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Gramps glared at me, hands on his thin waist. I stared meekly back, drawing away from Erza in an instant.
"Good." He responded, relaxing at once. He opened his mouth to start a sentence, but a certain pink-haired idiot beat him to it.
"GRAAAMMMPPPSS~!" He lunged towards the old-man, towering over him. Natsu encompassed him in a massive hug, basically crying over the poor soul.
My mouth dry, I gave Erza a questioning look. She just shrugged and stared compassionately at Gramps; as if he were her own Father.
Natsu then pulled away, letting us form a circle around Makarov. It was then that I noticed the purple indents on his cheekbones, and several other bruises decorating his skin.
"What-" I spluttered, "Gramps, are you okay? You- You're hurt-!"
Makarov waved me off with an annoyed sigh, and then turned towards Erza, "We expect the worst, Child. The school's been evacuated and closed, as Acnologia sent a patrol to us. He guessed you would head there."
Erza growled deeply, before replying in a deep, solemn tone, I couldn't help but stare at her, "Master. We-We shouldn't have sought your help. I apologize," She knelt, fringe covering the expanse of her forehead, "Please punish me."
"Nonsense, my Child," Makarov scowled, before facing me, "Ah yes. You-" he turned to Gray, mouthing something along the lines of 'what-was-his-name-again'.
"HEEEYYYYY!" I yelped, before shooting the short man a glower.
"I'm only kidding, my Child," Gramps sneakily grinned before continuing with his original sentence, "Jellal, the blueberry, Fernandes."
Oh, for Mavis's sake-
"And my future, adoptive son-in-law," Makarov burst out, beckoning me into his arms with a massive grin, "When are you and Scarlet getting married?"
"SHUSSSHHHHHHH!" My face was turning crimson as the seconds passed, and I fought off my instinct to bolt, "I- You- Right! Acno- Acnologia. What can we do about him?"
The sudden lift of the atmosphere disappeared at once, as another solemn silence swallowed our voices. Gray spoke up, nudging Mira.
"We- We're part of the prophecy, right? Jellal, Lucy and I?"
"Yes, you are," Makarov replied slowly as if he were talking to a small child. Well, he wasn't wrong there, he was talking to an uneducated, stripper, who was head-over-heels in love with a rain woman.
"WAIT-" I broke in, hysterically, "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PROPHECY? HECK, HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE VAMPIRES, AND ERZA, AND ACNOLOGIA, AND-"
Erza shoved me harshly, shooting me a look, "Gramps has been teaching us since we were children, Jelly-chan," her voice was a mix of mocking and serious, which made me want to kiss her and fight her.
Wait, what.
"It's true, my Son," Makarov breathed out, before perching on a rung, leading to the outside of the tunnel, "I was only keeping an eye- an eye out on you, per the Queen's beckoning."
I nodded, my head spinning slightly. However, I still had enough courage to ask a final question, "What do we do now?"
"Now?" a sadistic expression crept upon Makarov's face, as I stepped back in surprise, "We do the only thing that's left."
"Hmm?" Natsu asked, excited.
"Attack the castle, and take back what's ours."
"Are we ready?" Lucy's voice was quivering, as she laced her hands with Natsu's. The lizard gave her a tender look, his thumb gently forming circles in her palms to make her calm down.
"Of course," Gramps grinned, "We'll do it the Fairy Tail way!"
~~~
I sighed, picking up the beer bottle and chugging a few more pints. The plan had been settled. The thing we had been preparing for, for the past weeks, was about to happen soon.
And the only thing I could worry about was how my relationships with the Vampires would be affected after.
How many people would die for our cause; whether I'd ever get to talk to them again; Whether-
"Jellal?"
I spun around, placing the bottle back on the counter-top. We were in some random hotel, waiting for Mira, Erza, Natsu, and Makarov to finish their discussion.
Speaking of Erza...
"Er- Erza, hey!" I grinned back, the booze going slightly to my head as I stumbled towards her, "W- Why are you here, mOm,"
"Mom?" She seemed affronted, glaring back at me, "Oh-oh, no you haven't been- JELLAL FERNANDES, I AM THE ONLY PERSON HERE ALLOWED TO BE DRUNK. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE-"
I placed a hand on her cheek, leaning down at her with a tipsy expression, I wasn't thinking straight.
"I- I love you, Erza Scarlet. I love you so fricking much."
