Drip Drop, Tick Tock
By: The Shadow Hawk
Summary: Set during ep. 163, between the end of the pinup battle and the beginning of Kagura/Yukino's battle. During a quiet moment between matches, Juvia and Lucy take some time to talk about things other than the danger and chaos surrounding all of them at the Grand Magical Games.
Juvia twirled around in front of the mirror again, giggling as the wedding dress wrapped itself around her legs for a moment before settling in place. Just for a moment, she saw Gray beside her in the reflection, causing her to blush darkly. Gray had looked so handsome in that suit. Not that Gray didn't look handsome all the time, but the thought of marrying him, not to mention the thought of Gray snatching her away from Lyon like that, Juvia could barely contain her giggles.
"Couldn't take the dress off yet, huh?"
Juvia snapped back to her senses when she heard a rustle of fabric and Lucy's voice. The blonde was still wearing her wedding dress as well though she was carrying the tiara. "Lucy-san…"
She set the tiara down on the counter and swished her dress back and forth in the mirror a bit. "I can't believe the First brought all these outfits with her…and these dresses fit perfectly."
Juvia nodded. "The First seems to be prepared for everything. Juvia has never had a dress fit so well."
"You and Gray looked really cute together on the field."
"Eh?" Juvia blushed.
Lucy smiled. "After Gray took you away from Lyon, you looked like a real married couple. I kinda wish I had a picture of it."
Juvia eyed her suspiciously. "Lucy isn't jealous?"
"Well…maybe a little…"
"So Lucy admits it!" Juvia pointed a finger at her, accusingly. "Lucy likes Gray-sama and wants to take him!"
She sighed, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face. "Not like that, Juvia…I just mean…"
"Lucy wants to marry Gray-sama, doesn't she?"
"I don't like Gray." Lucy rolled her eyes. "I just mean I'm jealous of the progress you're making with him and I don't even…" She lifted the dress slightly then let it fall. "I'm kind of scared this is the only time I'll ever wear a wedding dress…"
Juvia blinked, confused and all her anger dissipated. "Why wouldn't Lucy-san get married? Not to Gray-sama of course, but someone…"
She shook her head, sighing. "Never mind…"
"But-"
"Never mind. I shouldn't have brought it up." She smiled. "You'll do your hair in a nice updo when you get married right? You should let me call Cancer to do your hair."
Juvia wasn't going to let go of Lucy's comments so easily. "If Juvia agrees to let Cancer be her stylist, will Lucy-san tell Juvia why Lucy won't get married?"
"Please forget I said that."
"Juvia sees no reason why Lucy wouldn't get married. Lucy is pretty. And kind. She sees the good in everyone and never quits. Lucy is the first friend Juvia ever had."
Tears stung the corners of her eyes. "Thank you Juvia…it's just…I do like someone…but…I don't think it's going to go anywhere…"
"Why?"
"I'm pretty sure he likes someone else…"
Juvia suddenly noticed Lucy's white knuckled grip on the dress as she fought tears. She reached over and gently pulled her fingers off the fabric. "Juvia is sure no man would pick another woman over Lucy." She paused. "It's not Gray-sama, right?"
Lucy squeezed Juvia's hand. "It's not Gray, I promise."
Juvia pat Lucy on the cheek with her free hand. "Juvia is sure this man would pick Lucy if he were put to it. Even on the off chance this man didn't pick Lucy, someone else will surely come along."
"But he…there's no one else like him and…he can be so dumb sometimes but…I still love him…I don't think I could love anyone else…" As Lucy started to cry, Juvia wrapped her arms around her. Lucy sobbed softly as Juvia stroked her hair, hoping to soothe her.
Juvia said nothing for some time, thinking about the competition earlier. "It's Natsu-san isn't it? And Lisanna-san?"
Lucy only managed to nod against Juvia shoulder as she continued crying. "D-Don't tell anyone…"
"For what it's worth…Juvia does not think Natsu-san likes Lisanna-san that way."
"You…you don't?" Lucy lifted her head slightly. "But when they were little…"
"That was then. This is now. Juvia means no disrespect to Lisanna-san. Lisanna-san is a good friend to Juvia too…but Natsu-san does not look at Lisanna-san the way he looks at Lucy."
"What do you mean?"
Juvia guided Lucy to sit with her on one of the beds in the room. "Natsu-san's smile is different when he sees Lucy. When he sees Lisanna-san, he smiles like he would when he sees anyone from Fairy Tail. But there is this extra joy in Natsu-san's smile for Lucy. Juvia is sure Natsu-san loves Lucy, even if he doesn't know it's love."
Lucy let out a shaky sigh. "You really think so?"
"Juvia does. Juvia would not lie to a friend."
Lucy wiped her eyes. "I hope so. I can't believe I fell for that pink-haired goof…"
She smiled. "Natsu-san has been there for Lucy since she joined Fairy Tail, right?"
Lucy nodded. "He brought me to the guild. And he's been with me ever since. He wasn't the knight in shining armor I dreamed about as a kid…but story books are overrated, right?"
"Right." Juvia was glad to see Lucy coming back to herself. "Sometimes a girl needs a dragon."
"And sometimes she needs a stripper, ne?"
Juvia blushed. She looked in the mirror and imagined her groom again, except… "Lucy?"
"Yes?"
"If Lucy promises not to tell anyone…can Juvia confess something?"
Lucy cocked her head to one side for a moment before facing her straight. "Sure. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Juvia closed her eyes. "J-Juvia is not as sure of her feeling for Gray-sama as she used to be…"
Lucy's jaw fell. Someone probably could have knocked her over with a feather. "Wh-what?" There were certain things Lucy felt she could always be sure of, such as the sun always rising in the eastern sky, Fairy Tail always engaging in reckless behavior on missions costing them more than the reward was, Taurus always being a perverted bull, and Juvia always being head over heels for Gray. Juvia not being completely and utterly in love with him made her whole world shift in an uncomfortable way. "When did this happen? How?"
Juvia winced. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything. Not until she knew for sure where she stood on her feelings. "It's only been recently…but Juvia just…"
Lucy frowned. "Because of Lyon?"
Juvia nodded. "Juvia would be lying if she said she didn't like the attention. Lyon-sama may be a little forceful but he's clear with his feelings for Juvia…Gray-sama…"
"Juvia…don't give up on Gray for Lyon. Don't."
"Juvia isn't giving up…but…Juvia has loved Gray-sama from the moment she saw him but…Gray-sama just brushes Juvia off…"
"He's not brushing you off. Gray is more affectionate with you than he is with any of the other girls in the guild." Juvia gave her a somewhat disbelieving glance. "He asked you to be on his float for the Fantasia parade, didn't he? You have gone out with him a couple times. You've been able to cast Unison Rain with him. He was so worried about you after you got injured fighting Meredy on Tenrou Island. And he gets pissed every time Lyon approaches you. He's protective of you. I mean…he kicked Lyon in the face and took you away from him today. I know he hasn't said 'I love you' but he does love you. He's just not ready to admit it yet. He's scared."
"Of what? If Gray-sama told Juvia he loves her today, Juvia would not reject him. What does Gray-sama have to be afraid of?"
"It's not really my place to say…but Juvia…" She grabbed Juvia's hands and squeezed them tightly. "Just trust me. I know Gray loves you. And if you were going to ever think about going out with someone else…you could do so much better than Lyon."
"What's wrong with Lyon?"
"Not to make a pun out of his magic, but he's cold. Back when I first met him…he didn't give a damn about anyone. Sherri was on his side, as devoted to him as you are to Gray. She'd do anything for him. He didn't care. He didn't care about who he hurt trying to bring Deliora back. And it was all for nothing since Deliora was dead by the time they broke the Iced Shell." Lucy grabbed Juvia by the shoulders. "Think about it. Lyon is trying to win you for his guild. You're not a piece of furniture that can just be taken from one guild to another. Gray didn't agree to the bet because he wouldn't bet someone else's life so casually. Juvia…you and Gray are meant for each other. Don't let Lyon distract you."
Juvia bit her bottom lip. Lucy was right. How could she have let a few flowery words from Lyon sway her? "Lucy is right." She threw her arms around Lucy and hugged her tightly. "Lucy is completely right. Juvia will not let Lyon shake her anymore. Juvia loves Gray-sama and no one else."
"Good." Lucy held Juvia at arms length. "Now what do you say we change out of these dresses and go have lunch and talk about boys some more?"
Juvia grinned and nodded. "That sounds wonderful!"
"Lu~cy! Where are you, Lucy?" The blonde suddenly blushed as they heard Natsu's call down the hall.
The door opened and the pink haired dragon slayer stepped in. "There you are. I knew you were somewhere around here." Her blush deepened when she realized he was still wearing the tuxedo from earlier.
"Hi Natsu-san."
"Hey…what's up?" Lucy asked nervously, hoping she could keep herself together.
"Happy and I are getting hungry. We wanted to see if you wanted to come eat with us, Lucy."
Lucy glanced at Juvia. She smiled back and nodded. Lucy stood up. "Sure. Let me change out of this dress first."
"Okay." He paused. "Oh, Juvia, do you want to come too?"
"Juvia will pass."
"Huh. Ice Brain said the same thing."
"What?"
"Yeah, I ran into him on the way here. Asked him if he wanted to go eat and muttered something about not wanting to eat after losing. Which doesn't make any sense since Mira kicked ass today."
Juvia and Lucy looked at each other. Juvia was paler than normal. Lucy looked back at him. "Um…Natsu, where did you see Gray?"
"He was just down the hall going that way." Natsu pointed towards where the exits to the city at large were.
"Do you think Gray heard us?"
"Maybe…" Juvia felt her throat tighten up. If he had heard them, he probably hadn't stayed to hear the end. Suddenly, her world was falling down around her. "Gray-sama is probably thinking horrible things about Juvia!" She wailed.
"Juvia, this is no time to cry!" She pulled her off the bed and pushed her toward the door. "Go find Gray and find out what he heard!"
"But-"
"No buts! Hike up your skirt and go get your man!"
"R-Right!" Juvia gathered the skirts high enough that she could run without getting tangled up in them. "Thank you, Lucy!" She took off in the direction Natsu pointed.
Lucy blinked, surprised Juvia had slipped out of her third person for that moment. But she was in a panic so it didn't surprise her. She looked at the poor bewildered Natsu. "What?"
"What's with Juvia? Did I say something wrong?"
"No…no…don't worry about it. You still wanna get lunch right?"
"Yeah. Guess I better change too, huh?"
"Couldn't hurt."
Juvia, meanwhile, was charging down the hall, hoping to catch Gray before he made it to the city. Once he got the chance to roam around, she might never get the chance to fix the damage.
"Gray-sama! Where is Gray-sama?" She shouted down the empty halls, hoping he could hear her. It occurred to her in some part of her mind that hearing her might make him run but she had to take the chance.
Rounding a corner, she saw the object of her affections. Gray was standing at the end of the hall, about to turn another corner when he'd obviously paused, hearing his name. "Gray-sama!"
"Juvia-chan!" Much to her horror, Lyon popped out of a door between her and Gray. "Looking lovely as ever!" He opened his arms, imagining her running right to him.
Juvia kept her eyes on Gray, not letting Lyon distract her. "Gray-sama!"
Lyon started walking toward her. "Juvia-chan, I see you're still dressed for our wed-"
"Water Cane!" Juvia didn't hesitate to smash her arm into Lyon's shoulders, sending him flying back into the room he'd popped out of.
At the end of the hall, Gray looked on with surprise. He hadn't really expected that. "Juvia…"
"Gray-sama!" She let go of her skirt to reach out for him. Immediately she regretted that. She felt her entire world slow down as the fabric caught around her ankles and sent her sprawling forward. "Eep!" What a disaster. She was going to land on her face right in front of Gray.
Gray reached for her before he could stop himself, finding himself blushing as she fell into his arms. She landed hard against his chest and shyly looked up at him. The sweet look on her face only made his blush deepen. Didn't she like Lyon? Why was she chasing him if she'd started to give up on him? "Juvia…are you okay?"
"Gray-sama…yes…Juvia wants Gray-sama to know she loves him and only him!" She stood up straight, hurriedly fixing her wild hair.
Gray looked away for a moment, her words from earlier ringing in his ears. "But you like the attention from Lyon, right?"
"It was stupid of Juvia to ever think Lyon's forceful attention was okay. It was a moment of weakness and Juvia will never stray again!" She thought she was going to burst into tears. She'd ruined things with Gray and they'd never be the same.
"You sounded pretty sure you liked him more when you were talking to Lucy."
Juvia winced. He did hear. And he walked away without hearing the whole story. "Lucy and Juvia kept talking. Lucy made Juvia see how much Gray-sama does care. Juvia wasn't thinking properly. Juvia is sorry."
"Juvia-chan! Why did you do that?"
Gray growled as Lyon appeared in the hall again. "Do you not see us talking?" He momentarily moved Juvia to the side and slammed his fist into his palm. "Ice Make: Wall!" In the blink of an eye, the hall filled with ice, at least three meters thick, wall to wall, ceiling to floor. If Lyon protested, neither of them could hear through the ice.
Juvia smiled. "Juvia likes it when Gray-sama takes her away from Lyon. When Gray-sama saved Juvia from Lyon today…Juvia has never been so happy. Juvia is ashamed she ever let her feelings falter." Gray was quiet for a moment. Juvia was shaking, she was so nervous. What if Gray didn't accept her apology or her feelings? She suddenly felt his arm around her.
He held her tightly for a moment, still not saying anything. It felt like an eternity to Juvia before he took a breath to speak. "It…it's not that I don't care…I just…"She shook her head against his chest. "It was Juvia's fault. Juvia should have seen it. Gray-sama doesn't have to say anything more."
"Yes I do." He murmured, looking rather ashamed himself. "You deserve more."
"Juvia does not want Gray-sama to force himself." "It's okay Juvia. Erza was right. I need to be more resolute about it. Or at least tell you why I've been the way I have."
Juvia glanced back at the ice wall. "Juvia thinks she and Gray-sama should go somewhere else to talk. Lyon may interrupt again."
Gray looked and could see Lyon was about halfway through the ice. "Yeah." He offered his arm to her. "Shall we?"
She picked up the edge of her skirt with one hand and hooked her other arm through his. Juvia couldn't help but daydream as they walked. She was still in her dress while he was still in the tuxedo. It was like they really had just gotten married. She began to giggle to herself, imagining the other members of Fairy Tail wishing them well as they walked down the aisle together.
Gray glanced down at her, knowing full well what she was thinking about. He wasn't about to stop her though. He was the one who offered his arm to her and in their current state of dress, the thought had crossed his mind too. He smiled a bit, letting himself image what their wedding would look like, just for a moment. If they had a child, the kid would probably be the strongest water-based mage ever. And that would be awesome.
His eyes shifted, wondering if anyone had caught him slipping to Juvia's role of creating a ridiculously idyllic future in his head. Luckily, they were alone in the hall. Yes, he cared about Juvia but he had no business planning everything out in his head. That was most definitely her job.
They headed back to Fairy Tail's corner of the game hall, pleased to see no one else was there at the moment. Gray looked at Juvia as she sat down. "That dress really suits you."
"Th-thank you, Gray-sama." She blushed deeply.
He sat next to her. "Juvia…"
She felt her heart slamming against her ribcage as he wrapped his arm around her. "Y-yes?"
"You know I really do care about you, right? Even if I haven't been great about showing it…"
"Juvia knows."
"It's just…when I was a kid…I lost all the people I loved…I started to feel like I was cursed to lose everyone I cared about. It was stupid and I've gotten over most of that…but I guess part of me still feels that if I actually say it…you'll get hurt too."
Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck. "Gray-sama…it's not stupid. Gray-sama wants to protect the people he cares for."
"But I'll…I'll try to show it better from now on. If I'd shown it more in the first place, you wouldn't have given Lyon a second thought."
"Gray-sama doesn't need to say anything else. He doesn't need to change a thing. Juvia just had to learn how to see what was already there." She looked up at him hopefully. "But if Gray-sama were to say…give Juvia a tiny kiss on the cheek when Lyon was around…j-just for show, Juvia would not mind."
He chuckled and hugged her again. "I can do that." He brushed her hair out of her face. "Though it wouldn't be just for show. I'd mean it."
She blushed deeply, surprised that worked. She had not expected her relationship with Gray to take such a large step forward today. "Gray-sama…"
"You know you can just call me Gray, right?"
"Juvia has gotten so used to Gray-sama…" She looked up at him again. "But if Gray-sa…Gray doesn't like it, Juvia will stop."
"Whatever you prefer is fine." He looked at the clock. "Do you wanna go get some lunch with me?"
"Juvia would love to." She smiled brightly and stood up. "Juvia will go change now."
"Juvia…" He stood up and grabbed her hand for a moment.
"Y-Yes?"
He raised her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers lightly. "When I'm sure I can say it properly…I will say it. Do you mind waiting?"
Juvia looked up into his eyes, seeing all the love he was too afraid to fully express yet. "Juvia loves Gray-sama and Juvia will wait as long as it takes. When Gray-sama is ready, Juvia will be there. Juvia will always be there even if it never happens."
Gray slowly let go of her hand. "I will say it someday Juvia. And I'll do my best not to make you wait too long."
She smiled and hugged him. He rested his cheek on top of her head and held her close. Juvia probably could have died happy in that moment. In her mind, there wasn't even a need for him to say anything explicitly. He would live up to his word and say it someday but she was in no rush.
The Shadow Hawk