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It was a little late in the morning, when retching noises erupted from outside the half-open door, leading into the bathroom.
Within the room, a young, redheaded female had found herself on her knees, hunched over the toilet. Clad in only her violet silk bathrobe, the scarlet-haired woman braced strongly against its seat. Her fingers firmly grasped onto it, as she emptied out the contents of her stomach into the bowl below.
Breathing heavily, the redhead coughed, sputtered, and wheezed, before spitting out the remnants from her mouth. She groaned woefully, her lips twisted to a deep scowl.
"Ugh…this…damned illness!" Her trembling body heaved mightily, while she leaned up more against the toilet's seat. "I swear it's been like this, for almost a couple of weeks, already!"
Erza then suddenly grunted, freezing in place, when she felt another wave of nausea hit the core of her body. The intense churning in her stomach had eventually come to pass, without forcing her to throw up—but, it left the redheaded woman with great concern that perpetuated with every passing moment.
A deep sigh escaped her breath. "Seriously," she muttered, lifting her head up from being face down towards the toilet's bowl, for long. "What is going on with me, right now?"
In her mind, she could recall how it all progressed, and culminated, into the predicament she currently experienced, just now. First, she felt mildly nauseous at times, the week prior. Initially, she brushed it off, thinking she had caught some kind of stomach virus. That is, until it all escalated in the next few days after, when she found herself rushing towards a restroom.
It just seemed to hit whenever it wanted to, but Erza knew that whenever it did, it hit her hard. It especially hit her, every time she had taken a bite out of her favourite foods—including her strawberry cakes. In fact, it was so bad, that even the very scent of those cakes had sent her running straight to the toilet. She just found it so odd that it would even happen like that.
The other times Erza had used the toilet, during the days after her mild illness, was when there was a sudden urge to relieve herself. It happened more frequently than she thought, having felt her bladder fill up more than a few times, every day.
Flushing the toilet with a single push on its tap, the female Scarlet gingerly moved towards the mirror above the sink. Grabbing a face towel, she wiped the bottom-half of her face, before rinsing the towel under the sink's faucet.
As she did, she closely observed her own reflection in the mirror, parting away the fringes of her hair that stuck to her forehead. Beneath her messy tresses that were tied into a high ponytail of sorts, her face was flushed with burning red, from the great exertion her body previously made. Even that, however, had failed to hide the dark shades that slowly formed underneath her eyes.
Erza could also recall in her mind, of how fatigued she was, during those same days—when her illnesses gradually worsened. Just like the nausea, she found herself a lot more tired, at any given time. It truly wasn't like her, to fall asleep in the middle of anything. It was even the case for this morning, when she got out of bed a couple of hours later than she'd usually been.
'No, really,' she thought, pressing her fingers against her temples that ached within, while she returned the damp face towel onto a wall-mounted hook. 'What the hell is going on with me?'
The redheaded woman frowned at the aches that pounded away at her head and across nearly every muscle in her body. 'Ugh,' she groaned at the pangs of pain throughout her muscles. 'Where's Jellal, when I needed him the most?'
As she noted in her own mind, her lover and husband had already left their house, off on his own accord. Of course, he had woken up earlier than her—hence, the lack of his presence around their house. And, yet, it would be nice if he was still here…if only to take care of her whims, and needs.
While she began brushing her teeth, and rinsing her mouth thoroughly, Erza thought of every single reason, as to why she continued to experience these symptoms. There was then a thought that surfaced in her mind—one that made her much nervous than how she felt with the symptoms she recently experienced.
Finishing her final rinse of her mouth, the scarlet-haired female stepped out of the bathroom, where she ended up in their bedroom. Taking the calendar off from her nightstand, she peered carefully at the current month it was on. Erza counted back the days, with the grueling question on her mind: 'When was the last time I had my period?'
She gasped aloud, eyes widening, upon the realization that her previous period had occurred the week before those symptoms started.
'No…it can't be,' the redhead narrowed her eyes at the calendar, in disbelief. 'I couldn't have missed it, last week…right?'
Turning away from the calendar, Erza stared into the open void, trying to remember the last time she made love with her husband.
In her mind, there was no denying it that both her, and Jellal were…sexually active with each other. Quite even so, in recent memory. However, for each time they did the deed, protection was always used. Although, there were times when she'd assumed that it was a 'safe day' for her, too.
Whether or not they had used protection for the last time they made love to one another, it really didn't matter much to her, anymore. The rising suspicions in her mind already pointed to a single, potential cause that could dramatically shape the course of not just her life…but, together, with him, as well.
Erza's breath stilled, as the unnerving thought of it all had sent her stomach bloating, and churning away, yet again. Holding a hand against her belly, the sudden wave of nausea had come, and gone, without much incident.
She shook her head, after, her breathy sigh drawn out.
Opening the top drawer underneath her nightstand, her hand crept into the furthest corners of it, before they were able to find what she was looking for. Pulling it out from the drawer, a small box filled with testing sticks was held in her hand.
As she remembered well, she bought it from a local pharmacy, only a few weeks prior. She had her own reasons for purchasing it—among them, in such situations like the one she currently faced.
Closing the drawer, Erza took the box with her down the stairs, into the kitchen. Placing the box on the countertop, she poured herself a full glass of water. Taking the box away from the countertop, the scarlet-haired woman read the instructions on the package, while she drank down the entire glass.
Bowing her head slightly, an unsure frown was plastered on her face. 'Will this…even work?'
The redhead took another moment to carefully examine the box, before she felt a familiar pressure building up in the lower regions of her body. Exerting a wistful breath, quietly, Erza placed the empty glass on the counter. Having opened the box, she took out one of the testing sticks from it, inspecting its pen-like shape.
She carried both the box and the testing stick with her, into the upstairs bathroom, where she set them aside on the sink's counter.
It was now, or never, for her, at this point.
Taking a clear, plastic cup, from a pile sitting atop a nearby shelf, Erza plopped down onto the toilet. Bringing the cup underneath her bathrobe, right between her legs, the redhead began to empty her bladder, sighing softly in relief.
With the testing strip portion of the stick fully dipped into the filled plastic cup, Erza could only sit and watch, from the seat of the toilet. Her fingers grasped the soft silk fabric of her bathrobe, trembling away with intense anticipation. The feelings of fear, and anxiety heightened in her mind, with every passing second—despite the test taking only ten minutes to complete.
It was just beginning to be a bit too much for the redheaded female, wondering what the result would be for her. She had to find a way to ease her nerves, to calm herself down, in all of this.
Rather than waiting for the test to finish, she decided to take a shower, in the meantime. Rising up and away from the toilet's seat, Erza untied the knot of her bathrobe, slipping it off from her bare body. Hanging it onto a wall-mounted rack, she undid her knotted strands of hair at the back of her head, freeing her long tresses that flowed down to her waist. She then stepped into the spacious stall, having opened the frosted-glass door to it, before twisting the taps around.
An airy sigh of content left her breath, as lines of water cascaded from the shower head, gently pelting over her exposed body. Erza found the warm water to have soothed her aches, and pains, from earlier, as she grabbed the bar of soap from the corner shelf.
The female Scarlet took in its pleasant strawberry scent, while running the bar across her arms. Her body, however, stilled, when she ran it down her midsection. Looking down on herself, with raised eyebrows, Erza placed her hand over her abdomen. Smoothing over it with her hand, she noticed that her belly wasn't as flat, and toned, as it was before. Rather, it had bulged out slightly.
"Huh," she murmured lowly, pressing her hand lightly against her midsection. "It must be all the food that I ate, lately…"
Moving the bar of soap towards her chest, Erza winced at the prickling pain that surged from her breasts, when she ran it against them.
"Oww," she hissed, taking the soap bar away from her chest. With a free hand, her fingers gave a few light pokes, and squeezes, against her bosom. Groans of discomfort sounded from the redhead, having felt the prickling jabs from within. "How are my breasts this sore? They weren't like that, before…"
Erza also noted right away, about how heavy her breasts were. While her breasts were already enormous to begin with, she didn't think, let alone feel, that they had grown in size—up until this point.
Whatever she may think of it all, it certainly didn't help allay the worries she previously had.
The scarlet-haired female finished her shower, by wetting her hair, and scrubbing it with her favourite shampoo. After a thorough rinse, she turned the taps off.
Clouds of steam rushed out from the stall behind her, as she swung the glass door open. Reaching for a large towel from a rack at the closest corner, Erza draped the cloth over her shoulder, holding onto it. There was a tall, full-length mirror situated at the wall beside the shower, where the redhead examined her own body with it.
Right away, she noticed the changes in her body that struck out to her, as the most obvious. Her burgeoned chest had indeed become larger, than what they usually were—having grown by almost a cup size, she figured in her mind. The areolae of her nipples also grew a bit larger, alongside, with the redhead having observed the slightly-darkening colour of them.
Lowering her gaze further below the chest of her mirrored self, Erza could barely notice the small bulge that formed around her lower midsection. Upon turning her body to its side, however, the bump had become more apparent to her.
Laying her hand over it, Erza released a low sigh filled with uncertainty. She then took out the large towel that she held over her shoulder, and wrapped it around her body. Taking a smaller towel from the same rack, she dried her hair with it, before wrapping it around the top of her head.
As she did, the chimes of a few electronic beeps reached the redhead's ears. They forced her attention towards the testing stick that was in the cup, signaling that its test was complete.
Holding back the gulp in her throat, Erza paced towards the sink's counter. The crimson-haired woman took a few deep breaths, while she carefully retrieved the pen-shaped stick from the cup. Her fingers trembled mightily, struggling to hold onto it.
'I…I don't know what to think…if it's true that I'm…!' Her bottom lip quivering, Erza closed her eyes, and flipped the stick over. '…Alright…you can do it, Erza. Just get this over with…'
Taking another deep breath to relax, as much as possible, Erza opened up her eyes, and peered down at the front side of the plastic stick.
A huge rush of air escaped the redhead, her body paralyzed in place. Her pupils shrunk within her eyes that grew wide at the results displayed on the pregnancy test that she took.
Two red lines filled the rounded rectangle, on the front side.
It was positive.
The redhead blinked for a few seconds, at first. "No…that can't be right…can't it?" She whispered to herself, finding her grip on the pen-like stick much shakier than before. Her breathing picked up immensely at this sudden revelation, along with the beating of her heart. "You've got to be kidding me…"
As the shock of it all had slowly worn off, a rush of emotions began to overwhelm her. Tears started to gather in her eyes, while she continued to stare at the positive test result, still processing it through her mind.
Erza sniffled, right as she looked down at her abdomen, placing a hand gently over it. With the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, she slowly brought herself back into the open shower stall, sitting down against the tiled wall that was still wet from her most-recent bath.
The tears in her eyes finally leaked out from the corners of her eyes, streaking down her face, as she locked her gaze at the stick. Eventually, the frown on her face turned to a smile of joy.
While she had yet to see a gynecologist to confirm everything, she was now more than happy to know that she was going to become a mother, soon. She was ecstatic, rather. Whatever fears and concerns that she had from the beginning had already faded away, with this finding of her own.
Taking her eyes off the stick, they flew back towards her belly, where her hand remained over it. Sniffling again, Erza placed the stick onto the damp floor, resuming her gaze towards it. She then turned her sights back to her abdomen, wondering to herself about how she'll break this kind of news to her husband.
"I'm back, Erza!"
It was later into the evening, when the young, blue-haired male returned to their residence.
Closing the front door behind him, and locking it, Jellal noticed the odd silence that greeted him, right after he stepped in.
"Eh?" He raised his eyebrows, as he called out her name, again. "Erza?"
Her voice came out from around the corner, leading into their living room. "I'm right here!"
His lips crept to a smile, as he walked into the room. He found her seated on their sofa, in her blue silk bathrobe, with her hair tied back into a high ponytail. Only the lamp at the side table next to her had provided the lighting, for the entire room.
"Jellal." The redhead greeted him with a heartwarming smile. "How was your day?"
The cobalt-haired male held back an elated hum. "It was actually nice," he replied with a small grin. "I got to go out more, with Natsu, and the others."
"That's pretty good to hear." Erza gave a soft simper, in response—before she casted her eyes away from him, with a slight frown.
It didn't take long for Jellal to notice that something was off about her, right away. "Is…is something wrong, Erza?" His eyebrows cocked upward at her. "Something on your mind, perhaps?"
"Jellal," she softly requested, scooting aside to make room for him, as she placed her hand on the empty seat. "Please sit down with me."
Blinking for a brief moment, Jellal took up the seat next to her, with a more concerned expression on his face.
"Erza…what is it?" He placed his hand gently over hers. "It's okay to talk to me…"
Taking the moment to go through what she wanted to tell him, said redheaded female took a shallow breath, mustering the courage to do so. "Jellal," she began, quietly. "Do you remember those times, when I got very sick, through all of last week?"
Jellal nodded his head shortly. "Yeah." He brought his hand at the back of his head. "You told me it was a bad stomach virus of some sort."
Erza's frown widened, as she glanced away from him. "Well, it's not actually that."
He raised a curved brow at his wife. "Then…what is?"
Finding it in her heart to go ahead with it, the redheaded Scarlet turned to face him directly. "Well," she revealed, with a small smile. Her smile gradually cracked open to its brightest, as she continued, measuring her pauses carefully. "What if I told you…we are expecting a new addition to our house…our family?"
"F-Family?" Jellal initially blurted out, trying to make sense of her question, before everything slowly dawned on him. "Wh—what…w-wait…E-Erza…a-are you trying to tell me, y-you're—"
Surprise instantly took him, when, in one instance, he saw her rise from the sofa. In the next, she suddenly grabbed his hand, and placed it against her abdomen.
"Yes, Jellal," she finally spoke up, excitedly. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes, as she did. "It's true…I'm pregnant."
Gob-smacked at the news from her, the azure-haired Fernandes didn't know what to make of it. He remained silent, still staring at her with incredulous eyes, and his jaw hanging slightly ajar. He then turned his sights awkwardly away from her.
Erza's eyes widened at him, as she broke the silence first. "…Y-you okay, Jellal?"
She then gasped, when she felt his arms wrap around her. Quickly standing on both feet, Jellal had leaned in closer to her.
"Yeah," he sniffled, burying his face against the crook of her neck, smiling ecstatically. "You have no idea how happy I am, to hear this from you."
With wondrous eyes, Erza blinked for a second. She smiled serenely, letting the tears flow down her cheeks, while she ran her hand gently over the back of his head.
Another moment passed, before Jellal finally released his arms from her. Crouched down, on one leg, his eyes darted to where her midsection lay. He curiously rested his hand over it, through her bathrobe. "Did you see the doctor, already?"
"Ah…yes," she nodded. "I did see the doctor earlier this afternoon…and, she confirmed that I am, indeed, pregnant."
Parting open the flaps of her bathrobe, Jellal managed to feel the exposed skin of her abdomen, stroking his hand around it. "How far along are you, right now?"
Erza held back a small giggle. "A little more than eight weeks," she explained. "That's how my doctor told me." She then took out a postcard-sized photo from the coffee table, handing it over to her husband. "She was willing to take an ultrasound scan, as well."
Jellal was amazed, upon viewing the photo print of their child—no larger than a cue ball—currently developing within the confines of her womb.
"I can't believe it," he murmured in awe, before placing the photo back onto the table. His eyes returned to her belly, having felt its slight bulge with his hand. "More than eight weeks, already…"
Erza maintained her gaze onto her husband, below, smiling happily under awestruck eyes. The redheaded female then felt her husband's lips press against her belly, as he left a few kisses against it.
"H-hey!" She giggled to his warm touches. "That tickles!"
"My apologies," Jellal chuckled. "I can't resist." He then looked up at her, while he took her hand, bringing his large one over it. "Although, I must say, Erza…I want to thank you."
A tinge of red covered across her face, as she blinked. "For what?"
"For everything," he answered, from the bottom of his heart. "For giving me another chance in life." He gently moved his hand around the back of hers. "For being there with me, every step of the way." He then brought their hands together, over her abdomen. "But, most importantly…for making me a father." He flashed a bright smile at her, under weeping eyes. "I'll be there for you and our child…always."
In the back of his mind, this was the best result that could ever happen for both of them. This was a desired future—not just for him, or only for her. But, it was theirs. Together.
Their desired future.
And, it finally became reality.
Tears started to leak from her eyes, again. "That's so sweet," she gasped out, before her lips broke open into a heart-warmed smile. "Yes. Yes, Jellal. I know you will." She softly stroked her hand over his. "The baby and I are very fortunate to have you. Thank you, Jellal."
Rising up onto his feet, the azure-haired male wrapped his arms around her, once again. Erza returned his hug, bringing her arms around him. Gently releasing her from his hug, Jellal's hands remained on her arms, as he leaned in to slant his lips over hers. Erza sighed delightfully, pressing her lips back against his.
Both then pulled their mouths away from each other, the now-expecting couple catching for air. Jellal brushed his fingers gently against the side of her face, wicking away whatever tears were left on her skin.
Erza narrowed her eyes at him, her lips stretching to a curious smirk. "What are you thinking now?" She then gasped, when she felt him scoop her up, with his arms. "Eh? J-Jellal?!"
Carrying his wife in his arms, Jellal gave her a naughty smirk of his own, curving an eyebrow. "I thought…maybe we can celebrate this kind of news, upstairs." His curved brow then hitched upward. "Shall we?"
The blush on her face deepening into the colour of her hair, Erza blinked at him, with stunned eyes. She then released a long, mischievous giggle, in which her husband chuckled back.
With her arm around his neck, Jellal carefully carried his now-pregnant wife out of their living room, and up the stairs to their bedroom—where the real fireworks started from there.