A/N: I haven't written a fanfic in about… 8 years? Safe to say I'm not a writer, though for some reason I really wanted to put this story together. I can also say that my writing has most definitely improved since then. I've written other things (like pairing manifestos) so it's not as though I'm a newbie, and I've read plenty of fanfiction. I love Gray and Juvia as a pairing, and with what's happened in the recent chapters I couldn't resist. This takes place after the Grand Magic Games. I don't know what else Hiro Mashima has planned with the whole Eclipse thing, but let's just say everything got figured out and fixed because we all know how it goes in this series.

I obviously made up some parts as this is fanfiction, but I mixed them in with canon as much as possible.

Also, I refuse to make Juvia out to be a fangirl. The anime exaggerates this aspect of her character way too much. If you've read the manga, you know that in the most recent chapters she has toned down the fangirling a great deal.

Pardon the present/past tense here; my beta fixed it as much as she could, but it's sort of jumbled.

I decided to submit this in time for the GRUVIA WEEK that's being held on tumblr: April 1st – April 7th. Although this is early, it will be tagged there when the week starts. :)

I don't own Fairy Tail. Oh well.

Summary: [POST-GMG] The Grand Magic Games are over, and the future is saved. After all that's happened, Gray finally decides to swallow his pride. Gray x Juvia (Gruvia).

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Pride Isn't Everything

Chapter One

It's over, Gray Fullbuster thought. It was finally over. Not only had Fairy Tail emerged victorious in the tournament, but they had stopped the invasion of said ten thousand dragons from destroying their future. Of course, the guild had help from others such as Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and even Sabertooth. Sting and Rogue weren't that bad after all. In fact, they looked as though they'd like to join Fairy Tail. Makarov certainly would not refuse, as he is extremely kind-hearted. He allowed Gajeel and Juvia to join, despite them being ex-Phantom Lord members.

Juvia.

That's right... Juvia Lockser; the water mage of the guild.

Gray can barely remember a time when she wasn't a part of the team. Sometimes it's hard to believe they were enemies in the past...

The ice mage continues to recall all that happened during the tournament as he makes his way towards the guild's welcoming doors.

"I'll never let go."

Those words still echo in the raven haired man's head. Gray knew he could have let go of her hand at any point after they won their battle against Lyon and Chelia, however, fate told him not to. Instead, he turned it around and left the letting go part to her. Juvia was still Juvia though. It was a typical response; he should have known better.

Gray didn't know how bad the future had been, how it really would have been if they hadn't all fought together... He could have been dead for all he knew. But, all that mattered now was that life was back to normal.

Mostly.

Everything was fixed, according to the Rogue that came from the future. Though what puzzled him, was what Lucy told him soon after they unleashed the eclipse canon. Supposedly future Rogue informed the group that only 10% of humanity survived in his time; Lucy mentioned that her future self told her what had happened to the guild members specifically. She wouldn't go into details exactly, but Gray wondered what her statement to him meant.

...

Brown eyes stared into dark ones; Lucy was telling everybody what her future self had expressed about her comrade's lives. When her eyes met Gray's, he could tell she was serious about something.

"Don't let her leave your side. If you do, you'll make the biggest mistake of your life and live with regret forever." she told him with a stern tone.

The ice mage raised his eyebrow and gave her a confused look. He was about to ask what the celestial mage was talking about, but Lucy had already gone off to talk to his best friend, Natsu Dragneel. Not that Gray would ever admit it out loud, but he cared about the fire dragon slayer a great deal. He also saw how his so called best friend and rival looked at Lucy. Natsu had apparently shed tears when future Lucy died. It affected him the most, but in the end, he had the present Lucy to hold onto.

Speaking of holding on… Oh yes, Juvia had clung to his left arm. Life was certainly back to normal.

He didn't push her away.

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Gray stops in his tracks and pauses as he looks up at the blue heavens. It's a clear, sunny day; there's not a cloud in the sky. He inhales and then exhales deeply, wondering what future Lucy could have meant by her words. He's not even certain he knows what girl she'd spoken of.

Oh hell.

He knew from that moment exactly who she was referring to. He would be in complete and utter denial if he didn't. It's true that Juvia and he had become close since she first joined the guild. They'd gone on plenty of quests together, fought together, and simply hung around each other enough at the guild to cause the others to think something was going on.

Maybe they had gotten too close.

And now he was told to never let her leave his side by someone from the future. Did that mean that Juvia was dead in that time? Was he too late there? It scared Gray to even think about it...

But he composed himself and shook away the negative thoughts, knowing that the future had been saved. There was no way he would let anyone harm her. Ever.

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The guild doors open as the ice mage pokes his head in. Everyone was already there.

"Damn… I was late after all," he curses. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he had forgotten everyone was supposed to meet an hour ago.

They're all celebrating, which is typical of Fairy Tail. Cana had ordered a tremendous amount of beer barrels. She's drunk already, while Jet and Droy fight over who gets to "spend the night" with Levy. Gray snickers at their dispute, mainly because the bookworm is busy trying to calm Gajeel down after losing a beer chugging contest to Natsu. Normally they would be barrel surfing, but that wouldn't be a good idea seeing as both dragon slayers suffered from motion sickness. Oh yes, their greatest weakness.

"Hey Gray!"

He whips his head around to see Lucy greeting him. He smiles. "Lucy, what's up? You aren't drinking?!"

"I had some, but I've been mainly babysitting everyone. Especially this one…" She sighs and points to a half passed out Natsu on the floor. "Why are you so late anyway?"

Juvia's face then pops into his mind. "I-I well… I was just… taking my time. Thinking about things. Nothing too important!" He scratches the back of his head as Lucy gives him an odd look. Come to think of it, where is Juvia? She's usually the first to greet him. It's strange to think that after their arguably most important victory, she isn't there shouting his name. Suddenly, he hears a familiar voice.

"Come on, Juvia! You know you want to!"

He twitches. So, that's why she didn't see him yet.

Gray slowly turns around to see his childhood friend and rival, Lyon, flirting with Juvia. Not that it was anything new, but the more it happened, the more it annoyed him. The other guilds came to visit Fairy Tail, and joined in on the party. It's not just for the tournament victory, but also for the future that had been saved. The raven haired ice mage simply watches the two from across the room.

"Bu-but Juvia is already celebrating with the guild… We don't need to go somewhere else…." The water mage squeaks out. She felt a bit bad for always rejecting Lyon's advances, but he should know by now who had her heart.

"Who said you can't do both? We can stay here for a bit longer and then go out alone!" He persists as she looked down, feeling uncomfortable. She's about to retort, but she feels a hand on her shoulder and stops. It's like déjà vu...

Juvia remembers the same gesture during the last battle of the games. His touch is gentle and comforting, just as it was then. She looks up and sees that Gray finally made his way to the guild, and to her no less. She had been waiting for his arrival for a while, and is relieved to see him. "Lyon, Juvia doesn't want to go with you." He says with his hand still on her shoulder.

"Gray! About time you showed up." The white haired man smirks, "I would appreciate it if you left us alone though. And don't touch my Juvia like that! It was enough during our battle, you don't need to pretend to be affectionate here too!" He then points a finger accusingly at Gray, his voice becoming louder. This triggers many heads to turn around from others in the room. Multiple eyes quietly stare at the confrontation.

Erza is one of them. She puts down a fork beside her strawberry cake for a moment, just to observe the scene. The scarlet haired women can't help but smile. She knew Gray a long time and understood that, deep down, he really cares about Juvia. More than he probably knows. The ice mage is like a brother to her; she wants him to be happy. That's another reason why Erza had decided to talk to him briefly, regarding Juvia's feelings, on the balcony during the games. She isn't sure how Gray will go about giving Juvia an answer, but she has a feeling something is going to happen. Soon.

"First of all… Juvia isn't yours. Second of all…." Gray starts as he lets his hand fall off Juvia's shoulder, giving Lyon a serious look. "Who said I was pretending?"

Now that grabs everyone's attention in the guild. Did Gray just indirectly admit he has feelings for Juvia? Natsu starts to sit up on the floor, trying to make out what was actually happening. Erza continues to grin, simply because she knows how he really feels. Jet and Droy stop arguing over Levy and listen to the conversation between the two ice mages as well. Even Romeo and Wendy become silent and listen.

Once Gray realizes all eyes are ogling him, crimson spreads across his cheeks. That's been happening a lot recently. "W-WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?"

Juvia is also eyeing him. She is slightly red in the face, but happy that her Gray-sama is defending her. It's like a dream come true! Normally he would ignore what's happening, or just look annoyed because it's Lyon hitting on her, out of all men. But this time is different. Juvia senses her Gray-sama is actually angry.

"Defensive are we?" Lyon keeps his smirk from earlier as he crosses his arms. "I admit that you won the battle, but you haven't won the war. We'll just have to make another bet then."

"I never agreed to that-"

"I still can't believe we lost to you. Then again, Juvia is amazing!"

Juvia feels her cheeks warm. It's rare to blush because of Lyon, but his words are flattering. She isn't flustered because she likes him romantically or anything, but she has to admit it's nice hearing some praise.

"If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have won," Lyon continues.

Gray notices Juvia's face, and it ticks him off. Why is she blushing because of this guy? "You're right, Lyon. I couldn't have won without her. But that's why we did win, because of our team work. We work well together." He isn't even sure in what way he meant that. Sure their magic is compatible, and sure they get along great...

He decides to let Lyon, Juvia, and the rest of the guild, as they are still staring, take it in whatever way they want to.

Now Lyon starts to get annoyed. Gray certainly isn't backing down this time. "Why didn't you agree to our bet last time?"

To this day, the water mage still doesn't understand what that bet was all about. "Gray-sama! Juvia wants to know too!" she shrieks with her arms waving around in circles. "Does Gray-sama prefer Juvia or Lyon-sama!?" This makes everyone in the room sweat drop. She really doesn't understand.

"I don't have to answer that," Gray responds coldly to Lyon, ignoring Juvia's outburst. Come to think of it, why hadn't he agreed? Oh, that's right. Because Juvia isn't a prize to be won. She's a human with feelings, and also because… well, Gray didn't want to lose her. Not that he would admit it out loud. Nope, he certainly would not swallow his pride.

Maybe.

"Juvia deserves a man who treats her right. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was special. Like I said, don't pretend." Lyon gives Gray a glare and then looks to Juvia's innocent face. "I'll be back. I'm going back to my guild for a bit. Don't miss me too much." He gives a wink and starts to walk off.

"A-ano... Lyon-sama..." she trails off, not really knowing how to react.

Gray on the other hand, is fuming. Did Lyon not hear him the first time when he said he wasn't pretending? "DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK!"

It's true that he has never been this angry at his formal childhood friend's advances before. Gray isn't even sure of why he's so angry himself.

During the last couple of months, Gray had become seemingly possessive when it came to Juvia. Though they developed together before the exam on Tenrou Island, during the time they spent fighting Grimoire Heart is when he really took notice of her. At one point, he felt as though their senses were even connected. Little did he know, they were connected by Meredy's sensory link. He recalls saving her from Ultear, and how furious he was that the pair tried to kill her. He'd been fighting to save the world, yet in the end, all he thought of was Juvia and if she'd been okay.

Then Lyon entered the picture. At first, Gray found the entire triangle annoying from all angles. He did not have time for such child's play. But, after a while, he felt the need to be next to her almost all the time. Especially after what had occurred during the Grand Magic Games tournament. He swore he couldn't wrap his head around it, but something about holding her hand just felt right. Almost like the spaces between his fingers were where hers were meant to fit.

Juvia was the female in the guild that Gray interacted with the most. There was no doubt about that. The more you interact with a person, the better you get to know them.

Her feelings for him weren't a secret. He had known for quite some time, even before Erza mentioned them to him. Truthfully speaking, he didn't, and still doesn't, know what to do about them. He wasn't even sure of how he felt. Back in the day, when they first met, he would easily say he only saw her as a nakama.

Now, he has a harder time deciphering what exactly they are...

"Gray-sama?" His train of thought is broken by the sound of Juvia's voice. "Everyone is… staring."

Indeed. Almost everyone in the room had witnessed the event. The blush on Gray's face grows deeper. "Whatever." That said, he walks away from her and takes a seat at the bar.

Her face saddens as she watches the love of her life slowly drift away from her across the room. The rest of the guild got back to their business while the water mage decides to take action. She is not someone who gives up so easily, especially when it concerns her Gray-sama. Juvia starts to walk over to where Gray is currently sitting, not having the slightest clue as to how much she really affects him.

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"That damn Lyon… who does he think he is? Walking in here like he owns the place and Juvia like that…" Gray mutters to himself, taking a sip of beer.

"Why don't you just tell him that she's taken?"

His eyes become wide as Mirajane walks over to him and places another mug on the bar. The take over mage always overhears conversations, observing potential relationships among the guild members.

"What are you…" Gray starts, but unsuccessfully finishes. Happy interrupts him mid sentence.

"HE LIKEEESSS HER!"

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? Shouldn't you be with Natsu or something?" And that's all Gray can respond with. He's not good at denying his feelings; he simply likes to change the subject.

"Likes… Who?"

Mirajane, Happy, and Gray all turn to look at Juvia standing there.

"Juvia means… uh! Well… never mind…" she mumbles, looking at the floor. Is it possible that her Gray-sama has feelings for someone else? Just when she thought she didn't have any more love rivals... The blue haired women quickly sits down next to him, as she usually would.

Mirajane quietly pours Juvia a drink and then leaves the two alone.

"Juvia… I…" he trails off as she listens. Of course, Gray has no idea what to say. "Forget it."

She has noticed that Gray blushes a lot more than he ever used to; is it only around her? "You know… Juvia is always happy when she spends time with Gray-sama!"

"Yeah?" His eyes met hers.

"Yes! Whenever Juvia is with Gray-sama, her heart beats fast and she never wants to be apart!" She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his side. "Never."

There she goes again with that word; Never. "O-Oi, baka! Wait a minute…!" Why did she always have to be so affectionate, especially in public? Gray Fullbuster is not exactly open, especially in the romance department.

"Juvia thinks we should take a quest together!" she states as she leans even closer into him.

He groans. "We just saved the future and won the tournament. Haven't you had enough action for a while? A break would be nice."

"Break or no break, Juvia is always prepared."

Gray cannot help but give a small smile. Even though typical Juvia is still herself, she is definitely less obnoxious and aggressive. Recently, he didn't mind her around him. In fact, he happens to like her company. He has noticed when she's around more so than when she was.

"True." He shrugs his shoulders. Juvia gives him a genuine smile and he thinks her smile is beautiful. He didn't notice, prior to the games, just how bright it could be. For someone who was once known as the rain women, her smile could certainly pull out the sun. She may still be linked with rain, but Juvia is no longer gloomy.

"Arigatou, Gray-sama." She lets go of him and sits up straight, looking into space.

"Eh? For what? I didn't do anything." He looks at her while she peers ahead, not sparing him a glance.

Juvia shakes her head. "You did everything. It's because of you that Juvia's rain stopped. It's because of you that she was able to see the light. It's because of you, who encouraged Juvia in the last battle of the tournament, that we were able to win. Gray-sama has shown Juvia so much kindness…. He saved Juvia. She is forever grateful."

He is rendered speechless. She really thinks highly of him...

After about a minute of taking in what Juvia said, he finally responds. "Heh. Well I guess I did help, didn't I?"

She nods. Gray is Gray; he always has a cocky side to him.

"But Juvia, we didn't win that match because of me. We won because of our team work. I meant what I said before… I couldn't have won without you."

She continues to listen.

"That wasn't the only thing I said that I meant… Everything I said before was the truth. That includes my comment about not pretending."

"Juvia doesn't understand…"

She really doesn't know what he means; not pretending about what? However, butterflies start to gather up inside of her while she waits for his next response. The water mage suddenly feels nervous, anticipation brimming...

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A/N: So as you can see, this first chapter mainly dealt with Gray's inner thoughts and recollections of his history with Juvia. Sorry if there wasn't much development here, but it's the beginning and the story had to start somewhere. It all must lead up to Gray finally "swallowing his pride". How that will happen and when… you'll have to read to find out! I tried to keep them in character as much as possible, so I hope I was successful. After writing an entire manifesto on a pairing you get to know their characters! Not only that, but I want the events in this fanfic to make sense and be realistic as if it could actually happen in canon. I doubt the events in the story would happen exactly, but as I said, this is not an AU story.

There will be plenty of action as well.

Also want to thank my best friend darkdreamerx for beta-ing this story! :D Arigatou nakama!

Suggestions, comments, all appreciated when you hit the review button. ;o