"...so?"

The question drew out a gasp of sudden realisation from the spaced out teen. Gray turned around to look at the other man, patiently leaning against the wall. "Um," cobalt eyes downcast, he stepped back.

Siegrain opened his mouth to say something, but then decided better against it. Gray did not seem ready to hear him out or accept any advice at the moment.

He smirked, however, and said, "As progressive as my neighbourhood is, I don't think people would like to see a naked minor going in my house. You'll have to enter fast."

It was then that Gray noticed that he had opened the door for him. Blushing slightly, he entered the house. The first step inside did fill him with an all consuming anxiety, replacing the anger and the confusion. The full knowledge of being in the house of a man who was pretty much a stranger hit him strongly, but he also did not want to offend Siegrain by acting strange now.

Not that anything that had happened before this had been anything less than strange.

Sighing, he let himself be led further into the house. Following him into one of the rooms felt odd, so Gray just stood in the living room.

"Why don't you go take a warm shower? I'll make you some coffee by then." Said Siegrain, throwing a t-shirt and boxers at Gray. He motioned at the bathroom and Gray nodded, murmuring a thanks.

Gray closed his eyes as he curled up on the bathroom floor. Water hit his skin in a gentle chiding. Half of his body felt very heavy and bile continued to rise up to the back of his mouth.

That irritating little voice in his head whispered Natsu. He swallowed the lump in his throat again. Something in his gut fought to pull his whole body up to an upright position, but he was just too tired. He wanted to sleep. On this very floor. Forever.

But then it felt like he was being choked so he sat up, expecting to vomit his guts out. Nothing happened. Gray knew he wasn't crying. Fuck. He sometimes wondered if he even knew how to cry.

He knew he should. Whatever happened hadn't been tiny, he realized this. And yet... everything confused him.

So Gray gave up on thinking and stared at his feet as the water continued to hit his slightly bent frame. He was sort of aware that something in him was different, but it was only when Siegrain opened the door that he realized he had been sobbing heavily. He also assumed he'd been loud, because Siegrain didn't seem like the person who'd barge in on other people taking a shower.

It vaguely registered in his brain that he hadn't locked the door.

"Hey, man. C'mon. Get up now." He hadn't ever heard such gentle words for himself. So when the blue hair entered his view and those strong, tattooed arms helped him get up, he didn't resist. In fact, when they both stood up, Gray wrapped his arms around Siegrain, hiding his face in that tanned chest as he felt a hook pulling his heart down from his body and a hammer relentlessly attacking his throat. \

Gray felt like not holding him would probably kill him.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Siegrain said, tightening his hold on the teen, softly saying it's okay over and over into Gray's wet hair.

It was fifteen minutes later that Gray himself finally detached from the hold. "I'm sorry I'm being such a burden-

Siegrain cut him with a chortle. Rolling his eyes, he smiled, "Fuck off man. I didn't terribly mind getting you all wet in my arms."

Gray huffed out an exhausted laugh, knowing the blue haired guy didn't mean that.

"Go ahead and change, yeah? I'm all drenched as well, will change into some other clothes."

Gray nodded sheepishly, aware that he was the reason why they both were wet. But since Siegrain was kind enough not to joke about this, Gray just nodded and went out of the bathroom.

They had been watching some random movie on the TV when Gray's phone vibrated again. Siegrain, who hadn't remarked about this since the past two hours, raised an eyebrow.

"Ex?"

Gray sighed, shaking his head. "We were never together." He said, an all too familiar humiliation making way towards his head.

He expected a sharp curiosity from the older man, back to back arrows of why-who-when-howlong- but Siegrain just nodded, as if he understood the whole situation. "Sucks, right? It's a trap hard to get out of."

Get out of?

Well, Gray had never used his brain to think of following that path. This was a wholly new concept Siegrain had just casually let out in the open.

And now... And now Gray did not know what to make of that.

He nodded thoughtfully, biting his lip. "I guess you could say that."

Siegrain turned to look at him, and smiled, "I've been in your shoes, man."

"Really?" Gray's eyes widened.

Siegrain laughed, "Yeah."

"But you seem so sorted!"

"Yeah, you too will be. The day you realize you deserve better."

Deserve better?

"Who was it?" He ended up asking despite the restrain he'd been trying to practice.

Siegrain laughed loudly at the question, "Aren't you getting too curious?"

Gray blushed, mumbling a sheepish apology. After a moment, he heard, "It was Erza. You probably know her."

"What?!"

They both burst out laughing. "Erza Scarlet? Laxus' half-sister?" Gray still couldn't believe this.

"It's a family thing with them, I guess." Siegrain laughed back.

Gray slumped back against the couch, disbelief splashed all over his face.

They didn't discuss this much. Gray wanted to, but he didn't know how.

Plus neither of them talked too much, Gray realized.

An hour had passed by the time the movie ended. He yawned as sleep demanded his attention. Looking at his companion, he let a smile play on his lips.

Siegrain was already asleep.

He wasn't completely okay yet, Gray thought.

But he would be.

Some day.

Both of them would be.

a/n: hope you liked this! lemme know!