Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.
Chapter 4
"So over there's a bathroom, that one's another room, and that over here's the kitchen."
Juvia sighed. She thought that she would be able to have some time alone, but Gajeel insisted on showing her around, and getting to know the place.
"Gajeel-kun, isn't this enough already?" she asked.
He scoffed. "We've only seen small part of the place, believe it or not. The place is fuckin' huge. Enough space to house a goddamn country probably."
Gajeel has always been blunt, and a bit of a brute. He and Juvia bumped into each other when Juvia was at a somewhat low point in her life. He found her digging through his trash at night, searching for something, anything edible to fill her empty stomach.
"Oi!" Gajeel called out, holding a flashlight. "What do y-" he stopped, and studied the girl in front of him.
She had blue hair, wavy and in a tangled mess. Her clothes were ripped and torn in a lot of places, covered with soot and filth. All she had on her was a small backpack. Her dark eyes were wide with shock, like a deer caught in the headlights. Her skin was pale, and cheeks sunken, as if she hadn't eaten in a while. Trash was all over the ground, and the bag was split open. She started to run away as Gajeel put two and two together.
"Oi!" he called out. She stopped, and turned toward him, full of hesitance.
"If you wanted food, you coulda just asked."
He couldn't believe he was doing this. Inviting in a strange girl he didn't even know, at two am of all times. A girl that dug through his trash just moments ago. She still stood there, giving him a curious look.
"Don't worry bout it. It ain't like I'm a murderer or some shit. Besides, you look like you could use a bite or two. Or ten."
After thinking it over, she graciously took his offer. They entered the kitchen, and Gajeel proceeded to make them some food. Juvia sat down at the table, observing the place. The house was small, and only had one bathroom and bedroom. The living room had a little bit more space, with a couch in the middle, facing towards a TV. It was actually very cozy, in a way.
Juvia was forced out of her thoughts when Gajeel plopped a large plate of food in front of her. He grinned, proudly.
"Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. It ain't too bad if I do say so myself"
Gajeel entered into his bedroom as Juvia started scarfing down the food. She almost moaned with delight. It might have been the best thing she'd ever tasted in years. Especially since she was starving. By the time Gajeel had came back, she had already finished half her plate.
"Oi, slow down there," he said. "I ain't gonna be cleaning up your barf, got it?"
Juvia reluctantly slowed down, realizing he was right. She looked to see that he had a blanket in one hand, and some clothes in the other. He plopped the blanket onto the couch, bringing the bundle of clothes to Juvia. She stopped eating, and gave him a puzzled look. He pointed towards the bathroom door.
"Shower's over there. You can sleep on the couch tonight if you want."
He headed back towards his room. Before he closed the door, he heard a small voice gently whisper.
"Thank you."
That was a while ago. Last week was the first time they had seen each other in years. That time, Gajeel housed her for months, and until she was able to get back up on her feet. You could say that she owed him. A lot. They'd learned a lot about each other in that short time, and even became what you would call friends. Back then, Gajeel was a blacksmith, working in a small shop. People called him "The Iron Dragon". After Juvia was able to get a job, they had parted way and never saw each other again afterwards.
'How he went from that to the Head of the Royal Guardsmen, Juvia would never understand,' she thought.
With his position, he could easily get Juvia a job at the palace. Which is exactly what he did. Gajeel knew of her abilities and skill. He had once blindly challenged her to fight, not knowing what she was capable of. Oh, the things she would give for a photo of his face that day. It was amusing to see someone curse that much.
Juvia and Gajeel spent the whole day together, looking through the palace first. After the tour, they went into town and Juvia was able to finally get new clothes, thanks to Gajeel.
He gestured to her new garments, all black or white. "Would it kill you to wear a little color once in a while?' asked Gajeel.
"It's simple and more effective," she answered. "There's no real need for color."
Gajeel scoffed. "Yeah yeah, whatever."
They were done shopping, and made their way back to the palace. By the time they got back, the sun was already setting.
"Goodnight," Juvia said.
Gajeel gave a grunt, and Juvia took it as an answer.
She made her way back to her room, and paused as she saw that Gray was also about to enter into his bedroom. He turned when he noticed Juvia.
"Hey," he said.
After their fight ended, Lyon and Gray continued hang out together until sunset. After that, Lyon went back home on the train to Lamia Scale.
Gray then noticed the bags in her hands. "Did you find some clothes?"
Juvia was about to reply, when she noticed the the was shirtless. Not only that, but there were bruises and small cuts all over his body and face.
"What, this?" he gestured to his body. "Don't worry about it. You know, a good old fashioned brawl never hurt anyone."
Juvia dropped her bags at her bedroom door and came to Gray's side. "Let Juvia apply medicine to these."
"It's fine," Gray protested. "Don't worry ab-"
"Juvia insists," she interrupted. "Besides, they'll heal faster that way."
A few seconds passed and Gray sighed. "Okay, fine." He opened the door to his room, leading Juvia inside. He plopped down on the bed, facing the sunset that shined through the windows. He pointed to the wall, where a white box hung.
"That's the first aid kit over there."
Juvia nodded, grabbing the box and preparing its contents. She sat down next to Gray, taking out a small white tube of ointment.
"This will help it heal faster."
As she applied the ointment, he tensed. She was close enough where he was able to smell her, and her shampoo. It had an earthy sort of scent, along with fresh flowers. It reminded him of a meadow after rainfall. The dewdrops would be lingering on the flowers, giving the feeling of a new spring.
Gray snapped out of his thoughts and tried to look away, attempting to hide what he could feel was a blush forming on his face.
'What the hell is happening? Man, I need to get some more sleep tonight.'
Juvia closed the cap on the ointment, and packed it back into the kit. She rose off the bed, proceeding to put back the kit.
"Will that be all for today?" she asked, turning towards Gray.
Gray cleared his throat. "Be ready to wake up early tomorrow. We'll be going into town tomorrow, and you'll of course, have to come along."
Juvia nodded, silently making her way out of the room.
"Goodnight," spoke out Gray.
She paused at the doorway, her back still turned toward him.
"Night," she finally replied.
A/N: Sorry if the update took long, school has been killing me ;_;
Gruvia development next chapter? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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