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It was quiet – almost too quiet. His feet made no sound as he snuck forward, his breath inaudible; controlled but flat. Gleaming with concentration, his eyes pierced his target from behind. Right there; right within his reach if he jumped now – right where he wanted it to be.
Jellal's lips were a thin line, his chest still as he held his breath. The target moved but predictably for a seasoned hunter such as him. There was a lookout, he knew, but he had calculated his attack precisely – he would simply have to be faster. He raised his arms in slow motion, ready to strike.
She winced when he slung his arms around her, then purred to welcome the kisses he trailed along her shoulder.
"Don't scare me like that," Erza nagged half-heartedly. The knife slid out of her hand onto the counter, forgotten.
"I didn't think anyone could," he gave back, nibbling on the crook of her neck. Her hand came up, cupping his face to keep it right where it was. "O great Titania."
"Great Titania almost chopped you into finely diced slices," she gave back with a huff. Her body betrayed her however, the other hand coming to rest above his, drawing his arm closer around herself.
"Diced slices?" He teased. She pinched his cheek as punishment, making him laugh anyway.
Releasing her, Jellal turned to the lookout. It was currently inactive, he noted with content, watching his daughter sleep soundly despite the lack of parent contact. She was getting used to her crib, even though he rendered any independence null and void by cuddling her at night all the same.
"And he's gone again…" Erza sighed under her breath. Jellal arched a brow.
"Did you say something, love?"
"Nothing," she said. He could hear the rolling eyes in the tone of her voice. "But now that you mention it," which he had not, they both knew, "I do recall your reasoning why you wanted to wait – apart from the fear I do hope you've come to realise was absolutely uncalled for," she added slightly pointedly. He chuckled, returning to hugging her. This time, she merely continued cutting perfectly symmetrical cubes out of radish.
"You lost me there," he smiled, pecking the side of her neck. She let him, though kept pretending to be very much into her cooking.
"When you said you didn't want one yet because you'd have to share me," she pouted. He dropped his chin onto her shoulder.
"Am I neglecting you?" He asked directly. He dearly hoped she was not going to say 'yes' – not because he did not want to spend the coming hours and days proving her wrong, but because it would leave him feeling guilty and cruel.
"Let's just say you're not neglecting her in the least," Erza pursed her lips. He frowned with a mixture of regret and relief. She was not angry, not per se. There was no denying that he spent a lot of time with their daughter, but whenever they did it together, it must have felt as if his entire attention went to Rosemary, not Erza. "I don't want you to stop that," she carefully started.
"But you think we need more time with just the two of us?"
"No, I—"
"And that I should finally seduce you successfully?" He wound his arms around her once again, more tightly; possessively. Her for protests opened mouth froze, then shut. He laughed out loud, receiving slaps and a shove away from her ear.
"Too loud," she giggled, caught.
"Oh, and don't you like being loud," he countered. It made her gasp and slap him again. It was as far as her defence went, no resistance whatsoever shown when he picked her up, holding her in his arms, rucking her up so that she was closer to his face. "When I kiss your stomach and your—" he stopped when there was a noise of complaint. Erza stared at him the same way he did, her breath venting against his cheek. "I'm sorry, I forgot you could hear," he turned, blushing furiously. She only laughed.
"She doesn't understand a word you're saying," Erza soothed. Still in his arms, her hands behind his nape, she regarded their waking daughter alongside him.
"You don't know that for certain," he mumbled.
"I know for certain that she wouldn't understand, even if she knew the words," Erza allayed. "I had to turn sixteen to grasp even a fraction of what… more mature people implied," she explained. His frown returned.
"Mature…"
"Like us, right?" She tilted her head. He blinked at those hopeful eyes, the friendly, convinced smile that slowly wrinkled into rebuke at his lack of immediate consent.
A knock on the front door saved him.
They exchanged a questioning glance before he set her down. Rosemary hummed a few reminders of her waking and imminent surge of hunger – a warning before the storm. It was Erza's turn, so he went to open the door.
"Jellal!" Solano all but assailed him with a hug. Stunned, he had to catch her. He knew Meredy had mellowed her quite well back in Crime Sorcière, but being with her sister certainly did her well too, he assessed. Said sister was waiting in front of the threshold, next to her the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth and the one they called 'milady'.
Not yet having completely released his guildmate, Jellal wanted to greet them, somehow peering past the white mane to return their amused smiles. Seeing past his hair was apparently that much easier, because Solano suddenly gasped and scrambled off him, making him stumble aside.
"It's my babyyy," Solano soared into the hall, meeting Erza halfway. "I mean my niece, hehe," she snickered, throwing an innocent glance over her shoulder where Jellal gave her a look. Her guildmates grinned, watching her as she delightedly offered her finger to Rosemary. As expected, she liquified not a moment later, Jellal having to gather her up again.
"Do come in," he offered, not in a position to close the door behind them with Solano hanging from him. She looked creepily blissful.
The others entered, leaving their shoes in the entrance – not just stopping by, Jellal concluded.
"I'll just feed her," Erza told him quietly, a hand on his shoulder. She had become as secure as him when it came to holding their baby, a single arm not posing an issue anymore. She was calmer than him with the latter, confident in herself and not as overprotective.
"Then I'll put the kettle on," he proposed. Minerva nodded, but her eyes bored into Erza's back as she disappeared in the bedroom. She did not budge when her guildmates helped Jellal get Solano to her feet, and neither when they made their way to the kitchen. He glanced back at her, still in the entrance. It took her another moment to realise, sparing him a fleet glance to the side. Hardly enough to nod for her to go on, but she caught the hint anyway - where there was a will, there was a way.
Jellal let Sabertooth choose their tea, Sting telling his team partner to do so on Minerva's behalf. A listless grunt and pointing jerking of his head was all they got.
"We went to see Gajeel but he wouldn't let us in – no one, they said at the guild," Sting retold. Rogue only pouted more at the mention of his once nemesis.
"He is very picky with his guests," Jellal agreed carefully. If he told them now that a baby was the way in, Rogue would only join forces with Solano to steal Rosemary.
"Hey, I know it's been forever and that it's kinda weird to bring that up again but," Sting glanced aside for an instant, "I wanted to apologise for when I asked you to do us a favour at the Council," he met Jellal's eyes. Astonished, he only blinked. "It wasn't cool of me to ask that, and when Gray said you'd only just started there I felt really bad," Sting admitted.
"It's alright," Jellal finally said. And it was alright. It had not crossed his mind once in months, not even when they had been to the Dragon Slayer's birthday party. The fact that Sting still cared; still worried was more than satisfying – it was reassuring to know that Jellal was not the only one haunted by worries.
Sting smiled, and so did Yukino. Jellal poured them their tea when water boiled, yet nothing could get Rogue to stop sulking. He must not have been listening at all.
Jellal cast a glance down the hall. When he did not see Minerva there, he simply left her cup on the counter. What he did not know was that she was still there; still in the entrance, only now frozen around the corner, her hand hovering above the handle to the bedroom. The door was ajar. She did not dare, not until having taken another deep inhale. Swallowing, she eventually pushed her way inside.
Erza looked up where she sat on the bed. Minerva's feet seemed to grow roots once again, not moving from the spot. Erza tilted her head in question, shifting her suckling daughter to invite the Sabertooth mage in with a wave of her hand. Another inhale, this time less obvious. Minerva edged forward. Her irises were as if glowing, burning the image of the fearsome Titania nursing a helpless newborn into her mind's eye. She appeared as scared of what she saw as she must have looked to anyone who was not Erza. Slowly, mutely, she sank down on the side of the mattress.
"She's so small, isn't she?" Erza tried to guess. Minerva nodded. "But so beautiful," she stroked down her daughter's cheek. Rosemary hummed in response, her sucking becoming weaker. Minerva only nodded again.
They waited, watching as Rosemary let her mother's breast slide from her mouth, giving a pleased sigh. Erza smiled broadly, holding her daughter closer to kiss the top of her head. She plucked at her shirt without the use of requip magic, then adjusted her position against the headboard. Minerva had yet to pronounce a single word. "Would you like to hold her?" Erza offered. She was not entirely sure if there had been another nod, interpreting affirmation anyway.
Sitting up, dropping her legs over the side of the bed, Erza handed her daughter over. Minerva stiffened like everyone did when granted the same privilege, her arms rigid but secure. She only stared down, her eyes almost as big as those of Rosemary who frowned her tiny lips uncertainly at the new face. It was almost like a mirror, Minerva seemingly close to crying herself.
"What's wrong?" Erza asked.
Minerva remained silent, in conflict with herself. Her gaze never strayed from Rosemary, as if aghast at her very existence.
"I know... that our fight is long over – though I wouldn't blame you if you still held my cruelty against me," she quietly piped up. For once, Erza did not open her mouth to protest. She had learned not to rush and push, waiting patiently. "And I know that we've already fought side by side; that you accept me but... this..." She took a breath, mostly to calm herself. She really did look as if close to tears, at least overchallenged.
"We buried the hatchet about back then long ago," Erza softly said. "I forgave you and I think it's time you did the same," she smiled. It was not the first time she had spoken those words. They sounded like old friends now, merely a tinge of the desperation from before left; a distant memory of her battle against Jellal's self-loathing.
"Still! This is...!" Minerva looked around, frowning in distress. "You let me into your house, into your most vulnerable space; your sanctuary. You let me hold your child!" She was nearly panting by now. Rosemary gave a noise of complaint, the raised volume unsettling her.
Erza put a hand on Minerva's arm to steady her – both physically as well as mentally. She trailed down to her daughter, rubbing the filled belly, allowing her hand to be taken into custody. It wirked wonders. With another coo, Rosemary drew all the attention back to herself, enchanting and soothing at the same time.
"Of course I do. I consider you my friend," Erza gently said. Minerva met her eyes. She returned the smile, shining back at her former enemy with warmth and gratefulness.
"Thank you, Erza," she let out a breath, then again when Erza scooted close enough to be leaned against. "You taught me more than I could've ever hoped to learn."
"I'm sure you have your guild to thank for that," Erza nudged her as they traded another smile.
That very guild was now clustering in front of the door, knocking and letting themselves in at the raised voice from before. An excuse to see the baby, Erza was certain. Minerva ceased all protests Erza had read from her forehead.
"Aww," Yukino was the first to venture her way inside, kneeling in front of them.
"Scarlet," Sting grinned, just as charmed as his guildmates. "She suits you, milady," he winked playfully. Minerva blushed up to her ears, though pretended to take it all casually. Erza bit down a gleeful smile, seeing her husband do the same in the doorway.
"In all honestly, I've never liked children, no matter the age," Minerva lifted her chin, but then could not help another glance down at Rosemary. "This is different," she smiled shyly to herself. "Also because I only have to stand it for so long," she shrugged. They all laughed, Yukino shaking her head.
"You can help with the nappy change – just say the word," Jellal offered. Everyone laughed again apart from Minerva. Her blush only deepened, lips curling awkwardly. Erza found her chest to swell proudly, the twinkling in her eyes telling her husband as much. He was thawing more and more.
Minerva huffed, but when Erza wanted to take her daughter back for Yukino to hold her too, Minerva was nowhere near letting go. It made Jellal tense slightly, flashbacks of Solano's escape attempts flashing through their minds.
In the end, his instincts proved right, the only thing saving them a wild goose chase and bitter battle of magic between Fiore's strongest guilds being a bargain.
"Learning Magic?"
"Definitely," Jellal nodded. She scribbled it down. "But no Darkness Magic, should that be an option," he added.
"Agreed," Erza said. Gladly, she noted it down on the left-hand side of the table she had drawn. It was the third point they agreed on so far. The right-hand side had become so long, she had had to turn the sheet over to keep writing. "Kindergarten with or without mages?" She asked next. Jellal made a face, giving a vague though rather unhappy hum. "We're going to send her to kindergarten," Erza determined despite having promised not to influence him too much when discussing.
It was certainly odd, having to offer babysitting in order to get their own baby back, but it had worked. Rogue had been overjoyed to see Gajeel, the disappointed when the Iron Dragon Slayer had grabbed his wife and left to spend the evening with her and her alone. The evening had turned into night, Jellal and Erza now having spent hours in perfect harmony under the Redfox roof. Until the twins had woken up.
Changing three babies had been a challenge for sure, particularly due to the twins moving around a lot more than Rosemary. Even more of a nuisance had been the crying. The longer they had wailed, the more it had made Rosemary weep, in turn shifting Jellal's attention completely. Not to mention shooting tears into his eyes.
With a lot of effort, Erza had managed to keep all three boys in check, her husband included. Feeding and moving around had helped, and although the boys were picky and squirmed all the time, their jealousy about food had at least made them eat. How Levy managed by herself was a mystery to them, but Erza admired her for her patience.
The changing table in the twins' room was nice, so Erza had started wandering around the house, taking notes on what they could improve in their own. With a new sheet of paper, they now used the time during which the children were sleeping to get a head start on upbringing.
"She will learn how to share and make compromises," she reasoned. "Play with other children." She tried to catch his gaze, but he focused it on his sleeping daughter instead.
"Maybe with mages would be a better idea," he muttered. "I don't want her to be an outcast…"
"She'll be special, not an outcast," Erza emphasised. "There aren't all that many options, and I've never heard of a mages-only kindergarten. I'm sure Levy will send the twins too – they can all play together if push comes to shove."
"Then we might as well arrange a daily playdate," Jellal mumbled, puffing his cheeks. Giving a sigh, Erza noted the point down on the back of the sheet.
"Let's ask Levy and Gajeel when they come back," she proposed, this time being met with undisputed consent. "Alright," she turned the list over with little hope of actually enlarging the measly left column.
The front door opened just then. Levy was giggling, conjuring a smile to Erza's lips as much as Gajeel's. A bit of rustling and shuffling later, the couple's heads poked into the bedroom. They sighed simultaneously with relief.
"They're asleep," Levy whispered, coming to sit next to her guildmates. She did not dare touch her soundly sleeping boys, fearing they might wake. "Sorry again," she told Erza, who shook her head.
"Don't worry," Erza waved off, "they were being difficult for a while, but they're Gajeel's after all."
"Oi!" Gajeel immediately fumed. The girls quickly motioned for him to lower his voice, but Levy could not help but giggle to herself. "Those two are goddamn angels in comparison to how I was back then," he grunted. Levy wanted to reach out an allaying hand but the arching of Erza's brow only riled him up more. "I've had to come to terms with brutalising Levy and her friends and beating them unconscious," he defended himself. He let out a sharp breath, but Levy's touch to his arm seemed to appease him.
"At least you didn't betray her and enslave all her friends and try to kill and sacrifice her, murdering her best friend before her eyes," Jellal piped up, failing miserably at providing help. Erza gave a sigh, turning to her husband with a mixture of pity and strictness.
"It's in the past," Gajeel said after a moment of awkward silence. Jellal startled when the Iron Dragon Slayer punched his arm. "That's the part where you have to agree," he growled, though quietly when Rosemary gave a soft sound in her sleep. The twins fortunately remained oblivious.
Jellal hesitated for another instant.
"It is in the past," he conceded, even though it sounded more like a timely fact than true acceptance.
"I know what you're thinking," Gajeel called him out instead of Erza. It left her curious, so she kept her lips sealed. "I was an arse to myself for quite a while too, but I can't be there for Levy and the kids if I beat myself up all the time," he glanced at the twins instead of Jellal. Not that the latter minded.
"You're right," he approved, this time with a genuine smile. He was already trying to collect up his daughter to himself, as if her tiny body radiated more proof of forgiveness when physically in contact.
"Even if she kept me up all night during pregnancy," Gajeel picked up his girlfriend by the collar of her dress. She gasped, scrambling but unable to remonstrate loudly lest she wake the children.
"Gajeel!"
"Always crying 'cause her book's done," he tsked and she pouted.
"Was it that tragic of an ending?" Jellal asked.
"No, it was done. She finished the book," Gajeel illuminated. Levy blushed, making Erza hold back a chuckle.
"Oh," Jellal pulled a face, "Erza had that too, but with recipe books," he retold. She slapped his abdomen, hissing for him to be quiet. It was Levy's turn to giggle, Gajeel only rolling his eyes.
At the front door, Levy thanked her friends manifold.
"Anytime," Erza ensured, and not without mentioning a visit to the guild again.
"You know, if ever you need a small break, we'll take care of her," Levy offered, rocking her finger that was still captured by Rosemary where she rested in her father's arms. She hummed in her disturbed sleep, almost as if agreeing. Her parents did not sound as convinced.
"Thank you, but I don't think she's quite ready for that," Erza excused their own incapability of parting. "It's just not time yet."
Two weeks later, it was time. Time for baby blabbing as much as time for a break outside of the house. The constant need not to be apart for longer than ten minutes had abated slightly, both for the baby as well as her parents. One thing was for sure – Rosemary was by far more relaxed with the situation than her sitter.
"I told you that's not an option."
"And I told you that if it's not an option, you let me take over."
"And have you take the damage I could have easily repelled? I don't think so, Jellal."
"We discussed this all evening – no armour exposing your chest. You know exactly why—"
"Perhaps it slipped your notice, but there's hardly any armour where—"
"Then you're just going to have to wear the usual one."
"Omitting powerful attributes will only be a hindrance," Erza shot back like she had for the past half an hour. It was an enigma why Jellal permitted such a dispute to be held in the middle of the Guild Hall, but he seemed upset enough not to care too much.
"I was under the impression that the Queen of the Fairies can fight no matter the equipment," he retorted, making the entirety of Fairy Tail wince. Yes, upset was the right word. Natsu was gesturing behind Erza's back for Jellal to be careful, making lots of cutting-off-head motions but they were left unheeded. Gray had hidden on the upper floor long ago. "Or does skill now solely rely on—"
"You know what," Erza snarled, ripping the chosen request off the board. 'Chosen' had already cost them another hour of debate. "We'll do it your way," she said, bordering a yell. The room seemed to let out a sigh of relief, though the tension was far from lifted. "But you'll be glad I have them, you can be sure of that," she fumed, on her way to leave. Jellal huffed, then switched to more gentle movements when taking his daughter from her basket next to Meredy. "Once you struggle and need them, I will wear one."
"You will not," he returned drily, wrapping the baby sling securely to his chest.
"Just try to stop me," Erza challenged, though waited for him to catch up in the entrance. "See if I care."
They kept bickering all the way to the client. Upon returning, things were far from cooled down, but neither passed over the chance to sweetly see their baby off before going back to nagging and fighting, this time with the request's execution in mind. Neither was allowed to get injured, of course, and while it was not a highly risky mission, it was not entirely harmless either. How they had decided on doing one in the first place remained a mystery to Meredy.
The girls were cringing alongside her. Neither dared exchange a word until the two figures had disappeared down the street. Rosemary was busy with her pacifier, suckling herself into sleep, not sensing any of the concern her current human cradle harboured. Meredy knew they were rusty, and with their irritation in the way, at least one of them was bound to get hurt in some way – some way in this case at least being Erza's fist.