You like the bright lights

Staying out every night

Teasing the boys, playing with toys

Danger, danger that's a game that you play

Laxus bumped the front tire of his Monte Carlo against the curb out front of Ultear's house. Flare took her head of Ultear's shoulder and patted down her hair. "Thanks for driving, Laxus." She had a sunny disposition despite her cheek still showing the ghost of a slap against it. Her freckles stood out.

Laxus met her eyes in the rear view. Ultear couldn't misconstrue his expression. He didn't like Flare. Not at all. He propped his arm up on the window sill and waited silently. Flare got out first, her bag in tow. Ultear started to slide out behind her. Laxus held up a card without looking at her. It was a business card for a transmission place in town. She'd had less attractive men slip her their numbers in worse ways. Ultear curled her fingers around it and followed Flare outside. Just as soon as the door was closed, Laxus took off again, the tires squealing across the pavement.

"What's his problem?"

"He hates me," Flare confirmed.

"Why?" Ultear put his card in her purse without finding a slot for it in her wallet.

"I fucked his girlfriend once," Flare said blithely. "And she liked me better."

Ultear couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. "My mom's kind of conservative, so…"

"I'll behave."

When they entered, though, Ur wasn't there, it was just Silver, sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop open. He closed whatever he'd been looking at when they entered. He was wearing his best Cop Face, so Ultear couldn't tell if it was work-related or if one of his side pieces was sending him nudes. Her blood got boiling when she thought of him checking that kind of stuff at her mom's kitchen table.

She had no proof, though, so she chose to be snippy rather than accusatory, glaring at him by means of hello.

"Ultear." Silver stood and came into the foyer. "Where were you?"

"Out."

"Where?"

Ultear got her foot on the stair. Silver was following her, though, so she had to say something. "Gray's."

His jaw tightened minutely. "All night?"

"That's where I slept, yeah."

He didn't relax too much. "Who's this?"

"Flare. She's going to be staying here for a few days."

"Does your mom know?"

"I pay rent, Silver," Ultear said cattily. "I don't have to ask permission unless I'm throwing a party, and frankly, one girl doesn't count."

Flare pursed her lips contrarily. "I think I'm a party."

Ultear wished she'd be quiet and gripped her hand. Silver looked her over, and then Ultear, and their clasped hands. "Oh," he said, like he came to some conclusion Ultear hadn't anticipated. His thoughts raced for one heartbeat, imagining, Ultear thought, all the disgusting things he shouldn't be imagining about girls her age. His thoughts cleared. "If you want to have your girlfriend over, that's fine, but your mom gets up early so don't be too loud."

Flare beamed. "You won't hear a peep."

Ultear gripped her hand tighter and tromped the rest of the way up the stairs. She closed her door firmly.

"You don't like that he called me your girlfriend?" Flare suggested.

"I don't like when Silver breathes," Ultear corrected her.

Flare laughed and clapped her hands. "I love it."

"Glad one of us does," Ultear muttered. "Stay here, I'll get you something for your foot." It was still bleeding.

"Sure." Flare smiled.

Ultear got alcohol and Band-Aids from the washroom. When she came back, Flare was exploring the closet, opening it and closing it again, then moving on to her dresser, peeking into her jewellery box. She stopped lastly by the bed. She touched the mattress first with her long, pale fingers, then sat on it experimentally. She must have deemed it worthy because she dropped her bag down beside her and flopped back.

"You have a nice room."

"It's okay." Economy-sized compared to Flare's.

"It's comfortable."

Ultear threw her purse on the chair by her vanity. "Give me your feet."

Flare held them up diligently. Ultear cleaned them up. There was one piece of glass in her big toe on the right foot. It came out easy. The left just had a cut. She sanitized both and then wrapped them up. Then she threw out the garbage and washed her hands. Flare was still flopped back on the bed upon her return. Ultear asked, "Do you have my wallet and keys?"

"Oh!" Flare sat up and grabbed the box she'd left her house with. Ultear tried to get a peek inside. She thought she saw silver, like a lock of hair. Flare brought out her wallet and her keys and snapped the lid closed, handing both to Ultear. "There you go."

"Thanks." Ultear put both away while Flare crossed her legs and used her eyes to look around some more.

"So, what's the deal with Captain Serious downstairs?"

"My mom's long-term fungus. Gray's dad."

Flare asked, "You don't get along? Like me and Laxus?"

"Seems that way," Ultear said.

Her eyes alit with a keen and unsettling interest. "Why?"

"He disappears for weeks on end with whatever girl thinks they can get out of a ticket with a blowjob."

"Really?"

She scowled. "No, not really." He was disgusting, but she thought maybe that was a road even he wouldn't go down. Hopefully. "I think he meets them online, or at the bars around town. Sometimes, he'll go dressed in his uniform still and stupid girls love that. Especially college ones."

"Sounds like a creep."

"You have no idea," Ultear said. "I wish my mom would ditch him."

"Why won't she?"

"She thinks he's great. I told her he was giving me I want to fuck you eyes but she thinks I'm crazy."

"I saw it."

"I know."

"So show her," Flare said.

"I don't know how," Ultear replied.

"I know just the thing," Flare said with a long and slow grin that confirmed Ultear's fears that she did, in fact, not like nice girls. "Come into my Parlour." She tapped the spot beside her. Ultear was thinking of flies as she obeyed.

Rain droned on outside the window. Ultear listened to it and tried to sleep. She had to work tomorrow but she couldn't rest, not like Flare could, naked and curled on her side, hair up over the pillow like a bloody fan.

She thought about The Plan and how she was going to make it work. Or if she was even brave enough to try to make it work. If it was worth it.

Yes, because she was tired of seeing the bags under her mother's eyes. She was tired of Silver's Cock Walk. She was tired of him dipping in and out of their lives like he was entitled to leave all that destruction behind him each time he decided to leave.

An engine rattled outside her window and lights flooded inside, one and then two. She didn't think much of it at first, then, when the lights turned off, her phone started to vibrate. Ultear sat up and grabbed it off the dresser. Gray's face lit up the rectangle screen. The photo she'd taken for his caller ID was him by his truck on the day he moved out of her mother's house, about to pick up a dresser with Lyon's help.

Ultear snapped the picture not because he was happy but because he was broodier than usual. He'd argued with his father not two minutes before because Silver discovered Gray had left with the dresser they were about to move. She liked it when he was angry. He looked pretty and intense and he always needed an outlet afterwards. And she always tried her best to be there to be that outlet. She couldn't mimic the thrill of it anywhere, though she'd tried.

She let the call go to voicemail, though she picked up the phone so it wasn't buzzing on the desk, waking Flare up. When the screen went blank again, she texted him to let him know she knew he was there and climbed out of bed.

She stood by the open window because she knew he'd be looking and wriggled into a yellow shift dress she sometimes used for sleeping. She grabbed her moccasins before leaving. They were technically outdoor shoes but they doubled as slippers for her in the winter and spring months.

No one was awake downstairs; a nightlight guided her way. The front door was silent on its hinges. She made sure to keep them well-oiled for nights like this.

Gray's car was in the driveway, the lights and motor turned off. Ultear opened the passenger's door and climbed in. He still hadn't sewn the seat. The floor was clean, though, and the air smelled like vanilla Little Tree.

Gray's hair was in disarray like he'd swept it back with his fingers many times. Thinking about if he should come over? Ultear thought. Probably. There was a cigarette in between his fingers and the faint smell of beer on his breath. He'd had at least one before deciding to come here.

The first words he said to her were, "I thought you were going to come over?"

"I said I'd think about it."

"In the way that meant yeah, Gray, I'll come over because there's nothing I love better than fucking with you."

Ultear cocked her brow. "So are you mad because I didn't come over to fuck with you or because I like fucking with you?"

Gray dismissed her. "Do you have my shirt?"

"Inside."

"Let's go get it, then."

"We can, but you should know, I have company." She may as well just put that out there now.

His mouth got flat. "Who?"

Ultear bit her lip but couldn't stop her smile. "Are you jealous?"

"No." In fact, he looked relieved after a moment's thought. Like maybe she'd be the one to say, I've found someone else to occupy me, thanks for your time, Gray. Go back to being a good boy, finding girls your dad won't shun you for fucking.

Not a fucking chance.

"That's too bad. You don't have to worry, though. It's not some hottie with a ten-incher."

"Then who?" Ah. Maybe he was a little jealous.

"Flare."

Gray's eyes connected with hers and his expression turned acidic for none of the reasons she wanted it to. "What?"

Ultear sighed. "She had my wallet and my keys. I had to go get them, and when I showed up, her stepdad was smacking her around. What the fuck was I supposed to do?"

"Call the police?" he offered.

"The police in this town are lazy," she said pointedly. Gray didn't even try to defend his father.

"How long is she staying with you for?"

"Until she finds another place, I guess," Ultear said.

"And in the meantime?"

"What about the meantime?"

He looked at her with his eyebrows slightly raised. "You know she's fucked up."

In some ways. She couldn't say exactly which, though. "Don't worry about it."

"I won't when you finally kick her out."

"I'm bored," she said. "Did you come here just to lecture me?"

Gray squeezed the grip on his steering wheel. "It's not a lecture—"

"So yes." Ultear grabbed the door handle. "Night."

"Wait." Gray grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Ultear had her smile smoothed by the time she faced him again.

"Yes?"

He leaned into her as if for a kiss. He stopped inches away, though. Always, always. She always needed to help him work up to it. She loved it. Shy or not, he was close enough that she could feel the warmth of his skin. He was chewing gum, leading her to think maybe he was drinking a little heavier than she'd previously assumed. He was reckless like that when he was bothered and nothing bothered him more than the women in his life.

"Mm… Today's Sunday, isn't it?" Ultear reasoned. "That means… Juvia called you promptly after church to tell you how sinful you were?"

Gray was looking at her mouth, not her eyes. "She suggested that I went to confession."

"Did you tell her you might not be a good boy but you pray every week?"

"I don't."

Feeling waspish, she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Oh God, Ultear. Oh God. Please."

"I don't sound like that."

"Sometimes." She smiled.

"I shouldn't have come here."

She was still smiling when she pressed her mouth to his. He reeked of shame and frustration returning the kiss. She continued it, smoothing the emotion away until he'd buried the shame and went right for gratification. He touched her cheek and turned towards her more completely. Ultear slid her tongue over his and Gray's fingers coiled in the strands of hair that had escaped her low ponytail. He made a noise that pinched low in her belly.

His kiss moved from her mouth to her chin. His teeth scraped over her skin. At the edge of her jaw, he kissed her neck. She shivered and he pulled her back and towards him, so his back was flat against his seat again and Ultear was leaning over the gearshift. He tipped his hips up and she conceded to give him what he wanted, grabbing between his legs and squeezing. He gasped and grabbed her breasts in both hands. He released her again a moment later because she'd gotten his pants undone and had gone searching inside.

"We're in your mom's driveway."

"You initiated it," Ultear reminded him. She got him free and stroked, slow and thoroughly. He pushed his seat back and arched for her again, his argument forgotten. She kept her hand loose and her touch soft, knowing that soon that wouldn't be enough. His thumbs slipped over the tips of her breasts and made her breath catch. Each small noise she made, he got thicker. Ultear wriggled unintentionally. It wasn't fair when her teasing was turned around on her.

He kissed her again and took her by the hips, pulling her over his gearshift and into his lap. Her knee knocked into an old coffee cup and she kicked some receipts onto the floor. She banged her leg on the door handle. Gray pulled up her shift and rested it on the tops of her breasts and she dismissed everything.

His tongue took up where his fingers left off, using light flicks to make her moan and wish he'd give her more. She pulled his hair and scratched his shoulders but he'd enlisted some of that patience she was so fond of, waiting until she was soaking wet and trembling, leaning back and pushing her hips forward, before inserting his fingers and angling them just right. He held her aloft and made her come with a few well-practiced strokes. She wriggled forward and rubbed her body against his and he mumbled his 'Oh Gods,' and 'Pleases but she'd forgotten about her teasing and her power plays and everything else, too, her anger at Ivan and then at Silver, her uncertainty with Flare. Gone.

There were condoms in the console. Ultear's muscles were still quivering when she got one out and opened it for him. Gray took it from her and put it on. He dropped the wrapper somewhere and tipped towards her again. She shimmied up and took him inside. It started raining harder, the pelting muffling her short, frantic cries and the tired squeal of the car's springs.

Gray held her thighs and pushed into her hard. Ultear felt another orgasm coming and closed her eyes, feeling it build up and up and up. When it broke over her body, she shuddered like it was cold, though she sweated. Gray came almost immediately after and remained pushed up into her, fingers locked on her waist.

Gradually, he relaxed again. His thumbs loosened to draw designs on her hips. Ultear let him; it felt nice. She even let him kiss her collarbone. That felt nice, too. When she opened her eyes, she was staring into the back seat, at boxes of calipers. "How did your delivery go today?"

Gray dropped his head back to the car seat and closed his eyes. "Fine."

"Are you doing another?"

"When I'm told to."

She didn't like it. "You shouldn't."

"I don't think you should have a crazy lady sleeping in your bedroom but you do," Gray said.

"This is different."

"Yeah. I probably won't be suffocated in my sleep."

"Just shot in the street," Ultear mumbled.

He opened his eyes. "Are you worried?"

"Nope."

"Then what's this about?"

"You ditched me today."

He'd been working towards teasing her. Now he just looked annoyed. "You do this all the time."

"Tell you not to be stupid?"

"No. Anytime I'm not at your beck and call you get bent out of shape."

"Then I guess you should be there." Ultear fixed her dress and got off his lap.

"That's it? You're never going to let me be happy?" Gray jabbed.

"You're busy, not happy. It's different." She snipped off the last word and promptly exited his car. He was furious; she could feel his glare between her shoulder blades. She heard the tires roll over the pavement and allowed herself to look back. He'd put the car in neutral and let gravity roll him out onto the road. Once he was there, he started the growling engine and turned on his lights again. He then peeled away in much the same way Laxus had.

He was angry but she was confident that by tomorrow or, at the very least, the next time Juvia came to harass him, he'd be back at her stoop looking for a confidant. A distraction.

She opened the door quietly. The house was still dark. She tiptoed back upstairs and made a trip to the washroom to clean up. She did everything without the aid of the overhead light; the streetlamps were bright enough to see by.

Ultear paused halfway inside her room. Flare was sitting upright in her bed, the sheets down around her hips, breasts still bared and heavy. Her hair was a cascade of dull fire around her shoulders and her face was shadowed. Ultear didn't like that she couldn't see her eyes. She couldn't see what she was thinking then. Not that she'd had much success with that in the past.

Flare gathered her hair over to one side of her neck and Ultear came unstuck. She closed the door, dismissing her anxiety, and whispered, "What are you doing?"

Flare's voice was equally quiet. "I just woke up and you were gone."

"I was outside."

"With your brother?"

She kicked off her moccasins. "Yeah."

"Why was he here?"

"Just to hang out," Ultear fibbed.

"We're friends now."

"Yeah," Ultear drawled. "So what?"

Her mouth came out in a pout as she thought about her next words. "Do you love him?"

Ultear paused lifting her shift over her head. "Why would you ask that?"

"You kissed him."

Ultear changed her mind and left her shift where it was. "I kiss a lot of people."

"Just because?"

"Just for fun."

"Boys are terrible."

"People. People are terrible."

"But not him."

"Nope, he's plenty bad," Ultear said. "Just ask his ex." Ultear heard muttering in the room across the hall. Her mother was sort of a light sleeper. She told Flare, "Stop asking questions and go to sleep. My mom's waking up."

Flare laid back on her side of the bed. Ultear climbed in after her and faced the window. She wasn't comfortable. When she turned over, Flare's eyes were still open and she was staring at the ceiling.

"Can I say one more thing?"

"Quietly."

Flare's voice got as quiet as a summer's breeze. "I'm worried about you, Ultear."

"Why?

She turned her head. "You probably shouldn't have pushed Daddy, you know?"

That wasn't where she expected the conversation to go. "Why not?"

"He might try to hurt you for it. I won't let anything happen to you, though. Not ever." She coiled Ultear's hair around her fingers and closed her eyes. Ultear had more questions, but they were stuck behind a lump in her throat.