You guys motivated me so incredibly much last week, I ignored my assignments to write - and managed more than one chapter in that one day! Thank you!
CheesyDelphox, thank you so much for so much screaming (I always read it as screaming; loving the capital letters xD)! Very amusing to decipher the excited mess that was so full of passion, it made me really happy to read! 'This is not a drill' cracked me up xD
Mitzy123, yess, more screaming :D Thank you so much! I always smile like an idiot when I see those exploding reviews; then I shout them at my mama to get across the capital letters xD I'm always so proud of these reviews, I have to show them around :D
Guest, screaming out their lungs for an entire line and then half of the next, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it (and got scared half way through, hehe, I'm so mean :D)!
Mikasa-Chan, thank you so much for all of those happy capital letters! I'm really enjoying all of this so much, just like the last chapters it's like a flood of angrily/happily screeching fangirls (and boys?); this is so great :D your Makarov wish shall be granted.
Isanien, thank you so much for your review! For saying it was so them - it's a huge compliment that I've managed for them to stay in character; thank you!
Wendy Marvel, using your powers of a guest to write multiple reviews... I like your style (sly look). Thank you so much for all of them! And so long! The chapter's 'well cooked and tasty' xDxD Thank you so much for such an oddly fitting praise :D And so many more; if I was an anime/manga character, I'd be blushing to the rooftops! You're too kind, thank you! I'm happy you're enjoying the humour; that's never easy so I'm all the more happy you like it and it's reaching you! And so much thought you're putting into this! It's definitely a wonderful line and sounds as if coming right out of Erza's mouth - I'll think about where it could come in (and dearly hope I won't forget until then). (Heart) back!
foxydame, so loong, thaanks! I just love how you're all like 'it couldn't be more perfect' when the entire date was going down the drain; that really made me laugh :D I'm glad you liked the 'not beating around the bush'; I often slip into clichés or just get attached to one idea that every of my poor pairings have to experience it (should you by chance have read 'Goodness', you'd know and see later too xD), so I'm glad you liked the execution of the reveal! Thank you for your kind feedback on that! And everything else regarding the scene; I'm really grateful for such detailed thoughts, thank you so much! (did the review get cut off?)
Frangellica, good to hear from you! Thank you so much for your reviews! Haha, my others stories are partially years in waiting so I know what that's like and I'm sorry for the readers (but this has priority right now ;D). I'll be happy to write throughout the further pregnancy; I have a couple of things planned for that. As for whether its a boy or girl or even twins, time will tell...
Guest, so much excitement, thank you so much! No signal sucks, glad it's back now :) That was so cool, reading about how you usually review and how you did it now; it's so nice to know and of course, most of all, how it felt and that it made you feel something - thank you so much for such a detailed review! You're welcome for the shattered heart, I guess ':D but it honours me to know I can stir that much emotion in you, it really does!
(also, forgive me if I'm wrong but you sounded like a certain sleepy roll of rice which I am currently missing...)
mitchellejones, thank you so much for leaving me a review! With so many lovely reviews, you're all more than welcome the chapters!
Without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy!
With a light thud, Jellal placed down two cups of tea on the table. Sliding into his chair, he watched his guildmate receive her own, not stopping to ramble for a second.
"…which is really nice but also really spicy," Meredy blabbed. "And we went to the huge shop to look at some wallpapers, though I think I should be getting a bed first," she grinned, gladly repeating most everything about her sleepover at Juvia's. "Anyway, how was your date?" She sipped her tea, hissing when it was still too hot.
"A little chaotic," he stared down in to his own, "hardly a restaurant was not booked out due to Christmas,"
"I see,"
"Oh, and I'd like you to return the favour, by the way," he glanced at her through the thin steam of his beverage. Meredy tilted her head, from sleep messy curls falling over her shoulder. He himself was no better – no matter what he did, he looked like a corpse. And he felt like one, too. "You'll come shopping with me," he said matter-of-factly, trying to blind out the teasing spark her eyes gained, "clothes shopping,"
"My clothes are fine," she immediately felt attacked, crossing her arms over her chest. Only highlighting that neckline of hers where it dipped down more than a tad too low for his liking.
"I was referring to me," he suppressed a sigh, "but while we're at it, it would be a good idea to work on your wardrobe as well – you can't walk around like that,"
"What? Why?" Meredy scowled at him, finally realising not to be acting for her own good, bringing her hands down onto the table.
"It's too suggestive," Jellal shook his head disapprovingly. She snorted.
"I've been walking around like this for years,"
"Men are vicious creatures,"
"Oh my god," she groaned, dropping her face into her hands.
"And now that you've reached an age where people will notice…" he emphasised, ignoring her overdramatic annoyance. "You know how they are, especially when you're all alone or-"
"Reached?" Meredy tuned back in. "Jellal, I'm a grown woman – I might be older than your girlfriend!"
"Fiancée,"
"Fiancée then," she waved her hand dismissively, sipping her tea. Then choked when realisation hit, spiting the hot beverage out and into his face. "Fiancée!?" She blurted unbelievingly, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Yes, and I don't know what that has to do with anything; don't try to distract off the topic," he calmly continued while wiping his face.
"Hey, woah, woah," Meredy was standing by now, her chair scraping across the floor, "now don't you distract. These are vital facts, you hear? Vital."
"I just really don't like you walking around with a neckline that-"
"You didn't! Did you?!" Meredy grabbed his collar from across the table. "Tell me you did!" She shook him rather heftily, eyes burning as much as they sparkled. "Tell me you asked her!" She almost hollered. He gave a nod, his own chair falling over with her raking him to his feet. His eardrums felt as if they burst when she squealed, probably alarming half the neighbourhood. How Erza slept through it was a mystery.
The bedroom door opened not much later, however, bare feet padding into the bathroom. The shower's stream sounded a moment after.
Jellal sank back into his seat, having to pick it up. Meredy was still dancing around the kitchen, almost as much as Erza only hours ago, though causing less destruction. Until she rammed into the fridge.
"Whoops," she threw him a grin, leaning against the lowly rumbling furniture until it steadied again. "Awww, I can't believe this!" She sang when she came back over, practically flying up onto the table with her elbows, chin resting in her hands, a huge smile directed at him. "Did the boys talk you into it? I told them they had to do something," she nodded sternly.
"So that's why…" Jellal muttered, still busy fighting his blush. "But no," he corrected, watching her face fall into a pout from the corner of his eye, "they weren't what convinced me,"
"'What'?" She repeated dubiously. Jerking his head to the side, he waited until she followed the gesture, sitting back down.
"They did help," he admitted, "but I think their ideals made it all worse in the end," he scratched his clave with his foot. That 'perfect scenario' of a date had made him run around like a madman, almost having shot the entire operation down due to the high expectations. "I don't think I would have had the guts if…" he inhaled in preparation, closing his eyes, "if it weren't for the baby…" he mumbled. Half hoping she had not heard.
Her huge gasp told him otherwise.
"Erza's pregnant?" Meredy whispered, having chocked again. He nodded, not meeting her eyes. This time, he winced at her sudden squeal, pursing his lips at how long it lasted. And almost threw over the table this time. "Oh, this is all so exciting!" She wiggled in her chair, having a hard time with staying seated. "You know, Ul and I always talked about exactly that,"
"Come again?" He raised a brow, uneasily returning avidly blazing eyes.
"Well, if it'd happen to either of us, it would've been you and- oh, we've been praying for it to happen this way," she hopped while still somewhat sitting. His shoulders fell slightly, a frown crowning his forehead.
"Unplanned…?"
"No," she did not even harp on about his greatest concern, "you and Erza!" She raved, oblivious or perhaps intentionally glossing over his insecurities. Somehow, that eased him, if merely for a heartbeat. "We used to make scenarios where you were pregnant, too," she laughed, back in her own world of the past and he quite liked the shift of focus.
"Is that where that 'mood swing' whispering always came from?" He took a sip from his tea, raising a single brow at her.
"You heard that?" Meredy grinned sheepishly, though by far too excited to stop smiling and waggling.
"More than I would have liked to," he sighed.
"You were always a little moody," she defended and he gave her a look.
"That's called stress,"
"It was funnier our way," she pushed out her lower lip and he let it go, knowing that it had been their way of keeping their own stress at bay during precarious missions. "The way Ul always talked about it – I think if it wasn't for Erza, she would've taken everything into her own hands," she grinned and he rolled his eyes. He had always been the worst basket case of the group, or so the girls had always said.
"With 'everything' you mean my child," he plainly said, earning himself another squeal. Blushing profusely, Jellal stared into his cup. It had come out to naturally, so protectively, he could not even pinpoint how it felt to have said it. His stomach gave a few twists for sure.
"I still can't believe it," Meredy swooned, skipping around the kitchen again. "If there's anything, anything at all that I can do for you two – three," she squeaked again, making him move uncomfortably in his chair.
"That, for a start." Jellal let out a pressed breath and she stopped, apologising. "No, not," he pointed up and down, not looking at her with puzzlement blinking eyes, "that – Erza would love it, but… please don't tell anyone," he met her gaze pleadingly, almost desperately. He could not handle himself just yet, needing more time to figure out his own feelings – it reminded him a lot of when they had begun to see each other, keeping a low profile until they had come to terms with their by the minute growing affection. So, until filling anyone in, he had to sort out his own troubled mind.
"Of course," Meredy smiled gently. Allowing a small sigh, he returned it, only to have it falter a moment later.
"Oh, and one more thing," he lifted a finger. "We need a wedding. And quick."
"Roger that."
"I know she believes me but I don't want other people starting to think I only proposed because of… the pregnancy," he glued his eyes to his tea, not quite feeling like drinking it anymore. Anything for that matter, neither eating nor drinking. The entire situation was a little nauseating, and though he was surprised by himself being able to talk about it while in such a collected state, he felt the pressure gnaw on him the second he was left alone with his thoughts.
Because what if people did notice? What if she chose a dress that would be tight enough for her stomach to show? It was tiny and could well be the result of a big meal beforehand, but there could always be jokes and speculations and he feared the looks and questions. Not least did the thought of a wedding scare the hell out of him.
And then there was the pregnancy itself.
"Right," Meredy nodded understandingly, "you were just too much of a chicken to ask," she reminded.
"Hey!" He shot her a look, her eyes still sparkling at him. But his voice quieted right after, head sinking again. "Chickens are braver than you'd think," he muttered, tightening his hands around his cup.
"Are you defending yourself or fowl?" She raised an amused brow. His lips pursed, eyes trained downwards.
"…fowl…" he mumbled and she inhaled for a laugh when the bathroom door opened. Steps echoed down the hall, though not until the kitchen. They became heavier, boots having been equipped in her stride.
"We're off to the guild," Erza called from where she was almost out the door already, simply including him in her statement. Meaningfully, she left the front door open as she went, though she might have as well forgotten in her excitement. She had not noticed Meredy at all, or so he guessed.
Meredy giggled.
"Someone couldn't wait," she snorted, shaking her head with a grin. Joining the gesture, though with more unease plaguing his stomach than merriment, Jellal obediently rose from his seat. "Welcome to marriage," she nudged him, finally cracking him up, if only for a moment.
"As if it's ever been any different," he remarked and she shrugged in agreement.
"Let me," Meredy took the two cups from him, turning on the tap, "you go on ahead," she went to grab the dish soap but he took her wrist, lowering it. Then he turned off the water, meeting her eyes from below.
"I'd rather we go together," he offered a somewhat tormented smile and her own softened.
"Okay."
It was buzzing and noisy as usual in the guild hall of Fairy Tail. Most of the members had only just eaten lunch, the clinking of cutlery dying down, exchanged for the swashing of the early afternoon beer. Drying plate after plate, Mira watched the growing chaos with content when suddenly, the due to the icy wind closed doors burst open.
Not a single wizard was not looking up, everyone staring at the Queen of the Fairies as if she had brought Death with her for a visit. Wordlessly, her steps being the only thing cutting through the tense silence, she strutted over to the bar in a determinate pace. Her eyes were hard and unreadable, fixing Mira who slowly let her rag sink. She was about to open her mouth to speak, not quite daring with the foreboding silence, deciding to round the bar instead and meet her guild mate halfway but the latter had already arrived.
The entire hall winced when Erza slammed her in armoury clad elbow down on the bar. With her eyes never leaving Mirajane's unsettled ones, she let the gauntlet glow, then disappear. As soon as the light had faded, Mira's eyes popped at the glistening of the ring's diamond. The ring. The ring's diamond. The diamond ring on Erza's finger.
An ear-splitting squeal made the entirety of Fairy Tail – and most likely half of Magnolia – jump once more. Mira practically leapt over the bar, down on her front, grasping the hand to draw the engagement ring into her face for closer inspection. A smug smirk settled on Erza's lips.
"He asked you?!" Mira all but yelled. At that, benches flew and tables fell over in the hectically rising and clustering guild members, crowding around them. Gasps and exclamations drowned out the complacent hum Titania gave in affirmation. Then they exploded into whoops and cheers. "Bless whoever invented the tradition of proposals on Christmas," Mira was now muttering into the hand she was still holding on to with both of hers as if in prayer. "I was prepared to kick his butt if he wouldn't have asked, you know? I was waiting for New Year's Eve," she nodded seriously.
Erza's smirk only grew, the hint of a grin she tried to suppress in order to stay cool shining through. Not as much as her ring, though, and by far not as much as the dozens of pairs of eyes staring at it, more and more hands reaching out for hers, trying to get a better look at the ring.
"What's the big deal? Did he buy Erza?" Natsu punched his way to the front.
"What's with you and selling off people?" Lucy scolded, then resumed to stick to him in order to get through the tight cluster.
"Who's says it was him?" Another voice piped up but Gray's fist quickly put an end to the speculations. He shook his head.
"As if there's ever been a doubt, dimwit,"
"Who're ya callin' a dimwit, ya dimwit?" Natsu turned around, baring his fangs.
"I wasn't even talking to you, you complete moron," Gray rolled his eyes, dodging the first flying fist, ducking beneath to appear right next to Erza. His eyes widened upon seeing the masterpiece of a ring. "Woah, that thing must've cost a fortune," he marvelled, just a second before he was hit in the face, sent flying into Elfman who in turn flattened another three people in his fall.
It all went downhill from there but Erza was unaffected, still sitting at the bar with that smugly proud smile of hers while the girls gathered around to swoon over the ring. The bundle of brawling men froze when two more figures appeared in the doorway and another uproar followed the first with even louder whoops and congratulations. Jellal scratched his nape, bearing the embarrassment with a tight smile, reluctantly crossing over to where his beloved was still surrounded by admirers.
"Congrats!" Lucy and Wendy were skipping just like Meredy had not too long ago. The latter was staying close to him, her own smile wanting nothing more than to burst and join the excited squeals but she kept her composure. For his sake, Mira guessed, eyes sparking up at his insecure tone.
"What exactly did she tell you?" He tried to give an amused grin and the with delight overwhelmed girls only laughed, not suspecting anything. Mira did. Her ears perked at the comment, eyes narrowing in curiosity – something he caught on to immediately, only making himself more suspicious by the flashing of his eyes to hers.
"Oh? Should she have told us something besides the engagement?" Mira beamed her most innocent smile at him, propping her chin up on her hands.
"I was just hoping to get a chance to plan our wedding ourselves," he smoothly teased with a sheepish grin, again fooling everyone but the She Devil. Or at least so she told herself, torn between believing him and doubting his admittedly convincing act. He was always a little nervous, a little reluctant and more than just a little unused to groups of people – or social interactions with people in general. He could very well be telling the truth.
But he could also be telling the truth and lie at the same time, she realised.
Too bad he was not as bad a liar as Erza, Mirajane thought to herself, perfectly aware of how she could spot almost any lie falling from her friend's lips. She did not know him well enough to tell but that could be worked on. Laxus was not the best source of information after all – if she wanted to crack the code, she would have to do so herself. And she had just the idea of how to loosen his tongue.
"So, I'm guessing I'll have to stock up the bar for a bachelor party then," she grinned. Even more when his own face faltered a little. Bingo.
And of course, the time between a proposal and the actual wedding could span from several months to a year or two, but she needed a pressure to push some buttons. The right ones, quite obviously. Though whether he was sweating due to fearing drunken honestly or his beloved having even a drop of alcohol, she did not know.
"Says who? What kinda crap are ya-?" Gajeel's voice boomed above the commotion, announcing his and Levy's arrival at the guild. Confused, almost looking offended, he barked at anyone and everyone, not wanting to believe what he was being told. "What? Titania's getting married!?" He hollered indignantly. A second later, the girls shrieked when he pushed them aside, dragging Levy after him.
She exchanged an apologetic glance with Jellal who looked just as uncomfortable. She whispered her congratulations and he mouthed a 'thank you' back.
"What the hell; she can't do that!" Gajeel glared at the admittedly stunning ring, then Erza's pleased smirk. "You can't get married, not before us!" He tugged on Levy for emphasis.
Erza let her until then for display upwards pointing hand sink, leaning onto the counter with a loftily lifted chin.
"And why not?"
"We were together for a longer time already," Gajeel argued, and she only raised an unimpressed brow.
"Jellal proposed first," she gave back in a collected voice. He growled, leaning down to stare directly into her confidently sparking eyes.
"But Levy's expecting," he gestured at the mould on his girlfriend's stomach that seemed to be growing by the day. Lifting her chin a tad higher, Erza met his threateningly glinting eyes without blinking. She opened her mouth for a counterattack, but she hesitated for the split of a second. Mira felt a jolt along her entire body, leaning over the bar in anticipation of what she desperately hoped to be an accidental confession. She crossed her fingers, nearly able to inhale her friend's hair by how closely she had advanced.
"It's not a race," Jellal interrupted, easing the tension, making Gajeel back of, even if his entire face spoke of disagreement. The cluster of girls and now boys again all held their breaths, though more due to Erza's still feistily glinting eyes. "I just want to marry the woman I love," he gently took his fiancée's hand, kissing her palm, mesmerising her to an extent where Mira thought to have seen the ever-stoic Titania's knees momentarily shake. Melting at his words, she settled down again, much to everyone's surprise. "And you will be the first ones to enrich the guild with a new member after all," he then turned back to the couple. The Iron Dragon Slayer's shoulders dropped, his trademark grin settling on his face.
"Geehee," Gajeel smirked, seeming content with that. Levy sighed in relief, sharing a loving gaze with her boyfriend before gratefully blinking at Jellal.
Somehow escaping the crowd that was now listening to a complacent Gajeel's boasting about his girlfriend and a flustered Levy trying to make him stop, Erza and Jellal snuck off again to spread the news. This time, it would involve a question beforehand, so Mira guessed, watching the two enter the Master's office.