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Gray opens his eyes and sees nothing. He tries again to blink open his eyes, but darkness is all that greets him. A panic builds within him. Gray tries to tempt it down; he should learn as much as he can before panicking.
He brings one hand up towards his face attempting to feel for any injury to explain the darkness. He feels the bridge of his nose and the dip of his eye sockets. He moves around his face and maps out his eyebrows and ears. All in all, there’s no bumps or cuts or scrapes or the sticky sensation of blood.
He keeps his hand over his eyes. It’s comforting in a way, as if its Gray’s own hand blocking the light from reaching his eyes and not some unknown cause. He can almost trick himself into believing that the removal of his hand will bring back his vision.
Gray uses his other hand to map out the floor he’s lying on. He feels the cool smooth stone beneath his body, the cold metal of a zipper and the warmth of fabric- oh this his jacket. Gray doesn’t remember taking that off. A quick feel of his own body reveals his shirt is also missing too.
“Gray?” A voice, Juvia’s to be precise, calls out to him.
“Juvia?” He calls back, hoping the slight panic in his voice won’t worry her too much.
Gray can feel, literally, the moment she finds him. Her arms wrap around him and Juvia begins asking a million questions, all of which are too fast for Gray to follow. Juvia carefully removes the hand blocking his face. He opens his eyes again but is still greeted by darkness.
“What’s wrong? Were you hurt?” She asks, as her fingers gently prod across his face.
“I can’t see.” Gray whispers. There’s a slight quiver of fear in his voice.
Gray can feel her fingers still at his words. He can’t see her face, but he can imagine the way her face would crease in worry, the shock flowing in her blue eyes, and the way her lips frown in concern. It should probably worry Gray how easily he can conjure Juvia within his mind.
Gently, Juvia’s hands caress the sides of his face. It’s both grounding and comforting to Gray. The warmth of her palms is a reminder that Gray’s alive. Another reminder that he’s not lost in some endless void all on his own. Instinctively, Gray begins leaning forward until his forehead gently touches hers.
“Well, there’s never a dull moment in Fairy Tail!” Juvia teases, but Gray can still make out the fear hidden within her words.
He struggles to place his own hand atop of hers. Once he feels her hand, he takes it within his own and gives her a reassuring squeeze. He can imagine the small little smile she would get and the way her eyes would twinkle with unconditional love.
“I trust you.” Gray says, even shocking himself at how easily the words come out.
Gray, who keeps his secrets close. Gray who hides his emotions from view and his injuries from prying eyes. This Gray, who’d rather charge first into danger then rely on someone other than himself, trusts Juvia with his life and wellbeing.
She probably looks divine right now. Juvia, who always hears the hidden meaning inside his words, will know exactly what Gray means. Sometimes it feels like Juvia knows him better than Gray knows himself. Sometimes Gray feels like he knows Juvia just as intimately as he knows his own flesh.
Juvia will guide him to safety. She won’t stop until they have answers; until Gray’s sight is returned or a better solution is presented. Is this how Juvia felt on Tenrou Island, when Gray carried her back to camp after their fight with Ultear and Meredy?
“Here, we’ll make our way back to the others.” As Juvia talks her arms shift to lift Gray up. He follows her movements until they’re both standing with Gray leaning heavily on Juvia.
He wraps an arm around her waist, holding on as tightly as he can without hurting her. She gasps a little and a tiny squeal escapes her lips. Her face is most likely a flush of bright red. Strangely, the mental image makes Gray smile.
Juvia carefully maneuvers them back through the way Gray came. At least, Gray thinks that’s where she’s leading him. It’s not like he can see anything right now. Juvia moves them slowly and Gray, who usually prefers not to delay, appreciates her efforts.
“Do you remember what happened?” Juvia asks, breaking the silence.
Gray reaches for the memories leading up to awakening and realizing his vision is gone. Gray and Juvia were tracking down a small dark guild that recently popped up near Magnolia. Why a dark guild would position themselves so close to Fairy Tail is beyond him.
Taking down the mages was easy enough for Gray and Juvia but one did run off once the fighting began. Gray and Juvia split up, each trying to find the dark mage before they escaped. Gray found her and she casted some type of bright blasting spell. Gray was thrown onto the ground, the bright light of her spell overtaking his vision.
“I found her, our runaway dark mage. She casted some spell and its power knocked me out. It had some bright flash of light so that’s probably why I can’t see right now.”
“I see.” Juvia nods and Gray can feel the end of her curls tickling his neck and face at the movement.
It’s annoying to think that the dark mage has gotten away but Gray knows he and Juvia will track her down eventually. For now, Juvia will bring him to safety and Gray’s eyes will heal. Or they won’t and he and Juvia will have another obstacle to overcome before tracking down their runaway.
Gray knows one thing for sure, as long as Juvia is by his side, he’ll be fine.