Greetings newcomers and welcome back those who have read my work before! I hope everyone is doing well. This is an idea for a multi-chapter that I had and decided to give it a shot. This is an AU without magic, so the characters will have some slight changes to adjust for the AU but will still keep their personalities from the canon universe as much as possible.

Miss Heartfilia poured over the paperwork running an apartment complex that was a branch for the company Fairy Tail entailed. Never once did she think that she would be a landlady, had she been told five years ago that she would be her profession when she was twenty-four, Lucy would have laughed. It was quite ironic, back then she was the one worrying about rent, complaining about plumbing and heating, and annoyed by apartment policies. Now, now she was the one enforcing them. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lucy returned back to her work and began to sign away furiously at documents that needed her approval. It was not even lunch time and the paperwork was piled high, soon the phone started ringing.

Picking up the phone, Lucy answered, "Thank you for calling Fairy Hills Apartments, this is Lucy speaking. How may I help you," she inquired professionally. It was was a rehearsed speech that she gave on a daily basis.

"Yes, I was calling to ask about your rates."

"Oh, yes-" Lucy was cut off from her client when there was a knock at her office door. Lowering the receiver, she called, "Come in." It was her assistant manager, Leo Loke Lionel. "Morning, Loke. One second, I'm on the phone with a client." He gave her a nod. "I'm sorry about that," Lucy apologized into the receiver, "can you tell me what kind of room you had in mind so I know what kind of rates you can expect?"

As Lucy continued to talk business with the client on the other side of the phone, Loke scanned his eyes over his own clipboard. It was his job to help delegate tasks to the other employees of the apartment from Lucy and record any notices from the tenants or other staff. It was a rather routine morning so far, but he still needed to report the status for records' sake. He waited patiently as Lucy finished talking with the client.

"I see, well I'm sorry that we were not what you were looking for. Have a nice day," Lucy returned the phone to the docking station. "Hello again, Loke. How's everything?"

"Everything is fine," Loke stated, pushing up his sunglasses. "Here are the reports of this morning's status. Nothing major," he slid over the paperwork. "Is there anything you need me to do anything. I'm about take my lunch and might be back later than usual."

"Visiting someone, Loke," Lucy asked with a smile on her face, this happened on a semi-regular basis. As his boss, she was forced to keep a professional relationship with all her employees, but as his friend she took an interest about his life outside of work. Also, since it was almost lunch time, Lucy found it okay to have a more relaxed attitude.

"Well, yeah," Loke smiled. "I hope you don't mind. If you need me here, I understand." He took great pride in his work, cared about his friends as well, and made a point to check up on them as possible as he could.

"No, no, I can handle things here," Lucy said while secretly sliding a pile of unfinished paperwork under her desk with her foot. She really did not want him to worry, as she wanted the best for her friends. "Go on ahead, take your time. I know you don't to get this 'friend' as often as you like," Lucy said a little suggestively.

"We're just friends really, Lucy," Loke insisted, he laughed nervously. This happened every time. "But thank you, if you need me to come back early, just give me a call, Lucy." With that said, Loke walked out of her office.

Watching him leave, Lucy gave a small laugh, she was positive there had to be something going on between him and this friend he spoke so positively about. Her thoughts were broken by another knock at her office door. "Back so soon, Loke," she joked.

The door was pushed open, "I'm not Loke," answered Natsu Dragneel walking in.

"Natsu, I wasn't expecting to see you this afternoon." Lucy was pleasantly surprised as she watched the man walk closer to her desk, then around to her chair.

"What? Can't a man take his fianceé out for lunch?" Natsu pulled Lucy out of her chair and then into a kiss.

"No, he can. But what about your work?"

"Day off," Natsu answered. "We're good on staff right now." He worked as a fireman and his shift often fluctuated.

"Okay, let's get going then," Lucy grabbed her keys and followed Natsu out the door, rotating her engagement ring on her left hand.

Loke was driving through the town to meet up with his friend who lived on the other side. The differences between the two parts of town the further down the street he drove. The quality of the neighborhoods was decreasing and he sighed when he reached his destination: an apartment complex that looks like it has seen better days. He drove around looking for a guest parking stall. After parking, he walked up a few flights of stairs to his friend's floor. Seemed like someone had beat him to it.

"Look, I'm raising the rent. There are too many problems in this building and it's not cheap to pay for these renovations. You have a week," the landlady of this apartment, Karen Lilica. She gave a huff before sharply turning around, heading for the stairs. "Here to ask for your old apartment, Leo? It's been three years," she taunted.

"No, Karen. I'm just here for a visit." Loke briskly said walking past her and to the same door she was just at. He knocked three times.

It took longer than he expected for the door to be answered. "S-sorry, please don't tell me you're collecting early. Oh, Leo, it's you. Sorry, I thought you w-were… Never mind."

"It's okay, Aries. I just saw…" Loke trailed off, deciding to change the subject. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," Aries moved to the side to give Loke room to walk into her… humble apartment. It was nothing fancy, just the bare essentials really. It was not big either, it was just her living there.

"Anyways, I'm on my lunch break and was wondering if you would like to join me?" He smiled brightly and leaned against the kitchen counter. He waited for her answer, sometimes she refused, but when she did accept he was so happy.

"Well…" she wrung her hands together, bitting her lip, and avoided his gaze. Was she okay financially? Her hours at work had been rather short that week.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," Loke insisted, knowing what she was thinking. "Come on, let me do this for you. Get your mind off of what just happened. Maybe a good meal will make you feel better."

"Well…" Aries thought it over. She preferred to pay for her own meal and normally declined his offers to go out to lunch when she was short on cash. "Alright, but I'm going to pay you back as soon as I can," she firmly said.

He let out a soft chuckle, he knew that she was going to say that, too. "Fine," there was no talking her out of it. "Come on, get your jacket and we can head out."

"Alright, I'm sorry for making you pay for my lu-" Aries began apologizing before Loke cut her off.

"It's fine, I don't mind." He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Really," he reassured, smiling gently. "Now, where would you like to go, Aries?"

"The diner," that was her usual answer. It was close by and casual enough for two friends in her mind.

"Alright, let's go. My car is down in the parking lot. He lead her down to where he parked, walking a little closer when some perverted tenants passing by them gave her wolf whistles and cat calls from their cars. It sickened Loke, he hated when such degrading actions happened. Even more so when they happened to Aries, she was shy and not someone who was particularly comfortable with flirting. As a result, he kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders to prevent any other inappropriate actions directed toward her. "Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable," he whispered, "It's just until we reach my car." He was sure to keep his voice low so only Aries could hear him. Aries only nodded and continued walking with her head down. Finally they reached Loke's car and he opened the passenger side door for Aries to sit and later closed it when she was inside. "Buckled in," he asked before pulling out of the parking space and driving out onto the street.

A few painfully quiet minutes passed before Loke said anything. "Does… Does that happen a lot, Aries." He would understand if she did not want to talk about it, but he refused to stay quiet about the subject especially since he just witnessed it. If she was being sexually harassed, he wanted to know. The sooner, the better.

Aries looked out the window, back to her feet. "... Yes," she finally answered. The tenants that normally did that never seemed to stay at the complex long, so it was not always the same person every time. It made her hate walking to and from work, and even more so at night. She was just glad Loke was with her this time, because her reports to Karen always seemed to somehow get 'lost' whenever she sent them in. "I'm sorry, I sh-should have said something sooner. I-" whatever she was going to say next was stopped when she felt a sudden warmth over her hand.

"Don't be sorry," Loke told her, now driving with one hand on the wheel, as much as he would have liked to actually look at Aries as he spoke to her, he needed to look around for driving. "It's not your fault, Aries and don't let anyone make you feel like it is." The pad of his thumb began to gently rub back and forth over the back of her hand. "If something or someone is bothering you, please know you can talk to me about it. I don't want you facing these problems by yourself."

"Thank you, Leo," a heavy weight felt like it was lifted from her shoulders. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about this anymore." Aries shifted in her seat.

"That's alright, Aries. You've already taken a big step in telling me about it." Loke gave her hand a slight squeeze before returning it to the wheel. "Let's change to subject," he abruptly said. "How's work?"

"Lously," Aries admitted, "my hours have been getting cut a lot. Gemi, Mini, and Scorpio all put in their two weeks not too long ago, so it'll be just me." She sighed heavily, talking about work had not lifted her spirits at all.

"I'm sorry to hear that," his voice was low and full of sorrow for his dear friend. Ever since he visited her today, it seems like nothing has gone right for her. "How are you going to pay for your rent," as he questioned her, Loke missed his turn and had to take the time to double back. His worry was only getting worse with the new information and the events of her rent being raised earlier.

"I…" Aries started racking her brain for expenses that she could cut. Nothing. "I don't know," her voice was scared and her hands began wringing themselves while she bit her lip.

"Aries… I can loan you the money and I don't care when or if you can pay me back."

Aries began to shake her head and the curls of her hair began to bounce furiously, "No, no, no! I can't take your money, Leo. I'll figure something out," she weakly said. "You don't have to worry about me."

Loke sighed heavily, knowing there was no way he could talk her into accepting the money, "Fine. Let's just have a nice lunch, okay?" He pulled into the parking lot of the diner. With a click, the engine of the car became quiet. Loke looked over to Aries, who looked scared out of her wits, "Come on," he began to pull her in for a comforting hug.

Aries returned to the hug for a moment before letting go. "Yeah, that sounds good." It might do her some good to forget about her troubles, even if it is only for an hour. She was about to reach for the for the door handle, but the door had already swung open. The shy girl was startled.

"After you," Loke held out his arm gesturing for her to go ahead. He waited for her to exit the car before closing the door. His eyes lazily looked around the parking lot, there were several people here for lunchtime. Families, business people, some college students. Then he spotted one looking Aries up and down like she was some prime cut at the butcher and had his two fingers raised to his lips. It seemed Aries had not noticed this yet, Loke had casually wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Tad chilly today, isn't it?" She only replied with a small nod. When she returned her attention to what was ahead of her, Loke looked back to that college student who was now looking anywhere but their direction. He let go of his hold to open the diner door for her, "Ladies first. Table for two, please."

Loke made the turn into the parking lot for Aries's apartment complex.

"Thank you for lunch, Leo."

"It was no problem," Loke began to open his own door so her could go around to open Aries's, but she had already gotten out. "Let me walk you to your apartment before I head out." He would be more at ease knowing that she made it in safely. Observing the complex, he remembered how just three years ago it used to look so much nicer and did not have so many internal problems. "So see you again next week?"

"If you'd like. I feel bad about you making the trip across town…" that is what Aries said, but she secretly looked forward to the days when he would come over.

"It's not a bad drive, and I like seeing you. You are my best friend after all. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't check on how you were doing," Loke asked. They started climbing up the stairs. "Especially in this part of town," he mumbled to himself. To be honest, he often dropped hints that he wanted Aries to move out this complex and into a nicer one.

"Well… Thank you for always checking up on…" her voice fell flat. "Oh no…" Aries froze in her spot, hand to her mouth and shaking in place.

"What's wrong," Loke looked to where Aries gaze was and then immediately found the source of Aries's worry. The door to her apartment was wide open and by the looks of it, opened by force with the handle barely hanging on. He stepped up and threw his arm in front of her, "Stay behind me, Aries." He walked into the room first, it looked like a tornado went through it. Couch cushions taken out of place, coffee table turned over and broken, books and plates scattered the floor, television: gone. How could someone do this?

He felt Aries's two slender arms wrap around one of his own. "You're going to be alright." He carefully listened for any sudden sounds that would indicate if the intruders were still there. Nothing. He kept walking to the next room, her bedroom. It was no better than the living room, the mattress was taken out of the frame, the drawers of her dresser pulled out as far as they could go, clothes thrown about the room. "We need to report this." After everything that happened today, Loke decided he had enough. "Aries, after we finish the report, you're moving out of here."

"B-but where can I s-stay?" Aries whimpered, tears began threatening to start falling and her lip was quivering.

"You can stay with me for tonight," Loke decided. She was about to object to the idea, but he stopped her before she could say anything. "Look, after everything that has happened today…" he did not want her there anymore, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here." He went beyond the limitations he normally set for himself and pulled her in for a tight hug. What if he did not stop by today? What if she was here alone when this happened? Who is to say that she would have been fine? Running his fingers through her hair was more to comfort him than her, just to let him know that she was still there.

"Alright, Leo…" she pulled away from the hug and began to wipe away the tears. She could not cry yet, there was still so much to be done. "Wh-what about your job though? Isn't your lunch break almost over?"

"I've got it covered," Loke unlocked his phone and began typing away.

To: Lucy

Something serious came up. I'm going to be very late and not sure when I'll be back. I promise to explain everything ASAP.

He waited for Lucy's response.

From: Lucy

Alright Loke. Take as much time as you need.

"It's okay, I can stay. Come on, let's go and report this." He lead Aries down to Karen's office. There was a place he never thought he would be at ever again. He knocked at the door.

"What?" Was the response that came from the other side of the door of Karen's office.

"There's something about your complex that I think you would like to know," Loke impatiently responded.

The sound of a chair backing out was muffled from behind the door before it opened, "Alright, what is it?"

"There has been a break-in in Aries's apartment. We've come here to report this."

"Seriously, a break-in? Great… No new tenants are going to come after this gets out."

"Anyways… What I really want to discuss is ending Aries's contract here," Loke stated.

"Leo, no. Don't…" Aries started pleading, but then stopped. Thinking about it, she was paying too much for this place and the quality of it seems to be falling more every few months. She did not have any hot water, the pipes leaked if water ran for too long, and if it rained really hard the roof would leak. Maybe it was time move out, but the contract had a whole other year on it. Early termination fees were often costly, she still remembered Loke mentioning it three years ago.

"What about ending her contract," Karen spat.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Loke said calmly. "Let me see her contract."

"Fine… Ramsier, Aries …" Karen opened her file cabinet looking for Aries's file. "Here, everything there is written in black and white. She still has one more year here before she can even think about looking for a new apartment."

Loke began reading through the contract, being assistant manager for Lucy, he knows what to look for. "So today you raised Miss Ramsier's rent," calling Aries by such a formal name just did not sit right with Loke, but this was business. "Tell me Miss Lilica, why is that?"

"To help pay for the renovations that need to be done. The pipes, heating, and the such," Karen claimed.

"I see… And these records show that her rent has actually been raised a few times in the past year." Loke turned to face Aries. "Miss Ramsier, has your plumbing or other facilities improve due to these rent raises?"

"No… They've only gotten worse, despite the reports I've sent in." Aries looked away from Karen's cold glare.

"Is that so? Miss Lilica, if the money has not been going towards renovations, where have they been going?"

Karen did not have an answer. Loke's eyes only continued to read through the conditions of the contract, hoping to find something that would result in an early termination. "Doesn't this contract have a security guarantee?"

"That's old, the guarantee, is no longer included with new tenants," Karen answered, smirking.

"Oh, so you have made Miss Ramsier update her contract to comply with new policy? Because I only see the contract from when she first started living here four years ago."

"Well, no I-" Karen stammered.

"So technically, Miss Ramsier is still technically protected by the security guarantee from when she first signed. It reads, and I quote, 'If at any point a crime occurs in the building, a tenant may terminate their contract at a reduced fee if they no longer feel safe. Examples: Vandalism, breaking and enterings...'" that is where Loke stopped reading for it covered what they needed. He set the contract back down onto the desk and clasped his hands together. "So, how about it Miss Lilica, will you stand by your own contract that Miss Ramsier signed?"

Karen scowled and began to read her own contract, trying to find a loophole for the loophole. There was nothing she could find. "Fine," she threw the contract back onto the desk. "I'll let her pay a reduced termination fee, but," she paused, "she has to pay it." Her gaze returned to Aries. "No help from you since, one: you don't live here anymore; two: the two of you aren't married. It'll be 2500 jewels, half of your original rent from you first started living here."

Loke looked back to Aries, there was nothing he could do here. Worry began to sink in as he remembered their conversation from earlier and how Aries mentioned her hours had been being cut. Would she have enough?

Aries reached into her purse and pulled out her checkbook, flipping to the back to check how much she had in the bank. "D-does anyone have a pen," she asked to the room. She barely had enough.

"Right here," Loke reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out a pen and handed it over to Aries. He eagerly watched Aries fill out the check and smiled as she signed her signature at the bottom. To be honest, he had to resist the urge to tear out that check himself and hand it over. After Aries had handed over the check to Karen, Loke said, "Pleasure doing business with you," professionally holding out his right arm for a handshake.

Karen reluctantly took it. "Everything is to be moved out of that room by eight. Anything that is left will be either thrown out or sold," she stiffly said. "Now, if you don't mind, will you please leave my office."

That have them seven hours to get everything out. That entailed a tip to the nearest grocery store to get boxes to pack everything in.

Coming back to ransacked apartment, Aries looked around, "So I'm finally moving out of here?" She honestly had mixed feelings about it. Even though she was relieved to no longer be under Karen's contract, but also scared because she did not exactly have a plan to where she would be living in the foreseeable future. Maybe she could move in back with her parents, at least until she could find a new apartment complex.

"Yup, so where would you like to start packing," Loke asked as he began unfolding the boxes from the grocery store. "Or do you even want my help here at all?" This is what she had to call 'home' for three years, she may have still needed time to accept what just happened all in one day.

"If it's n-not too much trouble, could you pack the books away, please?" Aries began walking towards her old bedroom. "I'll be in here," she said monotonously. There was one things that she was hoping that did not get stolen, maybe it got overlooked. Shifting through the wreckage, Aries managed to find what she was looking for: a humble box. However, it was in it that she was hoping to still be in there. Opening the top, she gave a sigh of relief, the little jewelry she did have from her mother and grandmother was still intact, along with the bundle of pictures and letters that she kept safe in there. That was the first thing to be packed away. From there on out, it was only clothes and the essentials to be packed.

"Let's leave the furniture, Aries," Loke suggested. "They're damaged badly anyways." Aries nodded, also looking at the damage. No sense keeping a broken in two coffee table, a bed frame with broken boards, the list went on. He started walking boxes down to his car, with Aries carrying the lightest, despite her protests saying she could carry the heavier boxes. In total there were three boxes. He closed the trunk, "You sure that's everything?"

"Yeah, th-that's everything, I didn't have much…" Aries looked down at her feet. Then she felt warmth wrap around her, it took her a second to realize that it was Loke hugging her again that day.

"Don't look so down, it can only go up from here," Loke put on a smile for her. "Things will be better before you know it." He lead her into the passenger seat, "I promise," was the last thing he said before closing the door and then entering on his own side. The engine roared to life after he turned the key. It was a quiet drive across town.

Once they arrived to Fairy Hills, Loke lead Aries to Lucy's office to explain the situation. He knocked on the door to the office. No response.

"That's odd, she's normally still in her office at this time. It's only half past four." Loke tried knockin again, there was… giggling on the other side. "She's probably with Natsu in there in there," Loke guessed. He knocked a little louder this time, "Sorry if I'm interrupting something, I'll just come back in the morning."

Then there was the sound of clattering coming from the inside of the door and muffled whispering of words that could not be made out. Then the door opened with, sure enough, Natsu who looked pretty satisfied. "Hey Loke… Who's your friend?"

"Natsu, this is Aries," Loke introduced. "We were hoping to find her an apartment here."

"Oh, the friend who you have been talking so much about? Lucy, it's for you. See ya at home," Natsu walked off.

"Leo, wh-who was that?"

"Natsu, Lucy's fiancé," Loke explained. He chuckled when he saw Aries blush after she put two and two together. "You'll be seeing a lot of him around. Now, let's see if we can get you an apartment here, then we can get you settled in." Loke walked in, "Hello Lucy, I hope you weren't too busy with me gone, but it seems you were in the middle of a 'break,'" he teased.

Lucy blushed and scowled, "Loke!" She straighten out her coat. "Anyways, what can I help you with?"

"I was hoping to get her an apartment here," Loke gestured toward Aries.

"Hello," Aries shy greeted, "I'm Aries Ramsier."

"So you're Aries," Lucy beemed. She had heard many good things about this friend of Loke's. "I'd love to help you out," she watched both of their faces light up, "but I can't. The last few open apartments were rented out after lunch. I'm sorry." Lucy felt so bad when she saw the smile disappear from both their faces. "But I might have an idea that might work for now." She opened her file cabinet and pulled out a file from the 'L' section. "Loke, your apartment has two bedrooms, doesn't it," she said opening the file and skimming its contents.

"Are you suggesting th-that Aries moves in with me," Loke stuttered out, a faint blush spread across his cheeks. He normally never lost his cool. He looked back to Aries whose face was pink as her hair.

"Why not? You know as well as I do that it's cheaper for two people to share one apartment than pay for two separate apartments."

"Well yes," Loke cleared his throat, "but I'm not sure if Aries is fine with this."

"I w-wouldn't want to impose…" Aries stuttered out.

"I wouldn't mind," Loke answered a little too quickly. He had to think of something to add, " You are my friend after all and you need help."

"Well, okay, but just until I can get back on my feet," Aries answered.

"Of course. Now Lucy, how do you want to handle this?"

"Well, there will be a slight raise to compensate for how facilities will be used more often because of the addition of one more person. Here," Lucy scribbled down the adjusted rates, "you two look it over and see if you agree with these rates."

Aries peaked over, the increase that Lucy had put was so much smaller than the rates increases Karen ever gave. All the same it still looked like a large sum to her, "I'll be sure to pay my share, Leo."

"Don't worry, I know you will," Loke said. Even if she could not pay at the moment, he honestly did not mind having to cover for her if he had to. He pulled out the same pen from earlier, "We just sign here," he signed his name down, agreeing to the changes. He handed the pen off to Aries, "Now Aries, you have to fill out a separate form that will officially make you a tenant here," he professional tone resurfacing.

"Geez, Loke, won't you let me do my job," teased Lucy. "I'm just kidding." She waited for Aries to finish filling out the necessary forms. "Okay, Miss Ramsier… Can I call you Aries? You can call me just Lucy. Everything is all set," she place the new forms in the file. Then she began ushering the two of them out the door, "If it's all the same to you, I want to get home," with one final shove the two were out the door. Lucy waited a moment, "Psst, Natsu."

"Lucy, we're still here," called Loke. Aries on the other hand was blushing furiously when she figured out what Lucy was planning. Loke could not help but laugh, "Come on, let's go home." Before heading to the apartment, they grabbed the boxes of Aries's belongings. "Here it is, our apartment," Loke opened the door, "after you."

"Th-thank you, Leo. I'm sorry about all this…" Aries began.

"Don't worry about it, Aries. I really don't mind. It might be fun having someone else around." Loke sat the boxes down on the living room floor.

"If you say so, Leo."

"Let me show you around," Loke decided, giving a grand tour of the apartment that was considerably bigger than the one Aries used to live in. "That door is the bathroom… That's the guest room, well I guess it's your room now. There's a bed, nightstand, and dresser that you can have… There's my room," he had to refrain from the urge to say something flirtatious like 'feel free to come in and join me anytime.' Aries was not someone who he can flaunt his playboy antics around, it would make her feel uncomfortable and change the way she views him.

"That's about everything you need to know for now," Loke decided, "I can show you around the complex tomorrow. But for now, are you hungry?"

"J-just a little," Aries answered, all this new information was a little overwhelming. With a nod, Loke walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. "Oh, before I forget, I need to call my boss and let her know I won't be able to be there tomorrow." Maybe she could use what was left of her money to buy a bus pass so she could still get to and from work.

Aries flipped open her phone and dialed her boss's number, it rang a few time before there was an answer.

"Hello?"

"Um, yes, hello Miss Angel. I'm sorry for calling so late, but I won't be able to go into work tomorrow. I'm sorry."

"Why is that, Aries?"

"Well, I've recently moved to the other side of town and need a little time t-to get adjusted. Like t-transportation."

"Okay Aries, darling. You don't have to worry about coming into work tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes, in fact, you don't need to worry about coming in ever again. Business has been running slow and I need to cut people. Buh-bye." Without giving Aries a chance to defend herself, Angel hung up.

'Don't cry… Don't cry… Don't… cry...' Aries thought to herself, but it was not working as she felt two tears roll down her face.

"Aries, I found some leftover pizza, I think it's still good," Loke stopped in his tracks. "Aries… Are you crying?"

"N-no…" Aries horribly lied.

"Tell me me what's wrong," Loke wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head into his chest. It broke his heart to see Aries like this.

"I… I… I…" she cried, "lost my job." Soon she started crying harder. "I'm sorry... I c-can't help play th-this… month's r-rent…"

"It's okay, It's okay," Loke consoled. "I've got you. You're okay." He ran his fingers through her hair. "You've had a long day." He gave her time to let it all out. "Take your time," he said gently. Her cries later softened to small hiccups. "Feel better now?"

"Not much," she answered honestly.

"It's okay, you need time to adjust. Are you still hungry?" He waited for her answer, which came in the form in a small nod. "Alright, I'll go heat up some food for you."

The rest of the evening was quiet, but that was to be expected after everything that has happened.

"Well, good night Aries," Loke said.

"Good night, Leo," replied Aries before disappearing behind the door, holding the sleepwear that she grabbed from the boxes. After changing clothes, she climbed into bed and for the first time in a while, she actually felt at ease going to sleep.

That was a long chapter, it seemed like it was going to much shorter before I started typing. Normally my average chapter lengths are 2k - 3k.

Planned pairing to appear: Mostly Lories and Nalu. Featuring Aquario, Gruvia, Gajevy, Jerza. Maybe some Miraxus, Elfever, and Bixanna.

Thanks for reading the first chapter. I promise future chapters will be happier and there will be future fluff.