"I've heard rumours, but I couldn't believe them," Minerva somewhat gasped for air. "Pregnant doesn't begin to describe this – are you sure it's not overcooked?" She ogled Erza up and down, though mostly her belly.
"As if that's what striking," Rogue muttered to himself. His eyes flashed up from behind his fringe, glancing at Jellal. It felt uncomfortable for sure, though the lack of spite was surprising. Mistrust, yes, but no hate. Perhaps mistrust was even too harsh a word, but the conspicuous markings and sudden appearance in Erza's life without the Shadow Dragon ever having heard much of him carried a suspicious taste.
"If this impresses you, you should have seen Levy," Erza casually waved off. "She's due any day now, and on top of that, expecting twins," she excitedly shared.
"How far along are you then?" Minerva asked. Her eyes just kept getting bigger. It was curious how fascinated she was. The way she completely overheard the comment about Levy did not go unnoticed however, making Jellal stay on his guard. She was focused but not going to harm Erza; she simply had changed – he knew more than anyone that it was possible.
Still, too much attention on his wife by anyone who was not him was… not appreciated.
"Almost the eighth," Erza beamed. He felt her ribs expand into his palm where she proudly puffed out her chest. At the same time, he took careful note of her breathing pattern. Quicker and less deep – the baby really was taking up its space.
"But you are, what, twenty? Aren't you just a child yourself?" Minerva went on. Rhetorically, of course. And fortunately so, Jellal thought to himself, not very keen on being asked about his age. Or their difference in age.
"Twenty-one," Erza answered just a confidently. She had been glowing all night, no matter how many odd questions she was asked, or how many pityingly-amused looks she received for her hairdo. It was not horrible per se, and Jellal had meant to redo it after screwing up the first three tries, but she had liked it. She was more than convincing when it came to admiring his handiwork, only with the dozens of pairs of eyes on them now… Perhaps it would still pass for purposefully-messy.
A hand landing on his brought him back to the present. Erza had put her hands on her hips, still feeling as glorious as ever as she boasted with their soon-to-arrive family addition. And their tiny family altogether.
He knew her better than that, though; he knew she had intentionally shifted her right hand up further to reassuringly overlap with his. The coolness of her ring against his fingers added to his returning courage. Inconspicuously, he took a deeper breath, willing himself to an easy smile.
Erza responded with a slightly longer inhale, transferring right into his flank. She let nothing show. Instead, she carried on by retelling their honeymoon, something that caught more than the attention of just the two Sabertooth members. About that, there had apparently been rumours as well. Erza was more than happy to clear them all up.
Or confirm them, sprinkling in a bit of extra drama and romance here and there.
Though he would have preferred his name not to be mentioned as often, Jellal found he was not half as tense as he would have thought. He was lightyears away from his former self at the Council's Christmas gala, and even further from blushing and sweating with people watching them. Not that he was not warm, his face in particular, but it was bearable.
Contrary to Fairy Tail, Sabertooth could throw a party without everything going up in flames. Despite that, the buffet was a mess by now. As were most tables hosting Fairy Tail Wizards, but apart from that, nobody had been brawling hard enough to wreck furniture.
The hall was enormous. Decorated in white and gold, Sting was holding his birthday party at his own guild. The size of the building implied much more than a guild, but then again, they had once been the strongest in Fiore. Even though the list was long, they still offered all of their invitees from afar to stay, having prepared guest rooms.
Gajeel, Levy and Lily had not come. Gajeel had barricaded them into the hospital's west wing in preparation of 'pesky intruders' – aka their friends – and kidnapped Porlyusica as well as two midwives and a regular doctor to be on constant alert. Rogue had been more than disappointed that the Iron Dragon Slayer had not come, hence his presence in such a baby-driven discussion.
He might have been trying to understand the father-to-be, Jellal realised, still feeling red eyes boring into him from below.
"We only just celebrated her baby shower," Erza argued to add to Levy's tiredness. Someone not pregnant – and a powerhouse such as Minerva – had a hard time fathoming why coming to a party was too straining.
"Baby shower? Before the baby is there?" Rogue frowned.
"As is custom," Erza nodded matter-of-factly.
"A stupid one of you ask me," he tutted. "What if the baby doesn't make it? Or the mother? Death during birth is not too rare; I mean this isn't exactly an ideal world we're living in," he argued, slightly bewildered.
"Enough already," Minerva nudged his arm. "You're telling all this to a woman who's going to give birth; how can you be so insensitive?" She hissed at him. Not that it made it any less possible to understand them. "Also the most common issue isn't exhaustion, but when babies inherit strong magic powers with such a little body. The statistics speak for themselves," she added. Jellal felt his stomach lurch.
"Of course you were going to be first to make someone cry tonight – and you call me insensitive," Rogue grumbled.
"Please, Erza's above that," Minerva chuckled. Proving why she and Erza had become such good friends – she was just as insane, contradicting herself, convinced of her opinion and capable of the same oblivious merriment.
Only she was not taking Jellal into account.
"I wasn't talking about her," Rogue pointed out. Both Minerva as well as Erza turned to Jellal. Erza instantly switched gears. He did not notice her gaze until she had taken his free hand in both of hers, intently trying to catch his eyes. He swallowed. His throat had become tighter, and he prayed the twinkling chandelier lights did not give away the hints of panicked tears that had sprung to his eyes. Where they had been a light but constant blush, any colour had now drained from his face.
"I'm not worried," Erza said to their hosts, all the while giving his hand a firm squeeze. "If neither a dragon nor an asteroid could kill me, then this baby certainly won't," she decidedly declared. She was facing the others again, something he was equally grateful for, as he was for her stepping even closer to him. The eyes were off him, and he allowed a short exhale of relief.
She was right. She would be fine; both of them would be.
Just to be sure, he kept repeating it to himself.
"Cooool!" A new voice shot into their conversation like an arrow off a bow. It was not hard to guess who it was. "Erza Titania, so cooool!" Jason yelled, pushing his way through the crowd. "And baby!" He gasped, laughing madly as he pointed at her belly. Jellal did his best not to grimace too much. It did not work when instead of recoiling like he did, Erza proudly presented herself, arching her back.
"I'm out," Minerva stole herself away, wishing them a good time while avoiding the camera as if it were the pest. Jellal felt a tinge of envy, mixed with what could have almost been labelled as pride. Neither of them were keen on sharing their past; on facing their demons and terrible wrongdoings. Yet he was the one who remained, the one who did face what he dreaded the most.
He thanked Erza for it, but in the back of his mind, there was a speck of recognition that he was just as responsible for his courage.
"Just this once," Erza was saying, spooking Jellal. Jason juggled to get a good hold of his camera, jumpy as he was. Jellal blinked, another knot tying into his stomach, when she found his gaze. "But only if you're alright with it," she told him. Both him and Jason. Jellal swallowed.
He had no interest whatsoever in appearing in the Sorcerer Weekly, but he knew she did. The last time had not ended badly, he reminded himself. It had even served as gift to her, and it was not as if half the country did not already know, anyway. That, and his superiors would never be anywhere near a Sorcerer Weekly.
Sighing, he accepted defeat. Erza's eyes sparkled. Rising to her toes, she fleetly pecked his cheek. The flash went off, blinding Jellal for a second.
"That's not it but I still want to have it," Erza demanded. Jason nodded repeatedly, nearly bumping his head against his camera. "Okay," she took Jellal's arm. He blinked even more when she leaned her side into his chest, then placed his arm to hold her around her midriff. Her own came to hold on to him, and with the other, she grazed past his ear, running her fingers through his hair to keep his head facing forward next to hers. "Copy me," she instructed.
Slightly baffled, Jellal followed suit. Holding her to him almost possessively, his free hand ran up her nape, as if holding her face to him just as much. Her temple brushed his cheek, eyelids dropping slightly to give the camera an illustrious side glance. The flash went off. Jellal realised that he must have looked rather stupid, but he could not help it.
She had planned that whole thing through – the pose, the expression. She was even channelling magic to give the skirt of her dress that dramatic flapping. His gaze softened. Tugging ever so gently, he ignored the camera. She felt his eyes on her, glancing up from below. She was tense; too excited for it to work to enjoy herself.
Flashes haled down on them, but Jellal blanked them out. She watched his eyes, reading his thoughts and how he adored her child-like enthusiasm. Her own mellowed, and when he offered a fond smile, the corner of her mouth tugged up as well. He might have been weak for her model-gaze, but it could not hold a candle to a genuine smile.
She regained the spark in her eyes, the smile turning into a playful smirk, just before she properly turned her head to him.
"Cooool!" Jason was punching the air, his fists close to becoming blurry at the speed he was going.
"What's cool?" Natsu burst through them – right through the couple – hopping up and down in front of Jason.
"Oh my gosh, it's Natsu Dragneel! Cooool!" Jason howled anew. Jellal exchanged a frown with Erza. She only chuckled.
"Don't worry," she hooked her arm on his, leading them away, "I'll make sure we get those pictures."
"And see how they turn out before he thinks of publishing them?" Jellal hopefully asked. She pursed her lips, then nodded.
"Yes, of course we will," she smiled up at him affectionately. She would have preferred a positive surprise such as the other time, but he had already given in for her. Gladly, she returned the favour with a compromise. Her head dropped to his arm. He accepted the gratefulness just as quietly as she sent it.
He noticed too late that she was steering them towards the buffet. The dessert buffet.
"I told you, I'm winning this one."
"In your dreams, Flame Brain."
"Oh, yeah?" Natsu hit his own fist into his other palm with a smack. "Why don't we settle this here and—"
"How many times do we have to say it," Minerva growled as she led the way, "you can't just start fighting like that – we're not at your guild," she repeated.
"Juvia doubts that a referee will help," Juvia muttered.
"Yeah, it's not like Erza's any less destructive," Meredy agreed. She looked eager enough though; a proper Fairy Tail hooligan, if more behaved. She certainly did not lack the spirit, Lucy noted. Juvia and Wendy were the most reasonable alongside herself – as usual – because even Shelia seemed delighted to see the battle unfold.
Why all of them were marching down the hall to find Erza was a mystery though.
"Hey guys, wouldn't it be wiser to do this tomorrow?" Lucy piped up.
"No way; I've been itching to punch this Ice-Face all night," Natsu protested.
"Okay, but it's really late; what if they went to bed? We don't want to wake her," she reasoned. If there was one thing she had learned after weeks of camping with the team, it was that waking Erza – especially if it were the boys – was more lethal than beneficial.
"It's not that late," Gray shrugged.
"And it can't wait," Natsu agreed.
"Maybe they're busy," Juvia whispered, her face heating up.
"Wanna find out?" Meredy smirked. Having had a few drinks, she did not hesitate to link Juvia with Maguilty Sense. A pink bracelet appeared around her wrist, making Juvia wince. Lucy held her breath, while Minerva's and Shelia's eyes widened in anticipation.
Juvia staggered a little, eyes falling closed.
"Asleep," she breathed, and Meredy quickly resolved the spell. Gray caught his crush, and she melted into him like she had most of the evening.
Lyon had come as well: it had practically catapulted Gray's and Juvia's uncertain relationship status into a safe zone. She had turned into a puddle – once even literally – when Gray had splendidly defended her. Next, he had been assigned Wendy and thus Shelia to be added to his 'pack', or so Laxus had called it.
The latter had been too busy with a drunken, crying Mirajane, who had chewed his ear off – also almost literally at some point – about her little brother and his relationship. Her wailing had been the reason why Elfman and Evergreen had left early, only fuelling Mira's need to cling to Laxus. Anyone for that matter.
The next ones leaving, at least of those whom Lucy knew, had been Erza and Jellal. She had not even noticed, but upon meeting Yukino, the Celestial Spirit Mage had revealed to have showed them their guest room. She had also retold how it was a big room for the whole team, making Lucy bite her lip.
She was glad they had all slept over several times; she did not have to concern herself with it being awkward to be in the same room as the married couple. Thanks to Meredy's prank, they also knew nothing… inappropriate to be going on.
"Juvia likes this so much better," Juvia said, huddling against a blushing Gray. "She never wants to feel that again; that being hugged by another man," she shuddered for emphasis. Meredy's grin broadened. In a heartbeat, the bracelet was back, coming on and off as not to lull Juvia into sleep. It did the trick however, Juvia squealing complaints while shivers travelled down her spine.
Lucy could not stop herself from giggling. The smile froze, then fell when Minerva stopped in front of a door. She opened it wide without knocking, striding in with her gaping entourage.
The light of the corridor streaked the carpet. The room had been plunged into complete darkness before. Lucy could make out several beds against the wall; four on each side. On the right, two had been shoved together, the sheets rising and falling steadily. The silhouette closest to them stirred, a pressed breath being released as Jellal turned to glance over his shoulder.
"What…?" He drowsily breathed, squinting into the light. They must have left quite some time ago if even Jellal had fallen asleep. Erza was snuggled closely into his chest, held protectively by his arm and not rousing in the slightest by the commotion. She had always had a deep sleep, but the for her early hour – at least when considering the party going on – spoke of physical exhaustion that only pregnancy could cause.
Ichiya had flirted with her despite the most obvious signal that was her belly. Master Bob had flirted with Jellal, and the Trimens had flirted with every breathing female who was not Ooba Babasaama, Lamia Scale's Guild Master. They were the reason Wendy had been moved to stick to Gray. Of course, Erza and Jellal had come to each other's rescue, but while Ichiya was easily intimidated, Bob was persistent. A wink from afar was still a wink.
Natsu flicked on the lights. Jellal squeezed his eyes closed, then blinked in order to see. Wendy went to turn on a lamp on the couple's nightstand, and Lucy seized the chance to turn the ceiling light back off. Starting to distinguish them all, Jellal sank back into the mattress.
"Remarkable," Minerva muttered to herself. Lucy frowned at how their former nemesis observed the couple as if they were some rare species of deep-sea animals. Her expression spoke of a mixture of mystification, gladness and anger. She was apparently worse than Kagura – unable to see Erza in any other way than the formidable, unconquerable warrioress she was.
She usually was. Being clingy ruined the mental image she had.
Natsu saw right past the cuddliness, impatiently bouncing up and down.
"We need a referee," he declared.
"Referee?" Jellal asked. Not only did the requirement not ring a single bell, but they had come with eight people and two Exceeds. Had he asked, Lucy would have agreed with him that they were certainly sufficient in number to solve whatever problem they had.
"We're gonna fight, but Sting says we gotta have Erza there – not that she could beat me," he mumbled the rest with a small pout, "I mean Gray, sure, any day, but me—"
"They won't leave unless she comes along," Meredy clarified. Jellal let out a sigh. Turning back to his beloved, he was about to wake her when his best friend interrupted again. "Oh, wait," she grabbed Minerva's arm as if they had not just met that night. She dragged her over to the combined beds. "You gotta try this."
"Meredy," Jellal warned, though half-heartedly. He was too sleepy to protest when she made Minerva crouch down, so he went back to holding Erza. A strategic move, Lucy soon realised.
"Here, now pretend you hug him," Meredy instructed. Minerva flinched away with her hand, looking most stupefied. "Just do it; here," Meredy grabbed the wrist again, tugging it far enough to not only hover over Jellal's flank, but pass right under his arm.
Erza gave a sound in her sleep almost immediately. The strange hand obviously disturbed her, her brows knitting together. Jellal reassuringly rubbed her back but Meredy slapped his biceps to make him stop.
"Come on, just for the joke," she bargained. He reduced his influence to an unsuspiciously caressing thumb where Meredy could not see.
Lucy grimaced when Minerva was starting to enjoy their little mischief. She, too, had had a few drinks. They encouraged her to slip even further between the couple, snickering to herself when Erza grumbled something unintelligible into her beloved, drawing herself closer and closer to squish the intruder into surrender. Her hands wound around his chest and to his back, firmly gripping his shirt as not to lose him.
All of them winced when she suddenly snatched Minerva's retreating arm with lightning speed. In the other hand, a sword materialised, raised and ready to chop her captor into pieces. At least cut off that arm.
"Erza, no!" Meredy yelled. She dashed to help Minerva tear on her arm, the latter letting out an uncharacteristic shriek. Jellal resumed his stokes down his wife's back more animatedly. Reaching behind himself, he enclosed her unrelenting fingers, tenderly brushing over them to loosen the tension. She gave anther moan of complaint, then let go.
Minerva and Meredy stumbled backwards, while Shelia erupted with laughter. Wendy bore a sheepish grin, Charle shaking her head, and Lucy could only let out a sigh of relief. She would have liked to say it served them right, but losing a limb over something so trivial…
"Let me sleep, I have important things to do tomorrow," Erza said, muffled by Jellal's shirt. "Like eat," she added, turning over. She made sure that his arm stayed where it was, securing his hand over her stomach with her own.
"I'm sorry, love," he lowered his voice. Lucy could see the twitch where he suppressed the habit of kissing his wife's nape.
"No, you can't," Natsu urged. He shuffled over to her side of the bed. "You gotta get up and watch the fight," he wiggled as he crouched down in front of her face. "If you don't come, Sting won't let us. You don't even have to do anything; I'll just beat him quickly so you can go back here; or I'll just beat you right after, but we—" he choked when an armoured fist clashed down onto his head. As slowly as it had come, it disappeared beneath the covers again.
Natsu gave a strangled squeak, then collapsed. A bump was already growing on his crown.
"Gray wins," Erza plainly declared, not having opened her eyes for a second. The others fell silent for another moment. "Now go and leave us be," Erza snapped.
"Yes, ma'am!" Fairy Tail's members said at once. Despite not having joined the chorus, Minerva and Shelia were out the door the fastest.
"And Gray," Erza threateningly halted him in his tracks. He gulped. "No fights."
"Right, sure, no problem," he nodded, then grabbed Juvia's wrist. "Let's go," he pulled on her. She deliberately stumbled after him with hearts in her eyes.
"You comin'?" Meredy whispered loudly from the doorframe. Lucy negated, going over to where she had left her luggage next to one of the other beds.
"I think I'm retiring for today," she explained.
"Suit yourself," Meredy waved. "See ya tomorrow!" She grinned, then skipped after the others. She was usually just as cheerful, and while she was no coward, her tipsiness level could be measured by daringness. In other words, she had not had too much, but clearly not nothing either.
That, and tomorrow was the wrong term – it was well past two in the morning.
When the door shut, the light from the hall vanished. Only the small table lamp guided Lucy to the bathroom. On tiptoes, she snuck over, toiletries and pyjama in hand. She did not mind how the improvised double bed was right next to the door – watching them so fondly together was always a treat. Especially after having been witness to their many painful separations.
"Sorry," Lucy whispered.
"It's not your fault," Jellal calmly replied. Turning his head slightly, he offered a smile over his shoulder.
"No, I mean," she pressed her lips together, averting her gaze. "I don't want to intrude," she rucked up the bag in her arms. Jellal gave an allaying hum.
"It's not our room – you have every right to be—" he fell silent when Erza gave a faint moan. She made another sound as she back turned over, nestling up to him by pushing her face into the hollow of his neck. From tiredness small eyes softened. This time, he did lean down, placing a kiss on her forehead. She sighed in response.
"Is she asleep?" Lucy piped up after another moment.
"Mhm," Jellal quietly confirmed.
"Are you going home tomorrow?"
"Aren't you?"
"Oh, yeah, I am, I just thought maybe you were staying with Meredy," Lucy said. He frowned. "She's going on a double date with Juvia and Gray – you know, to make sure it'll go smoothly," she giggled somewhat awkwardly. The whole idea sounded like one embarrassing mess, so she was glad not to have taken their invitation.
"A date?" Jellal winced. Erza gave a noise of complaint, and he seemed to notice himself just how agitated he had become. Biting down on his tongue, he tried to settle down again.
"She and Cana are going with them," Lucy hastily added.
"Oh, Cana," Jellal deflated with relief. His eyes fell closed, the lamp on the nightstand blinding him slightly. Erza champed against him, curling her fingers around his shirt. Lucy could not help but frown with amusement.
"You don't think she could have a thing for Cana?" She put a hand on her hip, raising a playful brow. He only shrugged.
"I don't think Cana could have a think for anything but alcohol," Jellal drily said. Giggling, Lucy had to agree.
She disappeared in the bathroom where she got ready for bed. Inwardly going through the rest of her weekend, she planned ahead. At some point, she remembered Natsu who was still knocked out on the floor. At least he was not far away from a bed once he awoke.
The lamp was turned off when she returned, so she used her lacrima to see. Regular breathing could be heard from Erza and Jellal. Lucy found her bed to be cold in comparison to the cosy sleep warmth radiating from across from her. It took her a while to fall asleep, and not because of the party noise that continued down below. What she felt was not quite like one of their missions where they camped together and shared a tent; more as if she had fallen asleep on the side of her mother's bed, listening to peaceful breathing that lulled her into sleep.
Had someone asked her only a year ago; only just after the defeat of Zeref and Acnologia, how she imagined Erza's life in the future, she would have never guessed. Hoped for it, but not guessed. She wondered whether the Queen of the Fairies would have had even the faintest idea.
Fate could be such a cruel thing. At the same time, it could be a saint. Or perhaps, Lucy pondered, they had merely vanquished it, their love speaking of perfect harmony.