Now here's the true cure to a writer's block (at least the motivation to going on despite it): YOU.
Thank you all so much for so many encouraging reviews; they really make my day over and over again!
Mikasa-Chan, don't apologise for anything; it's a privilege to have you reviewing in the first place, thank you so much for taking the time between all of your stressful duties! You're my moodbooster, too! Haha, I don't have Thanksgiving, it was just an expression to give thanks to all of you but thanks anyway :D Have a good day, too!
CheesyDelphox, thank you so much for reviewing! I think I've asked this someone before but what does it mean 'she's a mood'...? And Laxus will be coming up, don't worry! Would you like action scenes to be involved? Or just his appearance/interaction etc?
Mitzy123, ah, so long, thaanks! Where are your manners, wanting that poor bird's innocence shattered xD Thank you so much for letting me know to have liked the Ichiya part, I'm really glad to know it reached you the way I wanted to. He's not easy but hilarious to write.
foxydame, seeing you review makes me smile like an idiot in return, thank you so much! (I forgot the muffing and they dried up, heh ':D) Thank you so much on commenting on so many things! I'm happy to know you liked Meredy's dialogue and Ichiya's as well. And such praises, my goodness, thaaank you! It's not always easy to balance the 'formal' way of speaking and the casual, more relatable one but I'm really happy you liked it and that it was in character! Also, I had to switch to the app cause your review was too long for an email, thank you so so much!
Somnolent Sushi Roll, thank you so much for your review! (What does 'going on a turtle phase' mean? Google only gives me information on marine reptiles...) And always the details, I love when you point them out, thank you so much! And so long! I can't say it enough, but I really also can't get enough of your comments on the story - thanks!
Hope you enjoy!
Erza followed through the halls unknown to her. She used to be in the Council so frequently – excusing Fairy Tail's latest destructions, delivering apologies, being arrested for show. Now that everything was rebuilt, most parts of the original structure were lost but the feeling was about the same. The design still spoke of luxury, of power, represented in every ostentatious detail. She wondered – knowing Jura and Warrod to be rather humble – whether it was all just for purposes of status or whether the rest of the Magic Council had ordered it to be this way. Perhaps it was just a gift from the palace, another notion hit, seeing as the new members had not actually stepped into action of their own accord.
Turning yet another corner, they finally arrived at their destination. The archive had a ceiling by far lower than the rest of the building and it smelled of concrete and dust. It was cool inside, racks over racks of closely stuffed files filling nearly every metre of the available space.
"Could you...?" Jellal handed her the documents back she had brought, his mind already absent as his eyes scanned the small letters marking the rows of files. She watched him stroll along them, one finger running across the paper backs, stopping so precisely at a single one, it looked as if he had worked there his entire life. "I found this yesterday but I didn't deem it too important," he informed, taking the file, skimming through the sheets. Closing it again, he took it with him, closing the door behind them and trying to talk her into giving back what she was carrying. For naught.
Erza almost had to laugh at how his excuse had merely been to save her from Ichiya, seeing as there was nothing impossible for a single person to handle.
She marvelled upon arriving at his office. With shining eyes, she hardly noticed him to unsuspiciously retrieve the paperwork from her arms as he crossed over to his desk.
The ceiling reached at least another storey high, as did the windows. The walls were lined with shelves, all full of encyclopaedias, scrolls and ancient tomes. A light blue to turquoise wainscoting covered the lower third of the walls, the rest in a bright white, giving an even grander air about the actual size of what was more of a private library than an office. A flight of winding stairs led up to a gallery over half of the room, giving a perfect view out the high windows, as well as down to the door and desk ahead.
"I haven't been able to clear this off yet – these are supposed to go upstairs somewhere," Jellal pointed at a stack of books in front of the shelf nearest to him. He shuffled with the files on his desk, dropping a few currently irrelevant ones onto his chair.
"Allow me," Erza went to pick up the stack, squishing it to her chest in order to keep it balanced.
"You don't have to," he said but she was already making her way past the shelves that acted as walls, blocking off the view of the first half of the stairs where they separated the room. Across the stairs, she discovered a seating area with a loveseat, an armchair and a coffee table, all in front of the window and just as hidden behind another wall of shelves. It gave the feeling of the office having been two rooms once, now structured the same with racks instead of walls.
Up on the balcony, Erza found another chair in the opposite corner, broad and cushioned at the back- and armrests. The stripes were rather hideous but it looked comfortable enough. She placed the books down in front of one of the shelves. For a building having been burnt to a crisp and then reconstructed not too long ago, they sure had a lot of literature already. It was hard to find even a single slot for one of the books, so she left them on the ground. Much more interesting sights had to be regarded.
With her arms crossed over the railing, Erza leaned onto it as her eyes fixed on their target. Jellal had sunken back down into his chair by now, the previously occupying files now on the floor while the new ones were spread out across every last millimetre of his desk's wooden surface and beyond. He was scribbling onto feint-ruled paper, his other elbow propped up, hand raking through his hair. He gave a sigh, leafing through a few documents, scanning another before his quill continued taking notes.
Erza felt her insides warm and her heart beating a little more prominently than before. She loved this. She was so glad for Ichiya to have somehow made her end up here, she nearly had the urge to find and thank him. Nearly.
Watching Jellal, having gotten a good look at his surroundings at work made her smile. She could imagine him there now, picture his office the way it really was, know what his day must be like while she went about hers. It was a nice thought and she wanted to burn what she saw now into her inner eye, to be able to recall it every time she wondered how he was faring.
There was a knock on the door and Jellal reacted only a moment later, giving an absent hum. Another knock prompted him to actually raise his voice and the door opened immediately after.
"Master Fernandes, we have a slight problem here," a young man entered – well, man was for debate. A young anthropomorphic amphibian stepped inside, holding up a file. They all looked exactly the same to Erza and she knew she would already be incredibly bored with her beloved's job but he seemed content.
"What is it?" Jellal kept on writing, only lifting his quill off the paper when the file in question hovered right over his desk. With a frown she could not see, he took it. A single glance was enough and he closed it not a second later, handing it back. "That one is done – I submitted it the day before yesterday; it was supposed to be on the 'completed' pile," he explained courtly, too involved in his own work to notice the colleague's eyes to be wandering. He dropped the folder onto the furthest corner of his table when it was not taken from his hand, carelessly continuing with his own task.
"Who is that?" The frog creature asked, eyes staring up at Erza who blinked friendlily. "No one but members of the Council are allowed in here – I shall throw her out myself-"
"She's allowed in here alright," Jellal said, attention still on his own work.
"But-"
"Leave it,"
"This is outrageous! She could be snooping or worse! A spy! Spying for... for someone!"
"Did I mutter?" Jellal finally lifted his head. His eyes were dark, overshadowed with threat and his lips tight, jaw clenched. His subordinate swallowed.
"No, Sir,"
"Don't forget this on your way out," he tapped the only closed file on his desk, hinting rather bluntly at a timely leave.
"But the woman-"
"Is my woman- I mean belongs with me," Jellal shook his head for a second, then returned to glaring at the frog creature who could not stand another threat, grabbing the folder and hustling out the door. It closed with a light bang of hectic. With a deep sigh, Jellal's shoulders sank once more, his focus shifting back to his elegant handwriting. Erza could not help a smile as it stretched across her lips when hearing his words. Still, it fell a moment after.
She made her way back down the stairs, coming to stand behind him.
"I'm sorry if I caused you trouble," she said softly, "I can go,"
"No, don't worry about it," he shook his head again. She slid her hands through the messy strands of his hair, replacing his own hand. It lured out another sigh, this time not exasperated. Tenderly massaging his scalp, Erza found him to relax more and more, his quill as if flying across the paper. "But if you don't want to sit around here all day, I'll show you out," he added.
"I'll leave if you want me to,"
"You know I never want you to leave," Jellal tilted his head back, meeting her eyes as they lovingly returned his gaze. Leaning down, she met his lips with a hum, smiling into the kiss.
"That secluded sofa over there would be perfect for making love,"
"Erza!" He scolded and she giggled at the blush that rose in his cheeks, granting a teasing peck to his forehead.
"I jest,"
"Well, now you've gotten that into my head," he complained, picking up his quill and dipping it into the flask of black ink. She smirked, her hands running through his hair again.
"It's always best to act on those ideas – will clear that up for sure," she nodded in a played seriousness he huffed at.
"You minx..." he grumbled under his breath, making her giggle once more. Summoning an elastic, Erza found great pleasure in gathering her beloved's blue strands up into a tiny ponytail. She delightedly flicked it a couple of times, letting it bounce off her palm. "Having fun?"
"Mhm," she smiled complacently.
It was not long until the next subordinate arrived with another problem and Erza felt like a proper secretary, retrieving the files and noting down what had to be done in her beloved's stead. The frog creature eyed her suspiciously but she let it bounce right off her. In her head, she was already seated on his desk, legs crossing and fingers reaching for his tie. Why did he have to wear something so infuriatingly attractive when going to the office anyway? He was always handsome, no matter the attire, but that suit did to her what she did to him in heels.
Playing the secretary gave her an idea, though, and Erza's mind soon travelled into spheres not too safe for work.
This was no good, she thought, knowing that she would ruin his professionalism and perhaps even threaten his position altogether. That, and she had no matching underwear to go with a secretary-like outfit – which, of course, had to be bought as well. But he had said to want her there and she felt bad if she would waltz out the door right now, even if it was for important reasons. She wanted to keep him company; she wanted to watch for a little longer, how he sat there, completely absorbed in his element.
Another two anthropomorphic amphibians came by before a familiar face visited.
"Erza," Jura greeted when she opened the door for him, "what an unusual guest,"
"I hope I'm not unwelcome," she nodded her head but he only smiled.
"As long as work gets done – however I cannot speak on behalf of the others," he warned kindly.
"Of course," she agreed. She would have to be more careful for her beloved's sake, she knew. Those frog people were not the friendly type and if either of them felt like making up a story to the Council members, he would be held responsible.
Jura exchanged a few case-related words with Jellal. Erza stepped away, going around the wall of shelves to glance out the window. The view was tremendous, overseeing the entire centre of Era. She tried to find back where they had taken their stroll, where she had shopped and where they had been buying groceries together.
It was never smooth to go shopping for food together. She would always find him at the checkout, waiting to get out and away from any crowd, however small, too fast and organised for her to keep up and take her time with selecting what she craved that day. That moment. Just like when they had been to town together for the first time, the urge to flee; to keep a low profile was still embedded in him and they clashed a little every time he ran and she stalled.
Several town squares caught her eye but she now attempted to find the outskirts where the grand mansions with the neat front yards were. She knew the approximate direction, only it would be hard to distinguish the houses from one another.
"Looking for something?" Jellal's voice startled her just above her ear. A smile soon replaced the shock and Erza gladly brushed her hands along his arms as they came to enclose her stomach. Linking fingers, she leaned back into his chest.
"I didn't want to intrude," she said, listening whether there were still steps or a voice in the room with them. She highly doubted it by the way he so boldly showed his affection.
"Oh, but doing it on the couch is just fine?" He teased. Pouting, Erza nagged unintelligibly, shoving him away, proving to be just as futile as she had hoped it to be. Giggling softly when he successfully calmed her with a kiss to her nape, she gave a sigh. Her vision focused back on the view below, though not at anything in particular. "As guilty as I feel for not paying attention to you, I really enjoy you being here," he said, putting the side of his head against hers. She smiled when his chin came to rest on her shoulder, her hand coming up to cup his cheek.
"I'm glad to be here with you, too," she turned her head, pecking his other cheek.
"It's lunch break now," he announced, "want to grab something in town or order in?" He asked, pointing at a trolley she had previously not noticed. This one was for coffee, occupied by a tray of sugar and an empty milk jug, as well as a set of unused porcelain cups, but she could imagine one to be carted in at the ring of a bell, stocked up with deliciously smelling warm meals. It was not hard to decide which option she preferred, not to mention in order to see what his daily routine really looked like.
She smiled at the gentle caress of his thumb on her stomach, giving his hand an appreciative squeeze.
"Order in."
Jellal stopped mid-sentence when there was a knock. He quickly finished his word, then got up as quietly as he could to answer the door. It was pitch-black outside, the clouds covering the moon and a single lamp on his desk being the only source of yellowish light in the entire office.
"I thought you'd still be here," Jura greeted him.
"I just wanted to get this done," Jellal sheepishly scratched the back of his head in return.
"You say that every time – leave some work for the others, too; they'll need to know how to handle it for when you're not here," the Wizard Saint kindly said.
"I'm almost done," Jellal promised as he usually did. At the low volume of his voice, Jura raised a brow, giving a questioning glance past him into the room. Jellal stepped aside to grant him entrance, pointing to the wall of shelves by the window side. Jura – not without another politely checking glance towards his inferior – crossed the room to peek around.
Erza was soundly asleep, curled up on the loveseat into a tiny ball, her beloved's coat draped over her. Her side rose and fell steadily and she clutched his scarf to her face.
Jellal had to smile just watching her sleep. They had chatted almost past the end of his break and then she had busied herself with sorting out more books to go upstairs to free the space he needed for files. She had redone his hair and then her own, finally resorting to polishing her daily armour and then messaging her friends. He had checked on her regularly, at some point having found her to be sleeping.
"Someone in the research department mentioned she was here," Jura quietly said, already retreating back to the other side of the office. Jellal frowned, though not in astonishment.
"I hope it's no trouble," he began but Jura calmly shook his head.
"If it were someone else, most likely, but I know Erza; she is very trustworthy." He nodded. "Just be careful around the others,"
"As long as no one mentioned it to them…" Jellal said, a little sharply. Of course, he was only 'the new guy' but hierarchy was something very important at work, especially when it came to the Council. And though Erza did not hold a position there, any of his orders regarding her sojourn should be respected without question.
"They don't show you up; they're no hypocrites." Jura said, if slightly strictly. "They only say these things for us to overhear and then decide whether to pay it any mind or not. They're very diligent workers, too, so you may rely on them," he advised. Jellal sighed under his breath. "Don't let prejudices blind you,"
"It's not that, well," he supressed the next sigh, "it is in a way, but rather one of personal experience," he vaguely disclosed. Back at his desk, he let the tips of his fingers brush along his suit's jacket where it hung over the backrest of his chair. Then he skimmed his notes, taking the previous hint and starting to sort all sheets into their respective files again.
"The most recent trial, I presume," Jura knowingly guessed. Surprised, Jellal looked up. "Don't look so shocked," the older man laughed softly as not to wake up Erza. "Did you really think we didn't know about it?"
"I just…" Jellal frowned to himself, trying to busy himself further with tidying up. And he told himself it was not only due to wanting to make the perfect impression by following orders. He wanted to get back to the house, too – seeing Erza all comfortable and so very huggable made him yearn for nothing but that. "It was never mentioned," he finally said.
"We don't take part in every sentence of the magic world in Fiore – there would be no time for that," Jura informed. "But you may always trust that we know about everything going on in our own headquarters,"
"Everything?" Jellal accidentally asked out loud, awkwardly pressing his lips together when Jura laughed again. He forgot to be quieter this time, though Erza was hardly bothered. She gave a soft moan in her sleep, shuffling with his coat, telling him that she had changed position without getting up. The apology for the raised volume hardly came through when Jura's eyes twinkled with amusement, continuing to do so as the blush rose to Jellal's cheeks.
Not that he had seriously considered to make love in his office – or any other room at work, to be precise – but if they knew everything, had they some way of hearing what was going on? Did they know about her suggestion…?
"I will leave you to it," Jura saw him off, meaningfully wishing a good night as another indication for the workaholic to finally go home. And he did – not without another thought to the 'workaholic' term his brain had summoned, having to admit it to hold some truth. It took only another minute until his desk was spotless again, mostly thanks to Erza's clearing out during the day.
On silent feet, he snuck around the shelf wall. She was now facing the backrest, knees still drawn to her as much as possible, making her slide off with her torso. Crouching down, he put his hand below the small of her back as to catch her should she start moving.
"Erza," he gave a gentle nudge. With a pressed breath, she curled up more tightly before arching her back in a half-hearted stretch. A tiny squeak escaped her as she tried to give a hum and he would have bet his every Jewel that her eyes had not opened once. A broad smile stretched across his lips.
"Done…?" She cawed, hugging his scarf closer to her.
"Mhm," he affirmed.
"Come to bed then," she yawned, sinking back into the cushions with a tired sigh.
"We're not yet home," he reminded, receiving a disgruntled grumble from deep within her throat. With an amused exhale through his nose, Jellal gave another nudge, only to be met with another small sound of discontent.
Getting to his feet, he went to where his desk was, putting over his jacket before coming back to slide both hands beneath her. A pleased smile formed on her lips when being lifted into his arms, and she dutifully kept hold of his coat and scarf while he carried her out the door, having to close it with his foot. It took a while to arrive at the entrance of the building and he felt her eyes open and fixating on him at some point. Half-closed and sleepy but adoring and happy at the same time.
There was hardly a soul still present, only the guards eyeing them in confusion as they opened the large doors into the cold night. Erza walked back herself, returning his coat to him, but her steps were heavy and dragging and she complained with more groans when he reminded of having to get ready for bed first.
Luckily for her, she did not have to take a single flight of stairs, comfortably cradled in his arms again the second they entered their temporary home.