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This fanfiction contains violence and sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.
Juvia glimpsed at Gray, whose features flickered against the lantern light. Her fingers cautiously hovered to his face, inches away. His jaw tightened as she gently caressed his cheeks with a trembling hand.
"Do you now know why you helped me?"
Gray replied with silence. His fingertips brushed against Juvia's shoulder as he rebandaged her wound. At the corner of her eye, she watched as his hands worked swiftly. They twisted and turned, adjusting the white fabric so it secured against her shoulder. His eyes were obscured by strands of raven-black hair that had fallen to his face. She took a gulp as she felt his palm drift across her bare back. With a gentle tug, she let out a small grunt as Gray readjusted the safety pin.
"Somehow you always need saving," he muttered. Juvia quietly pulled her knees to her chest, covering her exposed upper body.
"And somehow you're always the one doing the saving," she replied. Gray sent her a glare before tossing one of his shirts at her lap. Juvia hurriedly pulled it over her head.
"Is this how you thank me?" Gray turned, stripping off his own shirt. "I can throw you back in there anytime I want."
"You won't."
Gray paused, his shirt dangling at his elbows as he paused to look at her. Juvia sat upright, her eyes staring right back at his. She appeared tiny with his shirt on, its baggy sleeves pooling at her elbows comically.
"Why?" he scoffed. "Do you want to wager your life?" Gray threw aside his shirt, but instead of retrieving another one, he began to approach her. "You trust me."
Juvia felt herself shifting against the mattress. "What makes you think that I will always help you, Juvia Lockser?" Gray suddenly lunged forwards, an arm bracing the wall behind her. "I can easily kill you," he slurred, gingerly brushing away a strand of her hair. He jerked his chin to her injured shoulder. "And I will actually kill you."
Despite his advancements, Juvia tried to remain as still as possible.
"I will wager my life." She took in a deep breath. "I do trust you, and I think you will always help me, but neither of us know the reason." Gray twitched his eye in annoyance. "If you wanted to kill me," she exhaled a shaky breath, "you would have done so already." Juvia's hands trailed against his bare chest. His pecs rose against her touch, slowly exhaling as her fingers grazed against his chiselled jaw. "I… really do trust you," she whispered. "But I don't know why, Gray."
Gray's eyes flickered in surprise, his hands clenched into a fist tightly before he pushed himself away from her.
"Don't," he growled under his breath. Juvia's lips parted, but she was interrupted. "Stop talking." Gray suddenly approached her once again, this time, his body lunged at her with a greater force. He angled his lips so they hovered inches away from hers. Juvia could feel his palms crawling up her thigh. His arms caged her in and all she could see was Gray. His eyelashes were lowered as he peered at her with caution.
Unconsciously, she closed the gap between them, brushing her lips against his. He instantly responded, his agape mouth driving against hers. They sealed lips for another brief second before Gray pulled away. Juvia's eyes fluttered open as she flinched with shock. The way his eyes glazed over her made her stomach spiral. She felt her heart pound against her chest like a whirlwind, and she let it overwhelm her with fervour.
His intense eyes reminded her of his troubled gaze when she wailed against the hold of the doctor. As he lowered her down onto the bed, she almost fainted from the pain at her shoulder. His hands faltered closely around hers when she watched the unknown man extract the blade from her shoulder. Blood stained her clothes and yet all she could see was his blurry figure. Her arm throbbed, hammering violently against her head. A final wave of pain washed over Juvia, forcing a shriek out of her mouth before she gasped for air.
"You're okay."
Juvia nodded, her eyes heavy, and the last feeling she could remember was his thumb stroking her knuckles as she began to fall unconscious.
The way he stared at her when she slowly awoke mirrored the way he looked at her now.
"You care about me," Juvia whispered. She ignored the thrashing of her heart and slanted her head, attempting to look into Gray's averted eyes. "Gray," she urged, "why?"
"Stop talking!" he barked. Juvia refused to back down as she wrapped her hands around his neck. Gray avoided her gaze.
"Look at me," she screamed. "Why did you help me?" She pulled against his strength, forcing him to face her. Gray's eyes shifted uncomfortably as her pupils stared widely at her.
He cringed as Juvia once again captured his lips with hers. Overlapping her mouth over his abruptly, she pulled away.
"Why did you take me here?" Her fingers dug into his neck as he once again resisted her grasp. "Tell me, where is the tunnel now?" Gray's hands wrapped around her outstretched arms, eventually giving in to her persistence.
"All of your memories were supposed to be removed," Gray growled. This time, he was the one who took a hold of her neck. "But you, Juvia," he drawled, "somehow still have a mind of your own." He pressed a thumb against her skin and paused, feeling the rapid clobbering of her pulse against his hold.
"Drifters are supposed to be devoid of any thought." He slowly wrapped his palm around her chin, tugging it up so he could inspect her carefully. "You, on the other hand, still had the rationality to save others."
"You tried to kill her children," Juvia yelled. She instantly withdrew from his grasp, slapping his hand away. "You're… the same as a murderer," she croaked. "Do you know what it's like to live in that tunnel?" Her hands trembled as she tried to push away dark thoughts. "You're a murderer, Gray. Exterminators are basically murderers." Her throat burned as she uttered the last word, trying her best to gulp back a sob. "Yet I'm so attracted to you," she yelled, wiping back tears. "Why didn't you just kill me?" Juvia creased her eyebrows, her features twisted painfully as realisation hit. "Am I just a plaything for you all?"
Gray pulled away, grabbing at her collar violently. "You're an inconvenience to the administration, Juvia. Do you understand?" Juvia gasped out in pain, her shoulder receiving the force of his grasp. "And right now," he snarled, "you're being a hindrance to me." He raised a pointed finger to the door. "Leave, before I regret my decision."
Juvia felt her throat burn as she desperately tried to swallow a sob. "What else do you have to regret?" she screamed back. "You don't regret, Gray. Don't all you do is kill?" Juvia exhaled deeply, her breath wobbly as she tried to claw away his grip. A flash of anger tainted Gray's eyes red. His eyebrows bulged together until he could feel his vein emit a purple glow. His fists clenched and they were close to being clobbered against her trembling body. His grasp against her tightened, jolting her closer.
The image of blood splattered across his vision. Bodies bare and lifeless. Their inscrutable faces turned white as blood drained from their necks, forming a deep ocean of blood. Gray's nose twitched as he inhaled, the memories of every victim permeating into the earth.
His hand strangled at her neck, each finger curling around until Juvia.
"You know nothing," he muttered. The image of an empty face suddenly flashed before his eyes; its discerning scar slithering down from his forehead, but its features remained blurred. Before Gray could concentrate on the familiar face, blood exuded from his neck. A blade punctured his flesh, and the handle of the dagger was clenched by Gray himself. Staring back at the faceless man with shock, Gray let the weapon fall with a clatter. At the corner of his eye, he watched in horror as his father creeped up from the ground. The concrete cracked at his fingertips as they slowly crawled up. His features became distorted with raw flesh and purple acid, mixing until it burned his face with a fracture.
"Gray!" The shrill sound that escaped from his father's lips sent an ear-piercing sound through the narrowing walls. "Who did you kill this time?" Suddenly, the blade was once again in Gray's hands, staining them with mauve liquid. "I expect great things of you," his father screamed once again. This time, his voice sent a sharp pain through his head, sending Gray into an infinite cycle of flames that never died out. "Gray Fullbuster!" The repeated shrieks penetrated Gray's head like a parasite, endlessly tormenting him. His eyes suddenly focused back to the girl who was heaving with pain.
"Gray!"
His eyes were bloodshot when he finally regained consciousness. His hands trembled against Juvia's faltering voice, her throat swelling as his grasp instantly relaxed. Juvia collapsed onto the bed, coughing vigorously with her hand finding its way around her neck. Gray urgently rose and staggered backwards. His fingers pinched at the bridge of his nose, refusing to face her.
"I told you to go," he inhaled. His voice quivered as he hastily glanced down at his hands only to find them empty. "I don't want to regret killing you too."
Juvia winced as she pushed herself up from the bed. Her uninjured hand pressed against his chest gently. She felt her heart pound, terrified, yet the courage to approach him arose from a place she didn't' know she possessed.
"I'm sorry, Gray," she whispered. "I – I." Juvia lost the words she wanted to say. "Thanks for saving my life."
After she heard the slam of the door behind her, she allowed a tear to roll down her cheeks.