Lucy

I asked Jellal if I could have these cleats without a single thought. He looked almost surprised adding, "There are plenty of other ones that are more comfortable ones around here, Lucy. You can pick any don't be hesitant."

"I just," I looked at the cleats in my hand again. "I think they're beautiful."

"Yeah?" he sighed. "Well, than the second pair has to be over 250 USD, alright?"

I promised him, slowly closing the black Adidas box covering my mother's cleats. If it came from the Lamia Scale FC... what does that mean? I was so positive her precious cleats were still in the box locked away forever. I put it there myself but who would go through her stuff, take the cleats, somehow sell it to Lamia Scale and Lamia Scale trying to bribe Jellal with it.

I just quickly chose the second pair, Adidas F50 Adizero Messi Golden, and thanked Jellal again for his gifts.

"I'll cherish them until they break," I said as he walked all of us out the door.

The three of us went back upstairs only to find Gray and Natsu passed out while Cartoon Network was playing on the TV. Either they did find all the coffee and burnt it doing something stupid or they were just way too lazy to move at all. They dragged their feet out to Erza's car as she unlocked it, the boys jumped inside without a single peep.

I bowed to show my thanks to the player again, "I really appreciate it."

"Alright," he smiled. "You now know where to find me when you do need a new pair of cleats."

I laughed with him before letting my hopeless romantic side get the better of me. Holding the two boxes, I headed for the car first leaving Erza alone with Jellal. I walked slowly so I could still hear their conversation.

"I'll be there on Tuesday, don't worry," Jellal said. "Sho promised he can take care of our patrol without me."

"Sounds good," Erza. "The game starts at 6:30 PM sharp."

"I'll be there," he answered. "I'll stop by Fairy Hills later to get your car, too."

"Thank you, Jellal."

Then the sounds of boots clanking on the sidewalk made me speed walk the rest of the way until I was buckled safely in the passenger seat. Natsu and Gray knocked out cold in the back of her car. I released the breath and thanked everything that Erza didn't catch me. Probably still to hooked on Jellal to notice.

As she got in and started the engine, she turned to me, "Ready?"

I nodded, "But please, drive normally."

And she did, surprisingly. She was speeding but our captain didn't drift anymore turns. Probably because this time Jellal and Sho aren't going to be the ones pulling us over. I could hear Natsu starting to grunt. Even in his sleep, he feels sick. Really, I feel so sorry for him.

But there's something way more important to discuss.

"For how long, Erza?" I started, arms around the two boxes of cleats.

Titania turned to me, eyes wide open, "H-how did you know?"

"It's so obvious," I smirked. "A kid can see it. I'm just wondering how long have you loved him?"

"You think I love Jellal?" she asked, eyes back on the road.

"Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not," the captain protested. "I wouldn't say I love him quite yet."

"How long have you been crushing on him?"

"Since way back when," she sighed. "Since we first met, I supposed. We were both orphans..."

"Oh," Shock is slowly becoming an emotion I've been getting used to since I moved to Magnolia. "I-I never knew... I'm sorry, Erza."

"My mom died in childbirth," she started. "My dad, he tried to raise me on his own but I looked too much like my mother so he gave me up at the Cardia Cathedral in the care of Robert, a kind old man who became like a grandfather to me, and disappeared from my life."

"I'm sorry, Erza."

"Don't be," she sighed. "My mom never even saw my face once and my dad just gave up raising me before he even started trying. It was hard to know that I don't have any parents to come home to but I did so happen to meet a certain blue haired boy a year older and a few other orphans who looked up to me like an older sister despite how weak I was."

"Let me guess," I smiled. "Jellal."

"My father never even gave me his last name," she continued. "So the first day I was in the same room as all the other kids, Sho being one of them, we went around telling our names. When it was my turn, I couldn't say I had a last name."

I could see the hint of blush in her cheeks as she spoke, "So Jellal walks over to me and plays with my hair. Afterwards he gave me my last name of Scarlet, to match my beautiful hair and so he whenever he looks at it, he'll never forget."

Guys, their love life is literally a novel! I know what my first book's going to be about.

"I knew from the moment I met him he was the ultimate soccer nerd," she giggled. "He would come wake me up at midnight when we were all supposed to be asleep to play with him. We got into the worst of troubles because the ball would always break something from a window to someone's bones. Rob would take the ball away for the longest time but that doesn't stop him. Jellal would take me to school the next morning just so we could play."

"He was only fifteen when he got scouted by Fairy Tail FC," Titania glanced at her rear view and switched lanes. "I couldn't join right away because I was still considered young to be in an official FC. But Makarov saw how sad I looked whenever Jellal would leave for practice so he let me come along to the practices and games to watch from the sidelines. Jellal and I would stay after practice so he could help me get on the team. For my fifteen birthday, he came in during the party, holding the warmer with my last name and my lucky number on it with a smile that I could never forget."

"And that's when you figured out you loved him," I put two and two together.

Their story warmed my heart. Sure, Erza was sad that she didn't have the parents like everybody else to cheer her on whenever she scored or perfected an assist. But she had someone as equally important to her like how I had my mother.

She had the man she fell in love with there supporting her every step of her life.

I couldn't help but glance at the dying Natsu in the backseat, still sleeping off the caffeine. He's so cute and quiet when he's asleep, isn't he? Wait, why am I staring at him suddenly? No way, that's crazy.

There's no way I can feel the way Erza does for Jellal for that sleeping bimbo.

Right?

"Oh how did the team marking go?" Erza asked.

I shivered at the piercing red eyes of the old lady flashed through my mind again, "Scary... she scared the living daylights out of me. But she did a good job, see?" I showed her the beautiful pink Fairy Tail insignia at the back of my hand.

"Well, you better get used to it," Erza turned onto my block.

"Why?"

"Because that old lady," Titania smiled at me. "Is Fairy Tail FC's very own personal trainer, Porlyusica. You're gonna be seeing her at every single game or whenever you get hurt."