Changing Tides
Chapter 3 - A Place of Warmth
by Contrail
Summary: After Juvia joins Fairy Tail, Erza does her best to make her feel welcome.
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.
As Juvia left her room in Fairy Hills, she couldn't help thinking about how living in the dormitory was different from how things were in the orphanage where she'd grown up, where she'd had to share a room with some of the other girls, or the apartment she'd lived in after she'd joined Phantom Lord. She'd enjoyed the quiet and privacy at first, but the knowledge that there'd never be anyone waiting there for her to come home got depressing after a while. But here, while the individual rooms provided privacy, the shared areas meant that she could run into other members of Fairy Tail. She'd been a bit too shy to talk to them much yet, though, particularly since she wasn't certain of her welcome among the members of the guild yet, after what Phantom Lord had done…
She started a little when she felt an arm wrap itself around her shoulders. Looking up, she saw that the arm belonged to Erza, who had a somewhat eager expression on her face. Juvia must've been too lost in thought to notice her approach. "There you are! Let's go," Erza said as she started moving the two of them down the hallway towards the stairs.
"Uh, Erza-san... Where are we going?" she asked uncertainly. Has she done something wrong that Erza needed to talk to her about?
"We're going out to dinner with some of the other girls," Erza replied simply.
That sounded like fun, but… She looked away as she asked, "Are you sure the others will be okay with Juvia coming along?"
"Of course they will. You're one of our nakama now, after all."
The certainty in Erza's voice made Juvia look towards her to find Erza giving her a warm smile. Juvia blinked back the beginnings of tears as she returned Erza's smile with a heartfelt one of her own. "Juvia is happy you think of her that way."
And as they continued to walk together, Erza's arm still around her shoulders, Juvia thought that she'd been right. Fairy Tail truly was a place of warmth.
Short but sweet this time! Ah, I love Juvia and Erza's friendship almost as much as I love her friendship with Gajeel. Sorry it's been a while since the last one of these, but I've been a little bust. And the last few Fairy Tail manga chapters drowning me in feels haven't helpe, either!