantly involved him.

"So… dinner,"

"Dinner," he agreed, mostly to save himself the awkwardness.

Erza hummed into his mouth. Her lips moved, slowly, lazily, plastering open-mouthed kiss after open-mouthed kiss on his. He returned the gesture, one hand gently tangling in her hair, cupping the back of her head. She was smiling and so was he. They had been for a while.

With her eyes closed and her mind in cloud nine, Erza inhaled the irresistibly enchanting scent of Jellal in the morning. With her entire body – and not only because it fully rested on his – she savoured his warmth, melting into his every touch.

Allowing her tongue to travel, she traced his lower lip, then the inside, her smile tugging up playfully when being greeted by his. She allowed him access into her own mouth, then sloppily took his lower lip between her teeth before kissing him again, sucking lightly to make that satisfying smack. Jellal moaned, muffled by the love-drunken kisses he fondly returned. She loved hearing his moans, giving her goose bumps of pleasure.

How he had been able to keep the secret of having gained both his new job and stay in the guild for so long that last evening was an enigma to her. It had been a game to him, she assumed. The way the pressure had finally been lifted off his shoulders had not gone unnoticed, however. He had sung to himself, exceptionally upbeat while cooking dinner, having too much energy she had not expected. It had sounded dreadful, but he had not seemed to mind all that much, making her very happy to be allowed to listen to such a flawed tune.

Erza brushed her finger over his ear, leisurely parting his lips with hers, closing them again with long breaths down his cheek. She could feel the skin around his lips dry out, no matter the saliva they traded. It did not seem to occur to him how swollen his lips would be. And she was entirely too lovestoned to stop, anyway.

He tasted like a piece of heaven and she sucked and licked and kissed his lips with an ardently slow pace.

"Mh, you like that spot, don't you?" Jellal's voice drowned in her mouth and she gave a smile at the small vocal sigh she lured out of him. Like was an understatement. Laying on top of him was one of her most treasured goals of the day.

"Is it uncomfortable for you?" Erza peeled her lips off his, her smile widening tenderly at how his eyes took another moment to finally open.

"No, just makes me feel a little stiff for a while," he jerked his shoulders up once to demonstrate.

"That can be helped," she let her lids lower, hands running up and behind his shoulders. "Turn around," she murmured. Jellal gave a reluctant exhale through his nose.

"As much as I'd love to," his hands took hers back, holding on to them, "I have to go to work."

"Now?"

"In less than an hour."

"Can't you do that another time?" She nagged in a pouty voice, knowing herself to be wrong but feeling it to be unfair regardless. Unfair to her, that was. Jellal chuckled. He pecked her palm, then the heel of her thumb.

"It's my very first day of work,"

"So? It's Friday. Can't they give you a long weekend?" She asked and he grinned. His caresses wandered further to her wrist, taking extra heed of being careful with her now merely faint cuts.

"I only got this job over an eight hourlong trial – I doubt they will go as far as giving me days off yet," Jellal argued. "And even if they would for some inexplicable reason, I don't want to push my luck."

"Oh, but stealing their strawberries from right under their noses is fine," she bickered, pushing out her lips, cheeks puffing.

"Will you give that a rest?" Jellal laughed, poking her side and she yelped, growling into his face that he raised up to place a teasing kiss on the tip of her nose. "I was a little overzealous, I get it," he huffed and the face he pulled cracked her up. Giggling, Erza leaned down to meet his lips once again. Not letting him go for another needy ten minutes of lovestruck smooching.

Erza had to smile when swiping over her lacrima to access it. Jellal had borrowed it in the morning, having remembered their groceries at home to be going bad if uneaten. And who knew how long they would still stay. She was up for it, even though she missed her own bed. None of the provided ones were just as right – she had flopped down on every single one and also tested most of them a little more unconventionally with him.

Make yourself at home and don't have any parties unless you can make sure I won't be able to tell afterwards.

His message to his guildmate read below the food-related explanation. And the news about the job plus Fairy Tail. In between was Meredy's excited call he had had to shorten considering the time. Erza had then called back to give a more satisfying report and Meredy had happily listened. And reported herself.

Apparently, the Sorcerer Weekly edition of 'Titania Tamed' was one of the highest-grossing issues yet, only a handful of ranks beneath Fairy Tail's glorious win at the Grand Magic Games and the return of the guild following the seven year gap.

Also, so Meredy had snickered into the lacrima, Mira had pinned the glossy double pages up in a corner of the bar, mumbling some sort of mantra about babies to herself every morning while clasping her palms together in prayer. Erza was still slightly creeped by the image in her head, the fact that it was so perfectly picturable making her believe the story without a doubt.

Now scrolling through her list of contacts, Erza frowned. Lucy did have her own kitchen, but judging from that last incident, she would perhaps not be the right person to ask. Wendy was a master of pancakes but Erza feared that to be most of her repertoire. Meredy knew how to cook, though, it seemed, only the simplest things or whatever needed the least ingredients.

It did not have to be extraordinary, just… more than passable. And let's face it, Erza was not the greatest of chefs.

Sighing, she slid back into the dining room chair. She had trawled through the kitchen and the small private library already, not finding anything on zucchini. Or eggplant. He must have had something in mind when they had bought it the last night, or at least been keen to eat them.

Unfortunately, the public library was closed as well and Erza had not searched any further in town to see if there was another one.

Putting the lacrima down, she decided to do just that. She jumped when something suddenly thumped against the window. Turning, she stared into the perfectly round eyes of a pigeon. Or one eye at least. Then the other. Erza stared for a whole while longer, watching how the bird rotated its neck this way and that, as if intentionally having flown against her window, now regarding its result of a baffled human person.

In a bolt of genius, Erza remembered when she had last seen a pigeon so purposefully seek out people. Her, to be precise. She cautiously neared the window, finding her theory to be true when the animal did not fly away and – making her smile in triumph – had a small ribbon tying a piece of paper to its leg.

Reaching for it, Erza shrieked when being pecked at. Out of reflex, the lunged for the bird, which promptly flapped away and into the nearest tree. Great. Groaning, the Queen of the Fairies opened the window wider, climbing out. At least she was on ground level, quickly equipping boots when her socks soaked in the remains of yesterday's snow.

The pigeon was meanwhile practising grooming of its plumage. In a coat and shawl now, Erza planted her boots into the ground beneath the tree. She had to crane her neck to look up, catching sight of her target in a branch that did not seem too unreachable.

Feeling like an idiot – and not without a few self-conscious glances to all sides – Erza hugged the slim trunk with her arms and legs, crawling up like a caterpillar. The pigeon took notice of her, giving a curious glance with its head turning rapidly from one side to the other.

"Come on," Erza pressed between gritted teeth. Shoving herself further and further, she started to wonder what to do once she was within reach. Almost high enough, the only unoccupied branch was too low for her arm, so she threw up her leg, stretching it over the height of her waist, somehow ending up stuck but at least not without grip.

She winced when hearing a voice call out to her. Cursing inwardly, she peeked past the trunk to awkwardly grin at an older lady, worrying for her. The pigeon curred, almost as if mocking her. With her face now red from embarrassment, Erza ensured everything to be alright, closing her eyes in more mute swearing when she had to yell to be understood and alarmed even more neighbours.

At some point, when everyone had been appeased, she found the bloody bird to have gone back to the window sill, peering in with interest, probably enjoying the warmth or perhaps looking for another, less violent target to deliver its message to.

Her scarf had gotten stuck but with her foot freed, Erza managed to get back onto solid ground. She kicked the in rage chopped off branch behind some bare bushes, advancing the pigeon once more and accidentally scaring it into the house. It was a step in the right direction, she told herself sternly, shutting the window behind her.

It took another twenty minutes to get the bird to settle down and take the leftover toast from breakfast as a bait. It was apparently well fed, merely picking at the meal without so much as swallowing one crumb. Still enough distraction to finally unfold the message.

My dearest knight in shining armour,

I have been told that Fridays are off earlier, meaning I will be with you soon.

Still not used to indicating identities,

Your devoted Stargazer

Erza pressed the tiny sheet to her chest, closing her eyes as she sighed dreamily. Gods, he was adorable. And obviously unable to wait to tell her, having gone through all the trouble of writing and sending her the note instead of just coming back unexpectedly soon.

Soon. It dawned on her not a second later. Her surprise dinner! Her heart began to drum even faster than it had when trailing her eyes over his beautiful handwriting. How soon was soon? In any case, she needed an oven recipe now, seeing as it would be hard for him to interfere with her cooking if it was already in there should he come too early.

She swiped over her lacrima again, this time searching for a particular contact. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

How do you make zucchini? She sent. Her legs wiggled in impatience and she gasped sharply when remembering to preheat the oven. She checked the lacrima. Nothing yet. She put another question mark. Her socks soaked further with the snow she had brought in.

The pigeon was quietly inspecting the untouched vegetables on the counter.

Good evening, Erza. Stupidly perfect punctuation and everything, Erza thought to herself, even if she was guilty of the same crime. She had no time to complain about it. And could not afford it.

Mira, how do you make zucchini? Her fingers flew across the small keyboard.

That's a very vague question.

In the oven. Erza specified. She exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. Early was vague, too. It could merely be an hour sooner than usual. Or an hour from now. She did not know when 'usual' was, either.

Hm… that's a tough one… Mira stalled. Erza held back a growl, rolling her eyes instead. Her guildmate answered so fleetly, there was only one explanation as to why she did not just spill the beans.

What do you want Mira?

I'll trade my information for yours. Came back almost instantly. One could practically hear the sweetly innocent smile.

Forget it.

Have you checked recipe books? Mira digressed and Erza could see the taunting finger tapping on the She-Devil's chin before her inner eye.

Don't have any.

There's always the library. There was hardly a pause to digest the bitterness of her situation. Whoops, my bad, that's closed now, isn't it? Came right after. Well informed, Erza noted, this time snarling under her breath. The pigeon threw a precarious glance.

Erza started pacing.

You seem to be in a hurry. She read on her lacrima. She slammed it onto the table. Wouldn't want that surprise to go to waste… it said next. Erza fumed. How did Mirajane just know what she was up to? Not that it came as much of a shock but the fact that she was right and Erza so helplessly dependant on her knowledge made the Queen of the Fairies stomp around in frustration.

She really wanted to do something for him, maybe even impress him for once instead of always the other way around. He hardly let her spoil him, this was the chance to establish more of a give and take.

She grabbed a knife. The pigeon flapped away when she neared its spot, holding the knife down on the first zucchini. She hesitated. Then put the blade back down. Because what if that was the exact wrong way and she ruined it from the start?

With an exasperated groan that scared the still trapped bird anew, Erza fetched back the lacrima. Bargaining with information on his job accomplishment would not work since she knew Meredy to have told the guild. That, and she did not have the time for any more delays.

Her fingers hammered onto the screen.

Fine. Yes, I sleep with him. No, I am not pregnant.

Are you sure? Mira's guaranteed sugary voice read the words in Erza's head hardly a millisecond later.

"Mira…" Erza ground her teeth, giving an irritated sigh.

Yes.

Because you visited the toilet so unusually frequently at the guild.

Stop stalking me.

And your mood is shifting much more than usual…

Stop researching symptoms that apply to neither of us! Erza was steaming, her cheeks tinted a dark shade of pink.

You seem a little upset with the topic. Perhaps you want to see Porlyusica about it? Just to be sure :p The message read. Erza was so close to just hauling the damn device out the window. Or into the wall. Or down the- she stopped mid-thought. Another thing came to her mind. Something she had never wanted to use, but it was inevitable. With Jellal possibly arriving any minute, she needed every trump card she possessed. And she had just the one.

Her fingers continued in a coolly stiff pace.

Remember that one Christmas when you had too much to drink and Lisanna later wondered where her favourite belt went?

There was a brief pause.

Slice in half and sprinkle with oil and salt. Bake until soft, then add tomatoes and cheese and let everything bake for another few minutes.

What about eggplant? Erza asked, a complacently sly expression on her face.

Same procedure, less baking time.

Thanks.

What are friends for? Mira was sucking up again and Erza gave a dry chuckle, shaking her head. She had no time to read any more of the attempts to stay on good terms; she had cooking to do and fast.

In the meantime, the pigeon had extended its realm by a corridor, roaming about the mansion in search of an exit.