[Fullbuster House Rule # 1 was not even really a house rule. Don't tell anyone. ]
"So this is it," he said, not budging from the doorway. They were bandaged and battered, freshly returned from a two-person quest, and Gray had only just realized—wasn't it a tad too soon to be inviting Juvia inside? Even if she would be moving in within a matter of days, Gray was reluctant to let her scope out the place just yet.
After all, he hadn't bothered to clean it for what felt like months. Not facing her, he racked his head for any embarrassing things he could have carelessly left lying around. It wasn't like he could have foreseen this turn of events beforehand!
"Gray-sama, do you plan on moving?" she asked innocently from behind him. He did not dare move.
He spotted like four pairs of discarded dirty boxers in the first room alone. His reluctance to turn the bachelor pad into a cohabitated dwelling was growing by the second.
Not to be discouraged, Gray reminded himself that it was fiscal necessity and also that it couldn't possibly be that much of a pain and that Juvia was agreeable.
"I don't know, haven't you seen it already if you've followed me home before?" He shut his eyes, wondering how he could have possibly missed that, and why he wasn't even surprised that she had. Agreeable, right.
"Only the outside," she mumbled, pressing in closer and peeking over his shoulder. It was brazen of her, but he chalked it up to the disregard of familiarity and relented, stepping inside and motioning for her to quickly do the same. She closed the door behind her. Rather than looking, she was really… peering at everything, like something might jump out and bite her.
"So," Gray said, words colliding in his head and hitching on his throat. "So, a tour?"
"Really?"
"Why not? Do you mind if it's…"
"Dirty?"
He looked at her. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt. She covered her mouth with her fingers, averting her gaze to the carpet.
"Forgive me. I just mean… Gray-sama is messy," she pressed her mouth into her hand further. He could just barely tell that she was smiling, and he wasn't sure what to make of it.
He wasn't going to lie and tell her he wasn't.
"I'm not exactly ideal roomie material," he admitted, rubbing at his face.
"N-no! Juvia isn't disappointed! It is really endearing!"
He scratched the back of his head, then, raising his eyebrows. It occurred to him to ask if there was anything he could do that she'd see as not endearing, but instead he took her words and promptly dropped them out of mind. "Right. Okay."
Maybe it was the light, but he could have sworn that they were both a little flushed in the face now. Not so great a start, as far as cohabitations go. Attempting to alleviate the awkwardness for both parties, Gray waggled at the room with a stiff hand. It was the biggest room; there was a couch, a mostly empty bookcase, the carpet, the lamp, the multitude of magazines heaped on the glass table. Magazines. Gray took note to do a thorough magazine purge that very night if his tired body let him.
"This is the living room or whatever," he said. "You know, I'm mostly at the guild so it's not really lived in much. Over there's the kitchen. It's kind of small, and right now it's probably full of dirty dishes—" A quick peek over the kitchen counter confirmed this. Gray had zero idea how to make his own food, but the kitchen was always cluttered. It just made him more unwilling to venture inside with purpose. "Yeah, sorry."
"It's alright," Juvia said patiently, still tailing him very closely. She pointed at the door beside the kitchen. "What's that?"
Damn. Another thing. "Closet/cold room."
"What?"
"It's just a thing." He gestured vaguely. "It's just a really cold room."
"Gray-sama trains in it?" she asked.
"Something like that." He grabbed her by the shoulder and guided her over towards the rooms across from the entrance.
He pointed. "Bathroom. Bedroom."
Juvia paused. "There's one bedroom?"
"Yeah." He wasn't understanding.
"G-Gray-sama—" He was pretty sure she was wiggling. He drew his hand away like it'd been burned. "That's, that's not—could you mean…?!" Judging by the uncomfortable-looking spread of bright pink on her face, she was undoubtedly having some imaginative leaps. He shook his head so fast it felt like his neck would snap.
"No, nonononono." He paused. "God, no."
Gray wasn't sure if she looked offended, disheartened or relieved, but at that point he was directing her attentions to the spacious room. He tilted his head, then indicated a section of the room with a nod. "I'll move the book case and the couch, and section off this part to make you a room."
She didn't seem to follow.
"With Make magic."
"Will it be cold?" she asked, twiddling her thumbs. He thought about it, and seeing his hesitation, she continued. "Of course, Juvia would live in a blizzard if it meant—"
"No, you should be comfortable too." He crossed his arms. "I'll think about a way to do it so it's not so bad, alright? Are you still up for it?"
"Without doubt," she said, holding a hand over her chest. He could barely look at her for more than three seconds when she was being so delighted over everything. She was practically humming with excitement just being in his apartment—he wondered if that would subside with time? He hoped so.
"So, tour over?" he asked, satisfied with the brief visit. He gently guided her towards the door again. She seemed to struggle with an answer until she prodded his shoulder, jaw set.
"Um," she started, and he already knew this was going to be bad for both of them. He would have to have more foresight when they were stuck in the house together, so he could outrun these kinds of situations.
"Gray-sama's room," she finished.
"Nothing interesting in there," he said. Gray wasn't really a homemaker—he spent more time out of the house than in it, and in his opinion the most personal aspect of the whole apartment was its consistent messiness.
"Of course it's interesting!" she insisted. "Juvia does not want to impose more than she already is, but…"
"You're not imposing, Juvia. You're paying for half of rent." She nodded at his bluntness, deciding to put her dreams of seeing his room to rest. He'd put it so all so unromantically, it was almost unfair!
But then, in her silence, he made up for it.
"Should I walk you home?"
This time, she nodded with a lot more vigor, and a half-smile eased onto his face at yet another uncanny mood switch. He didn't like the idea of her limping back to Fairy Hills all on her own, though. They were heading towards the door when Gray stopped her, looking a bit put out.
"One thing, Juvia," he said slowly. "Don't tell anyone about it, alright?"
"Not anyone?" She thought it was uncharacteristic for Gray to deny their dear friends happy news. A thousand possibilities flashed in her head, all red flags. He was ashamed of it? Because of the financial implications? Or because of her? Or because of the possibility of… oh.
He looked similarly flustered. Maybe they were sharing thoughts. "If they know, everyone'll make a huge unnecessary deal out of it and be pains in the ass. Don't tell a soul. In Fairy Tail, secrets catch like wild fire. So, promise?"
She lifted a pinky. He smiled despite himself and hooked his pinky into hers.
Before he realized, they were sharing a look that definitely lasted longer than it had to. He felt the urge to put a dent in whatever that look meant, so he pulled his hand away and placed it heavy on her shoulder, pressing a little weight in to convey importance. He wanted to emphasize this.
"Remember, only until we get enough money to get our own places, okay?" She nodded, but she still looked too content for it to be any good. He continued, frowning, aiming to crush the seed that would bring them both trouble. "It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean anything, alright?"
"If Gray-sama says so." She placed her hand over his. "Not a thing."
Companion piece to Gratte-Ciel which explains why they are rooming together for the month (?) It's in the last chapter owu Thanks for reading! This is prequel 1, then comes prequel 2, which are essentially just Juvia getting settled. Then comes ~the plot~