Note: A random tumblr prompt where somebody asked for Gray as Steven Rogers, Ultear as Peggy Carter and Juvia as Natasha Romanov inspired me. The 'I couldn't leave my best girl' and the promise of a dance thing stuck in my head and I had to do this. It's set within the Fairy Tail canon.
[I borrowed some lines from SasuSaku here and there, because I felt they fit. If you adore SasuSaku, you'll recognize them. And I just couldn't help dropping a Hades and Persephone reference as well.].
This isn't perfect, but parts of it, I really really love. And I've reconciled all my feelings for both ships with this one-shot. This is why I love canon Gray x Ultear more than canon Gruvia and always will. I will always wish Mashima wrote Juvia better than her canon self sometimes.
My Best Girl.
It was Juvia's idea. And it met with the guild's unanimous approval.
They threw a big whooping, sort of impromptu bash at Fairy Tail to celebrate Ultear's return. They invited their friends from other guilds and there was a massive turn out.
It was easy.
They spread word of Ultear's sacrifice on the terrible day the dragon's attacked Magnolia, and everybody was excited about her.
He surveyed the crowd. Every Tom, Dick and Harry they knew was here. Everyone from Fairy Tail and everyone they knew outside of it. He spotted Melody looking beyond happy and Gerard leaning lazily against a pillar in the corner. He looked pleased too, and occasionally sharing glances with Erza, who mingled merrily with the crowd. Along with Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and the rest.
The new members of Crime Sorcierre were there as well, important for the first time in their lives, and looking eager for a glimpse of Ultear. They had heard so much about her from Melody and Gerard.
And for once, Crime Sorcierre was in the spotlight, and not hiding in the shadows. They didn't have to stay away from parties today or anymore from today. There was talk that the Council was finally going to be recognizing Crime Sorcierre as an official guild soon.
This party at the Fairy Tail guild was held not just for Ultear, but in Crime Sorcierre's honor as well.
The members of Fairy Tail were grateful for all that Ultear had done to support them from the background since she began her journey of redemption.
Ultear.
She had done them a lot of damage in the past, but she really had done so much to make up for it.
And they were the kind of guild who could never forget something like that.
Crime Sorcierre was her precious legacy. They had become a bit of a legend in their own right now. The other guilds thought they were badass for wiping out dark guilds with no cost. It was just all around cool how they were finally being recognized by the Council.
It also didn't hurt the popularity of the party when word on the grapevine was that Ultear was absolutely divine looking. Not to mention the other two chicks on Crime Sorcierre being pretty swell on the eyes too. He recalled Ichiya mouthing dramatically with Hibiki and the rest nodding emphatically, "With pretty names like Melody and Angel, they have to be remaaaarkably pretty-And Ul-tear- Ah, she will bring a tear to my eye if she is as beautiful as she is rumored to be! I am eager to meet with them. And how my perfumes will thrive amidst these beauties!"
He frowned and hoped Ultear would be spared the indignity of being pawed by these flirty bastards. Erza couldn't stand Ichiya. He doubted Ultear would be able to either.
She could probably handle herself against unwanted attention, but then again maybe not… He recalled Natsu glomping her unawares and he had to be the one to tell him to let go. She might know she was pretty, and even know how to use it to her advantage for her own sake, but was probably as naïve and oblivious as Erza when she received attention from the opposite sex without inviting it.
He kind of… found that …sort of sexy…
Uhhh, so anyway, just like that, the day for the party was set. Ignoring Ultear's self-conscious protests.
She was alright with the party being for Crime-sorcierre, but she begged off the whole guest of honor thing. But the girls insisted on it, Juvia especially. Juvia said she wanted Ultear to stop hiding herself away, and feel comfortable out in the open. In her own skin. She wanted Ultear to see that the people surrounding her now would accept her for who she is, and forgive her for everything.
They would make her feel at home like Fairy Tail had done for her once upon a time.
'And Ultear deserved to experience that as much as anybody else did. Look at Flare and Minerva and Rogue and Sting! And Juvia and Gajeel too! How far they had come, and how at home they felt in their guilds now! Why shouldn't Ultear have that too? Why shouldn't Melody and Gerard and Crime Sorcierre not have that too? When they had done so much to atone too!'
It wasn't fair! And that was that.
Nobody in Fairy Tail could argue with that logic.
Everybody wanted to pitch in to help make the party a success for Ultear. The dress-code was fancy so they could party pretty and loud. Lucy had a neat idea, and prepared dance cards with seven slots for all the ladies attending. She said it would keep things lively, and the men on their toes, to have them clamoring to sign them. Gajeel and Levy said they wanted take care of the music for the party. We were of course, a bit skeptical, but hoped Levy was a moderating influence and could manage to keep at least a few of the dance numbers decent.
And just like that, with somebody offering to do something, all party necessities besides the music fell into place. Since he and Juvia were the ones who brought Ultear back, she was staying at the Fairy Hill Dorms with the girls for now. And hanging at Fairy Tail a lot as a result.
And it was nice. To watch her getting along so well with everybody in the guild.
This was his family and she ….she was somebody special to him….
Ultear wanted to help with the party, do something, but he told her to just sit tight and enjoy the ride. Alzack, Bisca and their little daughter were tasked to keep her company and preoccupied; away from the chaos and the preparations the rest of them busied themselves with.
She was happy and overwhelmed. And he was thrilled for her. She hadn't seen a lot of happy in her life.
Juvia had determined to do this for Ultear.…and Ultear and Gray. They were grateful.
He had to hand it to Juvia. It had worked.
Ultear was a hit.
His eyes followed her discreetly and he felt a lone, little pang in his chest. She looked incredible.
And very happy. For the first time in her life in a very long time, she looked happy. How could anybody be so terrible as to begrudge her that?
The knowledge of her sacrifice had been enough to endear her to everybody. It turned out that aside from him, she had also brought Macao, Droy and a few others back to life and effective action, in that glorious, one minute of a head-start.
Not surprisingly, they loved her for it.
Romeo was very obviously star-struck and seemed to have forgotten his little crush on Wendy for the time-being. Saving his father's life had made her his Hero, and it looked like the kid adored her for it. It helped a lot that she probably made a very pretty Hero in the little runt's eyes.
He furrowed his brows, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ultear was his Hero too dammit.
He couldn't believe he had to compete with a twelve year old [and his father?...] for her attention. The kid [and Macao] were the first to write their names on her dance card. Two slots filled….no-
Sting and Rogue as well, Dammit?…They barely even talked to her and they were already putting their names on her card? What happened to Yukino and Minerva? … and Damn, Loki?…
He frowned, narrowing his eyes, and feeling discomfited. Loki was his bud, but why was Lucy losing her stellar spirits on the guests today! More importantly, Ladies man or not, why the hell was Loki eyeing Ultear?! Sure, she was gorgeous, and Loki was an incurable rake, but…
Man, what the hell was he doing all the way over here, feeling self-conscious and standing so far away from her still? He had to make sure Ichiya and those sleazy flirts didn't find her too.
At this rate, her dance card would fill, and there would be no room for him. Idiot Natsu had gone and put his name on her card too. He was fired up now.
Only one more name to go. If he didn't make his move soon-
He released a heated breath, and stepped forward, gathering his courage, then froze abruptly…
Freaking Lyon beat him to it. He slumped his shoulders, bangs shading his eyes.
That's it. Dance card be damned, he was at least going to make sure he talked with Ultear. Before that guy sweet-talked her into anything. Ultear was off-limits, and he would make sure Lyon knew it.
He probably thought Ultear was free game, cause as far as he knew, Gray and Juvia had begun to live together about half a year ago. For Lyon, it looked like Juvia was off-limits.
Gray didn't know it then, but Juvia had put Lyon up to it. She had known it would prompt him into something instead of indecisively brooding by himself in a corner of the party.
He walked the bold distance, halting before Ultear, a bare seven inches of space between them.
And drank her in thirstily like she was him. He forgot Lyon's presence[who slipped away to find Juvia after writing his name in Ultear's card]. A hypnotic silence, speaking a myriad things, serenaded them.
She looked achingly lovely in her ivory-white silk. It knotted intricately in a Grecian knot on her right shoulder, gracing her lithe form, a sexy split down her left thigh, all the way down to her slender ankles, and pretty, red painted toe-nails. The flowing chiffon material embraced the soft curve of her breasts, gathering enticingly below them at her left, the pleats twisting delicately into a lavender blush rose. The dress winding delicately round her waist, left her back bare, the cool crimson marks on her lower back, a beacon and a stark reminder of her past.
Her vibrant, amethyst hair pulled back and pinned smoothly at her left ear in a part chignon, the rest hanging down in soft, rich waves that reached her waist. A pearl-lace mantilla with flowing ribbons and fresh, cold water lavender roses hugged a side of the sophisticated knot in her hair.
Her straight bangs kissed her forehead in soft waves, the smooth, longer tendrils framing her unmade, heart-shaped face in the front. Her only make-up was a dash of mascara. They highlighted the long lashes enclosing her ruby globes. And a touch of rouge. It painted the sweet full curve of her untouched lips, a faint, alluring crimson, completing the enthralling picture.
She gave off a classic, mixed air of fresh innocence and sophisticated elegance.
And he breathed her in like a lovesick fool.
She looked like Hades bride, Persephone, who embodied rebirth and growth; innocence and spoiled innocence all at the same time. He felt a strong urge to steal her away like Hades had Persephone.
He wanted to hide her away from the world so he didn't need to share her with no one.
He was suddenly paralyzed, fear gripping his heart.
He loved her.
He loved her. He loved her. He loved her.
And he wanted her for himself.
He knew that like Hades had known it when he abducted Persephone into the underworld, and offered her the dark breath of his world. And he knew it like Persephone had known when she determined that swallowing the seven crimson seeds of hell meant remaining with Hades in the underworld forever, and yet she had done it anyway.
Oh God, he knew; but he didn't know what to do with this love.
He didn't how to reach for her. He didn't know how to tell her. And he didn't know how to make her stay with him. How could he explain Juvia to her? How could he be sure Ultear would understand? What if it made her unhappy? What if she wasn't okay with it? What if she didn't care anymore?
What would he do then? All these unanswered questions were driving him stir-crazy.
Juvia was crazy. How did she think up he could make this work when he was shaking in his shoes at the mere thought of broaching -
His mind blanked abruptly right about then, and he simply ceased to think.
Ultear had made the decision for him.
She closed the space between them without warning and clung to him, pressing close. She enclosed him in a tight, breathless vice and his arms closed around her slim waist instinctively in an iron grip, momentarily lifting her up off the ground. His fingers hard and soft, ghosted unbelievably over her, the curve of her small, dark head pressed to his cheek, the sweet planes and angles of her bare slender back, the luxurious spill of her unpinned hair under the elegant bun, the gentle curve of her waist molding sweetly to his palms, her soft breath on his neck.…
He had missed her.
He had never held her so perfectly in his arms before like this, and this was what he had missed.
He had missed holding her.
Knowing what it felt like now; knowing this choking joy; he realized he never wanted to let her go.
He realized what he had been missing.
This. Them. And Her in his arms.
The warmth coursing between them, heating them up from the inside out. It felt right.
She felt right. Ultear felt right. They just felt so right together. He had waited too long to do this.
This was where she belonged. He couldn't let her slip away from him. Not now, when he knew what it felt like to hold her. . .
He vowed that he would never let her go .But the damn girl took the decision away from him again; jolting him out of his emotional high.
She ripped herself away from him. As abruptly as she clung to him desperately before. She pulled back, distancing herself, and turned away from him like this was goodbye.
And he foolishly realized then that what he thought was a beginning for them, she meant as a farewell.
He couldn't allow it. He panicked and grabbed her wrist, staying her before she ran away from him.
"What are you doing?-Where are you going?"
She looked away from him and said lightly, "Away from you."
"I can't have that." He blurted out recklessly.
She looked back at him, tilting her head and smiled flippantly, her crimson pools brimming with a sad light. "But my dance card is full. Speaking of which, I must oblige it."
"Throw it away," he said bluntly, meaning it, "Dance only with me instead."
She was caught off guard. Her apple-red orbs had turned unbelievably wide, unsettling confusion settling in them.
"Oblige only me tonight." He repeated.
She pressed her lips together tightly, and looked troubled, doubt flickering in her burgundy orbs, like anxious red autumn leaves drifting in the wind. She enquired lightly, belying the feeling in her striking, dark eyes. "What about Juvia?"
He winced, looking guilty, a pained look furrowing his brows.
"I -" He wavered, not knowing where or how to begin.
"It's okay," she interjected gently, smiling painfully at him. "You don't have to say anything," There was a strange, aching resolve in her husky voice, "I just had to say goodbye. If you're happy, then nothing else matters."
It hit him. She had it all wrong.
"Wait. You have it all wrong. Juvia –"
"Juvia understands Ultear-san." Juvia's quiet, resigned voice interrupted their exchange.
Their senses jolted alive with a bittersweet tension at her simple, outspoken insertion. They turned simultaneously to look at Juvia with wide-eyed wonder. She had arrived in the midst of their exchange, and felt she had to intervene; rescue him from his fumbling. "Juvia is letting Gray-sama go because she loves him. Because his happiness lies with Ultear-san, and not with Juvia."
She looked beautiful in her foaming, sea blue chiffon dress as she prepared to let him go; the glamorous embodiment of a sweet-bold creature of the sea, the pain of her unrequited love shining in her dark sincere eyes. Her effervescent blue hair was arranged artfully atop her head, soft waves escaping it to frame her pretty face.
"But-"
"-I know that Gray-sama loves you Ultear-san. I figured it out and confronted him. But you were gone And so I clung to him anyway. It's painful when the man you love is always thinking of another woman, you know."
He winced. "I'm-"
"Don't. Gray-sama. We talked about this. I don't blame you and I don't resent you. You never lied to me. You rejected me before. And you believed you couldn't be with her. You can't be faulted for trying to move on. And it's true I jumped in blindly at first. But I always thought I could win you over. And it worked for a while, didn't it? You never took advantage of me and you never slept with me, but you were with me. I thought I had you, but looking back, I feel like our time together was always borrowed."
The edge of his lips curved downwards in genuine regret for her sake and she continued her monologue steadily, knowing she had their full attention.
"But even if it was painful, I was happy. Juvia wanted to be with you, Gray-sama. I-" her voice trembled slightly, but she braved on, "I love you Gray-sama. And I know better than anyone else, that it was painful for you too. That's why I interfered with you in all the ways that I did. I'll be lonely without you," she said wistfully, "but it's time I release you to Ultear-san."
He wished he hadn't been so weak and allowed Juvia to get caught up in this mess.
But she had insisted, and she was so painfully there for him always, and he had wanted to let her know he didn't hold her responsible for killing his father. And he had lost so much by then. He had been far too empty and weak and lonely, and finding comfort in her warmth as he cried into her.
He had understood the depth of her feelings for him for the first time and it didn't make sense to say no anymore. He didn't dislike her and maybe they could have progressed more, if he had been able to let Ultear go. But he hadn't. And yet, he wasn't sure he would have been able to get through it all without Juvia there for him then.
He owed Juvia so much. Ultear wouldn't be here with them now without her interference. When she found out how he felt, she had worked relentlessly with him to bring Ultear back. He would be forever indebted to her for it.
"Don't look like that Gray-sama. I'll be fine. I'm Juvia, the rain woman, but I'm also Juvia of Fairy Tail, a woman who knows the joy of clear skies now because of you. Even if Gray-sama is not mine, we're still friends. You're still part of my life. Ultear-san too. And I'll strive to find my own happiness too! Even without you Gray-sama. I promise!"
He was proud of her for deciding to push forward that way. He felt better knowing she would.
He smiled at her gently and said hoarsely, "That's Good."
She looked directly at Ultear then, who looked at a stunned loss, crimson orbs clouding with unexpected tears, biting her trembling lips as she pressed them tightly together, "You too, Ultear-san. Don't look like that. He was never mine to begin with, so please, don't look so sad. I hope you can reclaim the happiness you lost."
She turned back to Gray and said softly, "Goodbye Gray-sama."
He gingerly touched her soft cheek with the tip of his fingers in goodbye, his heart hurting for her. She had loved him well, too much even, to the point of unhealthy obsession sometimes, but she had helped fill his lonely existence for a while, even if not as completely as Ultear could.
He hadn't forgotten she had tried to make things better for him and it had worked in some ways. And for her sake, a tiny part of him was sorry he hadn't been able to let Ultear go.
She swiftly turned away from him, wanting to leave before her composure fell away, but Ultear blurted out, "Juvia!" And she halted, but did not turn around. Ultear called out softly to her shaking back in a glorious rush, hurting his heart more.
"Thank you. Thank you for taking care of him all this time. For loving him and giving him comfort, and happiness and being with him when he was empty and alone and needed someone. For doing all that you did, knowing what you did. And for letting him go when you could have kept him. I – Thank you."
"Ahhhhhh" Juvia burst out somberly, letting out a gust of breath, and said in a voice that trembled, "Juvia is really really jealous of Ultear-san. I couldn't have kept him even if I wanted to, Ultear-san.."
Her shoulders shook before she couldn't resist anymore and looked over her shoulder at Ultear, her eyes glazing with hopeless tears. "Juvia always believed Juvia was the one who loved Gray-sama the best, but I was bound to lose to you, wasn't I?"
Ultear looked back at her wide-eyed sadness, "Ju…via..?"
Without a word, Juvia rushed to her and hugged Ultear, seeking her comfort, and Ultear hugged her back, stroking her hair tenderly. Tears were streaming down both their faces, punching his gut.
Juvia hiccupped and said, "Ahhhh, we're both raining from our eyes now!"
Ultear laughed through her tears, "That's a really cute way to put it."
"mmm, Lucy said so too. Ultear-san?"
"mmm?"
"Juvia did it all for herself as much as she did it for Gray-sama. Juvia loves him- Juvia hurts for him, but Juvia was always with him for her sake more than his. I always pursued him for me more than for him, Ultear-san. Before Juvia knew about you…I never once stopped to think I would never be able to fill the hole in him. Juvia was naïve. I lived in my bubble of fantasies and merrily believed I could make him happy!."
Ultear smiled achingly and said, "There's nothing really wrong with that Juvia-"
"-I never gave you a thought before. I thought you loved Gray-sama, but I never thought about how he felt about you. Even when I heard about you, I always hoped he would forget you. Before you, I didn't know or think there was nothing I could do for him. Before I killed Silver-sama, I never thought about whether Gray-sama would be better off without my love. He rejected me before, but I believed he was toying with me even though he really meant it. That's how I loved him".
"But you were still kind to him! You loved him and genuinely wanted to make him happy, right?"
"Aa. I know. But still, antha- You were different. Please let me say this, Ultear-san. ..Because I understand -"
"…."
"-I understand how Ultear-san loved him."
"How did I love him?" Ultear asked softly, sensing she needed to say this…
"Silently and strongly even when you believed you shouldn't." And Juvia burst out like water gushing out of a cracked dam, "You always came to his aid, and to Fairy Tail's aid, knowing there was nothing more you could do for him.."
Gray felt his heart beating painfully fast, his gut hurting with every word.
"…Ever since he saved you from yourself, even though you want the same things as me, you kept your distance. You could never let him know your feelings until you were gone. Through seven years of distance, you've been thinking of Gray-sama. You hold your feelings back for his sake…"
Ultear's eyes filled with fresh tears and they began to spill over her flushed cheeks. He wanted to reach out and-
"…Because you think your sins make you undeserving of Gray-sama's love. And Gray-sama thought he didn't have the right. That he was undeserving of you because he killed your mother. I understand so well now it hurts. You're both so painful. Even now, you were about to give him up for his sake Ultear-san… but you've loved him for so long, so selflessly,…you don't want to possess him or acquire. You just want to love him and make him happy!"
He felt pain and sadness and crazy warmth tangling and ricocheting inside him.
"… since that first time he saved you from your darkness? Or maybe it was later, but it doesn't matter. I've been thinking a lot about this. I had to make sure I was letting him go for the right reasons, you see."
"Juvia -"
"Shhsh, let me finish. Despite everything, your feelings reached him, Ultear-san. Even though you were far apart, even though you were gone; your feelings reached him. Distance and time and age, none of it made a difference. You're the woman closest to his heart, Ultear-san. I was beside him all that time, but it wasn't the same.."
He and Ultear hurt at how much thought and emotion Juvia had poured into meeting their broken hearts.
"…You and Gray-sama have something so beautiful, Ultear-san. There's so much emotion- It's love- its a love that transcends everything. How can Juvia compete with that?" she asked heart-breakingly. "I couldn't Ultear-san. I couldn't."
Gray felt exposed, and painfully astounded. All the raw feelings, his, Ultear's and Juvia's; the way Juvia laid it out clearly for them to see- there wasn't anything left for them say. She had said it all for them.
"I-I'm sorry, Juvia, but even so, please know," Ultear managed helplessly, not knowing how to comfort her, "please know that your feelings reached him too. They reached him."
Juvia's tears subsided then, and she pulled away, smiling with warmth as she rubbed at her tears, ""Aaa. I know. Thank you for saying so, Ultear-san. But I can see why he fell more in love with you. I really understand it. That's why I'm not mad about it. If it was anybody else but you, I would want to drown them and choke them in my tears."
"I-I see. Thank you," Ultear whispered softly, her voice breaking a bit, the truth of Juvia's words piercing, and filling her starving soul, as much as they made her ache for her.
Juvia's dark eyes softened and she reached for her hand, clasping their fingers in understanding. "I'll see you around, Ultear-san." Then added lightly, "Just know that I'll snatch him away from you if you slip up. And please make sure you live for him or I will turn my tears on you!"
Ultear squeezed her hand in acquiescence, and smiled through her raining eyes, feeling a steady warmth seeping into her. "I'll live. Your tears- um- don't need to be set loose on me, though I could handle it if you did."
Juvia laughed fully, squeezing her hand one last time, and then she was gone.
Leaving Gray alone with Ultear. For the first time since they butted heads at tenrou island. He gazed at her, his eyes dipping tenderly over her face as she wiped away her tears.
She crossed her arms, and hugged herself, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
He was here. Next to her. And he had heard them. Every single agonizing word.
She was hit with a fresh wave of awareness, the warmth of his presence beside her, seeping into her despite the space between them. The air between them charged emotionally and resonating with every throbbing, unspoken word left unsaid before.
She turned around slightly to face him, and finding him already gazing at her tenderly, she blushed. The softness in his dark, obsidian globes was unmistakable.
He was on edge; overwhelmed with a tidal wave of emotion. He ran a nervous hand through his gelled hair, mussing it up and said huskily,
"I don't know what I did to deserve the two of you."
Her lips quirked upward at that, and she responded, iris alighting with a special mirth, and chest feeling achingly full.
"What are you talking about? I don't know what I did to deserve the two of you."
He chuckled ruefully at that, a choking unbidden joy filling him up, and hugging his insides in the best kind of pain he had ever known because she felt the same.
"I love you."
"I know. I love you too."
He extended his hand to her and asked hoarsely,
"Dance with me?"
She flipped her dance card over her shoulder in response, and placed her glove-less fingers in his.
He grinned and grasped her slender fingers, and tugged, guiding her out into the open corridor outside the front entrance of Fairy Tail, a good distance away from the loud, partying crowd.
He pulled her close underneath the dark, starry blanket of night and brushed his lips across her forehead, the music a low hum in the background. She broke the comfortable silence.
"I do still have to dance with Romeo and the others when they come for their turn though." She said absently, "It would be rude not to."
"Fine. If they can find you here and dare to interrupt."
"I suppose that's fair."
"It'll have to be."
She laughed, resting her head in the groove of his possessive neck. He rested his chin atop her head and she slid her arms around his waist as his arms wrapped around her, enveloping them in a cocoon of tranquil warmth, a rare happiness, bubbling inside of them.
"Why Me?"
She inquired softly, as they swayed gently to the beat of their serene hearts.
He placed a tender kiss on the top of her head.
"I just couldn't leave my best girl."
She smiled into his neck and snuggled closer, more than satisfied with his answer, a sweet permeating peace descending on her.
She didn't think she deserved to be his best girl.
But a dazed, happy fire warmed her down to the tip of her tingly toes that he did.