(The Title) in honor of the novel that Galaxy_ChanPai gave up, even though it was amazing (: <3

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"Erza, on your left!"

    A scarlet-headed figure jumped to the opposite rooftop, rolling over on her back to minimize the impact force. The shout had saved her by a whisker, a loud, shrill screech signaling that another bomb had gone off right where she was. 

    "Thanks, Natsu." She nodded to her comrade, who was dressed outrageously: Red, silk tights, a rose-tutu, and his police shirt half buttoned-up, NYPD badge plastered nonchalantly onto the deep-cerulean fabric. 

    "No prob, Erz," The salmon-haired man winked, shooting her his signature grin - a wide, fang-beared smile. She had no other option but to smile back. But her smile wavered as her eyes darted towards the on-fire roof.

   "Oh, don't worry about that," Natsu huffed, and quickly buttoned up his shirt. In his haste, he put the wrong buttons in the wrong holes, so the shirt ended up lop-sided, "I'm an expert with flames."

   "Ah, right," Erza bit back a chuckle and the laughter tickled her throat, making her voice crack, "An 'expert'... Are you talking about the time you set that Pizza Parlor ablaze?" She retorted, amusement slick in her tone.

    Natsu snorted, straightening out the delicate lining of his tutu, "The Pizza was poisoned! Remember?"

    "So you said, and continue to say."

    Another shriek went off in the distance, telling the duo that their time for conversing was over. They needed to act before he destroyed the entire town.

    He. 

    "He" was referring to the one that Cop Erza had loved when she was younger. Her childhood sweetheart gone wrong - or gone rogue, to put it better. They had been after a lead which had progressed to get more destructive as the days went by.

    Erza thought it was his idea of a joke. A lead which was a timer, a timer that, if they failed to end, would end up destroying the entire town. She had to act fast. She tensed her legs, before aiming for another rooftop closeby. Various crimson lanterns were hanging in the alley underneath.

    If she fell, she could grab the thin cloth rope keeping them afloat. 

    If.

   There were many flaws in the plan: Whether she even made it; Whether the rope could hold her up; Whether she'd die. But now wasn't the time to think of this. Magnolia would be blasted to smithereens if Erza let herself get into her head. 

    So she acted, instead.

    In a long, graceful leap, she cleared the jump with ease. Adrenaline was pumping in her ears, the unsteady beat of her heart the tell-tale sign that she was battling another one of her fears. Her fear of heights.      

    "Oh, for God's sake," She pinched the NYPD badge attached securely to the front of her shirt. She was dressed in simple clothes today. The last mission had gone strew because Mirajane Strauss had thought it would be cute to dress Erza in a short, onyx-black sweater-dress, and pumps. 

    If anything, it had helped Erza. He had been rather interested in her choice in apparel. But he was also the reason that she had to even go on this lousy mission instead of watching the next episode of Shadowhunters.

    Heck, she even had some homemade cookie dough in the freezer.

    "Damn you, Fernandes."

    Erza stumbled across the rest of the roofs. The sky was clear, a large canvas of midnight-blue acrylics. The moon was watching her, as she scurried along the rungs of a house, plummetting down onto the lush floor of a backyard.

    "Crap," Erza muttered, scratching the back of her neck, and straightening out her clothes. There was a violent grass-stain on the knees of her trousers, adding a touch of character to the white slacks.  

    She scanned her surroundings. The last blast had been in this backyard. There was a heavy smell of smoke and ash, and a large, obnoxious patch of green had been obliterated from the otherwise uniform garden. 

    Stupidly, she did the one thing which she knew she shouldn't, "Hello? Bad-guy dude? Where are you?"

    God, that's so stupid. 

    Erza grinned. Amusement was the one thing she was feeling at this particular moment, even though countless lives were at risk. It was due to the panic her body was being put through, and the hope. The wait.

    "Yes, sweetheart," A deep, husky voice erupted from beyond the hedges. It was slick, dripping in honey.

    "Welcome, Erza. Now, how would you like to be remembered? As the fallen..."

    "Or the one that made them fall." 

    "Jellal Fernandes," The scarlet woman forced contempt into every syllable of the name. It was an unusual name, but he was an unusual man. 

    Even though he was the most wanted man in all of Fiore, Erza always seemed to find him easily. 

    "Hello again, my love," The voice stepped out of the shadows, and into the moonlit yard. His features were sharp, attractive: intelligent green eyes, honeyed skin, azure hair. 

    "What the hell-" Erza recoiled from the pet-name. Her heart was thrumping in her ribcage, and a wish crossed her mind. If Natsu returned quickly. 

    "What brings you here?" Jellal questioned. His body language wasn't hard to read. He thought that Erza couldn't pose him any harm, despite the badge and rank she held, despite the metallic gun in her thigh-holster, despite the explosive flame in her eyes.  

   "Oh, don't act dumb," Erza swallowed, forcing herself on, "I'm here to arrest you. For, um," She was losing her mind, as the smile-lines around Jellal's eyes crinkled. He was smiling- and- and it was making her core flutter. 

   No, no, Erza. He's laughing at you, there's a difference!

    "Well, sweetheart," He started, taking steps towards the shorter woman. He relished her appearance, the delicate curve of her lips, the soft, crimson ringlets framing her face. 

    The fact that she was threatening him only made it cuter.

    "Everything comes for a price," He hummed, edging closer to her. They were at an inappropriate distance considering the circumstances. She was here to bring justice to the city, but he was only doing it for one reason.

    He wanted her. 

    "Kiss me." 

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→❤⚘This Chapter was written by Phoenix⚘❤←

Word Count: 1086

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