Out of the Blue

The summer sun blazed overhead, scorching the tarmac of the driveway. Even though Jellal was in the shade of the garage, the blistering heat was still insufferable. Trees appeared to wilt under the sun's furious glare and the still air was stifling to the point that it was almost hard to breathe because the air just seemed to refuse to move into his lungs. His shirt was completely drenched and it clung to him uncomfortably, the sweat thick and sticky against his skin.

Grunting, he slid out from beneath the car and sat up on his automotive creeper. Stretching out lazily, feeling his joints and his back crack with a few satisfactory clicks, he stood up, throwing his gloves and wrench onto the ground. A calloused hand swept back the blue locks plastered to his forehead and soon, his shirt joined the rest of his tools on the floor. Jellal groaned audibly as the cool air from a nearby fan curled around his bare skin lazily, granting him minimal relief, but relief nonetheless.

Dragging a hand across his face, he ambled over towards the small fridge. The welcoming blast of chill elicited another satisfied purr from the man as he grabbed two cans of beer.

"Heads up man!"

Laxus looked up and caught the sailing can easily. He waved in thanks. "How's yours coming along?"

Jellal took a long drag from his can. "Fixed the piston and the sparking plug. Working on the floorboard right now. That piece of junk's just falling apart."

"Come on, it's Dragion we're talking about. He drives like a maniac."

"Good business for us," he answered with a grin.

A loud honking drew the two men's attention. Laxus jerked his head in the direction of the noise and Jellal drained his beer, crushing the can in his hand and tossing it into the trash as he made his way towards the driveway.

He let out a loud wolf whistle and called out to the blond. "Who gives a damn about that Ford man, look at this!"

The most gorgeous Bentley was pulling into the driveway. It was probably a new customer since Jellal didn't recognise the license plate. He approached the car and a uniformed man stepped out from behind the wheel. He could see the faint outline of a well-dressed woman in the back seat of the car.

Interesting. Whoever owned the car was rich, considering the car model and the fact that he or she could afford a chauffeur. It wasn't often such classy people stopped by this neighbourhood.

"How can I help you, sir?" He asked.

"Fill up the gas tank please."

"Sure thing."

Jellal grabbed the gas pump and started filling up the gas tank. He looked up briefly and did a double take at the sight of beautiful brown eyes staring back at him. They were wide, full of innocence and he couldn't look away even for a moment. Her eyes were swimming with warmth, melting into a chocolate brown as he gazed into those gorgeous orbs.

She was the first to break eye contact, looking away shyly; a soft flush on her cheeks. His head snapped downwards, hands fumbling with the gas pump. He vaguely registered the other man asking about the price and him answering. Money was pressed into his hands and in the blink of an eye, the car had sped off, leaving him in the dust, feeling much hotter than before as a burning feeling unfurled in his chest.

"Bro," Laxus called out, "who was that?"

Jellal looked completely lost, head still spinning with questions. What had just happened? Who was she? Where was she from?

Would he see her again?

"I…don't know," he shouted back. "I only remember the license plate."

That was a lie, of course. He remembered much more than just the license plate.

Jellal inhaled deeply, slowly.

It didn't matter. He wouldn't see her again. Her family wasn't a regular of the garage and even if they were, it was not befitting a lady of the house to come down to this neighbourhood.

"Get me another beer, will ya!" Jellal turned around, the world blurring into an unmistakable crimson for the briefest of moments, and he slumped back onto the creeper before sliding under the car with his wrench.

He had no time to dwell on unrealistic hopes. There was work to be done after all.

Erza Scarlet was bored.

Being heiress to one of the country's largest and wealthiest corporations, she had been groomed to be the perfect lady and successor ever since birth. She supposed that she was fortunate to have been born into great wealth, having everything one could ever dream of; money, designer clothes, lavish parties; the list went on and on.

But it was a boring life, a controlled life where she had to fit the picture of being a perfect lady. It was a tiring life, having to constantly keep up with the facades deemed socially acceptable by those in her social class. The slithering lies, the pretenses; this was not the life she wanted. She was in many ways trapped in this golden cage called 'life' and she had no way out.

"Miss, I'm afraid we'll have to take a short detour to the nearest gas station. We've run out of gas."

The voice startled her out of her thoughts. "It's alright. Go ahead, Loke."

The car took a sharp turn into a neighbourhood she did not recognise or know. The pearly white houses faded away in the background and soon, she was surrounded by a dull mass of brown and grey blocks. Old neon signs flickered sporadically and the barking of unseen dogs echoed around the area. Trash littered the streets but bare footed children ran around without a care in the world, skipping nimbly among the garbage as they chased a beaten up ball that had probably never seen better days. Strange men peered out from dark alleyways while groups of young men sauntered around, trying their best to appear aloof yet cocky at the same time.

It was all so new, so surreal to her and Erza found the whole ordeal a bit intimidating but strangely fascinating simultaneously.

The car stopped at a small garage and she watched as burly young men bustled around, slipping between and around numerous vehicles. There were cars of all colours and sizes, some raised off of the ground so that the mechanics could work underneath it, some with a mechanic's hands deep within its engines with the car hood opened while some were being polished till it gleamed like a mirror under the sun.

Her chauffeur stepped out momentarily and as he opened the door, Erza could smell the scent of grease lingering in the air. She could see a man coming towards her car out of the corner of her eye. He was clad in nothing but torn, faded jeans and black boots and the sweat covering his muscular torso shimmered under the harsh rays, highlighting his well defined abdomen. His blue hair was tousled messily and black grease was smeared across his skin in numerous patches, but his most distinctive feature was the maroon face tattoo running vertically across his right eye.

He was so different from the supercilious men of her social class. They were rich and well educated, well groomed with an air of superiority around them. He, on the other hand, was rough and unrefined but there was a certain alluring mysterious aura that surrounded him.

The mechanic hurried over with a gas pump and as he waited for the gas tank to fill up, she sneaked a glance out the window at him.

He was very handsome and Erza found herself unable to tear her gaze away from his face. The man looked up at the exact moment and their eyes met. It was only a fleeting glance but it seemed like everything slowed down at that exact moment. His hazel eyes were bright, kind. She looked away quickly with a gasp, the blood pounding in her ears.

She could hear him wrestle around with the gas pump and after a moment, Loke slipped back into the car and they were on their way once more.

Turning around for one last glimpse, Erza saw the man staring after them with the most peculiar expression on his face.

"Loke."

"Yes, Miss?"

"Do you come here often?"

"No, Miss. The Master sends the cars to the high end garage on the Upper East side for repairs."

There was a minute of silence before Erza spoke up again.

"Loke, is my Alfa Romeo fixed yet?"

Natsu Dragion clutched his head, eyes screwed up as he shook his head.

"But I have a race tomorrow! I need the car!"

Jellal wiped his hands on a small towel. "Come on Dragion, you trashed the car completely. Normally it takes at least 10 days to fix this thing up. I'm doing it in 4."

"Maybe I should just take it to Exceeds Garage next time round."

Jellal smirked when he heard Laxus bark out a harsh laugh behind him.

"If you'll settle for second best, then sure," Laxus snapped his fingers, "be our guest."

Natsu let out an exasperated wail.

Jellal held up his hands. "Look Dragion, skip tomorrow's race. I'll fix this baby up so good you're gonna to win the next 5 no sweat, yeah?"

"Ok, ok," Natsu conceded and trooped out of the shop dejectedly.

"So modest," Laxus said, "you know he's gonna win the next 10."

The two men laughed.

"Sabertooth ain't got nothing on them."

"And Edolas ain't got nothing on Fairy Tail."

They slapped hands, broad grins on both their faces.

Edolas Garage was the official garage for the Sabertooth racing team whereas Fairy Tail had their very own automobile repair shop. The two teams constantly raced each other for reasons long forgotten, although the rivalry still remained and increased with each coming year. Currently, Fairy Tail held the upper hand, with much of it owing to their mechanics. In fact, Fairy Tail's garage was the best in the city but the rich never used them because they were located down in the poorer districts. The garages were legitimate businesses although the racing was illegal. Not that anyone cared. They were the downtown boys. And nobody gave a damn about them.

"Sorry, but we're closed for the day," Jellal said.

A hand snaked around his waist. "Really now?"

"Ultear!"

The raven smiled coyly. "Miss me?"

Jellal kissed her lightly on the lips. "Do you even have to ask?"

She let out a contented sigh at his answer, fingers running up and down his sides. He shivered under their cool touch – a stark contrast to the reaction he had experienced when the redhead had appeared, one that did not escape his notice.

The sudden shrill of the telephone pierced through the air.

Jellal disentangled himself from her embrace. "Let me just answer that real quick."

He picked up the receiver. "Fairy Tail Garage, how may I be of service?"

"May I please speak to the person in charge?"

The voice was familiar but Jellal couldn't quite place a finger on it. "Speaking."

"My name is Loke and I am calling on behalf of the Scarlet family."

Jellal nearly dropped the phone in surprise.

The Scarlet family was one of the richest and most prominent families in the country. They had built up the family fortune during the Second World War through the production of steel, weapons and armour. It was inconceivable that they would want to contact Fairy Tail for a job.

"Is this a joke?" His voice hardened, a hint of steel slipping into his tone.

The speaker crackled as the man replied stiffly. "I assure you this is not a joke, sir. I stopped by earlier today with the Lady to refill on gas."

The man was indeed telling the truth but all the same, he couldn't quite believe how it was all happening.

"We were hoping that you could send your best mechanic to the Scarlet residence tomorrow to repair a car," Loke continued.

Jellal could only catch snippets of the conversation as only one thing was in his mind.

He would actually get to see her again.

Author's note:

I am a new(?) Jerza author, be kind to me please hurr.

Was watching Billy Joel's Uptown Girl MV and wanted to write this. So here we go. It's set in the 1960s and both Edolas and Earthland characters will appear. Ironically, my chosen song for the overall theme in this story is actually Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey (DH Orchestral The Great Gatsby version). You'll understand when the angst kicks in.

Careless can mean many different things. It's up to you to interpret what it really means by the end of the story. I hope you'll stay for this wild rollercoaster ride.