Juvia Lockster clutched tightly to the warm paper coffee cup in her hands. She sat on a cold metal chair and stared into the dark brown depth of the hot liquid. Steam rose up to her face and she scrunched her nose. It smelled burnt.
Her whole body trembled, but she wasn't cold. She tried to focus on the smell of the coffee, something calm and tangible- even if it was burnt.
She sat alone the brightly lit room that was barely big enough for the row of vending machines and pair of white metal tables. There were no windows. One of the florescent lights flickered every few minutes.
The events of the last few hours had shaken Juvia to her core. She thought she'd been free of living in fear after escaping Ivan's. But she should have known better. This world was a cruel place, full of cruel people. There was nowhere Juvia would ever feel safe.
"Juvia," a voice said from right behind her, a hand landing on her shoulder. She jumped so hard she splashed her coffee down the lapel of her raincoat. Her foot knocked over the small duffle bag that she had sat next to her chair.
"Sorry," the dark haired man said as he moved into her line of sight. He bent to straighten the bag. Black hair fell slightly into his face as he moved. His features were sharp and his eyes were dark. Everything about him felt cold, like the deepest frost of winter. "My name is Gray Fullbuster, Gajeel asked me to look after you while we investigate the robbery."
"B-break-in," she stuttered nervously, inching away from him in her chair.
Gray paused. "The break-in," he then corrected, his expression unchanging. "Come with me, I'm going to take you somewhere you'll be safe for the night."
Juvia tensed but followed his direction.
"What about Gajeel?" Juvia asked as she stood up, grabbing the small but heavy bag with both hands. "I assumed he would be with me?"
Gray's mouth turned in a frown. "He's looking into the break-in", his words seemed laced with a grudge. "I'm taking you to a safe house for tonight and we'll reevaluate our next steps in the morning."
Juvia paused. Gajeel was the closest friend she'd ever had, and she trusted him wholeheartedly. But this man was a stranger. She'd known far too many strangers. Juvia assumed she would simply crash at Gajeel's apartment. Gajeel was rarely there anyways… But that was the problem. Juvia knew exactly who it was that had ransacked her apartment, and she would not be safe from them no matter where she was. Not if she was alone.
"So you'll protect me?" Her words came out like a whisper as she met his eye.
Gray paused, watching her closely.
"That's what I do," he said simply. He grabbed the heavy bag from her like it weighed nothing, his surprisingly warm fingers sending a shock through her as they brushed her own. Without another word he began moving towards the door and nodded at her to follow him. Juvia took a deep breath, her heartbeat as jittery as her nerves, and followed the stranger out of the cold room.
Outside the unmarked building that housed Fairy Tail's main headquarters Juvia shivered as rain started to fall again. The frigid air that signaled the start of winter cut far deeper than the cold, sterile room she had been stuck in upstairs.
They were on the outskirts of downtown Magnolia. This area was not as overwhelmed by the bright neon lights of the electronic billboards or the violent volume of traffic. Sirens could still be heard in the distance, but not an every corner like it was a few blocks down. High-rises and sky-scrappers peppered the street.
Juvia followed Gray to a non-descript black town car. Her threw the bag in the backseat and then pulled open the passenger door of Juvia. He held out a hand to help her in, like an upper-class gentleman. Juvia looked at him blankly.
"You coming," he asked sharply, "or do you want us both to get soaked in this rain?"
Who was this guy? Juvia thought as she moved towards the car. She couldn't tell if he was the most well-mannered man she had met, or the biggest jerk.
Juvia took his hand and slid into the front seat, the brief touch sending another jolt through Juvia. Their eyes met, his gaze fixated on her like a spotlight. The moment lingered just barely longer than it should have. Or did it? Juvia wondered. Maybe that was in her head.
When Gray slid into the driver's seat next to her he didn't make eye contact or offer any conversation. He set his sights on the road and pulled seamlessly into traffic.
They road in silence until the sound of sirens became a distant buzz and the vivd city lights acted more like a starlit canopy than a constant fireworks show.
When they pulled to a stop outside a small duplex wedged between two apartment buildings, Juvia's stomach lurched. She'd been here before.
Gray pulled into the drive, waiting for the electronic gate to the underground parking to slide open.
"I can't go in there," Juvia tried to say, but it came out like a whisper.
"It may not look like much but it's safer than it looks. The whole point is to have it look like it belongs here or it would draw attention- and attention is not what we want."
Juvia swallowed but said nothing more. She was lost in her own thoughts, remembering the night she had been brought here. The night she thought she was going to die at Ivan's club.
In moments Gray had them parked and up the staircase to the first floor. He was right, she knew, as they walked in, the inside was certainly not what you would expect. It reminded her of the inside of the apartment of her friends Lucy and Natsu. Everything was white with pops of bright color accenting throughout the room. Plush white sofas with soft violet pillows were framed by white side tables topped with large, hot pink daisies with bright green stems. She remembered the group of girls that had been rescued with her from the club when it was raided all spread across the room in sleeping bags and mounds of pillows.
The large, wall scaling windows always surprised her. It's not what she ever would have pictured a "safe" house to be. It made her uneasy and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself in a protective gesture. The windows were bullet proof, Gajeel had told her that last time. But still…
Gray set her bag on the oversized glass tabletop and moved to the kitchen, slipping off his jacket and draping it neatly over a chair.
"There are two bedrooms upstairs, you can take whichever one you want," Gray said casually as he walked into the kitchen. "There's food if you're hungry, the crew usually keeps these places pretty well stocked."
Juvia shook her head. "No, I don't think I can eat."
"You sure," he asked as he searched through the pantry. "You look like you could use it."
Juvia didn't know what he meant by that and couldn't decide if she should be offended. She watched as Gray grabbed a box of cereal and set it on the counter, pulling two spoons from a drawer as he went. His lean frame moved through the kitchen as if it was his own. He was efficient and somewhat stiff. Not tense, just… without excess. Like a soldier, someone who didn't do anything without a purpose.
She could the lines of taut muscles in his back flex as he reached up to a high shelf, procuring two bowls.
He turned and looked at her, as if he could feel her watching him.
"Sit," he gestured at one of the barstools along the long counter. Juvia took a seat and he slid the full bowl over to her. He stood across from her, downing several large spoonfulls.
Juvia dragged her spoon through the bowl, swirling the circles of grains around in the fresh milk.
"So why would someone break into your apartment?" Gray asked without any preamble. Juvia tensed, surprised.
"Not someone," she said firmly as she stared into her bowl. "Phantom Lord."
Gray downed the rest of his food without responding. Juvia could feel his eyes watching her intently. He rinsed his bowl in the sink and turned back to her. She pushed her bowl away, she felt too sick to eat.
"The family of criminals running that club were raided nearly a year ago. They're all in jail. I know, I helped put them there," He turned back to her, catching the surprised look on her face. "You used to work at that club, didn't you?"
Juvia nodded, flinching under the scrutiny of his gaze. She felt suddenly like she was being interrogated. Something about the way he spoke trigged a feeling of anger in her chest.
"I worked there with Gajeel, I was a dancer. I left because…" she shook the memories away as they began to well up. "I left. I got a job at the Blue Kitten. I helped get Gajeel a job there too."
"Ivan's club," Gray said. "We took him down too. Human trafficking."
"I know," Juvia said deftly, her words tasting foul, "I was there."
"Sounds like you need to start picking better employers," Gray said cooley, grabbing her untouched bowl and taking it to the sink.
The anger in Juvia's chest burned. How dare he speak to her like that? He had no right. She clenched her hands into small fists… then relaxed, letting out a breath. She had no fight left in her. She grabbed the heavy duffle bag and headed up the narrow staircase without bother to waste another word on Gray. If he wanted to be a jerk, fine. She didn't need anything from him, and she certainly didn't trust him.
Except that she did need him, she reminded herself as she pushed into the room on the left. She needed his protection, she needed this safe house. Maybe, after tonight, Gajeel would let her stay with him again. Though the last thing she wanted to do was burden her friend with all of her troubles all over again. Gajeel had already helped her so much, and he had his own life. He had a girlfriend now, Levy, who deserved his time. Seeing Gajeel happy for this first time brought her a sense of joy for him. It was about time one of them got to be happy.
The feeling of dread hit her like a boulder as she stepped into the room. The duffle bag slipped out of her hands and landed with a loud thud on the floor. It was the room she'd stayed for a week after the raid at Ivan's. Her friend Canna, another dancer, had stayed in this room with her. Canna, a ballsy brunette, was a close friend to Juvia. Despite being tough as nails on the outside, she had a caring heart. She'd helped pull Juvia together until they were able to leave.
A hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and Juvia let out a short scream, spinning around and backing away.
"Easy," Gray said gently, his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine," Juvia said quickly, trying to regaining her composure.
She could feel Gray watching her again, this time as if she were a scared animal about to bolt.
"You stayed here, after the raid, didn't you?" He asked. His voice was gentle now, the icy rigidly of before evaporating. "I didn't think about that when I picked it. We'll find somewhere else to stay tomorrow."
"Will you still be with me tomorrow?" Juvia asked, surprised.
Gray's features relaxed into a gentle smile that suddenly made Juvia's knees weak.
"I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me until we get this situation figured out, those are my orders."
"You're orders," Juvia nodded, "Right."
Gray picked up the bag and gently set it on the bed. "Why don't you try to get some sleep and we can figure everything out in the morning."
Juvia nodded.
Gray turned to leave and before she realized what she was doing Juvia reached out and grabbed his hand. His skin was coarse from use but warm, he felt real.
"You won't leave me?" She whispered the words as they tried to stick in her throat. Gray's fingers wrapped around Juvia's hand, tethering her like a lifeline.
"I won't leave you," he said firmly, meeting her eyes. His eyes were dark pools of blue, almost black, and yet for a moment they seemed to burn as he looked at her.
The moment passed as quick as it had come. He released her hand and she left it fall.
"Get some sleep," he said, pulling the door around for her though not entirely shutting it, as if knew. Knew that she didn't really want to be alone, she didn't want to be locked in, like a prison cell.
Juvia sat down on the edge of the bed and let out the breath she did not realize she'd been holding. What was that? Who was this guy? She supposed she would soon find out if they were going to be spending that much time together. She opened the bag next to her and pulled out a small stuffed panda, toying with it as she tried to steady her heartbeat. A small part of her felt like maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, getting to know Gray, maybe.