Gray goes home for that day, after an hour of counselling that he received from the school counsellor. He expects that, to be honest. What he least expects is that after the dreaded hour, he comes out to see Juvia, sitting patiently on the waiting bench outside the room.

"Juvia."

"Gray." She stands up and smiles at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for you." She smiles again. "You're here because of me." Her voice wavers. "I'm sorry."

"It's not because of you, Juvia," he says quietly, picking up his bag that has been abandoned since morning. Juvia observes him as he breathes in a shaky breath before he sits down and covers his face with his hands.

"I was trying to save you." He whimpers, and Juvia can't help but to notice tears coming out through the small gaps of his fingers. Juvia slowly kneels down and pries his hands away from his face, looking into his eyes that seem so sad and hollow.

"Gray?"

He looks into her eyes.

"Let's go home."

#

She can't sleep that night.

His horrible, lifeless eyes haunt her dreams too much. She sits up and sighs before she gets up from her bed and walks down the stairs to the kitchen.

"You're awake?" A deep voice rumbles from the living room. Juvia takes out two glasses from the glass holder and walks to the living room to find her stepbrother on the couch, eyes on the screen of the TV.

"I can't sleep." She confesses.

"Great. So am I."

"Can I just watch tv with you, big bro?"

"Sure you can," he smiles, and scoots further to the other side to give her space.

Juvia sits down beside her brother.

About ten minutes later, Gajeel hears her calm snores. He gently puts her over his broad shoulder and carries her to bed.

#

Gray can't sleep. Well that's an understatement; he never sleeps. It's either he's having nightmares, or he tosses and turns in his sleep, or he's just staring at the ceiling for the night. He gets eye bags and he knows it.

Tonight though, he feels a sudden change in his sleep pattern. At 1 am, he is actually yawning, when he's doing schoolwork, and he's actually feeling drowsy. He actually bids his father goodnight, and he actually walks to his room to read a story and remember Juvia's face before he goes to sleep.

He has a wonderful sleep. A sleep where he conjures no dreams. He just dreams of himself sleeping on a thick pad of grass. Just sleeping.

Gray wakes up the next morning, fresh and unwasted.