Hey! First of all thank you so much for your reviews!
I can't reach you otherwise, so thank you, Guest for your lovely review! I loved reading it, and yes, the guild will soon know...
Also thanks to KiraKate, though it will take some time until you read this ;)
There's a mission on Author-San's request board for all you Jerza shippers: Gajevy's twins (boys) need names! If you have suggestions, I'd be more than happy to hear them :)
Just like the rest of the household, Meredy could not stop smiling. No matter the whining and crying, even at night, it was still a blessing and they treated it as such – their healthy baby.
Jellal had never been smiling as much as he did since the birth. He hardly ever stopped, not during breakfast, not at night, not even in the shower – not that Meredy checked. Erza had told her so, though her own smile was just as impregnable.
Erza herself was sometimes still under the effects of the precipitate labour. She would sleep restlessly or look pale, shaken from time to time with the same sudden helplessness as during the rushed birth. Meredy would watch over the baby when those fortunately scarcer growing phases set in, catching glimpses of how Jellal's focus shifted to nothing but his wife, his voice softening into a mellowly soothing timbre while his embrace was tight and secure. Erza would let herself be absorbed in his comfort, effectively drowning out she light quivering of her knees within minutes, lasting her an increasing number of hours until the next needy hug.
He provided as much as she required and more, and they would quietly chat for hours on end, their daughter right in their middle where she slept, ate or listened absently to what she did not yet understand.
Jellal's eyes had never sparkled the way they did whenever he laid eyes on his baby. She had had him under her spell since the moment she had been brought into the world. He was content with just watching her, staring at her little chubby cheeks and tuft of scarlet hair, holding her hand or whispering to her, enamoured by her every sound, her every moving and blinking. His smile withstood every sleepless night and even at work did it remain – however seldom he actually sat down in front of the Council's files during the first half of the second week.
Meredy took as much as she could off the couple's hands. She cooked when he was not fulfilling his beloved's wishes, washed, went shopping and took care of cleaning and the garbage. The lack of resistance by Jellal, usually prudent not to have people lend him a hand unless absolutely necessary, told her just how exhausting both his and Erza's new roles were. That, and he was often dwelling in entirely different spheres, charmed by his daughter's every breath.
There was a lot to do with a baby in the house. Washing had developed into a more frequent task than cooking with the number of nappies Rosemary used within one day.
"She uses them more quickly than they can dry," Jellal had said the other day when sending Meredy into town. "Terry cloth or cotton – preferably terry cloth; makes cutting them easier," he nodded, inwardly already calculating.
"You know you can just buy them," Meredy had tilted her head when he had rummaged through the closet for needle and thread.
"Yes, but they cost a lot more per piece than if you'd do it yourself. Here," he had weighed down her palm with Jewels, helping her into her coat she had not yet decided on wearing. It was a true challenge not to let his or Erza's hectic transfer onto herself. Mostly his. "Get six metres. Six times one point four, and feel it beforehand – make sure it's nice and soft. Ask them to feel—"
"Yes, yes," she had sighed, leaving before he could shove her across the threshold.
Meredy caught herself sighing more often than the newly minted parents. Still, the task was rewarding when she learned alongside Erza how to change and then swaddle Rosemary into her fluffy terrycloth blankets.
She was a ray of sunshine. Most things seemed to make her happy, making everyone else happy in turn. She liked her blankets, but she also liked to aimlessly twitch and wiggle her short legs – weakly, but gladly with all the approvement she received. She loved warm sponge baths and nappy changes, enjoying the attention at all times With big eyes, she watched her parents with wonder, looking as if she was deciphering an ancient code in an attempt to understand what they were telling her – and they told her plenty. She liked balmy sounds like rippling water or rustling of sheets, and she disliked harsh and loudly clinking noises such as spoons on plates – not least because they meant a shift of attention off her.
Above all, she loved her parents, their scent alone lulling her into sleep.
It was not until one and a half weeks that patience about the couple's absence was thinning out to an extent that Meredy heard a careful knock on the front door. She had been texted several times, though she had mostly been too busy to respond, replying vaguely that she was staying with Erza and Jellal.
Two friendly yet nervous faces greeted her at the door.
"Hey, Meredy," Wendy smiled. Juvia went straight for a hug. Meredy smiled into her shoulder, returning it with the same vigour her friend put into it. Wendy's was short-lived, her glance flashing past the Maguilty Sense Mage and to the ajar bedroom door.
"Juvia was worried," Juvia said.
"Everything's fine, don't worry," Meredy assured. But the gazes burned into her with impaling curiosity, going back and forth between her growing smile and the door. So she nodded affirmatively. Juvia's hand clasped over her mouth to stifle a squeal while Wendy gasped.
"Is the—" she cut herself off when the bedroom door opened.
"Meredy," Jellal was yawning, one hand ruffling through messy hair as he blinked into the light, "did you—" he choked on his question when Wendy stormed him with a hug. Now blinking down at her, he took a moment to understand the situation. His nearly ceaseless smile returned, and he enclosed the young Dragon Slayer's back with both arms. "It's good to see you, Wendy," he said, then greeted Juvia who was desperately trying to peer past him. "Would you like to see her?" He asked. Hefty nodding bobbed against his stomach. Juvia's face became all blurry with the amount of nodding she did.
"Her…!" The two girls hissed in unison to one another, though puzzlement set in as they mused whether he had simply meant Erza.
Meredy had to grin, seeing the beaming smile of pride on Jellal's lips as he stepped aside to open the bedroom door wider for them. They completely forgot about taking off their shoes where Rosemary's spell captured them within an instant.
Bundled up in her terrycloth, she laid in front of her mother's bare chest. Erza's flank rose and fell where the sheets loosely framed her side, one hand beneath the pillow while the other was draped over the sleeping form of her baby.
Wendy snuck closer to the side of the bed. Juvia hardly dared, remaining in the doorframe while Jellal followed to where his daughter gave a coo in her fading sleep. She took a couple of deep breaths, readying for a rich yell at the top of her small lungs when she suddenly seemed to reconsider. Jellal's smile burst as he watched the habit unfold that she had developed – changing her mind the last second when her nose told her just how close she was to what she desired. And she did not have to open her eyes once.
She latched on without hesitation, greedily suckling for a few moments. Erza stirred, a smile broadening her lips before she had opened her eyes. They fell to her daughter, lovingly watching the brief dessert session of autonomous hunger-stilling. Another habit – the dessert-like appetite after a full meal. Jellal commented on it every day.
"Erza," Jellal found her gaze. It made her notice their guests. Releasing the now contently crowing baby, she outstretched her hand to Wendy. The latter quickly took the offered hand, then the invitation of an improvised hug where Erza slung her arm around her as the young Dragon Slayer sat down.
"It's alright," Erza released her fosterling to extend her hand towards Juvia. Shyly, the latter neared, her eyes watery with moved tears at the scene she had just witnessed. She had her hands clasped in front of her chest, tiptoeing to the side of the bed. "Would you like to hold her?" Erza offered. Both of her guests' eyes widened. "She still needs to be burped," she informed.
Sitting up, she cradled her satisfied daughter to herself. Then she handed her to Wendy, who was frozen stiff with nervousness, but she dared once Jellal had crouched beside her. He guided her hands and she held her breath in awe when big green eyes first squinted, then outright stared at her.
"She's so tiny…" Wendy whispered. Rosemary waited for another moment, finally deciding that she did not like to be held by a to her complete stranger. Her chin wobbled and her eyes frowned unhappily in what was bound to become a wail. Wendy panicked, her already clumsy hold tensing up as she sought Erza's glance for help.
"Just give her to Jellal," Erza gently advised. Doing as she was told, having the task taken from her halfway, Wendy and Juvia both marvelled at how the apparently picky baby stilled all protests the moment her father's scent surrounded her, his smile washing away any insecurities.
Wendy watched, though there was something more to her unsettled demeanour than the potential crying she had just witnessed. Erza noticed, exchanging a meaningful glance with her beloved.
"Want to see her in daylight?" He distinctly asked Juvia, who seemed more than keen on the previously offered burping, following him to the kitchen as if glued to his heels. Meredy smiled to herself, pulling the door closed without having the lock click as she left the two others alone.
.,.,.
"She's so cute," Wendy complimented. Erza's smile widened. She reached out her hand again, and Wendy dashed forward into a hug. She hardly noticed Erza to requip into a top. "Oh," Wendy pulled back, though without retracting her arms. She eyed the retreating bulge that was Erza's belly uncertainly. "Is that…?"
"It's just the uterus that still needs to shrink," Erza allayed. "It's like the flat she grew up in – now that she's moved out, it will slowly be taken down," she grinned, and Wendy mirrored it. "In a couple of weeks, it'll be back to normal; breastfeeding apparently burns a lot of calories," she explained, partly to herself. Wendy nodded, understanding but now yet allayed.
Gently, Erza released one arm to brush a strand of hair behind the young Dragon Slayer's ear.
"What's bothering you?" She unceremoniously asked. Wendy almost winced, sinking into herself as her gaze lowered. There was a trace of shamefulness in her reaction, and Erza frowned where she tried to read the troubles off her guildmate's forehead.
"Nothing," the latter lied quietly, "I'm happy for you," she said, obviously guiltily, "I really am," she emphasised. Her eyes shimmered, so Erza relieved her by pulling her close in a hug.
"You know this changes nothing about us," she assumed. This time, Wendy did wince, and Erza knew she had hit home. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you for a while now, but you know I'm always here if you need me," she leaned back to meet submissively rueful eyes. "I suppose I just didn't think you would need me anymore," she softly said.
Wendy's lips quivered, and she sniffled once, keeping a brave face.
"I don't want to burden you with—"
"You don't; you could never burden me," Erza quickly interfered. She took Wendy's head in her hands, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I thought that after everything; that after seeing you being so courageous and mature, perhaps you didn't want to be treated like a child anymore, but then again," she sighed, a gentle smile on her lips, "you still are, no matter what battles we forced onto you," she planted another kiss to the top of her head. Wendy's shoulders sank.
"I'm not jealous, I swear I'm not," Wendy pleaded. Eluding the affectionate eyes, she squished herself back into Erza's chest, fists gripping the fabric in the back.
"You can always come to me, whether it's an older sister or mother you're seeking. I'll be here for you," Erza promised, stroking down her fosterling's hair. "And you don't have to need; wanting is enough," she assured.
"Sorry," Wendy muffled against Erza. "Thank you," she sighed when receiving a shaking head at her apology. "I think…" she said after another moment of not wanting to detach herself just yet, "I would like to hold her again," she smiled shyly. Erza returned it warmly. "If I may."
"Of course," Erza nodded. "You can stay for as long as you like," she offered. "How about a game?"
"Won't that unsettle her?" Wendy asked. Erza pondered for a moment. Then she scooted aside, patting the mattress. Noticing to still be wearing shoes, Wendy hurriedly took them off, climbing fully onto the bed where she snuggled into Erza's side. Erza draped an arm around the girl's shoulders.
"Is there any book you're currently reading?" She asked. Wendy hesitated, then groped for her bag she had strapped around her shoulder.
"It's a little embarrassing," she mumbled, taking it out anyway. The door opened, and she looked as if she wanted to hide the book, but Erza had already taken it.
"Don't be silly, romance is my favourite genre," she assured enthusiastically.
"Yeah, romance," Jellal teased. She shot him a scolding though amused glare. Crossing over to them, he crawled onto the bed with one leg. He wordlessly asked Wendy with a gentle gaze, and she nodded, holding out her arms. Her breath stopped when Rosemary came to rest in her embrace once more, but she smiled then, at the baby and at Jellal.
"She's freshly swaddled and discovered a block of cheese a minute ago, so that ought to knock her out soon," he grinned with that joy that was so far beyond a father's pride. Looking down, they saw Rosemary open and close her mouth as if the cheese was still there to be suckled on. "She might want another dessert before her nap though," he nodded matter-of-factly. Erza knowingly rolled her eyes.
"Just when you think you can go back to sleep," she consented. Wendy giggled, and so did Juvia where she stood in the doorway. In a lowered voice, the Water Mage turned to Jellal once he had retreated from the bed.
"Juvia really doesn't want to pester you any more than already," she wagged on the spot, "but Juvia really wants to tell her darling Gray," she begged. Jellal smiled, giving his permission. She skipped on the spot, hugged him gratefully and was out the door before anyone could so much as blink.
When Jellal returned to the bedroom, Erza's voice was still audible where it read in mellow colours. He climbed down the stairs from the attic after having worked on a case for the Council. Momentarily, he halted to scan the room.
With her guildmate's arm still around her, Wendy had fallen asleep, her head dropped against the bared shoulder. Erza was holding the book in her other hand, Rosemary curled up on her stomach where she had undoubtedly interrupted the story for another few eager sips.
"He sat down on the bench, opening the ancient tome when…," she halted, eyes flashing up to her husband's smile. He put his palms together, tilting his head to rest a cheek on his dorsum, signalling the lack of attention she was getting. "When Jellal climbed down the ladder," Erza tested. No protests arouse, so she put the book down beside her. "He was infuriatingly handsome," she continued in her reading voice. It made him chuckle, and he returned her smirk with a fond one.
"Was?" He teased back as if insulted. She hummed amusedly into his greeting kiss. "You seem to be very compelling yourself," he grinned, so she nipped at his not yet fully retreated lip in response. Grumbling, he pursed his lips, his loving scowl turning into a smirk. Their lips met again, this time savouring their kiss for longer.
A banging on the door startled them. Exchanging puzzled glances, the two peeked at the ajar bedroom door. Jellal straightened, but Meredy's hastened steps beat him to the punch, opening the front door.
"Be quieter, will you!" she chided, a hustled apology flying her way while steps already entered.
"Gray, my darling," Juvia wheezed, "wait for Juvia," she managed where she hunched over her knees after the chase she had apparently been required to give at his sudden sprint. Still, he hardly waited, his shoes tumbling hectically as he bombarded Meredy with half-finished questions.
"Is she…? I mean did she…?" he panted. Tsking, Meredy went to open the bedroom door. Jellal had given his permission after all, so she took the liberty of acting it out instead of summoning him to the entrance and ask again.
Gray froze in the open doorway. His eyes stilled, intently scorching into the bundle on Erza's stomach. He did not even register Wendy, Jellal only being noticed once Gray had rigidly shuffled into the room. Not that he took his eyes off Rosemary.
If ever there had been a more perfect example than her parents, Gray would have been the uncanny display of the charm the merely ten-day-old could conjure.
"It's alright, you can speak," Erza assured. Carefully, she retracted her arm from around Wendy to ruck up the bundle that was her daughter. Both of the girls stirred.
"Erza…" Gray stuttered, his chest a constant struggle between holding his breath and panting madly. "Baby…" was the next thing he managed. His knees buckled slightly, so he chose to kneel rather than to crouch next to the bed at the height of his target. His face was tinged with blush, though clearly not from the exercise.
Rosemary gave a coo at being moved. Gray's breathing stopped, as if petrified when Erza slowly turned her newborn towards him.
"Come on, Rosie, there's one more face you'll get to see today," she encouraged, receiving the anticipated answering noise. "Hold out your finger," she instructed. It took Gray another moment to react, knowing that he was addressed though too frozen on the spot to move immediately. He gulped, then did as he was asked.
His breath hitched when wee fingers wrapped around his own. A shiver shook him through from the bottom of his spine to the very top of his head. Every hair stood on end.
"So soft…" he whispered, his face flushed up to his ears. He was utterly enchanted, something Erza had not expected of him of all people.
"Mhm," she hummed in agreement, "you should feel her cheeks," she noted. This time, he acted more quickly. He used his other hand, not daring to take the finger out of the surprisingly firm grasp. His entire body melted, muscles relaxing slowly as he wisped the back of his finger along the supple skin of Rosemary's cheek.
"She's beautiful," he complimented, gradually catching himself. "Congratulations," he smiled at Erza, then Jellal, finally acknowledging his surroundings. Not as far as noticing Wendy however, her gaze fond where she had mutely watched the spectacle unfold.
"She's going to kick your butt someday," Erza returned. They all laughed, even Juvia who had been near tears again at her crush's reaction. Gray cracked up, but his eyes shone just as softly as Erza's. In them, she could see the boy who had scolded her for crying by herself all those years ago.
"I believe that," he grinned, earning himself another set of giggles from all around.