Fluff, fluff, fluff... hope you enjoy!

Erza sighed with content when flopping into bed. She could not remember what she had been doing all day, but she was more than ready to go to sleep. Even better than going to sleep: going to sleep with Jellal.

Turning on her side, head propped up, she regarded him. It was seldom that he was in bed before her, no matter their different rhythms. He always had something to do or finish. Right now however, he was like a plank – on his back, arms lined up with is body, and his eyes closed. More ready for a peaceful slumber than her, it seemed.

She nearly overheard when he spoke, his voice bordering a whisper.

"I'm cold," he said. Erza frowned. "I'm cold," he repeated. Perhaps he should have worn a shirt to bed, she pondered, scooting closer anyway to share her own warmth.

"Would you like a blanket?" She asked. It was odd; he was already covered up to his waist. She hovered above him, but when he insisted he was still cold, draped another duvet over him as well.

"…cold," his voice was becoming weak, so she nearly missed it. "I'm cold," Jellal breathed, "so cold." Erza's brows furrowed further. His eyes were having a hard time to stay open. She did not remember when he had opened them in the first place, but they were fluttering lightly, then as if weighed down by blocks of concrete. Even when he fought against the pull – losing almost instantly – she was not sure he could see much either way. Or at all.

He was starting to look weak overall, she noted. His skin was paling, somewhat greyish. His breathing became shallow. When she asked him whether he was alright; if there was something else he needed, he did not answer. She practically raked the blanket off him.

"Jellal," Erza put a hand over his still chest. She flinched back in shock – it was ice-cold. "Jellal!" Erza began to panic. Still nothing – no answer, and no movement – so she leaned over him, forbid herself any hesitation and replaced the blanket with herself. He was freezing, but she endured.

The mildest of breaths escaped him.

"Cold," was all she heard. Rubbing his arms, at the same time fearing she would make him scrunch up like a piece of paper, she tried to warm him up.
The transformation, it hit her. That spell really had been a curse. She speculated that his condition must have been some after or side effect, realising that he was cooling down because his cells had stopped working; his body was giving up.

He was dying.

Erza shrieked when his chest suddenly caved in.

Drenched in sweat, Erza startled awake. She was panting, her eyes wide and her mind as clouded with horror as it was awake. She slapped the mattress around her. Finding him nowhere.

He was not in the bedroom, she assessed with the briefest of glances, hurrying out and into the hall. The bathroom door was open, and with no water of the blocked-out shower running, he was not there either. Around the corner, the kitchen was empty as well. She threw the front door open so forcefully, it banged against the wall.

"Jellal!" Erza hollered at the top of her lungs. Her voice was scratching up her throat, a lump constricting it. Her heart hammered wildly when she ran out onto the street. Her lungs burned from panting alone, adrenaline pumping too fiercely for her to feel the pain of her bare feet scraping across the cobblestone. Changing clothes, no matter how quickly by requipping, did not cross her mind once.

Thoughts racing, Erza yelled his name again. He could be shopping. He could be at the guild. Praying that he was, not believing it anyway, tears blurred her vision. They were gushing from her eyes, panic fuelling the less oxygen reached her lungs in chopped-off gasps for air.

He was gone. She had not been able to protect him and so he had died and was gone forever. It felt as if a stake had been plunged through her heart, making it bleed out.

Erza halted dead in her tracks when she heard someone call her name. His voice calling her name. She nearly keeled over forcing herself to spin around. Frozen yet shaking madly from head to toe, she stared down the street. It was hard to see anything with her vision blurry from tears, but she would have recognised that man anywhere.

He stood there, just down the street where she had come from. He walked towards her, quickening his pace significantly once becoming aware of the state she was in. Hurrying to meet her, Jellal put his arms around her to catch a foreseeable collapse. He wasted not a second to pick her up, carrying her back to the house in haste.

He merely bothered with closing the front door, then climbed into bed regardless of their street-dirty feet. Erza quivered and jerked with hiccupping sobs, and he held her so tightly to him, he seemed to hug the tears out of her. Her hands were squished between their torsos, but she uncurled as many fingers as she could to grasp his shirt. She did not have the force to push him away to be able to breathe more comfortably. She did not want to push him away, either.

A minute passed. His arms ceased their squeezing only when she managed a by sobs uninterrupted, yet still staccato in- and exhale. Another minute. His chin hovered over her shoulder, lips close to her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, and his body was just as warm in comparison to her windswept attire. Two more minutes. Then another. Jellal began whispering those nothings she treasured so dearly.

"… alright, there's nothing to be worried about," he murmured. Her stomach cramped in overchallenged gladness when his chin finally rested on her shoulder. "I'm right here, and we're safe and not going anywhere," he lulled. "Remember when I stole those strawberries from the Wizard Saints? It means I get to stay right here with you, which I am, and you know I would never leave you again without telling you," he went on. "No tears until there's neither me nor a note to tell you where I am.

"Remember those strawberry men I just mentioned? And the attic where you made me sneeze six times in a row?" He asked once the tears had ceased flowing. He did not see, only listening to her breathing and feeling her chest rock against his. He knew anyway. "That's where I was working – I haven't exactly been able to do much since the beginning of my home office, so I thought I'd start early in the morning," he explained.

Her lids were growing heavy with the adrenaline fading. His voice was so serene and tender, she could feel her limbs slacken and her head drop to his collarbone.

"Would you like to stay with me?" He asked. It took her a moment to recall what he had been talking about, and the importance of it.

"I don't," Erza hesitated as she muttered into him, "want to intrude," she said. It was work after all – he was very conscientious when it came to the secrecy he had sworn, and she was the last person keen on him losing his job.

"You could never," he squeezed her again, "not with me, and especially not when I ask you to come," he leaned his head against hers. It warmed her so incredibly much, the way he wove his words and enacted them, Erza might have as well melted into him, never to leave the precious spot on his knees again. "You're running hot and cold lately…" he muttered, more to himself.

They sat there for yet another minute. When she finally detached herself from his shirt which now sported a wet patch, he was smiling so lovingly, it took her a moment to continue with her plans of getting up.

She climbed the ladder before him, waiting until he returned from the kitchen as announced. The attic was quiet, making her realise how little she must have been audible – especially to a man lost in focus on his work.

That, and she hurried to the bathroom so often, hasty steps were nothing out of the ordinary.

Jellal all but appeared behind her when she had been drifting into pondering spheres. He placed the hot chocolate he had brought on the desk – the beverage she loved on the desk she used to sit at in Fairy Hills. The sight of it all wrapped around her sore heart like a scarf, warm and soft and determined to keep any more chills out.

When he sat down at the desk, scooted backwards and patted his thighs, the time of hesitation was over. Erza seized any and all chances to be as physically close to him as possible, and sitting on his lap was one of her favourite things. So she straddled his legs, leaving her own to dangle on either side of the chair, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Ready to close her eyes and return to a more peaceful slumber than the last, she was briefly taken aback when he hindered her from putting her head on his shoulder. The hot chocolate, she thought, being surprised anew when he kissed her instead. Not that she complained.

A different kind of warmth tore through her; the kind that not only protected her from harm, but that welcomed her home. It made her quiver for a second. A smile crawled onto his lips, and when she mildly scolded his glee with a tug behind his head, he only enveloped her lips even more gently.

"Would you like your cocoa?" He asked, his face indistinct since her own was still too close. She directed her attention to the red markings around his eye.

"Are you sure it's mine?" She gave back, returning to her true nature as well.

"I had to make sure it turned out just right," he grinned. He tasted faintly of chocolate, and again, she was not one to nag about it. Neither did a word of remonstrance leave her lips when she got to drink the hot chocolate, however ungainly she had to do so behind his back. She liked her position too much to shift. It reminded her of those lazy mornings of hers, when he would take her to the kitchen, cradled like a baby and cheek by jowl as he conjured them breakfast.

Erza relaxed soon, smiling widely whenever he surrendered a hand back to her, stroking down her spine, drawing patterns into her hip, once even rubbing his head to the back of hers where she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Her eyes were shut, and whenever she was close to dozing off, she would fight to stay awake as not to miss his occasional mutterings.

"It says the accused had a dagger with him," he quietly said, perhaps as not to rouse her since he could never be sure. It made her stomach fuzzy and her heart light to know he would tell her things even when she was not consciously hearing them. She wondered whether he did so with the baby when she was asleep. "That reminds me of how you made that man believe you were proving his innocence, and then shattered his weapon," there was a smile in his voice. "When you said inappropriate things to me during the call and at the Council.

"It was also when I nearly floored Jura once he saw the ring," he grinned. Erza smiled to herself. She knew it had not been the same day, but did not feel the need to correct him. She was content.

She was also close to drifting off again not ten minutes later.

"This dates back to when I lost an epic battle in front of hundreds of people by laughing too hard," he broke the silence. She snorted into his shoulder so suddenly, she had to wipe it with her sleeve.

"Are you still bothered by that?" She asked. Her voice had become hoarse with sleep so near.

"I doubt it will ever not bother me," he kept from shrugging as not to disturb her. She lifted her head off him anyway, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"It shouldn't, although I have to admit, I would feel the same as you,"

"Even after all this time," he sighed. She kissed his neck and he caressed her back in return.

Minutes passed. Erza soon fell asleep, not a trouble in the world disturbing her this time. Whenever he was not occupied with both hands, one would wander to her. It only deepened her slumber. The sun was shining dimly through the rooflight when she awoke.

"…of Yuen suits you so well," Jellal was muttering under his breath. To himself, it seemed. A smile broke out across her lips. She wished to have heard all of his random comments. "At no point in my life did I dare dream this to become a reality," he went on. "Working for the Council of all places," he deadpanned, as if he had not been indicating the pregnant wife on his lap. Erza had to give it her all as not to snort again. "If they could see me now…

"Come to think of it, Ambrose already saw us like this," he said, still apparently to no one in particular, "and Jura was at the mansion that one time you fell asleep on my lap, so… it wouldn't really matter," he concluded. "I love you so much," he whispered, just as out of the blue as his previous confessions. Was he even capable of focusing on his work without her constantly making his thoughts stray?

Quite evidently, he was not merely doing it for her, since he blinked with surprise when she gave away to be awake. His cheeks sported a tinge of pink.

"Jellal," Erza said, having lifted her head off enough to meet his eyes, "would you like me to make lunch today?" She offered.

"Only if I get to make dessert," he countered steadfastly. She kissed him in response. Thanking him for all he did for her; the way he ironed out those creases in her usually indestructible mood. "And I think dinner would be more appropriate," he remarked. She tilted her head backwards, staring up through the window. Where she had thought it to be sunrise, it seemed more as if she had napped until the beginnings of sunset.

Was pregnancy so powerful it even brought Erza Scarlet to sleeping the day away?

"I'm sorry," she grimaced.

"I wouldn't know what for," his nose came to prod her throat, then her own when she looked at him again. "I was fairly productive, and for the rest I will have to call Ambrose anyway," he declared, "who will be going home in a short while, so let's eat instead," he smiled. She knew he was doing so for her – doing all of it for her, because she was sure he had not caught up on three days of undone work yet. Still, she could not refuse. She was hungry.

"Alright," she agreed. Sliding off his lap when he scooted backwards, she waited for him to finish sorting his documents. Watching him there, working at home – it was even better than when she had gazed down the balcony of his office. She had always had a protective streak to her, but steadily, she was becoming more and more clingy, too. She clasped her hands behind her back.

Jellal got up, then insisted on climbing the ladder before her. Ensuring a safer landing should she lose footing. It had never happened, but he was a master when it came to finding ways of looking after her. Which was more than she could account for, given the past few days.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into all that," she apologised after their early dinner. Guilt had not made itself scarce, still gnawing on her despite the warmly filled belly. Jellal gave a questioning hum where he poked into their dessert in the oven, seeing whether it was ready or not. "I should've protected you from that spell," she let her head hang. He turned, frowning slightly. "I said it before and I still mean it – I can't blame you for not wanting to go to the guild anymore," she sighed.

"I do want to go there," Jellal astonished her. She met his eyes, her own big and puzzled. "Just not until that last thing is forgotten," he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Her mind clicked, bringing a smile to her lips. "Didn't Mest have memory alternation powers…?" He asked, making her chuckle.

"It wasn't that bad," she shook her head. "And I'm confident it will fade into obscurity quickly with so many things happening every day," she reasoned. Fairy Tail was as lively as it came, and would contribute more than its fair share of drawing unwanted attention away from him. "Gray walks around naked all the time," she added.

"I'm not Gray," Jellal said between his teeth. Readying a plate, he missed her sneaking a bottle of wine into her storage dimension alongside a suited glass. "That reminds me though," he referred back to the transformation. "Remember when I was new to domestic life and highly appreciated the bathroom?" He asked. She was beginning to adore him starting his sentences that way.

"You appreciated everything from soap to running water and a roof," she recalled with a smile.

"Well, I'm back to the roots save the roof maybe. I think shoes are the new roof," he grinned over his shoulder. She squeezed him in response, enjoying how he took his time to let her soak up the hug for as long as she wanted to. Not least because she was not the only one who was savouring it.

"Dessert in bed?" She piped up after a minute. It triggered a chuckle, then a nod. She skipped away, summoning the wine in the bedroom to pour him a glass. He never did treat himself to much, and since he was not a sweet tooth like her, she had to find other luxuries.

He returned when she had only just fluffed up the pillows and draped them against the headboard. He raised his brows when spotting the wine.

"What's that for?" He did not even have to ask whom it was for. She might have been reckless, but she was not irresponsible.

Erza opened her mouth to respond, but it remained opened for another instant when her gaze fell onto the plate he was holding.

"Where's the rest?"

"There is no rest," Jellal casually said. She watched as he sauntered over to the bed, placing the plate next to the wine on the nightstand. Then he made himself comfortable. He even picked up the glass, sniffing the aroma.

"It's in the fridge, isn't it?" Erza put her hands on her hips.

"No, this is really it," he shrugged. She narrowed her eyes. "Would I lie to you?" He fluttered his lashes innocently.

"You might," she slowly said, still finding it suspicious.

"I know," Jellal suppressed a sigh. Putting down the glass, he outstretched his arms to invite her. Something she was unable to resist, no matter the circumstance. "Which is why I made only half the recipe so I wouldn't have to lie to you and hide it," he explained while she proceeded with caution. Ready to turn on the heel and snatch up the rest. "There really is none," he repeated as if having read her mind. "You can go and have a look, but since you always get stomach aches if you eat too many," he trailed.

After that ladder-body-cushioning-in-case-of-emergency earlier, she believed him.

Cuddled into his side, munching on the lemon-flavoured dough, Erza found herself in heaven. At home. The whole tribulation of a single day ago was as if washed away. It gave room to feline-uncentred thoughts, most of which consisted of baby-related topics by now.

"Jellal?" She broke the comfortable silence. How good it felt to speak his name and expect a spoken answer in the place of meows. Not that he gave one. With the arm around her waist – never telling her how it was tingling and numbing as not to shoo her out of their position – he tugged her closer, kissing her temple. It erased any leftover hesitation she had harboured. "Do you think we might fight about child education?"

"Without a doubt," he replied without needing to muse. It shocked her somewhat how immediately he had said it. That, and the fact that he was not joking.

Leaning away, Jellal put his glass back on the nightstand. Any lost contact was returned promptly as he faced her properly, his now unoccupied hand finding hers. Raising it, he pressed a long kiss to the heel of her hand. Another to her palm, to the tips of her fingers, before lacing his own between them. With a light pull, he had her meet his eyes mere centimetres away. "But it won't ever bring us apart," he promised.

He did not have to reel her in anymore. She kissed him back more eagerly than he had started out. When he peeled away, she used her chance to peck his lips once more, finally relishing the contact of his forehead to hers. Again, she believed his every word. And she, too, found her every dream scenario exceeded beyond her wildest imaginations.

A knock on the door kept her from voicing just that.

"Knock, knock," Meredy announced herself right after having used her own key to unlock the door. "Sorry for the assault but in my defence, I was followed," she excused. Both Erza and Jellal frowned, trying to peer past the doorframe to where the Maguilty Sense Mage edged into view. Next came dark blue, pink and blonde hair.

"I hope we're not interrupting you," Lucy grinned around the corner, half awkwardly, half teasingly. Letting herself in just like the rest of them. Relief was written across her face once seeing them clothed and cuddling, but Erza all but felt the spirit radiate over to her.

"Or whatever you were planning on doing," Meredy wiggled her brows. Of course, she was the last person keen on disturbing any intimate activities, but the innocence of the two just snuggling up in bed gave the opportunity for a playful remark or two.

Erza blinked twice when another two figures clustered around the others. Juvia was sticking to Gray like duct-tape, and judging by how he was making no haste to shove her off, their argument was long forgotten. Most confusing however was the fact that they were all taking off their shoes.

"Is something the matter?" Erza asked. They could have waited outside while Meredy entered to report. Or recruit, depending on what was needed.

"You tell us," Natsu slammed his fist into his palm, "We're all meeting at Lucy's and you're nowhere to be found," he grinned from one ear to the other.

"I didn't know," Erza said, her mind still not having caught up.

"Which is why we're here," Gray pushed past Natsu. Rummaging through the bag he was carrying, he revealed what Erza recognised to be a movie lacrima. Tension lifted off her shoulders, a strong warmth spreading through her like thick, gradually advancing lava. They just wanted to have a good time – and they wanted both her as well as Jellal there.

Not five minutes later, images flickered in the air, unfamiliar voices filling the room as much as the crunching of Natsu chomping down the snacks they had brought. And those Jellal had baked. How Lucy could understand anything where she sat next to him on the floor, leaning against the foot of the bed, Erza did not know.

Gray had chosen a chair – and a glass of wine to everyone's surprise. Juvia had naturally followed him, their legs touching as it was impossible to tell where one chair ended and the next began. She was watching him more than the actors.

Erza and Jellal had merely moved their huddling together up one bed – to the attic. Propped up against the headboard, they sat nearly gapless. Erza had spared one arm to hug Wendy close to her free side, the latter falling asleep before long. Meredy watched on her front at the end of the bed, Jellal nudging her whenever she let her feet shoot up to kick in the air, blocking the view.

After Wendy followed Erza. Sleeping through half the film, she did not notice when Jellal picked her up, struggling to carry her back to their own bed. Gray and Juvia did not leave this time, the house becoming filled with deep breathing and rustling sheets. Most importantly, there was his breathing right there, his arms around her and his heartbeat lulling her into a dreamful slumber.