#fyjerikrequest

Hello Anon! We hope you'll like it!

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Love.

According to the dictionary it means, “an intense feeling of deep affection,” which Jellal isn’t sure he entirely understands the meaning of.

He grew up in a house where ‘love’ was expressed through yells and broken glasses. He is even sure that he saw his mother throwing a plate at his father once. While they tried to tone down when it came to Jellal, he was no stranger of cold shoulders and ignorance coming from his parents. And growing up without any siblings or relative around, didn’t really help either. His parents finally got divorced at some point, and he spent a good majority of his life switching from his father or mother’s house, who still managed to find a way to fight about ridiculous things each time they crossed paths. So, yes, “an intense feeling of deep affection”, is certainly not how his first experience with love went.

Which probably explain why he finds himself in this precise situation. If he has anyone to blame, he will be pointing fingers at Ultear. She is the first friend he managed to make despite his cold demeanor. She saw past through him when they met in middle school, and given the situation he’s in right now, he is not so sure if letting her in finally was a great decision.

Because being friends with Ultear, caused him three grands things in his life, which he likes to call “The Three Scourges”.

One, it forced him to open up, and lose his credibility when it comes to the deal with “I don’t want friends”.

Which leads him to number two, where out of nowhere, he became part of a group of people.

Which leads him to number three, Erik.

Erik with his beautiful brown eyes and dark red hair. Erik with his smiles and ridiculous scars on his eye that Jellal can’t help but think of, in ways that would probably make the boy blush if he could hear thoughts. Erik with his outgoing personality and who is also very straight with a girlfriend.

And this fact is probably the most devastating one for Jellal who is very not straight and possibly in love with him, at least according to Ultear. He’s not really certain of where he stands on the matter. Because really, all he feels is his heart beating faster when Erik talks to him, and sometimes he doesn’t know how to function properly in his company, but if anything, this just means that he is sick and probably dying from a cancer.

So, yes, it’s definitely Ultear’s fault, if Erik has been looking at him for at least five minutes, with wide eyes and mouth half opens with shock, suddenly incapable of letting out a single word.

“I’ll...I’ll go,” Jellal blurts out, before standing up from his chair and walking away.

He doesn’t know why his eyes are hitching so much, or why his vision is blurred. He’s pretty sure that it feels hotter now since his hands are sweaty.

It’s ridiculous, really. Because what was he thinking when he told Erik “I love you”, out of nowhere? They were just discussing their new project for a class they shared and were assigned together. They were in the library of the campus, so really even the setting wasn’t that great for a confession.

“I’m so stupid…” He mumbles.

He’s not sure of where he is going, at this point he doesn’t really care either, all he wants is to get out of here. Maybe even drop his classes for the rest of day, or even for the rest of the year. He doesn’t even like what he’s doing, so really it could be a great opportunity to just quit everything. He has some money on the side, and he’s pretty sure it’ll be enough for him to go a few months somewhere, far, far away. It might be a little be drastic but he’ll choose that over the fact of ever seeing Erik’s face ever again.

At least that’s the plan until, he feels fingers curling around his writ, urging him to stop. And it’s not long before his eyes caught Eric’s body moving, so they are now facing each other. He looks out of breath, a faint blush on his cheeks, and there’s a certain desperation in his eyes.

“Jellal,” he says, panting.

Erik takes a moment to catch his breath, not letting go of Jellal. He doesn’t dare to move as few seconds pass, too afraid of what could happen.

“You ran,” Erik finally lets out.

Jellal bites his bottom lip as he lets his gaze meet the ground.

“You said that to me and then ran away,” he adds.

“You didn’t give me an answer. I was not going to stay there and embarrass myself further,” Jellal whispers, and really he didn’t think he had it in him.

“You…You caught me off guard okay? I really didn’t expect something like that… ever. And I was just starting to be okay and moving on from you and then you just said...that.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you—wait, what did you just said? What do you mean?”

Confusion taking over him, Jellal lifts his eyes to Erik, who is looking slightly embarrassed now, as the words finally caught up to him. He is not sure if he really understood what Erik just said, and he’s feeling weird enough about all this situation to let his hopes high.

“Look, um...I know you’re not really into that “love” thing. You made it all clear, countless of time through the years. And while it hurt at first, I made my peace with it. Or at least tried. And then, you say something like that and – fuck- what does it mean?”

Jellal stares at him, without saying a word, because really, this doesn’t make any sense. He wonders for a moment if he finally died from that cancer, he’s so sure he has and if he managed to reach heaven, or hell for that matter. Because really, this is torture. He can feel his hopes dancing inside his head and it sucks.

“Did you mean it?” Erik asks, a certain despair in his voice. “When you said you loved me, did you mean it?”

Erik looks ready to break at any moment, and there’s something in that, that makes Jellal wary, because that’s a side of the young man he has never met before.

“Yes, I meant it...whatever it means,” Jellal decides to tell him the truth.

And he can see it was the right thing to do, when relief takes over him. But it doesn’t make any sense because—

“Why are you asking? Why are you saying all of this when you have a girlfriend, Erik?”

Why, indeed, when not two hours ago, Erik was bragging about how awesome Kinana is, about how gentle she is.

“What? What girlfriend?” Erik questions, confused.

“Come on Erik, I know that Kinana and you have a thing going on and—”

“Wait! What?”

“—it’s okay really, you don’t have to pretend for my sake or whatever—”

“Damn it, what are you talking about? I’m not—”

“—I’ll admit that it bugged me for a long time, but it’s okay now, I mean, she’s gorgeous and I guess you two do look cute together—”

This time his sentence is cut off with a pair of lips on his and Jellal doesn’t even try to stop it from happening. It’s at the same time everything he imagined it would feel like and not.

Erik’s lips are surprisingly soft and warm. It’s easy for Jellal to just melt against him. There’s no pressure to the kiss, it will not lead to something deeper, they are just lips against lips, but it’s enough for Jellal’s heart to quicken.

But as sudden the kiss was, it doesn’t last long either as Erik retreats a little, so he can look at Jellal again.

“You really don’t know when to shut up sometimes, you’re unbelievable,” Erik whispers, a soft smile on his lips. “First of all, I don’t have a girlfriend, Kinana is my best friend, thank you very much. We grew up together so I see her like a little sister more than anything.”

“But-”

He is cut by a hand on his lips this time, and Jellal tries not to frown at the disrespect.

“Then, I’m very gay and she’s very gay so yeah...definitely not. Also…” There’s a little fond smile adorning his face now. “I love you too, idiot.”

It takes a few minutes for Jellal to process the words. And now he understands why Erik took so much time to say anything back to him when he let out the words earlier. It’s a strange feeling, to know that someone loves you.

But after a moment, Jellal brings his hand to the one against his lips to lower it, and he can’t help but smile in return.

“So,” Erik speaks once again. “You confessed even though you thought I had a girlfriend? What kind of sick game are you playing dude?”

At the sight of wriggling eyebrows and the now smirk on his face, Jellal lost his own smile as a groan escapes his lips.

“Oh my god, I’m going to regret this.”

Erik slides an arm around his waist to keep him against him as he laughs.

And despite his words, Jellal knows, he’s not going to regret anything at all.

*

Mod Océane

Hey anon! Hope you enjoy this little ficlet. <3 Pairing: Jellal/Erik Word count: 1.6k

“You’ll be okay alone?” Erik checks one last time, pinning his boyfriend with a hard stare. Jellal, thin and pale and drowning in his too-large white shirt, nods with a wan smile.

“I’ll be okay, I promise. I have everything under control. I swear.” Bright brown eyes are filled with raw earnestness, making no effort to hide either the pain or the love that brews in their depths. Erik cannot say no to Jellal when he lays himself bare before him in that fashion. 

“Okay.” Erik sighs, grabbing his bag and moving towards the door. But as he goes to put on his shoes, he stops abruptly.

I’m missing something!

Without a second thought, he turns around and runs towards Jellal, whose features morph from calm to concerned.

“What’s wrong?” he asks anxiously. Erik grins at him, taking Jellal’s cheeks in his hands and bringing their faces close together.

“Forgot something important,” he says impishly, and kisses Jellal. 

There’s a cherry-red blush dusting Jellal’s cheeks when Erik pulls away, still smiling devilishly. It satisfies the little demon in his heart - making Jellal blush is his favorite pastime. He walks backwards to the door, waving a little at his boyfriend as he steps out and closes it behind him. 

The smile on Jellal’s face and the wave he receives in return is more than worth the fact that he trips and falls flat the second he’s out of the house.

Picking himself up, Erik dusts his clothes off and climbs onto his bike, Cubellios. It doesn’t take very long for him to get the old girl fired up and on the road, and the wind pulls at his hair in just the way that he likes as he speeds along the empty highways to make it in time for his shift.

It’s a small coffee shop where he works, one of those little businesses owned by locals that somehow end up being the most warm and inviting places ever. It’s funny that this one, Rosen Krone, should be, since its owner Ultear is literally the least warm and inviting person Erik knows. But that’s off-topic; today, as the chef, he gets to decide the Friday special, and he’s already planning on making apple tarts. They’re Jellal’s favourite - just imagining the soft look in brown eyes, and the silly smile he will make as he devours each one whole, makes Erik giggle to himself. 

He doesn’t even scold himself for being a sap. At this point, he’s pretty much accepted how whipped he is for his sweet blueberry boyfriend.

Erik pulls into the parking lot of the cafe and locks his bike before practically rushing inside, excitement bubbling out of his entire body as he thinks about how he’ll surprise Jellal. He doesn’t even hear Ultear’s snarky comment on his sudden enthusiasm or Sorano’s giggled, “Whipped,” as he hurriedly takes out the ingredients and starts to put together the perfect tart.

He slices the apples at the speed of light, only the sheer precision built up from years of cooking stopping him from cutting off a chunk of his finger. Tossing them into a bowl, he adds cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, lemon juice and a bit of salt to the mixture and shakes the bowl to mix them all up properly. He slides a lid onto the apples, allowing them to marinate, and turns to the pastry.

He’s measuring out the third cup of flour when his phone rings. 

At first, Erik clicks his tongue in annoyance, wondering who on Earth would call now. He’s cooking, and all his friends know that hell hath no fury like an Erik who is disturbed from cooking. 

Then the ringtone - Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, unironically his and Jellal’s song - properly registers itself in his ears, and Erik promptly spills the cup of flour all over himself with shock.

Jellal?!

He fumbles for the phone in his pocket, forgetting everything else. The world could be crashing around his ears right now and he wouldn’t care - Jellal’s calling, and that means there’s something wrong. 

Worry dampens his entire body like ice as Erik swipes the ‘Accept’ button, pressing the phone to his ear and practically barking, “Jellal! Love, what’s wrong?”

There’s a pause, during which harsh, ragged breaths that sound suspiciously like crying come through the other end. Erik doesn’t waste a second, keeping the phone in place with his shoulder as he removes his apron and hangs it up. He has to go home now; Jellal clearly needs him.

Whispered words from the other side of the line barely make it to his ears, but Erik’s hearing is far better than anyone else’s, and so it is that he clearly picks them up.

“Remember when I said I had it under control? Well, um… I might have… lied…” Jellal’s voice is high, notes of panic filling it. Erik’s breath stumbles over his words; he can’t get them out fast enough as he shouts into the receiver of the phone, “What happened? Are you - are you okay?!” 

“I don’t know,” Jellal whispers softly. “I don’t know. All I know is it feels like I’m drowning-”

“‘M coming,” Erik says firmly. He looks over at Ultear, mouthing, ‘He’s not okay’; she nods gravely, motioning for him to leave. 

She’s accommodating like that. Erik couldn’t have been more grateful for it as he speeds out of the back door of the cafe, slamming his key into his bike and starting to drive haphazardly even as he keeps murmuring platitudes into the phone.

He hears Jellal hiccupping and crying. Erik’s heart breaks, imagining his boyfriend curled into himself, red-faced and blaming himself for everything that is wrong in this world. All he can do now is whisper softly, “I’m coming, love. Don’t you worry. I love you so much. You’re amazing.” 

He’s powerless over the phone, and he hates it.

Clenching his fists around the acceleration button on his bike, Erik wills Cubellios to fly faster than she has ever gone. He pushes her to the limit, not stopping for a second, breaking every traffic rule known to mankind in his single-minded determination to get home in time.

I’m coming, baby. Don’t worry a second. 

Hastily pulling up in front of the house, Erik leaps off of Cubellios and rushes to the door. The bike clatters to the ground behind him; but he’ll worry about that later. For now, Jellal comes first.

Erik wrenches the door open and heads straight upstairs to the bedroom where he knows Jellal will be lying, curled in a ball and weeping softly. He’s proven right as he opens the door and shuts it with a soft click to find his boyfriend’s blue head buried in a mountain of pillows, his thin shoulders shaking weakly.

“Jellal,” he calls tenderly, making his way over to the bed with deliberate, loud steps. Jellal doesn’t like to be surprised when he’s feeling down. “Love, it’s me. I’m here.”

“Erik,” Jellal rasps out, his voice raw from crying. “I… why’d you…”

Erik perches himself on the edge of the bed and cards a hand through Jellal’s azure locks.

“‘Cause I’m your boyfriend, and I wanna be here for you when you’re not okay.”

“But I…” Jellal lifts his face, tearful brown eyes meeting gentle purple ones. “I dragged you away from work. I’m horr-”

Erik puts a finger on Jellal’s lips, shaking his head. “You’re wonderful,” he stresses quickly, emphasizing his point. “You’re wonderful and I love you.”

“No.” Jellal sniffles. “No. I’m terrible. I just hurt people and tear them away from things they need to do and-”

“No!” Erik cries out. He needs to stop this before Jellal starts spiralling. He can’t allow his boyfriend to go into that state again. Taking off his socks, he settles himself properly on the bed and pulls Jellal into his flour-covered chest, kissing and petting the other man with the same gentleness one would show a baby.

“No, love,” he breathes. “You’ve given me so much. You’re my world. You’re so kind and so good.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t matter. You can find someone else, someone better to love,” Jellal hiccups. 

Erik swats his back lightly. “None of that.” he says bluntly, truthfully. “I could never love anyone else. To me, there’s no one better than you. Your love saved me more times than I can count. I love you. I’ll always choose you.” 

Jellal exhales into Erik’s shoulder. There’s silence for a few beats before he speaks again - 

“You really have horrible taste.”

It’s barely a whisper, more of an exhausted breath. But it’s a victory, because it means Jellal’s feeling just a bit better: and Erik will make sure to build on that bit, to keep building on it until Jellal is calm once more. And even after that, because to make his boyfriend happy is the best thing in the world, and he’ll always be here.

He doesn’t reply to Jellal’s comment, simply pulling him in closer, ensconcing him in warmth. They lie like that for awhile, just relishing in each other’s presence, Erik rubbing circles into Jellal’s back - his signal to say ‘I love you’ when he doesn’t feel like talking. 

Jellal is Erik’s entire world: capable, bright and friendly, kind and intelligent, absolutely beautiful, basically everything anyone could want. But of all the people, it’s silly, stupid Erik who has gotten this amazing person to call his. 

Thank you for sending the first request to our blog. Here you go, anon!

Jellal and Erik cuddling in a blanket burrito.

—art by mod Sky

(@watcher-ofthe-sky )

Thank you for the request, anon! We had a lot of fun doing it. 

Jellal waits with bated breath for the results. The judge’s stern face looks down upon them all, lips tightly pressed together, before he announces, “And the winners are…”

Erik clutches his hand, whispering quietly, “You got this.You got this.” Jellal looks at his boyfriend’s reassuring gaze and feels the tension in his heart ease a little.

Gray is on the edge of his seat, his own boyfriend Natsu rubbing circles into his palm as he quivers in place. Jellal can’t help but give a smile at his partner’s nervousness; he remembers his first competition, before his first partner Laxus’ injury, and how jumpy he had been.

He’s sure they’re going to win. Their performance was the best it had ever been; Gray hadn’t slipped up with his moves once, and Jellal hadn’t forgotten a single step. It had been practically perfect.

So it’s pretty earth-shattering when he hears the words, “SABERTOOTH!” booming across the auditorium.

Jellal’s body goes numb, and he feels himself start to shake.

We lost. We lost. We lost, is the chant thrumming in his head.

The competition they had worked so hard for, practiced so long for – Jellal’s last competition before he has to fly off to college in England – gone. They’ve lost.

He melts into Erik’s arms encircling his torso, staring blankly up at the ceiling, unable to process anything but this.

They’ve lost.

Gray is shaking and sobbing quietly, Natsu holding him and rocking him back and forth. Jellal barely notices, numb in his own shock and disappointment.

“And now! An interlude by the acclaimed band Crime Sorcière,until the participants of the Music Competition are ready!” announces the compere Chapati Lola, Jellal only just registering the words.

Erik’s band… he realises dimly.

But Erik is still beside him, holding him tightly, rubbing circles on his back to calm him down.

“You’re up, aren’t you?” Jellal murmurs dazedly, still processing the fact that they’ve lost the most important competition.

“They can manage without me,” Erik says softly, pressing a kiss to Jellal’s head. “Love, it’s okay that you lost. It happens.”

But Jellal can only shake his head. “It’s not,” he chokes out painfully. “Gray needed this, I needed this. I just wanted one big win before I leave… is that so wrong?”

Erik hums. “No, it’snot. It’s not wrong to wish for something, Jellal.”

He holds Jellal like that for another few minutes, andJellal can feel a little of the hurt receding. Erik is really a calming presence, like that.

Erik stands up suddenly, and Jellal blinks owlishly at his outstretched hand. Crime Sorcière is playing an upbeat pop-rock number from the 1960s; he can’t help but nod his head along to the beat.

“Dance with me,” Erik says suddenly, flashing his sharp white teeth.

Jellal takes in a sharp breath. “What?”

“Dance with me,” Erik repeats, taking his hand, pulling him onto the dance floor. He begins to move awkwardly to the beat, dragging Jellal like deadweight. “Y’know it’s not exactly easy to show off my stuff when you’re hanging off me like this, right?”

Jellal can’t help but give a self-deprecating laugh. “Erik…”

Erik pulls him up straight and kisses him on the mouth.“Come on. Dance with me. forget everything else; pretend it’s just us.”

And he begins to execute some truly ridiculous moves,completely missing the rhythm of the song. Jellal bursts into helpless laughter, watching his boyfriend act like he’s crazy.

“You’ve finally lost it!” he laughs at Erik, who smiles.

“Aren’t you going to join me?” he asks.

And Jellal doesn’t know what makes him do it, but he steps into Erik’s arms and starts dancing with him. They’re clunky and clumsy and awkward and step on each other’s toes multiple times.

Jellal leans on Erik’s chest and allows a small smile to come on his face.

His boyfriend always knows just how to cheer him up.

–