Chewed gum, soggy cigarette butts, drink cups and other miscellaneous litter filled the cracks in the concrete street. A tin can click, clack, clacked down the gutter, the sound the dreariest music Natsu had ever heard. It perfectly befitted the ominous weight this night in Magnolia held. He couldn't place the exact source of his unease, but it was verily palpable. Maybe it was the man that had been killed on top of him (he'd never forget the feeling of his heart stopping) or the image of the dead girl looking at him with eyes the same shape and colour as Lucy's. But he didn't think that was it. He'd seen men and women die. He'd taken lives of his own. It was always unsettling, and the first time he'd done it had made him sick for days, but it was something he'd learned to live with. No, this was different. It was like being watched and judged. Sized up.

He didn't bother with the sidewalk, choosing to wander down the center of the empty roadway with his hands stuffed deeply into his pockets.

"Where are we going?" Happy asked. His voice echoed off the cracked bricks belonging to slumping buildings.

"...I want to go back to the retirement home," Natsu responded.

"For what?"

Yeah, for what?

While he considered his answer he breathed deeply of the air. Rain. Rain and watery blood. The smell drew him back the way they came, back towards the dead girl, a slave to morbid curiosity. He had to admit, even if it were only ever to himself, he was completely fascinated and horrified by how closely she resembled Lucy. It was in her feathery golden hair, in her once-kind eyes, in her delicate neck and hairpin collarbone. The hope was that seeing her again would dispel the immediate comparison he'd made in his mind. Perhaps then he wouldn't see Lucy in her place when he closed his eyes and relived that moment. He'd already seen her lifeless once.

What about the real Lucy? He told himself that she probably hadn't noticed his absence.

The lie wasn't as sound as he would have liked. He was good at tuning it out.

Though his legs felt like jelly from the last run he'd done a few hours before, he pushed himself, wanting to get back to the area, see what he could see, then get out of there and back to Lucy. Seeing her alive and well would further disperse the image that lingered in his head like smoke in a breezeless valley.

"Natsu," Happy admonished. "Talk to me."

"I want to see if that girl is still there," he said finally.

Happy jogged a few paces to catch up with Natsu's long steps. "That girl? Which? You don't mean—not the one that was hurt?"

Killed, he thought but didn't correct Happy. The cat's voice wavered in a way Natsu recognized. He was scared. "Yeah."

"What for?"

To get the image out of my head. It wouldn't make sense spoken aloud. "I just want to check it out, okay? Those guys were talking about demons and stuff and I felt this… thing when that guy died." It was the best way he knew how to describe the cold that left the dead man's body.

"Thing?"

"I don't know."

"You're freaking me out," Happy said. "What was it?"

Natsu couldn't say, though. He shook his head.

Happy regrouped. "Well, you know she's not going to be there. For sure they already took her away. They wouldn't want people like us hanging around and stuff, staring at her."

The dragon slayer's footsteps slowed as he realized Happy was likely right. It had been hours since he stumbled upon the scene. Now what?

"Let's go back to the motel, before Lucy thinks we ditched her again," Happy said.

Natsu faltered, obstinate to his last breath. "We're almost there. Let's just go take a quick look first, then we'll head back to the motel."

Happy puffed out his cheeks. "Natsu—"

"Or you can go back," Natsu said. "Tell her not to worry."

"And leave you here after all that?" Happy rebuked.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine." He'd been caught off guard before, but now he was ready for any weird thing the night might throw at him.

Happy shook his head. "I'm staying." Maybe because he himself was scared. His fur stood on end along his back and his eyes were wider than medallions.

Natsu sighed. "Come on, little buddy. We're almost there." He encouraged his muscles to jog because he felt slightly lethargic. Sleeping on that lumpy bed was going to be a godsend when they finally made it back to the motel.

Overhead, thunder rumbled in the distance and the first drop of rain descended upon his nose. Happy grumbled miserably.

There were few people out on the streets before, but now there was even less. A woman sat on her porch, a bottle of beer in her hand as she watched the thunderstorm move in. Natsu gave her a passing glance. Next he moseyed past a teenager with hair so short and a shirt so loose that Natsu couldn't tell their gender. They sat on the concrete culvert that spanned a trickle of stream that terminated in a pond choked with cattails. The final people he slipped past were two guards posted on the old age home's perimeter. Both were female, both had their hands resting loosely on their guns.

Natsu stayed out of their line of sight, sticking to the shadows. Happy looked like he wanted to say something but only opened his mouth when they were out of earshot. "Do you think the attack had anything to do with that thief Lucy was trying to catch?"

Natsu turned the words over in his head. The more he thought about it, the faster his heart beat. "No one said anything about killers."

"Yeah, but what are the chances that she was trying to catch a thief here and then those girls were killed?"

Natsu wondered what the second girl looked like, if she was blonde, too. Stop thinking like that. "Maybe it's just coincidence." And if it's not? But who the hell would want to hurt Lucy? Moreover, who the hell knew she was even back in Magnolia?

He couldn't make the lines connect to the dots.

Coming around the edge of the ancient building, Natsu toed through the garden, pants getting caught on the thorns of rose bushes, boots crunching over the sandy soil. The smell of blood was more potent here. He was close to where the second girl was killed then. There was no light, though, and no people, nothing to indicate any sort of investigation was ongoing. Maybe they worked quickly. He rationalized it, saying that they caught the two men who perpetrated the attacks. His stomach still felt like it was full of lead.

"It stinks here," Happy said.

Natsu breathed more deeply and realized that yes, beyond the scent of blood, it also smelled like sulfur. Rot. And… and something familiar. Though he attempted to dredge up the source of his déjà vu it felt like there was a blockage in his memory. Nothing would come.

Something silver caught his eye, buried half in and half out of the sandy soil. Crouching, he placed his palm against the wall to steady himself. On contact, a sharp pain pierced his hand, startling. First it was hot, then it was cold. He cursed and brought his hand up in front of his face, using the weak light of the streetlamp to see by. There, in the center of his palm was a thorn the size of a small nail.

"You okay?" Happy asked.

"Yeah." Natsu plucked the thorn out. Blood welled to the surface. He sucked it away, tasting the copper, and looked for the plant it came from. He found it reaching up along the wall, its body, while prickly with thorns, was desiccated and dry, its stems black like tar. It had been dead for a long time. He didn't even know what it was. Some ornamental, he supposed.

"Why hasn't someone torn out this ugly piece of shit?"

Happy gave him a quizzical look. "I don't know. Maybe they're busy with other things?"

Natsu frowned and summoned a bead of flame. It ate through the plant with stunning speed, burning it from the world. For a few seconds the darkness was illuminated in orange and red. Happy flicked in Natsu's periphery, an unsteady wraith. A small shiver rolled unwelcomely down his spine, though why, he couldn't say. His palm hurt.

"I don't think we're going to find anything here, Natsu. Let's go," Happy said.

He remembered the metal. "Hang on." He found it again and dug it out. It was an earring, one with a scarlet heart hanging from its center. It looked familiar. Another chill spider walked down his spine.

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"An earring."

"An earring? Do you think it belongs to one of those girls?"

Natsu shook his head. "I don't know."

Thunder rumbled, so close both Natsu and Happy jumped. Happy laughed nervously. "Come on, Natsu, we're about to get soaked.

He was right, but Natsu lingered for a moment longer, sniffing the air for Lucy's scent. Nothing, just the man that had died and the guards with their gun powder and oiled steel aroma. "Yeah."

The sky opened up, rain coming in droves.


The motel room was empty. Natsu stood at the door, dripping water all over the parquet flooring, and stared at Lucy's tousled bed. There was a small scrap of what must have been a nighty thrown haphazardly on the lifeless pillow she used, there was the other clothes Virgo had given to her, obviously rooted through, but there was no Lucy.

"Where is she?" Happy asked.

Gold and scarlet entangled in Natsu's head. Golden hair. Scarlet blood. His palm burned. He didn't allow himself to look at it, more concerned with the immediate difficulty. Where the hell was Lucy Heartfilia? The other girl? The other girl that he didn't get a chance to see?

Without a word he turned on his heel and braved the rain again. It would be difficult to track her in the torrent, but no one would say he didn't try.


Lucy shivered, soaked through in no time by the driving rain. Now her feet really were slipping in her sandals, so every other step was a struggle. Loke reached through into the celestial realm and brought out a black and white polka dot umbrella. He held it over their heads while they walked, his left shoulder and most of his back getting soaked. He didn't complain.

They did a circuit of the immediate area surrounding the barracks. It produced nothing. Not to be deterred, Lucy broadened her search, her mind going through a myriad of scenarios, each one more terrible then the next. She put up a roadblock in her wandering mind when things got particularly dark.

"We should try the old guildhall," Loke said when they finished their next roundabout.

Lucy pushed her knotted hair back from her face. "Why would he go there?"

"Nostalgia?" Loke suggested.

Lucy wavered.

Seeing where her thoughts were going again, Loke said, "What I said earlier… it's probably not true. He said he wouldn't leave again, Lucy. We're going to find him wandering around lost or something, knowing him."

"He was only supposed to go for a quick walk and now it's pouring rain." She jumped when thunder rumbled.

"He was probably trying to clear his head."

"Of what?" Lucy demanded.

Loke gave her a look that said, are you really going to make me explain it?

Yes. She was.

"He tried to kiss you and you ran away. Then you went on a date with another guy."

Lucy sputtered. "That was a business date. Besides, how the hell would you know that?"

He gave her another dry look. "We're closer now than ever. After that scene, you were practically broadcasting it to all of your spirits."

Lucy's face flamed.

"Anyway," Loke continued. "If I were him, I'd be trying to mend my ego after that."

"What the hell was he thinking?" Lucy bemoaned. "You can't just—and after everything. Out of the blue." She knew she was rambling but couldn't help it. Seriously.

"Maybe it's not so out of the blue. Maybe he's been thinking about it since he left?" Loke supplied unhelpfully.

Lucy gave him a scathing glare that he weathered.

"Did you tell him?"

"Tell him what, exactly?" Lucy asked. Her stomach jumped nervously, afraid of what Loke said next.

"About Gray."

Lucy looked away stubbornly. "Don't really see how it's relevant."

"Well," Loke said. "If you do decide to kiss him the next time he tries, I think maybe you should talk about it. I'm not an expert on the subject—" He very much was, given how many girls he'd swindled into giving him their time. "—But I know if the truth comes out in a way you haven't planned for, it'll be even messier."

"Why does it have to be messy in the first place?" Lucy griped. She knew exactly why, though. She felt sick to her stomach all over again. I wish… That she could turn back time, definitely. That she knew how to treat Juvia if they ever came back to Fairy Tail. That she knew if Juvia knew or not. That she knew if it should matter to Natsu because what they had when he left… it was something, definitely, but it wasn't much.

More tears rolled down Lucy's face. I don't want to do this anymore.

"Everything will be fine. And if it's not… Just say the word, Lucy, and I'll help you start again," Loke promised. "But until then, it's not something you can hide from."

It's our business, she thought.

Loke's shoulders tensed. Lucy, sensing the change, lifted her gaze and looked into his face. His lips pressed into a considering line, then all at once he relaxed.

"What is it?"

Before she even finished asking her question, Loke's form wavered and he disappeared. The umbrella he'd been holding dropped to the ground, landing in a particularly muddy puddle.

Lucy's adrenaline spiked. "Loke?"

He was nowhere near, retreated into the celestial world. Why? Her first thought was that he was forced out. She looked around the dark night, observing her surroundings. Rain drilled into her, obscuring her vision. She picked up the umbrella, holding it aloft again in hopes that it would help her see better. Runners of filthy water trailed off its black and white material. Thunder rumbled. When it faded, the sound of pounding footsteps came to her ears.

Lucy's throat tightened, and so did her fist. After her shitty altercation with that bum, she was ready for anything. But not for Natsu tearing around the corner, looking like he had somewhere important to be. The only reason why she recognized him at all was his soggy scarf and his messy cap of hair, though admittedly it was plastered to his head now and several shades darker. He almost ran right past her but at the very last moment pin wheeled his arms and came to an abrupt stop. Happy, who had been flying at shoulder height, crashed into him gracelessly and dropped heavily to the ground. His wings, already saturated, filled with blackened water.

"What the hell, Natsu?" Happy complained.

"Lucy! Fuck."

Lucy felt her muscles tremble and it wasn't just because of the cold. "Where were you?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," Natsu said sharply.

Happy picked himself up and wrung out his fur indignantly. "We went back to the motel, Lucy, and you weren't there. We got scared."

Natsu said in a calmer voice, "What are you doing out here?"

Lucy's throat felt small, all of her stress coming up to the surface. I'm an adult. I won't cry. I won't. She dug her nails into her palm until she left behind half moon crescents. "I was looking for you. I thought…"

"We tried to come back sooner," Natsu told her, stretching the truth just a little so that watery look would leave her face. "We got held up."

"By the guards," Lucy said. "Why? What the heck happened?"

While he considered how to relay his misadventure, Natsu looked around the street. It was totally desolate now. No one wanted to be outside in this torrent. Even his skin was chilling in the lashing rain. The feeling he'd been having that someone was watching them was gone; the only thing to make him uneasy any longer was the cold pulsing in his palm.

"Maybe we should go back to the motel," Happy suggested. "I'm soaked and freezing."

Lucy swiped away an errant tear that had escaped her ironclad hold. "Come here, you guys, come under the umbrella." Not that it was much drier under there, the wind was going sideways now and trying to steal the umbrella from her hand.

Happy was the first to motivate and accept her offer. When he was at her feet, Lucy stooped and gathered him into her arm. He clambered up and nestled into her shoulder. He shivered worse than Lucy did, his fur matted to his body, making him look so much smaller. Natsu came in next, coming so close that their shoulders nudged together. For the first time in days Lucy didn't pull away, glad that he was there. His skin was warmer than hers. Feeling both greedy and selfish, she closed an extra bit of distance between them.

Natsu didn't put his arm around her, though he thought about it. The image of her ducking around him earlier stalling his movements. He did eye her carefully, though, memorizing every line of her face, her gently sloping nose, her soft jaw, the delicate mould of her lips. He could see all of the ways she wasn't the dead girl when she was standing beside him.

He'd never forget the tang of iron in his mouth, the irrational fear that she was one of those girls, though. He wished that he could. Natsu didn't like feeling scared, and he'd had more than enough fear to over the last year to fill his cup for a lifetime.


The motel's floor was still damp. Still clutching Happy to her chest, Lucy went first to the bathroom and grabbed a rough towel, then she placed the cat on the counter and scrubbed it over his head, drying him though she was sure he was perfectly capable of doing it himself.

Natsu came in behind her and grabbed a towel of his own. He didn't stay in the bathroom, though. Lucy was almost glad after their close walk. Being near to him was both satisfying and painful. How could she simultaneously want to touch him and keep a distance?

"Did you really think we ditched you?" Happy asked. His fur was an inflated mane around his neck now, damp and puffed out because he was cold.

Lucy pressed her lips together. "No, Happy."

He knew she lied. "We won't, Lucy."

Natsu appeared in the doorway, a piece of cloth in his hand. "Here."

Lucy recognized the shirt he'd given her to wear to bed the night before. Her heart swelled. She tried to pop it like a balloon before she could get any crazy ideas. "Virgo…" She thought of the nighty the spirit left her, and the new way Natsu looked at her earlier, then reconsidered her words. This was the more modest option. She took it from him. "Thanks."

He pulled his lips to the side in a half smile. "We should talk, so get dry." He turned then and left the way he came. Happy hopped off the counter, towel dragging behind him, and followed him.

Lucy watched until he disappeared out of the doorframe, then she closed the door. There was one more towel hanging over the bathtub, the one she'd used earlier that day. She used it to scrub her soaking hair, then started peeling off her clothing. It went into the bathtub, landing there with a wet clap. She shivered even after she was dry, unable to help it.

In an attempt to get warm, she tugged Natsu's shirt over her head. The dark material brushed her thighs. Some of her chills eased. She looked down her cold-spotted body to her toes, the tips of which were painted crimson. The colour was startling against the paleness of her skin and the off-white tiles. The paint was chipped, her feet filthy. Looking up, she shook her hair back but left it loose, then wrung out her clothes and hung them everywhere she could manage, utilizing the bathtub to its full potential. When she was done she lifted her feet into the sink and washed them awkwardly. The water ran dark brown, then cleared. Finally ready, she dried her feet and came back into the main room. It was colder out there, the air conditioning on to combat the usual heat. There was no thermostat control in the room.

Natsu stood by the bed only in a pair of shorts. Lucy gave him a furtive look, skin crawling with false heat. She looked away just as soon as she was able and went straight to her makeshift bed, tearing the blankets up and wrapping them firmly around her body. It helped some, covering up like that. It felt like a physical barrier between them.

Natsu came and threw himself down on the couch opposite to her. There wasn't much space, not with his back against the armrest and his legs crossed so he could look at her fully. He wasn't ever shy or awkward. Lucy envied that. All she could do was look at him and remember the way he eyed her up earlier.

Then he opened his mouth and shattered any tormenting thoughts she had. "There were two girls killed tonight. We showed up just after the first one happened, and the other… she was killed while we were talking to that guard, Ackles."

Lucy's heart took a tumble. "Where?"

"By the old age home," Natsu said.

"That's terrible," Lucy said, so horrified she didn't even ask what he was doing out that way. "That must have been why Riley said he had to go. Gods. There's a killer on the loose in Magnolia. What if it was that thief I was supposed to catch?" She shook violently. Happy crawled up on the couch beside her and wedged himself between her left arm and the backrest. He tugged on some of the blankets and pulled them up around his chin.

Natsu looked at Happy jealously. Lucy wasn't wary of him at all. In fact, she seemed glad that the cat was there, pushing into her side. Maybe she'd be happy with you, too. He scooted a little closer so her feet were touching his shins. She was icy. "If it was then you don't have to worry. They caught one guy and the other… he was shot."

Lucy clutched her elbows. "This is Magnolia. Stuff like this doesn't happen here."

Natsu didn't know how to respond to that. It happened everywhere.

Happy's eyes were drooping with tiredness when he reiterated, "We were really worried when we got back and you weren't here, Lucy."

"I was worried about you guys, too." Which brought them back around. She looked at Natsu. "The king waived your charges."

Natsu shrugged. "Yeah. He said he wanted my word to help if the kingdom ever needed it, which, whatever, I'd help anyway, but now we know we don't have to worry about hiding anymore. I can help you on that job now, if the thief is still on the loose."

Lucy ignored the pang of I want to do it on my own to prove that I can. It was selfish and silly, given that two people were dead. Besides, what the hell did she have to prove anyway? That she was good enough to be on Team Natsu? It wasn't a team anymore, so it didn't matter. "When I talked to Riley, he said you'd been gone for a long time. Where did you go?"

He huffed. "Back to the old age home."

"Why?"

Natsu met her eyes. To get that girl out of my head. He didn't tell her how the dead had rattled him. "Just to make sure the guards didn't miss anything. I don't think Ackles is great at his job." The jibe felt good, even if it was petty and uncalled for. He looked to see if she was pissed off by the dig or not. It didn't even look like she was listening, though, her eyes were trained on his hand. She reached out and took him by the wrist. Natsu's skin jumped under the contact. She was so cold.

"What happened?"

Natsu followed her gaze. His palm was angry and red where the thorn had stabbed. It was tender, too, even more so when Lucy brushed her fingers over the area. "Just a dumb thorn."

"It looks like it hurt."

"It's fine," he lied.

"Do you still have that first aid kit in your pack? I'll clean it for you."

Natsu almost told her not to worry, but he wanted an excuse for her to keep touching him. "Yeah."

Lucy rose, careful not to jar Happy who had taken to gentle snoring. The cat still grumbled when her body heat disappeared. He nestled deeper into the blankets, looking more comfortable than before. Lucy smiled at him fondly.

"Top pocket," Natsu told Lucy as she crossed to the bed. He was back to watching her shamelessly, though he told himself to not. He liked her too much in his shirt. Not only was he satisfied to see her in something of his, he was satisfied with the way it clung to her curves and rode up when she walked. It covered enough, but revealed enough, too. Enough to allow his attention to wander, for his thoughts to go all the places he'd been trying to keep them away from.

He rose and followed her, dropping himself down on the squealing bed while she searched through his army green pack. He could hear her heart beat faster when he was near. His own fought to respond while he fought to keep it even.

Finding the alcohol and a gauze bandage, Lucy knelt in front of him. Happy being just feet away helped mitigate some of Natsu's crazier fantasies, but having her close like this was like stepping into an inferno.

Lucy took his hand again and turned it palm up. "You should be more careful."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed.

It was obvious to Lucy he didn't really mean it. She kept her eyes on his palm, reluctant to look up and see how he was looking at her this time.

"Lucy," Natsu said.

Lucy dumped alcohol onto his palm and rubbed it around with a piece of cotton, hoping the pain would sidetrack him.

It didn't.

"About earlier—"

"Don't worry about it. You're fine, you didn't get hurt, you got a chance to clear things up with the king—"

"I mean before you went out."

She couldn't help but look at him now, her eyes drawn upwards by some magnetic force. His cheeks were bright. "Please, Natsu."

It took him a moment to realize that she wasn't asking him to continue, she was asking him to stop. "You didn't like it?" He listened to her heart speed. His palms pricked with sweat in anticipation of her answer.

Lucy stood on shaking legs and congratulated herself when she didn't fall. "Make sure you keep the wound clean. I'll help you change the bandage again tomorrow."

"We're just going to ignore it?"

Lucy remembered Loke's words and knew he was right. She couldn't see what good it would do telling him about what happened, but she thought it was the right thing to do. She didn't know how. Too afraid. "We'll talk again, maybe in the morning, Natsu."

"We're here now." He didn't want to pretend like it didn't happen. "Just yes or no, did you like it?"

She started to turn. He caught her wrist in his good hand, keeping her there. "Natsu—"

He was getting anxious. "Yes or no, Lucy. It's a simple answer."

"Just because a person likes a thing doesn't mean they should be doing it," she said, evasive to the end. Her heart beat hard with even that admission. She tugged, trying to get away.

"So you did like it."

She looked like she was getting mad, red-faced and everything. Natsu didn't care. She didn't deny him, which was as good as a 'yes.' This time when she pulled away from him he let her go so abruptly she almost fell. Lucy recovered with an indignant huff and turned so she didn't have to look at him anymore, that way she wouldn't be tempted to say 'What the hell,' or 'Why now?' or 'Do you even know what you're asking me?'

"Good night, Natsu." Lucy flicked off the light beside the couch and curled into the cushions. Happy was still coiled down at the bottom. He snored lighter now, his breathing too even. Lucy knew he'd heard everything. She couldn't find it within herself to get mad, she was too on edge, tottering because she had no idea what to do with this new Natsu. He'd always been forward and free with his thoughts, but he'd had some reserve when it came to stuff like this. She used to think it was because he didn't care, but now she was questioning everything.

"G'night, Luce."

Natsu listened until Lucy's breathing altered and she walked into unconsciousness. It had taken a long, long time. Feeling untired himself, he thought maybe he'd just stay awake all night and all day, but after Lucy finally drifted off he let his eyes sag closed. He didn't see a dead girl behind his lids like he thought he might, but he did feel a cold hand grasp his and drag him down into disturbing dreams that felt more like memories.


In a hotel on the northern edge of Hargeon, Gray stepped out of the shower, jeans slung low on his waist. By the glow of the bedside lamp he found Juvia easily, she was already sprawled out on the bed, hair curling gently over the pillow, dark blue like rain swollen clouds, like the ocean bed, like sapphire, like cineraria's delicate petals.

Tonight she wore only her underthings. The bra was blacker than sin, the underwear small and shiny with silk. One of her hands rested against her middle, fingers splayed, leaf green nail polish catching the light, while the other was tossed over her head. She turned her head just slightly and looked at him from beneath her lashes. She was Persephone.

He shook the thought from his head. He didn't have to trick Juvia, she'd always loved him, more than she should, even when he didn't deserve it. Especially when.

"Gray-sama."

He'd stopped asking her not to call him that long ago; it was fruitless. He came to rest beside the bed and anticipated her next move. Her fingers lifted and skated down the centerline of his body, finding the rivulets between his abdominal muscles. When she touched him her breath caught. He wondered if one day all of her admiration would be used up, if she'd stop looking at him like that. He wondered if he'd feel relieved like he used to think. Or just hollow.

She tucked her fingers into the hem of his pants and pulled him closer. Gray went, dropping his knee to the bed between her legs, planting his hands on either side of her shoulders. Her hair tickled his fingers. He bent and kissed her, remembering, unwillingly, the first time he did such a thing. It was with someone else's lip gloss still caught in the corner of his mouth. This time all he tasted was Juvia. He kept his eyes open to make sure she was all he saw, too. His chest panged. Every step he took closer to Magnolia made him feel more ill-at-ease. The mark his father gave him was colder, the magic feeling more volatile as it did when demons were nearby. He couldn't tell if it were actually the case, or if he was just… tense. Dreading.

Juvia knew he procrastinated. They could have pushed through and arrived at Magnolia today. It would have been late, but it would have meant an end to their travels. Instead they lingered in Hargeon too long, doing touristy things that Gray didn't care much about.

"You've been so far away," Juvia whispered into his ear. Her breath tickled, humid, her lips brushed his skin, soft.

Gray dropped his body so they were skin-to-skin. She was warm where he was always cold. She sucked in a breath like always, body breaking out in goosebumps when he laced his fingers in her hair. He kissed her to stop her from asking the next inevitable question: 'What's wrong?' Everything would be better once he saw Lucy, gave her those fucking keys and got it over with. Then he would stop wondering how furious she'd be because he'd know. He'd stop worrying if she hated him because he'd know. He'd stop wondering if Juvia would stop loving him because he'd know.

"Juvia loves you, Gray-sama," she said, like she'd read his mind. "Always."

He tightened his fingers in her hair and arched his hips into her, determined to relish that while it was still true.