Okay, so instead of going on to actual plot, I sidetracked a little...well the first scene is relevant, as Juvia is going from just believing Gray to actually deciding she loves him. And Gray, well, he would be too ooc if he suddenly thought he loved her too. That will develop, but a bit differently than in Canon.
(PS it's too late, I'm so tired I typing with my head on the desk, and I'll probably reread this later and go ew...but oh well, I can fix it) Ah hell, I need sleep, and I bet you probably understand this feeling.
"I've got spare shirts and pants in the trunk."
"What?"
"Your dress is soaked."
"Oh, um yes. Juvia would appreciate it."
"You can change around the other side."
"Hmm…."
Wool winter dresses did not come off easily when wet. She kneeled on the biting pavement, hoping for just enough privacy underneath the window of his silver vehicle, literally peeling the heavy fabric from her skin, sighing as the weight slimmed off and allowed the tepid night air to breath into her naked arms. Juvia paused to enjoy the feel, then slipped on Gray's crimson v-neck, the cotton fabric pasting itself to her damp flesh. Her soaked bra was still on, creating a shadowed band across the chest, but there was nothing to do for that, to feel drier than before was simply good enough. Trying to stay that way, she quickly twisted her blue locks, ringing out the excess droplets.
It was strange wearing something other than her outfits. Her wardrobe mostly consisted of snug, but modest, heavier wools and cottons. This shirt was so light, barely noticable, and provided no barrier at all to the elements. Luckily, the night hadn't turned out cold, even with the week's cooling rain. Investigating more, she sniffed the collar tentatively, neither familiar with Gray's scent. Pepper, tinged with gunpowder, and a bit of musk, a perilous, but addictively crisp combination embedded itself in the walls of her nostrils. Well, it certainly had the same stark invasiveness of him.
Worried of taking too long, and just how she could explain should Gray catch her with fabric buried up her nose, Juvia let go of her grip, and hastily continued dressing.
She stood, the material pooling down to the top of her thighs, and quickly slipped on the corresponding gift pair of dark cargo pants, not bothering to remove her squishy calf boots. She was not quite swimming in his clothes, but the pants were large enough that her thick heels could fit through the legs. Gray had given her a brown belt too; this she cinched to its smallest hole just above her hips, and then stuffed the rest of the shirt into the waist. He was taller than her, but Juvia's legs were long and her torso short; by pulling the cargos high on her waist, they fit.
She gave her hair a quick comb with her fingers, once more, unable to do anything else, then grabbing her dress returned to the trunk. Gray was waiting, in a dark olive green t-shirt, and tan cargo shorts, preparing a sleek hand gun.
At the sight, Juvia paused, eyes immediately locked on the weapon. A shiver crawled up her nape. However, something felt hollow about the reaction, more forced than actually felt. She wasn't afraid, the instinct to huddle or run never came, and her body's practiced tingles died away, replaced with apathy. She thought about it a second, and supposed this was not so unusual. At this point, was a gun really so terrifying for a woman who been held hostage, degraded, and drowned?
Deciding the question had been best answered with her own reaction; Juvia exhaled, and pushed her feet to continue to his side.
Even if the gun had not disturbed her, Gray had an entirely different effect. Holding the metal piece, his face remained in callous concentration; reminding her exactly what sins and crimes he could commit. Obviously, the mission he, Natsu and Lucy were embarking on wasn't anything lighthearted. Juvia proceeded to stand next to him in grim uncertainty, quietly allowing him to fiddle with his piece whilst trying to come to terms with her emotions. She fidgeted with the dress in her hands, head down, intimidated by nature. Yet, to refuse the other sense of comfort she got from seeing Gray so invincible would have been a lie.
With a final click, he finished, taking a sidelong glance, catching her unprepared for confrontation. She tried breaking contact to watch the ground, but the rake of Gray's gaze was too unnerving. He seemed to claw on her clothes until she lifted her chin. Almost clear as real speech, Juvia could hear her mind reprimanding itself. Gray was not someone you let leave your sights.
For a split second black met blue, a sensation of openness burst out. It was like being at both ends of a knife at once. On one side, Juvia glimpsed emotions buried behind Gray's dark pupils. There was very thin film covering them, and with just a little more pressure, that barrier could be ripped. But at the same time, she felt as if he was similarly pushing inside of her, carving into her deepest secrets.
She was stunted, longing to peek behind his shield, but worried her own doorway would widen if she pried.
Surprisingly, Gray tore away first, turning to the car's trunk, and only when he quickly withdrew could the full extent of that probing eye lock be felt. The remnants lingered, blunt and hollow. Juvia stood numbly, feeling as if someone had drilled a hole into her forehead, half emptied it out, and then stopped. And though she could not see the wound, there was an inherent knowledge of its existence. Her sights dashed to the trunk as well, trying to forget the chilling tendrils of the encounter. If Gray was having a similar sensation; then there was an honest apology in her erratic heart.
The thought never was answered, her focus quickly shifting what lay in front.
Gray's car, some silver sporty thing, and that was the best description she knew to give it, was not quite messy in the slovenly way, with food crumbs, stains or dirt mixed in the carpets. Rather she discovered Gray had some intriguingly unorganized tendencies with his clothes. Garments lay littered everywhere: a brown shirt across the top of the seat, dark boxers, black socks, and two pairs of jeans shoved underneath, and an array of pastel and earthy colored t-shirts and some button ups carpeted patches of the floor.
Oddly, only his clothes seemed to have the trouble, for there was a polished silver toolbox in the right hand corner, the top shelf pulled out to display neatly organized cardboard boxes. Maybe Gray simply hated doing laundry?
She packed her dress in a trash bag, setting it aside the tools. And as she did so, her eyes skirted over the little boxes in the drawer.
Without reading the tiny bolded labels, the pictures told enough. They showed sleek metallic cylinders, beginning with bowed tips, and ending with short trenches that separated the object's body and rim. Bullets, and there were at least a dozen cases of ammunition. She was impressed, but not scared, even audaciously wondering if her roommates' shots had been of the stash. Bullets alone were hardly a threat; it was only combined with a firing weapon and a shooter that they became deadly.
She must have been staring, for Gray reached across and quickly shut the drawer. Without further word, he closed the trunk door, and went around to the driver's side. He was hurrying after all. Understandingly, Juvia jogged to the passenger seat, lest she waste anymore of his time. She slipped in, just as Gray's belt gave a little click, his right hand simultaneously bending around the wheel to start the car.
As they began to accelerate through the warehouse town's gravel driveways, Juvia observed the little details around her. An arctic chill lingered about; the air conditioner slightly blowing on the little double snowflake extreme setting. She could feel the cold sweep across her feet, hardening and pebbling the skin under her soggy boots, but made no comment. Gray seemed fine with the temperature; she would not kick up fuss over a few goose bumps.
There was starting to be a theme with Gray and the ice caps, her next find being an air freshener sitting in one of the front cup holders. It was a small raspberry blue liquid inside a vial with a fine screened top, so elegant that at first she thought it was some woman's perfume. Curious, Juvia lifted the little glass, and read the frost painted label: 'Arctic Scents; Air Freshener.' From just the packaging she guessed it was quite a high end product for a car.
Through the screened top, she gave a quick sniff, scrunching her nose at the subsequent icy mint blast. Gray definitely had a thing for the cold.
And against putting away his clothes; she had glimpsed more shirts and socks strewn across the backseat.
Swirling the elegant little vial still in her hand, Juvia took one more breath, this time prepared for its crisp aroma. The chill lit her senses, pleasantly rejuvenating on the second round, though it did make her wish for her heavy wool dress. Setting the glass back in its place, she caught Gray watching her silently. Having nearly forgotten that he would be observing her explorations, Juvia immediately filled with embarrassment. Being seen so openly intrigued with his car freshener of all things!
"It's nice." Juvia said into her lap, hiding her face with a wall of hair. She needed to give some sort of compliment if she did not want to seem too weird. Gray mumbled a little, more of a grunt than thanks, but she assumed the latter.
He turned out onto the main road, gas pedal flooring with a muffled groan, the acceleration pushing both of them back into their seats. A furtive look at the speedometer read eighty, and still rising. At least he was not weaving like the gorilla had been.
She planned on using the hour drive to figure out where to go next. It was not like she had anyone to visit, or anywhere she particularly wanted to go; basically the whole world was her possibility. But she had to start small and flatten out the details.
Banks would be closed until morning. She could find a gas station or 24 hour store to wait out the night. Tomorrow she would get money, some new clothes, a bus ticket to… wherever. Leave town. Find a new job and apartment. All of them she could imagine herself doing, but they did not feel right.
It would just be restarting her old life over. However, this time, she had vowed to change, find a place that would accept her, and foster honest relationships no matter what hardship.
Her thoughts slipped back to Gray. He'd saved her life, in more ways than one, gifting her with this new outlook. And though it came in not the best of circumstances, Juvia was grateful nonetheless. She believed his words back on the docks, that Fairy Tail was not like the people she had grown up around. If Gray had saved her, they had to be better than the Phantom Lord gang, more responsible, more supportive. All she wanted was to have what he did, now that she had a reason to think it existed.
She really should have been focusing on the logistics for when they arrived in Akane, instead of lost in these wayward musings. But, she couldn't force her nagging thoughts to stop. A typhoon of questions wanted to know where exactly she had gone wrong in the first place; which step of her life had led her down the ominously storm clouded path?
And above all, how special were Gray and Fairy Tail? How far were they willing to go for each other? Gray probably would not tell her outright, but she had to at least find clues to the answers. The pitter patter in her skull, all the torrents of curiosity, would not cease without knowing.
"Gray." She began, letting her words fall into place as she tried to start the conversation. Unsure of what would be the most informant subject, she settled on the one she had been wondering about for a while.
"This Erza woman, who is she?"
The sound of the car engine rumbled quietly for a few seconds, letting Gray consider her intentions.
"Not your business." The bitterness in his tone raised alarm, and Juvia balked, afraid that she had accidentally brushed a sensitive subject. He kept going, not quite understanding her innocent question. "All that would matter to you is she's one of the toughest Fairy Tail members."
She was humbled. The threat in Gray's monologue had speared her, but passed through beautifully. Juvia sat in amazed jealousy over the protectiveness and admiration in Gray's words. Her heart thumped wildly, wishing that, worse, weeping because those words were meant for another woman. To be loved so fiercely, by one so handsome and noble!
"J..Juvia means no harm…. But Gray, Lucy, and Natsu, all act so valiant, and show tremendous respect for this woman. She is well loved right?"
No response this time, another warning bell rang, convincing her that she was pursuing a taboo, playing with dry ice in naked hands. It came like a whip's strike, being so frigidly rejected, but she bore the searing pain noiselessly, having known she had no right to antagonize his emotions in the first place. She would take more care with his sensitivity.
Yet, she was not ready to give up entirely, those underneath longings were still battering her on the inside. Her hand had lifted to her breast, feeling her heart cadence as it slowed to a melancholic strum.
"Juvia is in awe. How lucky you are to have such people and to love them so strongly. "
She expected him to blow her off again, because this statement too had touched upon private emotions. It had not been planned, a momentary lapse of restraint had simply let the unconscious words drift up from her throat. She sat their shocked in the seconds after, half wanting to plunge into the accompanying daydream brewing just behind her clouded eyes, half wanting to snap free from the reverie and beg forgiveness for being so intrusive.
Thus, Juvia was surprised when following the tense silence, Gray's lip tilted upward. It was just barely noticeable, something she could have almost missed, if not for the partnered amusement that entered his eye.
"Putting up with them isn't as easy as you'd think." He said airily.
Was that a joke? It was her turn to go quiet, perplexed on whether or not to take him seriously.
"It's worth it, though. You know?"
His casual question hit her unprepared, an invisible bullet that ripped right into her stomach. Eyes back to mimicking the average of the week's sky, Juvia modestly hid her lament with a low chin. That did not stop the mouth though, a response once more slipped from the lips she'd so ignorantly forgotten to close.
"Juvia doesn't. No one loved her. She did not believe in it until now."
He paused, and she thought her tragic confession had killed the rest of the conversation. Then, with a bit of optimism:
"Well, this is your chance, so might as well go out find some who will."
Wet blue eyes shot up so fast, the salt water inside nearly sloshed over her eyelids. A geyser had erupted, steam and heat blasting underneath her skin. To be believed in, given a second chance, after all these years, was like being reborn. Gray, that marvelous man in the seat next to her sparkled more brilliant that diamond in the sunlight. And right then she made her decision.
He was the prince she had been waiting for all along.
He had refreshed and brought back to life her dismal rejections of romance and fraternity. It was only fair, and her heart's desire, that she dedicate these new bubbly emotions to him. Rose colors blanketed her face, as glimpsed in the windshields' transparent reflection, brought about by the last hesitations toward making such a tremendous commitment. But, she had already handed herself over to the heavy thuds below her left breast, accepting that it no longer beat for herself.
And to be honest, it hadn't for a long period, ever since Gray's gorgeous face had unconsciously seduced her at the bus stop.
"Hey," Gray suddenly perked; Juvia tensed, horribly aware she had been gawking. Yet, that wasn't what had caused the outburst. "You should put your seatbelt on. I thought you were going to try and keep yourself alive tonight."
Bewilderment crossed the bluenette's features, tinged with a sigh of relief. He had not noticed her stare. Then, considering his statement, Juvia checked the speedometer, now reading over a hundred miles per hour, and gave a curt:
"huh?"
"Seatbelt, aren't you going to take caution?"
Was he serious? Did he really think it made a difference? She donned a blank face, confused by his dimwitted semblance of common sense,not that she would adore him any less.
"In a car going a hundred and eight miles an hour, a seatbelt won't do much good for anyone. Besides, Juvia does not think Gray will delay with an accident when he has to be somewhere."
Twice, Gray's jaw opened and closed, as if she had broken the reserved man. Then, he laughed, two short disbelieving chuckles that were undeniably aimed at her. "Mavis, you really do have a death wish! What are you? Crazy?"
"Hmmm," Oh if only he knew. Still, Juvia did not touch the harness, thinking her argument was sound and that Gray would either give up or come to her reasoning. She pouted, slightly offended that he would not just agree and had to state this so bluntly. Not to mention rude.
At least he could not have really meant the words, it was not like he would actually take concern if she refused.
He fixed her a stern glare after a minute, his pupils nudging between the belt's position and her. That was odd, to the point where she withdrew her last thought. Juvia continued, holding back the hope that wanted to break out inside. It would be foolish and painful to believe he valued her life, only to learn he did not. This reaction, the faux protectiveness in his gaze, it could not be true.
She pressed, lowering her voice. "Would you care?"
"What, if you're insane? I'm pretty certain that was a yes since you jumped off the dock."
She almost sighed at his density, oh her poor prince. "No, if Juvia died because the car crashed."
This time, he really shot her a look that spoke volumes to his doubt about her sanity. "I did just almost drown to save you, so yeah, don't go wasting someone's efforts like that."
Her mind took an extra couple of seconds to replay and process the message. Everything he said made her pause to think. Gray was so terse and unflattering on the outside, but there was a motivation underneath, both in his actions and speech. She was not used to encouragement, and even with the sharp edges, the pain in grabbing onto those words fell short to the euphoria they brought. No, more than that, she was happier he did not sugar coat things; if he did, she would have to wonder if these were all lies.
Juvia's ego swarmed, despite the insult, because buried in it Gray had said yes, clearer than a pond on a windless day. He cared for her; she just needed to deepen those feelings. Not immediatley though, no single battle or act of valiance alone won a war. She was not even sure yet what sort of emotions, beyond love of course, her efforts would draw out; which ones she wanted and which were necessary. She needed some pacing for herself, to figure these things out along the way.
For the time being, Juvia breathed and relaxed, allowing her joyous senses to reign.
"So seatbelt?"
Juvia clipped her celebration short, gaze settling over the driver, her savior.
She had made the right choice, all worries about leaving town or finding new jobs dissipating. If she was going to start anew; she needed to start with him.
Gray dropped her off at a hotel, not a motel or a cheap place either, much to her disagreement, and covered the expense. Akane was a resort town, filled to its borders with skyscraper casinos, painted in the full spectrum of neon colors, and populated by peacocks (that were actually feathery transvestites). Juvia was certain that whatever Gray had paid, was no less than triple what the room's cost would have been regularly.
From afar, the hotel; was gigantic. From underneath, it became a glittering gold wall of windows, stacked high into the black sky.
The entrance was a four lane horseshoe driveway, a jaw plummeting tropical garden filling its center. Surrounding the road's vertex, was a pristine marble flat roof, held up by classic Greek columns, and which shined elegantly, painted in the golden light. A breath taking aqua tiled design spread across the roof's underside. Juvia glimpsed it briefly as they pulled into the unloading zone, too caught up with the miniature jungle. She was both enthralled and horrified, purely captivated by the exotic details, while fully aware of the unaffordable prices they warranted.
Without a single coin, and nothing save her damp dress, she would have been better off at a Laundromat with a handful of change. This was too lavish! Again, Juvia stuttered, which turned into begging that Gray pass on the trouble, and just leave her at the nearest twenty four hour gas station.
But her whimpering storm went ignored, he merely pretended not to hear, quickly exiting the car. He met her stepping out the passenger door, told her to get her dress from the trunk, and the headed inside, most likely to set up the arrangement.
She did as told, very self-conscious of her ratty appearance. Not many cars were arriving or leaving, but the few guests that did, were either dawning elegant dresses or suits, or polished semi-formal apparel. Worse, the Vale, a young dark skinned gentleman in a midnight suit, stared at her with the trash bag in her arms, as though she were a speck of mud that needed to be wiped clean from the marble stone.
Juvia only wished Gray would return sooner.
Around them swayed the exotic jungle, the air tickling her nose with sweet smelling soil. Eyes roaming anywhere save toward him, Juvia found herself stopping at the ceiling mosaic. It was an outline of something, the angle and size making it tricky to distinguish. The colors lightened along it lengthwise, from teal to the aqua. No, Aqua to teal, she corrected, finding the proper orientation. The main portion of it was a horse head and neck, with long spiked locks, and a sharp nose. The head was drawn up, its chin pulled back, and there was a small gap in the snout, presumably the mouth, giving the creature a prideful expression. Surrounding it, was a wreath of what she first thought were olive branches, but on second inspection seemed more like a thin pair of feathers or wings, the stems crossed below the cut off the horses neck. A slight heart shape was formed by the hooks of the wings.
Flying equines undoubtedly fit with the Greek architectural theme, but strangely, the picture did not. Whereas the Greek artists painted hard edges and portrayed everything with excruciating realistic detail, the picture had soft blandness, and the horses expression was smug, more human than animal. It had to have another significance, to be placed watching over every guest stepping in and out of the golden building. It could have been the hotel's insignia, Juvia thought, wondering then what the place's name was.
She peeked at the Vale's Podium; having seen a bit of sleek sky blue script on its front. Blue Pegasus was printed in sweeping cursive against a white clouded background. She had never heard the name before; though she was not very familiar with Akane. The city had always been too expensive for her enjoyments.
Gray returned; she would have argued one last time against staying here, but seeing a key card, meant a room had been purchased, and she doubted he would return it. He simply dumped the card into her hand, gave a curt good luck and rushed back into his car. Though left alone and out of place, she did not blame him; he had other more important places to be and people to save.
Still as stone, Juvia watched as his car turned around the horseshoes' curve, heading back toward the shimmering city street, the drunken crowds, and blazing lights. A strong part of her wanted to run right after him, but heavy weighted rational kept her feet nailed to the curb.
She would not have been able to endure much longer, with no sleep in the past few days, and the intense emotional and physical strains she had experienced. Adrenaline had kept her going for a while, but all her stores were now emptied, and who knew how long she could last. She had already become too accustomed to wobbling legs, honestly, they could give at any point. And if she paid attention to it, pain would erupt elsewhere in her arms and lungs.
Chasing after Gray would have to wait. She needed sleep badly, or else she'd end up crashing right onto the concrete.
Defeated, Juvia turned her back on the driveway, shoveling herself past the disgruntled Vale, and through the revolving doors.
The lobby was just as grand as the exterior, with speckled gold tiled floors, marble walls, and with a domed ceiling from which hung an aureate crystal chandelier. She cringed in humiliation of her raggedness, slinking past the crowds. In the back of the lobby was a line of burnished doorways and black suited burly men. She glimpsed a casino, from which erupted muffled bells and rings, underlain with a cacophony of rich laughter and joyous shouts. On the right side of the lobby, was an oppositely quiet, shadowed cavern, a bar and restaurant she assumed. Between both areas ran a steady stream of the partygoers.
The right hand wall was Juvia's destination, with a long counter containing several near vacant hotel service lines, and a row of elevators, presumably leading to the rooms, a little further down. She also spied a gift shop, but gave this no more than a passing glance. Her room was on the twenty second floor, the longest elevator ride of her life. Unfortunately, somewhere during the wait, her body began to shut itself down. It came to the point where autopilot took control, and she passed through the hallway without seeing.
Every time she blinked, her eyes stayed dark for a second longer.
Luckily, she made it to the room's door, entered somehow, and shuffled toward the bed without really noticing the room itself. She almost passed out then, but briefly stopped to think about setting out her dress to dry. She would need it tomorrow.
.
The next thing Juvia would comprehend would be the hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.
It was not a gentle grip either, shoving her back and forth. Her mind first went to Gray.
Then it recalled the events on the Oak district's docks from the night before.
And to the hotel; the rich entryway, and lobby.
Stumbling into the bedroom.
Collapsing.
And now the feel of warm blankets.
Gray's clothes were still on, the belt digging into her waist.
Bright warm sunlight basked her left cheek and on her right arm. It was hot, near burning.
And finally, the presence of someone else at the bedside, standing directly aside her head, and a hand with long sharp nails.
Juvia flung herself out of the grasp, wide awake, face stretched wide. Her arms were clenching, ready to fight, scream, run, anything. She was not going to let others take her hostage again!
It was a woman, a bit older than Juvia, probably near her thirties, but far too beautiful for her age bracket. Waves of pale blonde hair were bursting out of high ponytail, thick long bangs framed her narrow face, and brought out deep marine eyes. She wore tight white khakis, and a lilac blouse. Standing with a hand on her hip and frowning, she showed off a model body and pose that nearly made Juvia cry with insecurity. No woman was that beautiful!
But there were more important matters, like what threat this woman brought.
"It's four in the afternoon, you're dress was cleaned, oh, and here." The woman spoke strong, but also kindly, tossing a little black pouch purse Juvia's way. When Juvia opened it, she was shocked to see a little wad of cash rolled up inside. What was this? And what time had that woman said? It explained why the sun felt so hot through the window.
"Don't worry, we're doing a Fairy Tail a favor this time."
All she could do was tip her head confused. The woman growled. "Gray said to make sure you were alright, and give you enough cash for breakfast and for transportation."
"Oh." Juvia replied, letting her hands relax. "Thank you…uh, um"
"Ms. Realight." She pronounced with an air of importance, and once more indicated semi politely, the Juvia get ready.
Juvia took no longer, feeling pressured to vacate the room. Her dress was indeed properly cleaned and ironed, an utter joy compared to having to put on crinkled and stiff. She thanked the woman for her efforts, enthusiastic despite the clear superiority of Ms. Realights' attitude. She was waved away with a graceful, but no less demeaning, hand gesture.
"I'll drive you back to Magnolia, I've been meaning to pay Mira a little visit anyways." Mira, Juvia remembered that name, then realized what Ms. Realight had said.
"Um, Magnolia? Juvia is not going to Magnolia."
The model woman fixed her another fierce pose, one eye squinted in disbelief.
"Hm. I guess Gray did say you had a choice. Look, that's what the money is for in case you decided to do whatever, but, I guess Gray wanted you to go back to Fairy Tail."
Juvia quieted, but her thoughts were yelling. At first, cold betrayal swept through her, but the wave passed quickly. She had put firm belief in Gray, to lose it now would mean she was back to nothing. There had to be a good reason he wanted her to go. She had to trust in her heart's decision.
"Did Gray say what Juvia had to do?" She asked, praying for at least a clue.
"Look, Gray called last night, an hour or so after passing through. You're without IDs or any belongings correct?" At the realization, Juvia paled, nodding numbly. She was stranded, and neither of them had thought of it. Well, apparently Gray had, just a little after the fact. They were both such dimwits.
But the trouble remained that she was still just moving out of the Oak district. There was no way the people of Fairy Tail would be willing to help her out without a few grudges. She could not go back there and ask favors, or face them, not alone.
It left only one other option, Juvia would just have to go find Gray in Akane.