“You lied to me”, Jerza
It took me a terribly long time to figure out exactly where I wanted to go! But I hope you like this, anon. :)
Jerza: “You Lied to me.”
Erza leaned back against her sofa—waiting for her door to open like it always did at 4am. She knew Jellal hadn’t realized she had noticed. But how could she not?
Her fiancé, sneaking out every night. She had noticed one night when she woke up from an awful nightmare. She had turned to pull him back into her arms, and she discovered an empty bed.
She was drifting off to sleep, barely able to keep her eyes open, when the door swung open slowly, and quietly, and Jellal slipped inside. He froze, seeing her figure on the couch. She watched him visibly relax through half-lidded eyes.
Maybe he thought she was asleep. As he was turning to kick off his shoes she spoke.
“You lied to me.”
Jellal jumped, and spun around, “E-Erza! You’re awake?!”
Erza crossed her arms, not bothering to get up from where she was sitting. She glared at him in the dim light of their living room. “Where have you been, Jellal? Didn’t you know I’d be worried sick?”
“I…” He blinked, his eyes wide, “You knew…?”
“Of course, I knew!” Erza gasped. “What am I supposed to think, Jellal? Waking up in the middle of the night and you’re not there? I… You’ve been lying to me this whole time! Sneaking off!” she bit her lip. No, I’m not going to cry here. Not now. “Where were you?!”
“I needed some air,” he said. He didn’t look angry at all, and she was yelling at him. He looked… scared. Erza stood, and took a step towards him. He was staring at her, his eyes wide—pained.
She reached out and took his hand and then pulled him into her embrace, wrapping her arms gently around his shoulders and holding him tight. He pressed his forehead against his shoulder, sliding his arms around her waist.
“Jellal. Tell me what’s going on. Please.”
Jellal let out a shuddering breath. “You need to rest, Erza,” he said, his head still resting in the crook of her neck.
“I’m not going back to bed until you tell me what’s going on,” she said, pulling away only to offer him a stern glare. Jellal shook his head, still not looking herin the eye.
“No, I mean…You need to rest and I… I keep having these dreams.”
“What… what do you mean?”
“Do you remember, a couple weeks ago I had a nightmare,” he said, biting his lip.
“Of course,” Erza whispered. “You had nightmares two nights in a row.”
“I’ve had nightmares every night since,” he said, “And I don’t want to wake you. I… I don’t want to worry you.”
“You’ve… you’ve had nightmares every night?”
“Sometimes the same as that first one.” He shivered, “Sometimes different. S-sometimes…” his hold on her tightened, just barely, as if he was afraid that if he let her go he would lose her, “Sometimes I watch everything I never thought I would have slip between my fingers. You… the baby… our friends…”
Erza shook her head, “Jellal…and you left?”
“I didn’t want to wake you. I know you worry… I know when I talk about… not deserving everything I’ve been given—”
“When I realized you weren’t in bed, I woke up because I had a nightmare,” Erza said.
Jellal stared at her, “You…”
“I dreamed that… that we were at war again. The guild was under attack. Zeref was there. And you… I watched you die. And I realized, in my dream, that our baby would grow up never knowing his or her father.” Her hands were shaking. “When I woke up, I rolled over to find you—I knew you would be there. I had to make sure,” she choked on tears, and bit her lip hard. I can’t cry now. “I had to make sure that you were safe. That we were together. And… you weren’t there.”
“Erza…”
“Is it the same with your dreams? Wouldn’t it be better if, when you wake up, I’m there for you?” Then she shook her head, rephrasing the question: “I want to be there for you, Jellal. Please, let me be there for you. I love you.”
Jellal stared at her for what felt like an eternity, and then he shook his head with a smile. “I don’t deserve you.” He pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her temple.
“Will you come back to bed?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“Promise you’ll stay in bed, from now on? You won’t run off?”
“I swear,” he replied.
“Good.”
She led him back to their bed, slipping under the blankets, and finding herself in his arms.
“Erza?”
“Hm?” she murmured, closing her eyes.
“I love you too.”
“I know,” she said, “I think I’ve always known.”
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