- SPOILER WARNING: Tartaros Arc -

.: I Remember Tears Streaming Down Your Face :.

When they first met, he didn't really think too much of it. She was just an enemy, who was threatening his family. And that was unforgiveable. But as they fought, he saw that there was a flicker of light buried behind the poisonous nature of Phantom. And although he couldn't quite keep up with all her mood swings, he found himself naturally gravitating towards her. He found himself wanting to bring that light he saw out of her, and help her find a healthier path in life, much like others had done for him. So, he pushed, and struggled to find and maintain that balance between remaining loyal to his guild and helping this stranger - this enemy. When the sky finally cleared, and he saw her crying, he was caught off guard, but something inside of him finally clicked into place, and he finally understood some of the things she had been spouting during their battle. She had never seen the cloudless sky, nor the sun.

It was an odd feeling to watch someone see the blue sky that loomed over everyone heads for the first time, but he would be straight up lying if he described the moment as anything less then magical.

After that meeting, he had never expected to see her again, his mind would still wander back to her, occasionally, and their fight, and he would find himself wondering how she was doing and hoping that she was moving towards finding her own happiness. He had never expected to see her at a casino, with the lovely ambiance of Natsu and Happy getting angry at a machine, like the children they were. But he couldn't bring himself to say he was disappointed about seeing her again, and he could feel his heart warming and fluttering as he could see how she had grown since they had last met. And when they fled to go rescue Erza, he was given the opportunity to see how helpful she could be as an ally, rather than an enemy, and whilst he still wasn't happy about her berating Lucy quietly, behind his back, he could still feel the seeds of friendship beginning to sprout.

He found himself completely elated when she joined their guild, and he found himself looking forward to working with her, because it meant that he could keep on helping her - and when she defended Gajeel, he found himself lacking the will to fight as he trusted her judgement so instinctively. He wasn't sure what to make of this odd pull towards her, but aside from her blooming adoration of him, she was very alluring in her own right. He knew that he wasn't ready for romance yet, not whilst he was still working out so many mental issues from his many run ins with his past, he knew in that moment, that he had found an ally that would stick with him for as long as she possibly could.

That assurance of loyalty was something, he didn't realize he had been lacking. Of course, Fairy Tail had his back, and he still loved their bizarre family to death, and he could still trust Erza and Natsu with his life, but he didn't realize that he had been keeping his distance from them too, as a defence mechanism to try and dissuade a repeat of his past. But he was completely incapable of keeping her away and out of his life. He couldn't even keep her at a distance, because her promise of assured support was something he had been quietly craving ever since Deliora, but was too afraid to ask for.

It was a little overwhelming and intimidating to be this close to someone, and to be able to put this much trust into a bond that ran deeper than romantic and even familial, and he even his pride couldn't deny that it was terrifying. But, he put up with it, because he couldn't bring himself to push her away, because her presence was still soothing, no matter how lovesick she became.

But, when the conflict with the Tartaros guild rolled around, a brand new, huge fear made itself known. He was so swollen with grief and despair and sorrow, at the fact that he had all but killed his own father, that he found himself facing the quiet insecurity that had been lurking just behind the shadows in his mind. The question of whether he deserved to even be in the Fairy Tail killed, when he had purposely brought harm to his own blood, ran around and around his mind, never once being silenced for the entire year that the guild had been split up. And that of course, included her, and whether he deserved her loyalty or not. When she had confessed to be the final nail in the coffin of his father's death, he could feel his heart on the edge of breaking as she broke out into tears, right there and then as she claimed that she no longer had the right to love him.

He saw that they were both dealing with the same problem, but at the same time, he realized that they both wanted to keep the relationship that they had built up over the course of years, but neither of them were sure that they could still have that bond, after what they had done. When he stood up and walked up to her, he crumbled in her arms, because he was so desperately clinging to what they had. He thanked her and apologized to her. All his feelings were running together, as his grief-stricken heart hissed venom at the woman who had killed his father, whilst his lonely mind was so glad that he could stay like this, with her.

She held him on that day, and allowed him to cry his tears and speak his mind, and still her view of him didn't change, somehow. They stayed there for hours, as they both caved to their emotions, clutching to each other as they still battled with the question of whether they were still allowed to ask for help from the other.

Feel free to point out any spelling or grammar mistakes, they're all very useful to me.

Welcome to Safe And Sound, a book dedicated to the unspoken bonds between our favourite Fairies. Not all of these are focused on ships, this just happened to be first. It wasn't even written to be a GrUvia oneshot, but you're more then welcome to take it that way. I'm not the biggest fan of GrUva, and I have no idea where I stand in terms of opinions, but no matter what, I can't deny the charm that comes with the untouchable bond of loyalty between the Ice and Water Mage of Fairy Tail.

Word Count: 1027
Next Chapter: Ultear & Meredy

~ Jaci