Chapter 13-

It's been one month since the shocking reveal of Gray Fullbuster's relationship with former entertainment news anchor Juvia Lockser, I (Lucy Heartfilia) am lucky enough to join the couple at Gray's home for a joint interview for Sorcerer Weekly's upcoming issue. The couple has decided to welcome me into Gray's arcade, an impressive display of games and memorabilia in his downtown home. We sit at a large leather sectional in the relaxed environment. Gray's arm is around Juvia's shoulder, they sit very close together.

Tell me, why did you choose to allow me to interview you? Why now?

Gray: Well Lucy, it was time for us to give a little peek into a part of our life that is a little less dramatic than the live show where we came out as a couple.

Juvia: That was not the way we had envisioned things going at all.

How had you pictured things happening?

J: It was supposed to happen once Gray finished the press tour and started filming Hunting Season, but we had to do things differently.

G: We had considered doing it right after we took our weekend trip away only to be followed back to town.

And why didn't you?

J: That was mostly me.

G: She didn't want to have to report on herself at work, and she already knew that would end up happening once we went public.

You ended up quitting that job, do you regret it?

J: Not at all. It wasn't a good fit and the more time went by the more I knew I couldn't keep doing it.

I hear you have had multiple offers for work, what were they and have you chosen your next move?

G: She was offered roles on multiple shows, and even a supporting role in a movie.

J: But I'm no actress.

You did do a good job of acting when you were on air pretending you didn't know Gray.

J: That's true. But I ended up going with something more my speed, Mira and I were offered a segment on a morning talk show. We will still cover big stories, just with much more reliable sources and fact checking.

G: I am proud of her no matter what she chooses to do.

So Gray, you've started shooting Hunting Season, how's that going?

G: It's great, I really identify with the character and of course it's nice that we're filming locally.

Why do you enjoy filming locally?

G: We have just started to be public with our relationship, I didn't want to add distance to the equation. Things were hard enough before and we lived pretty close together.

When you say lived, it's past tense, has something changed?

J: When I quit my job I started to worry about things like rent and bills, so-

G: So I invited her to stay here until she figured things out.

So you live together now?

J: Yes.

G: It's been nice.

What advice would you give to other celebrity couples in your shoes, trying to decide if they'll have a public relationship?

J: It might seem like it would be hard to put everything out there but keeping everything quiet was much harder for us. We thought we were doing things to avoid drama but made much more in the end.

G: Having Laxus sneak Juvia into my place in the middle of the night was one of those moments where we really had to question what we were doing.

Laxus Dreyar, the hockey player, correct? That sounds like an interesting story.

J: That was actually the night before we went public. There were reporters that would watch his place so Laxus had me in his car with tinted windows and I had to lay down so no one would see someone else was in the vehicle.

G: They didn't even tell me they were coming so I was completely surprised when she got out of the car.

Wow, it sounds like you went to great lengths to keep things quiet.

J: We tried.

G: Getting her home from the cabin was one of the hardest days for me though, the moment I heard the shutter sounds I knew someone had found us. I wanted her to stay off the public's radar as long as possible so I bundled her up in my clothes to hide her identity and raced her back home.

How did they find you all the way out there?

J: There was someone close to the situation that shared our location.

G: We'd rather not get into who it was, but it wasn't someone that wanted to help us in any way. We've moved on from that though.

How are things now? Would you say they are easier?

G: They're easier than hiding, but still challenging at times.

J: We're both working on new projects which take up a lot of time, so having a good schedule is important to make sure we get alone time together. It's nice that we don't have to be secret anymore but sometimes we still want to have a private life.

So speaking of new projects, were you surprised at all when MiraJane left the show just after you?

J: I quit so suddenly I didn't know what to expect, so when Mira quit a few days later I was actually pretty shocked. We are friends, but I didn't know that she was unhappy with her job as well, we never really talked about it. I'm happy that we got offered another opportunity to work together on another network, I wasn't ready to spend that much time away from her.

G: They're really close, so I wasn't super surprised.

Gray, I wanted to ask about your fans reaction to your relationship. Has there been any shift since they found out about Juvia?

G: My fans have been great. They've been really accepting of our relationship. A few of them had already started connecting the dots with the photos of us together, even if they couldn't see her face. They're an amazingly smart group of people.

J: The fans have been supportive of my switch to the new show as well, I am happy they want to stick with me.

That's great. Is there anything you want to say before we wrap up here?

J: I am just happy to have the opportunity to clear the air.

G: Same. It's nice to be able to share our lives with everyone.

Thanks for letting me share in this moment with both of you.

J: You're always welcome.

G: We should do it again sometime.

I might take you up on that offer.