"I-I.. U-Uh!? Bye!" Erza, a look of absolute horror displayed on her face, whirled around in the broken doorframe of Lucy's bathroom. She quickly made her way to the window, determined to get out of the situation. From behind her she could hear Natsu's laughter ringing from the bathroom and Lucy's shrieks of embarrassment. This had easily become one of the worst days of her life.

A few days passed and Erza still couldn't shake the image of Lucy, a-and Natsu, and just THAT. Shuddering, she stumbled into the guild hall and made her way to the request board. How she was going to go on a job without half of her team, she wasn't sure. Erza couldn't imagine ever looking at the two of them the same way ever ag-

"Yo! Erza! Natsu's voice rang out loud and clear from across the hall. Her eyes snapped in his direction only to see both him and Lucy sitting with Gray. Her mind immediately flashed back to a few days ago and without even thinking, she bolted out of the guild hall.

Jellal, who was about to walk inside, suddenly found himself pushed back as the doors swung open into his face. Jumping out of the way just in time to avoid getting a broken nose, he was surprised to see Erza rushing out of the guild, her face redder than her hair. He looked after her in confusion as she ran away, before glancing into the guild, a silent question on his face.

Most everyone seemed to be as perplexed as he felt, though Natsu seemed to be trying to stifle gales of laughter and Lucy was blushing almost as much as Erza. What was that about? He made his way into the guild, weaving through the tables as everyone shortly resumed their alcoholic activities. He stopped in front of Natsu's table where the dragon slayer had his face in his hands trying to cover up the grin that was spread across his features. Jellal raised an eyebrow at Lucy who coughed and looked away.

"Nope, not saying anything." She said adamantly as he raised an eyebrow in question. Jellal sighed and once again looked in the direction Erza had run. She had been acting oddly for the past few days, and he supposed it was time to figure out what was going on.

Rolling his eyes a little, he made his excuses and left the guild, hurrying in the direction of Fairy Hills, where he suspected Erza had retreated to. He could only pray, now, that he could successfully sneak in and that she wouldn't murder him for doing so.

Erza paced the length of her room, her hands covering her face as she tried to wipe the memory from her conscious mind. Shuddering and shaking her head repeatedly, she came to a halt in the middle of the room and sat down. Resting her elbows on her knees, she winced as the memory once again flashed before her eyes.

"Erza?" a voice called from the window, a masculine voice.

Shrieking, Erza jumped to her feet and whirled, only relaxing marginally once she realized it was Jellal.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed as she walked over to pull him inside the room. Grabbing the drapes, she panickedly pulled them closed before turning to face him. "Don't you know how much trouble you will be in if you're found here?"

Jellal just shrugged, "You've been acting strange lately and I was worried. Did something happen with Natsu and Lucy?"

Erza froze. Hit the nail right on the head.

"I-I… Uh. W-What could've happened? Nope! Nothing happened! Nothing at all." Erza spun around to hide the growing blush on her face. Jellal raised his eyebrows and reached out to touch her shoulder. "Erza.."

She whirled, nervous laughter dancing from her throat, "Of course nothing happened, what are you looking at me like that for?" she rambled on as she began to pace, "It's not like I saw anything, I mean, I knew they were together and all, and it's not like I saw Lucy in the middle of giving Natsu a blowjob. I mean, he's like my baby brother, there's no way I could have seen that!"

Jellal, a shocked look on his face, finally found it within himself to interrupt her, "Wait, what?"

Erza froze for a second time, and nervously turned to face him. "Oops, I didn't mean to say that,"

Jellal fought to restrain himself from laughing as he wasn't necessarily surprised that Lucy and Natsu would be into that sort of thing by now. Placing a hand over his mouth to cover the growing smile, he stared back at Erza whose blush was growing even fiercer by the minute.

"Well. Um. That's certainly… Interesting."

"Interesting?! You think it's 'interesting' that I walked in on Natsu, my baby brother, in the middle of a blowjob with his girlfriend?! They, who are both on my team?! How am I supposed to rid myself of that image, Jellal?! How is that even remotely close to 'interesting'?!"

"Well Erza, they are both two young adults in a relationship with one another… And when they both love each other very much... "

"That isn't the point, Jellal!"

Chuckling a little he held up his hands in surrender, "I know, I know. The fact is you suddenly saw your surrogate brother and one of your closest friends in a rather intimate situation and, while you might have known mentally that, by this point, they were probably doing that sort of thing, it's quite another to see it for yourself."

Erza blushed some more, her mouth trying to open in protest before she sighed. "Yeah, that's what it is,"

Taking that to mean it was finally safe, Jellal walked forward and wrapped his arms around her, happy to be able to comfort her when, so often, the situation was reversed. They both were quiet for a long time, until they heard steps in the hallway and a knock on the door.

"Miss Scarlet? You in there?" a voice rang out.

Erza looked up at Jellal with wide eyes, "My landlady!,"

She quickly ducked out of his arms and pulled him to her bed. Any other time, Jellal probably would've been very enthusiastic in the direction she was dragging him, and a grin spread across his face at his own thoughts. The grin quickly vanished when he found himself being shoved under her bed. She met his eyes and pressed a finger to her lips, before dropping the bed skirt to cover his rather shocked face and ran to answer the door, opening it only slightly.

"Yes?" Erza said as she peeked her head through the door.

"I thought I heard a boy's voice, and I thought you might help me figure out where it might be coming from."

"Oh! Oh? Um, I didn't hear anything, are you just imagining things?" Erza asked as she tried to keep her composure.

"Hmm, I didn't think I was, but if you don't think there is a boy here, I guess you must be right. Sorry to bother you." the woman said before she continued off down the hall.

Erza closed the door and leaned against it, heaving a sigh of relief. "We need to get you out of here," she said.

Jellal, who had crawled out and was now laying on the ground looking up at her grinned. "I know a good place to go." He made his way to his feet and brushed himself off before taking her hand.

"Where..?" Erza looked down at their clasped hands, while Jellal just shook his head and pulled her to the window.

"I'll go out this way, but you just meet me out front okay?" Before she could respond, he leaned forward and kissed her nose lightly before pulling back the drapes and opening the window. He jumped out and landed on his feet with a soft thud.

Erza felt the heat rise in her cheeks before she turned to make her way to the door. She stopped short before looking down at her armor and decided to change. Stripping off the hard metal, she changed into her usual white button down and blue skirt. Slipping into her boots, she quickly hurried out the door and out to the front of the building. Jellal looked up from the stone he was sitting on, smiling as he took in her new appearance.

"Ready?"

At her mute nod, he grabbed her hand and began tugging her down the lane, enjoying the excitement that only bubbled up when he was near her. "I found this place a while back and I've been meaning to show it to you."

Through the streets, past the shops, and finally out into the woods he took her. Trees passed on either side of them, and the hustle and bustle of Magnolia slowly faded behind them. Sunlight danced through the leaves and dust shimmered and swirled in the air, making the forest look, for all the world, like something straight out of an artist's mind. Trust Jellal to know that she wouldn't be able to handle being in public right now.

Suddenly, the trees opened up and, nestled in their shade was a small, blue pond. Really no bigger than her own apartment and probably no deeper than a couple of her heights. It was perfect. Small pebbles made up a tiny beach, and the roots of trees dangled in the water from the cuts into the soil the lake had managed to erode. Pinecones dotted the beach, charming in their placement, but ready to be stepped on by the unwary swimmer. All in all, it presented one of the most peaceful scenes she had ever encountered.

"Jellal.. Its… So beautiful…" She pulled her hand out of his grasp as she stepped forward, taking in the sight before her as she analyzed every breathtaking aspect. Jellal watched her in silence, a soft smile on his lips as he felt the tender tugging in his chest beginning to grow. She turned around, happiness showing on her face and was met with the soft look in Jellal's eyes. Not breaking his stare, she made her way back to him and circled her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad you like it, Erza."

She nodded and leaned up to press a kiss to his lips. "I love it." Slowly, Softly, Smoothly. The kiss whispered over their lips, reaffirming the love that bound them, forgiving past transgressions, and forging future bonds. It had taken them so long to finally reach each other, but both had been willing to wait for the right moment. Erza had known that, before Jellal could contribute to any relationship they might have, he would need to come to terms with himself first. To be honest, it was for this reason, and this reason alone that she hadn't gone after him the last time they had both lain on the beach.

She pulled away ever so slightly from his lips, whispering "Jellal.." before he pressed closed the small space she made once again. His kiss was gentle and filled with both need and soft reassurance.

"Jellal," she whispered once more as they both sank to the ground. Jellal lay back, allowing her to rest comfortably on his chest and protecting her from the pine needles that lay strewn across the forest floor.

He sighed happily as he ran his hands gently over her back, loving the flow of her muscles beneath her shirt.

Erza leaned back, her face read as she nervously bit her lips, "Jellal, I think I want to do it. Are you sure no one else comes here?"

Jellal smiled softly up at her and leaned forward to kiss her nose. "Quite sure. I found this place a few years ago and have never seen anyone else here in all that time."

She relaxed and slowly a matching smile grew on her face. "Good," she said as she leaned forward to kiss him again. Her hands brushed under his coat and he unwrapped her arms in order to pull it off.

Laughing a little, he sat her back and turned around to lay his coat out in lieu of a blanket.

Giggling, Erza tackled him just as he turned back around, completely missing the coat and landing in a bit of mud.

He couldn't stop the faintly exasperated look that crossed his features, but at her broad grin his amusement returned faster than ever. They always managed to be like this when they were alone, as though they were reliving the childhoods that were stolen from them. This was the side of Erza he loved more than any other, the one that she refused to show even her closest friends. Occasionally, they might see glimpses of it, but he was the one privileged enough to spy it without hindrance. Returning her laugh, he rolled them over and onto the jacket, ignoring the spots of mud that came with them.

"You can be so cute sometimes," He whispered against her throat, smiling as her groan vibrated against his lips.

"You can be so frustrating sometimes," she countered, "Like with that damn t-shirt that literally hides nothing. It's so annoying!" She pointed out, grinning despite the blush that covered her face. She was getting so much better at this whole flirting thing, well, as long as she wasn't around other people, that is.

"Well than," he said, cocking an eyebrow like a smooth motherfucker, "care to take care of that annoyance?"

Erza glowered at him, "You have way too much snark than what is good for you," she said, but happily complied with peeling his shirt from his abs. She must have a thing for well-defined musculature or something because every time she saw him shirtless she felt her heart began to palpitate. Grinning, Erza draped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him again. Fast, Frantic, this kiss conveyed the heat that was quickly being generated between them.

Jellal made short work of Erza's blouse and skirt, and pressed a gentle kiss to her collarbone as he brushed one hand over her chest.

Erza licked her lips and pressed a kiss to his chest, her hands running across his back and waist, tracing each dip and rise.

Leaning back, Jellal began to trace kisses across her breasts, enjoying the small exclamations of surprise she gave each time he did things like this. One hand snaked downwards, tickling her stomach before tracing under the band of her underwear.

Erza felt her breath hitch as his hand brushed so close to the source of the warmth that suffused her. Glaring at him as he continued to tease her, Erza abruptly stood up and disposed of the irritating pieces that covered her most intimate parts. She blushed as she tried to ignore the look of rapt wonder that crossed his features and went to quickly sit back down, but his hands on her hips stopped her in her tracks.

"Wha-"

"Wait," he breathed as he pressed a kiss to her stomach, "I just want to see you for a second...or two...or ten."

Erza felt her blush quickly intensify and spread across her chest. Damn the fair skin that went hand-in-hand with her hair color. It only made things difficult.

Jellal, for his part, loved the redness that spread across her form. For the usually impassive and distant warrior that she was, he loved having the evidence that he could affect her like this.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Jellal pressed another kiss to her stomach, and another. His lips drifted softly over her skin, caressing her with the wonder he always felt when she showed him the slightest bit of attention, ever conscious of the fact that he shouldn't deserve to have this happiness but grateful for it nonetheless.

Erza groaned a little and tentatively threaded her fingers through his hair. Blue surrounded white and, for all the world, reminded her of that frustrating little beach where they had come so close to sharing their first kiss. Oh how far they had come now.

Drawn with an almost magnetic pull, Jellal leaned forward and brushed his lips over her core. He couldn't stop the small smile that pulled at his lips at the gasp and tightening in his hair that accompanied the action.

The taste of her was like ambrosia to his taste buds, and he eagerly allowed her to pull him closer so that he could relish her more fully.

Erza cried out as she felt herself near her peak, her head tossed back in abandon. A light breeze played off the lake and rustled itself through the strands of her hair. Goosebumps rippled across her flesh in stark contrast of the heat generating from her core. Almost, almost, almost there, and then the unthinkable happened.

A roar of laughter erupted from one of the nearby bushes.

"BE QUIET."

Lucy's panicked yelp gave them away and Natsu came tumbling out of the bush holding his sides and his face red from laughter. Lucy quickly followed suit, landing on the forest floor with a thud.

Erza scrambled backwards quickly, all previous thoughts of pleasure replaced with sheer embarrassment.

"Oh god, Erza I am so sorry! I had no idea…!"

"OH GOD THIS IS RICH. THE IRONY."

Jellal quickly wrapped Erza in his coat and hid her behind himself.

"N-Natsu! L-Lucy! Go! Leave!" Erza's yelps sounded from behind Jellal as Lucy tried her very hardest to get the dragon slayer to his feet. Her attempts quickly failed as Natsu grabbed her arm the wrong way and Lucy fell on top of him, her face red with embarrassment over what she had witnessed. Her apologies couldn't be heard over Natsu's continued laughter and after the blonde finally managed to get to her feet, she managed to haul Natsu up to his.

"Erza, I really am so-"

"Just go, Lucy!" Jellal snapped, his eyes travelling anywhere but Lucy's shocked stare. His face was darker than his lover's hair, and he could hardly believe that of all the people to find them it had to be Natsu and Lucy.

Lucy quickly nodded as she turned away, pulling the still giggling Natsu away from the scene. After they had managed to get a good distance away, Natsu turned to Lucy, a grin still plastered on his face. "What're the odds, Luce?"

Back at the lake, Jellal and Erza shared mutual looks of horror. After what seemed an interminable time, Jellal finally cracked a weak smile.

"Well, I guess that makes us even, doesn't it?"

Well… Shit.

HIHIHIHI HERE IT IS, THE PROMISED CHAPTER 2

so, brahs, for now this is finished, though Lily and I have debated about doing a thing with it. However, if that ever happens, it won't be for a while so sorry, yo.

Cowritten with the Lovely Lily, who is cinnamontoastkden on tumblr. This was done for Day 4 of the 2014 Jerza Love Fest on tumblr. FYI for all of you, if you search for mixberkaan on tumblr, you won't find any of my fairy tail stuff. Sorry. Instead, you'll find a random-ass blog that is more likely to give you post-whiplash than anything else so yeah.

However, Lily is great about reblogging a bunch of FT stuff, both mine, hers, and whatever catches her (or our) eyes (LILY THE PANTS THEPANTS THEPANTSSSSS)

So yeah, hope you enjoy this!