Hello and welcome to my first work in the Fairy Tail fandom. I have toyed with the idea of writing something a little more lighthearted and fun for a while and well, I finally decided to. I welcome all criticisms as this is my first piece utilising these characters, but I do hope you enjoy it.
Blue eyes dimmed as they looked out the window and into the world beyond. It was raining, the same as the day before and the week before even that. The rains came down in thick sheets born from the gloomy blanket of black and grey clouds above. Oh how her heart ached to see the great blue beyond and admire the brilliant rays of the sun shining down.
In truth Juvia couldn't remember a time when it hadn't been raining. Each and every day since she could remember, she would leap out of bed and dash to the window in the futile hope that the skies would clear and that the rains would flee never to return to ruin her day. But that day had never come and, little by little, her hopes had crumbled away until near nothing remained.
With a sigh, she made her way through to her apartment's tiny bathroom to shower and get ready for the day ahead. It would be wet and miserable, but she refused to simply give up. Cana had told her, time and time again that things would change. She had promised. Though whether these things would ever actually come to pass was anyone's guess much less as to when they would happen, Cana's predictions were often made while she was blind drunk, which naturally left Juvia feeling more than a little sceptical; no matter how often the mystic claimed that she had never given a false prediction.
Having showered, Juvia fixed herself some breakfast and ate at the tiny table in her kitchen. The apartment that she occupied was far from spacious and even further from luxurious but she had done her best to make it a home of sorts and the rent was affordable. Washing her dishes, the blue haired girl made her way changed into her works uniform and dashed out the door to catch the bus to work.
The rains soon had her drenched but she had long since ceased to notice such things; to her it was just another unavoidable part of life like the sun setting or the changing of the tides. In the beginning she had a trusty umbrella which she took everywhere but it had never managed to hold off the heavy downpour and so she had stopped bringing it.
The bus stop provided a brief respite from the weather as the droplets drummed heavily on the Perspex shelter overhead. The stop was crowded with people, some who Juvia recognised from her daily commute and some whom she had never encountered before. They greeted her with warm smiles, and shuffled up to make room for her to take cover beside them.
"You know, you really should get an umbrella. If you keep running around in the rain like this you're going to catch cold and then who would I get to ogle in the mornings?" A gruff voice said from beside her, bringing a bright red flush to Juvia's cheeks. Its owner was an elderly man of somewhat diminutive stature that Juvia had seen a handful of times before on her way to work. He had bright eyes with a balding head and a shock of white hair around the sides of his head. His lip was adorned with a healthy moustache and he often had a mischievous smile plastered across his aged face.
"Grandpa! You should know better!" The tall girl beside him said in shock, swatting her grandfather on the arm. She held little resemblance to her ancestor, save for having brilliant white hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her face was a kindly one, with laughter lines around her eyes and an easy smile; in all she was quite beautiful. "I'm so sorry Miss, he isn't normally like this."
"I-it's alright, no harm done. It's nothing that Juvia hasn't experienced before." Juvia replied, giving her best attempt at a smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Juvia, I'm Mirajane, but most people just call me Mira. And this is my Grandpa Makarov." She explained, introducing both herself and her grandfather.
Juvia nodded to them each in turn; glad to have finally been properly introduced to at least two new people. It was good to have people to talk to in such dismal circumstances, regardless of how well she actually knew them. Friends did shine brightly in the otherwise grey world that she had become accustomed to.
The remaining time until her bus came, Juvia chatted with Mira and Makarov, coming to learn a little more about them and the lives which they lead. Mira was a waitress at a small time restaurant in the town and was living with her grandfather, so as to help him with the day to day elements which he had come to struggle with. While it was true that Makarov still held on to a degree of his independence, there was a deal which he wasn't able to do for himself and with which he required help. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of all, however, was that they lived in the same apartment complex that Juvia did, only a few floors down.
Even though 'Fairy Hills' was by far the largest apartment complex in the surrounding area and housed a great many residents Juvia still found it odd that she hadn't ever seen the two of them around the building before.
With a wave, Juvia boarded her bus for her usual commute and waved to her new friends. Taking her seat she put in her headphones and scrolled through her classical playlist before hitting play and settling in for the trip.
She watched the water droplets make their way down the bus's window, absorbing herself in how they rolled down the glass, forging little trails one after another despite the pull of the slipstream. She even began to count races between the droplets, placing little bets on which would win the race from top to bottom. So absorbed was she that she nigh on missed her stop, running out the doors at the last moment and apologising to the driver over and over until the bus had driven off, leaving her alone in the rain again.
It was a short walk from the bus stop to her place of work and was made even shorter by the presence of a slight spring in her step. Meeting Mira and Makarov had done wonders on improving her mood and had left her ready to face the day ahead no matter what the world might throw her way.
She smiled happily as the coffee shop came into view. It was a humble establishment with a modest store front sporting only the store's sign. It hung from the front in iron with a large steaming coffe cup, emblazoned with a collection of stars and added calligraphic pieces spelling out the shop's name; 'Love and Lucky's Coffee'. The paint had faded over the years however and had completely removed the 'K', leaving it as 'Love and Lucy's Coffee' a particularly fitting given that the quaint little store's owner was Juvia's boss and closest friend; Lucy Heartfilia.
Lucy was a kind woman and a better boss, despite her relatively young age. She had inherited the shop from her father when he had passed four years ago and had run the place in the same spirit that her parents had before her; 'priding herself on providing the highest quality of service at a reasonable price'. It was a business model which had worked particularly well considering that it was rare for the store to be completely empty. Nearly all of the customers which the shop served were regulars, individuals that would come in for the caffeine fix ahead of work, on their lunch breaks or simply to get warm out of the rains which plagued Magnolia.
As she entered the little coffee shop, Juvia was hardly surprised to find Lucy already there supplying the early morning customers with an almost constant stream of caffeine. She flowed seamlessly from one order to the next without ever second-guessing herself or allowing the smile to fade from her face. Truly she was in her element.
"Good morning, Juvia~!" Lucy sang out as she finished glossing a fresh batch of milk for her latest orders. Juvia gave her a smile before heading through to the back and shedding her coat and bags, emerging once again into the front of house, tying her apron around her waist.
It didn't take long before she found herself inundated with orders that sent her dashing back and forth from the grinder to the coffee machine itself with a sense of practiced ease. This was where Juvia excelled, where she could lose herself in the manic rhythm of the various orders and requests of the multitude of customers who entered the shop. Both women were in complete harmony as they worked to keep the city's coffee addicts at bay.
Her shift passed her by quickly, aided by the almost constantly busy nature of the 'Love and Lucky' enterprise. The volume of customers followed its usual pattern and died down around mid-morning before picking up again around the early afternoon. By the time that Lucy finally closed the doors for the day, Juvia's feet were aching and numbed but she had a satisfied smile on her face; proud of another day's work.
Once the shop was cleaned down, Lucy made the two of them her signature drink, a concoction of fresh coffee grounds and spices into what she called the 'Celestial Latte'. It had become a well-established ritual for the two of them at the end of every shift as they finally took the weight off of their feet and began to unwind.
"You know, I think today was the busiest day we have had for a while. I didn't know that there were so many people in Magnolia that would want our coffee. If this keeps up I'll have to take on more baristas." Lucy complained with a tired smile.
"Well… Word gets around. All of your customers love this place, it makes sense to Juvia that so many would come here rather than the other shops in town." Juvia answered, sipping at her coffee again and marvelling as the complex flavours worked their way across her tongue.
"Heh, yeah. I guess I should be happy but at this rate I'm not sure how we will cope with them all. As it is we are already coming close to running out of milk and spices. I think I'll place an ad in the paper for next week and see about getting some more staff in. It can't be healthy for you and I to be in here all day every day trying to keep so many people supplied." Lucy said after a pause. "It would be good for us to have a little more time off from this place. I love it here but it kinda takes over my life, y'know?"
It was true, in the four years since her parents had passed; Lucy had been in the shop every day serving coffee to the ever growing tide of customers. Juvia had joined her for three of those, working closely alongside the blonde as word of the business had spread and it had become ever busier. Yet as the business had grown stronger, so had the bond between the two baristas; Lucy had long since grown fond of her employee, valuing her help and advice in all manner of things both business related and in terms of her social life. The two of them had become inseparable.
"Juvia agrees… It can be pretty tiring sometimes, but Juvia doesn't want Lucy to think that she doesn't enjoy working here." The blue haired girl replied, choosing her words carefully before going on. "Juvia… also needs the hours to pay her rent…"
"Oh! Yeah, don't worry about that!" Lucy cried, blushing a little "You've been with the company for years and sometimes I really don't know what would have happened if I hadn't taken you on. All I meant is that with the way the business is going, we could use a little extra help, and with the growing popularity of the place I can really afford to start paying you the kind of wage that you deserve so uh… Yeah, you don't have to worry about rent or anything like that!"
Juvia stared at her deadpan for several long moments, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks before in an instant she leapt over and wrapped her arms around her friend.
"Thank you so much Lucy!" She cried; giggling excitedly as her mind raced over all of the possibilities that a raise might bring for her. Perhaps she would finally be able to get a car, or maybe some better furniture for her apartment. Under her grasp, Lucy gasped for air, both surprised and shocked at her friend's sudden burst of affection.
"I-it's okay! You really don't have to thank me. You earned it all over the last three years! In fact, take tomorrow off, I'll take the day to get the ads out and take care of the supply issues. I know you want to argue but don't, I insist." She said defensively, still fighting for breath.
As she spoke, Lucy could have sworn that she saw the rain lessen and ease up ever so slightly as it fell against the windows. Shaking the thoughts from her mind as being mere imaginings, she returned her friend's hug. The weather in Magnolia was almost permanently rainy, though there had been a few exceptions over the years. It always seemed to be whenever Juvia had left town to visit family or take the occasional break for vacation, something which had become a running joke between the two in that the rain followed Juvia around. Little did Lucy know the truth that lay behind those jokes.
Having finished her work for the day and after wishing Lucy a good evening, Juvia headed out into the rains again. She was once again soaked through by the time that she boarded the bus home and even more so by the time she entered the lobby of her apartment complex. Seeing the elevator propped open she stopped with a groan. It was packed full of boxes crudely labelled in black marker, designating them to a room such as 'kitchen stuff' or 'bedroom things'.
With a sigh, Juvia turned away and headed towards the stairwell for the laborious climb up to the fifth floor. She had gone no more than two flights up when she collided with a figure coming running down. She cried out as she fell, barely keeping herself from tumbling down the flight that she had just climbed.
"Oh jeez! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, are you hurt?" A voice asked even as strong hands clasped her arms and helped her to her feet with a surprising degree of care. It was a deep and masculine voice with a somewhat icy tone to it.
"Y-yeah, I think so…" She began, but before she could say anything else, cerulean eyes met with those of a dark brown and her heart felt as though it had stopped for several long moments. The man holding her up was absolutely gorgeous!
He had pitch black hair that hung down across his eyes in wild strands, shadowing his dark eyes. There was a slight frown on his face, though whether Juvia was the root of it she couldn't tell. Hanging loosely about him was a burgundy shirt, unbuttoned at the front to reveal a chest which looked like it had been carved by angels. He was magnificent.
She quickly found her feet and backed away from her with a shy expression plastered across her face and colour flooding her cheeks. She stared down at her shoes and stole glances at him every few moments. She felt hot and cold and completely unsure of herself, her mind was both overflowing with thoughts and completely blank. Her heart beat at a million miles an hour and there was a bizarre and alien feeling in her chest that she had never felt before.
'Juvia! Pull it together, you are not in high school anymore! This is stupid! He is just a guy, use your words dammit!' She internally cursed.
"I-I've not seen you around here before… A-are you new?" She asked shakily, finally managing to kick her brain into action.
"Yeah, my roommate and I just moved into my new place today. It's on the fifth floor, so I'm using the elevator to ferry in the boxes from the truck while he unpacks… a-are you sure you're okay?" He replied, looking at her quizzically.
Juvia immediately knew what he was referring to. She was stood totally slack-jawed and staring at him blankly.
"Yes! I'm fine, um… w-welcome to 'Fairy Hills'! I'm actually your new neighbour, I live in 52." She said, trying her best not to stare.
"Oh really? Well please, let me walk you back to your apartment, it's the least I can do after I knocked you down." He replied, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, no please. You really don't have to; I mean it was an accident…" Juvia hated each and every word as it left her mouth, knowing full well that she would like nothing more than for him to walk her back up to her apartment.
'Juvia, what are you thinking?! You don't even know this guy!'
"Nonsense, It'll give me a chance to meet the neighbours and take a break. Let my roommate catch up on the unpacking." He insisted, shooting her the first smile since they had collided.
Walking together, he accompanied her up to the fifth floor and listened intently as she told him about all of the facilities that 'Fairy Hills' had to offer as well as the best places nearby to get laundry done. He struck her as the stoical type, barely saying a word as they climbed, though the look on his face told her that he was listening intently as she spoke.
When they reached her floor, she immediately saw the apartment that the mystery man was moving into. Mountains of boxes, similar to those that she had seen in the elevator were stacked outside, and the vague sounds of movement coming from beyond, likely from the unknown roommate. Juvia pointed out her door and made her way over, pausing for a moment to introduce herself.
"My name is Juvia by the way." She said with a smile, her nerves having settled down a little.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Gray." He answered, shaking her hand and inspiring another flush of colour to her face. Turning away quickly, she produced her keys to unlock the door. As an afterthought, she turned back once again to ask him in for refreshments only to find that he was gone, likely returning to his removal work.
Sighing and lamenting the lost opportunity, she unlocked her apartment door and headed inside.
Juvia woke up late the next morning with a stab of panic shooting through her before she remembered that Lucy had given her the day off. It was an odd feeling as she lay in her warm bed, savouring the heat underneath the covers. She could hear the rainfall thundering down outside her window.
Quite unbidden, her mind wandered to her new neighbour. 'Gray' she mused, running his name through her head over and over. It had been hard to get any idea of the kind of man that he was in the brief time she had spent in his company. From first impressions, he had seemed quite a serious and stoical individual but also with a warm heart, quick to smile.
She wondered what it was that he did for a job, and what his roommate was like. Despite numerous attempts to get her mind off of the subject of her new and attractive neighbour, she simply couldn't and before long she had an entire life thought out for him. She imagined him to be a well-to-do business man who wore a suit to work and drove a nice car, and lived a life of relative luxury; far from the life that Juvia herself lived.
Climbing out of bed she made her way through to the tiny bathroom and showered, hoping the cascade of hot water and billowing steam would help to rid her mind of thoughts of him, but they didn't nor could the novel that she had been reading or the endless hours of mind-numbing daytime television. Nothing could seemingly get the thoughts of him out of her mind and she couldn't fathom why. It was both scary and exciting all at once and left her feeling overwhelmed.
Around mid-afternoon she was seriously considering the idea of going over to visit him, maybe taking some cookies with her as a welcoming gift. It would only be the neighbourly thing to do after all, and she was sure that his roommate would appreciate the gesture too, so it definitely wasn't just to see Gray again. Though every time that she came close to actually going through with her plan she would feel a bout of girlish nerves and bottle it all over again. It made for a frustrating cycle until at last she gave up on the concept all together.
That night, Juvia's dreams were bizarre. She saw herself standing in a field of golden wheat beneath a bright sky. The wheat rustled softly with every slight breeze and gust, soothing to her ears. The skies were beautiful and clear, with no sign of the rains which had plagued Juvia throughout her life. Just a short way from her was a figure with his back turned to her, though from the head of wild black locks, she determined them to be Gray.
Juvia approached with caution, reaching out to tap him on the shoulder when he turned to face her. He had his usual half-frown set in place but there was no malice in it. Just when she was about to open her mouth to speak to him, he faded away into a thin mist and the storm clouds rolled in. Before she could so much as blink, the rain was falling in sheets and the clouds had blotted out all trace of the blue skies or the brilliant sunshine which had preceded them. Juvia tried to run but before long was soaked through to her skin; collapsing to her knees, she shivered.
The following day, Juvia's alarm tore her from sleep and left her wondering just what her vivid dreams could possibly have meant. Following her usual regimen she climbed out from under the covers and made her way to the window. A shiver ran up the length of her spine in the absence of the warmth of her duvet as she looked out into the world beyond the thin pane of glass. Not to her surprise, it was raining. Though it was far from being as heavy as the previous day, in fact for the first time it only seemed to be a slight drizzle.
Going about her routine, Juvia showered and ate before grabbing her coat and heading out the door for another long day in Lucy's coffee shop. There was a spring in her step as she made her way down to the bus stop, eager to get into work and tell Lucy all about the mysterious new man who had moved in just a couple of doors down from her own apartment. She just knew that the blonde woman would be jealous.
Though, all ideas of such a thing were robbed from her when she looked up from the pavement to assess the people already waiting at the bus stop. Neither Mira nor Makarov were there, but someone else was. Stood in a slate grey suit and sheltering from the drizzle in the air was Gray. Juvia froze for a moment, oblivious to the falling precipitation which was gradually soaking her to her skin. Timidly, she approached and took her place beside him under the shelter.
"Morning Gray." She said, her voice sounding thin and barely above a whisper.
"Hey neighbour." He chuckled, "Just to check, this is where I catch the number 37 service to the upper west side right?"
"Yes, they usually come along every fifteen minutes or so I think."
"Thanks" He said, nodding with a smile of gratitude. "I have no idea where anything is at the moment. While I'm at it I'm sorry I had to disappear yesterday, but my roommate tends to get a little… heated if he is left to his own devices for too long so I had to check on him and help get the rest of the boxes moved in."
"Oh…" She answered, "Juvia had wondered where you had gone, though she should have known that you were back to moving in."
"Yeah, but hey, my roommate and I are throwing a little party tomorrow night to celebrate moving in and it would be pretty cool I you could come. Bring a friend if you like, I mean the more the merrier. We are both new in town so it would be great to get to know some new people." He suggested, the hint of a smile curling up the corner of his lips.
Juvia froze, unsure of just what was going on or what she should say. Down the street her bus came into view. He was inviting her to a party, as well as any friend that she might like. But Juvia had no idea what that meant, it had been so long since she had been out partying that she had all but forgotten what it was like. Lucy would know what to do, Lucy would help her.
"O-okay, that sounds fun. Juvia will be there, she will bring her friend Lucy along. See you then!" Juvia replied, just as her bus arrived and she climbed on board.
And with that the doors to the bus closed and bore her away from him.
"He what?!" Lucy asked in total shock and surprise after Juvia had told her the full story. It almost didn't seem fair to her. "He nearly knocked you back down three flights of stairs, and then asked you round to his new place for a moving in party, and you say he's dreamy?!"
"W-well… he was certainly… attractive." Juvia answered defensively, and with a deep blush on her cheeks. The coffee shop was in its usual mid-morning quiet period and as such Lucy had been able to interrogate her more or less uninterrupted for the past few minutes. The blonde businesswomen seemed utterly incredulous at the story that Juvia had relayed.
"Well then, that settles it." She replied with a smirk. "We have to go to that party. You never know, you and Gray might hit it off and start your own little romance story. It would be a great idea for a novel actually, I can imagine it now!"
"B-but Juvia doesn't have anything to wear…" Juvia tried to protest, but Lucy was having none of it.
"Nice try…" The blonde laughed "We will go shopping tomorrow afternoon, I'll close the place up after the lunch rush and we can get ourselves some outfits to turn some heads. What do you say?"
Juvia nodded, knowing that it would be an utterly futile gesture to try and refuse the blonde. If there was one thing that she had learned about Lucy in the time that they had known one another, it was that Lucy wasn't one to be deterred once her mind had been made up.
The rest of her shift passed by in relative peace now that Lucy had been placated with the promise of both shopping and a party, though as she worked Juvia couldn't help but wonder about what her best friend had said. Lucy had promised an outfit that would turn some heads, but would that really be the case, and was it what Juvia really wanted? After a bad previous relationship, Juvia's confidence had been left in tatters and it had taken a very long time to rebuild herself to the level that she was currently at. Naturally the idea of branching out seemed a daunting one, especially in the company of so many people that she wouldn't know. It all seemed like madness.
Yet even despite all of her fears and inhibitions, Juvia simply couldn't deny the feeling of excitement which was slowly taking her over. It was a chance to meet new people and spend more time with Gray, a golden opportunity for getting to know her new neighbour much better.
One way or another, by the end of the party, she would likely know whether or not he was the type of man that she would want to be around. Attractive or no, this was her chance to size him up and get a real idea of his character.
As she made her way home, it was with a spring in her step, completely disregarding the rain that fell around her or the puddles through which she splashed nonchalantly. The bus ride back was comparatively pleasant with her music playing on and her mood set firmly towards the positive. Lucy messaged her on the way back, asking for details on the kind of outfit which Juvia would like to buy the following afternoon, seemingly already planning out the whole endeavour right down to the very finest of details. To Juvia it all seemed as though it might be a little excessive, but there was no deterring the blonde.
That night, as her head hit the pillow, she wondered one more time over what the party would be like. She wondered how many people would be going and hoped that it wouldn't be too cramped inside Grey's apartment once they had all arrived. Above all, she wondered on what type of outfit would work best for the event.
Excitement was the key emotion welling up within her heart as she lay in bed that night. Closing her eyes she drifted off slowly into the world of her dreams, thinking of her friend Cana and the prediction that she had made.
"Times will change as new influences make their way into your life, your world will become brighter by the light of new friends and the love of close ones."
Little did she know, just how true those words would be…
Well there it is. I hope that you all enjoyed it and will continue to follow it in future. As I say this is my first piece for the Fairy Tail fandom, so if you did enjoy it please do favourite and follow and don't forget to leave a review. The next chapter will be posted pretty much as soon as I can get it written.
Thank you all for reading and as always,
I'll see you all in the next chapter.