The more Gray thought about it, the more he realized that before Lucy, he never thought anything would have come between them. Sure, they fought--but anyone who knew them could see the depth of emotion behind those punches. If Gray didn't care, why was he always trying to protect Natsu so much? The truth was, he did care--a lot. He'd never thought it through, but he had always assumed that he and Natsu would grow even closer as the years went by. Closer as friends, maybe as more.
The dream that Gray harbored in secret was shattered the day Lucy appeared in Fairy Tail. Natsu had brought her home--the signifigance of that wasn't lost on Gray. He saw possession and more in the little nuances of Natsu's stance that day. He couldn't help but explode in anger towards Natsu, channeling this unwanted and surprising disappointment into a semi brotherly rage. As the months rolled by, turning into years, Gray watched as Natsu's feelings for Lucy deepened. Gray was probably more aware of how the fire wizard felt toward Lucy than Natsu was himself.
Juvia sort of washed into Gray's life during that time; she made Gray feel so guilty. He didn't feel for her the way she felt for him--the way Gray felt for Natsu. After a while, Juvia became a close friend to Gray, but he still rarely saw her as more than that.
As the years passed, Gray grew fonder of his constant companion; Juvia wasn't the fire he wanted, but her love for him was genuine. He could have done worse.
Even now, years later, Gray would sit on the porch of the little house he shared with Juvia--who was now his wife and the mother of his 3 children. He would sit in the rocking chair and stare into the distance, remembering a time long ago when he used to dream of fire.
Fin
Author's Notes: Not really a lot to this one. This is not connected to any of my other stories, just a quick one off about Gray and his feels.
Edit to fix a few typos.