Disclaimer: I not own Fairy Tail. I drawz uglies.
About the story: An eventual romance. This is the interlude/companion story to my NaLu story Possession. It is, however, not necessary to read that one in order to understand this story. Of course, if you're in need of a NaLu fix, you should definitely check it out. Limits is the GaLe companion fic in this series, so You Stole the Rain has heavy ties to it.
Rated T: For language and suggestive themes. If you're not 14 or older, your clean minds may be corrupted. This story is also full of guilty pleasures. You have been warned.
Genres: ROMANCE, humour (if you have the same strange sense of humour as me), drama/angst maybe.
Pairings: GRAY x JUVIA, but you may also see Natsu x Lucy and Gajeel x Levy.
Author's Note: This started off as a one-shot, but I just had to keep going. I can't promise regular updates because Possession is still my top priority, but hey, enjoy what you have!
Feedback and constructive criticism (except for spelling errors unless they really bother you) is always very much appreciated and valued. Thanks!
You Stole the Rain by HawkofNavarre
Chapter 1 – Clear Skies
It was difficult to completely discern what a normal day in Fairy Tail was like. Fights were as common as eating, but a peaceful and serene setting was equally as possible in said guild.
So what qualified as a normal day?
Gray supposed today would be one. The morning had been very quiet although Natsu was there as well. Neither of the guys had really felt like picking a fight today—in fact, the dragon slayer seemed kind of…off for some reason. Eh. It saved him some effort for now; somebody else could start the brawl.
He yawned as he sat at an empty table, casually removing his shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Juvia. She was standing behind a wall, peeking at him shyly like she sometimes did (not quite as often as before though). He really didn't get that girl. For one thing, she stalked him even though they were guild mates. The ice mage didn't really think it was necessary for her to go to such extreme measures just to…admire him. What was so admirable about him anyway? Sure, he was pretty badass, but that hardly warranted her constantly shadowing him.
Another thing was that despite her stalking him, she was his friend. Who had ever heard of being friends with one's own stalker anyway? It didn't really make much sense; she was unreasonably timid around him a lot of the time, like right now when she chose not to approach him, but other times they could sit together and have a conversation about random stuff so easily. Man, he'd taught her how to eat a sandwich properly! How normal could things possibly get?
So that brought Gray to the third and final most confusing part: she was afraid of getting too close, yet she made it clear that she was in love with him.
What the hell? What the actual hell?
Yes, he knew exactly how Juvia felt for him; he'd have to be dumber than Natsu (which would be a seriously huge deal) not to have noticed. It had been sprung on him rather suddenly after Fairy Tail had taken in the two ex-Phantom members and he had never really been much into girls…in the romantic sense (he had to admit that he liked to look at them from time to time. After all, he was still a guy). The water mage was certainly not known for her subtlety either. There were quite a few instances where she had quite literally shouted out a declaration of love for him against an enemy while on a mission or showed off her masochistic behaviour when she made a "mistake".
…Not to mention how she had those outrageous speculations about the relationships in Fairy Tail and went absolutely insane over them. Her jealousy was hot, irrational, and wholly misguided. Anybody that blunette saw as a rival would receive a glare—and while she didn't initiate misfortune that came to her "rivals", she would giggle at it. Well, at least she wasn't completely devious.
Mavis, she was weird though.
That didn't mean he disliked her though. Gray just couldn't comprehend her fascination with him. They had been on a lot of missions together, and he couldn't deny that she was damn useful in a fight. It was amusing having her around.
"Oi, you gunna sit down or what?" he called to her sharply. If she wanted to be around him, she could be around him like a friend, not a stalker.
"Y-yes, Gray-sama!" she squeaked out like she was a rubber ducky that had just been squeezed.
Juvia was instantly in the seat next to him, blushing like a school girl and sputtering under her breath as though she was about to suffocate. Gray didn't really want to know how she could stand living like this and was briefly disturbed by the thought of his counterpart in Edolas, who acted the exact same way as her. He didn't want to think of himself acting like that in any world or dimension.
"Look, Juvia, you are part of Fairy Tail and you are considered a friend. You don't have to follow me around," he stated firmly, but when he turned to look at the water mage, her eyes were bulging out like a bug's and she showed no indication that she had been listening at all—for good reason.
"G-Gray-sama! Your pants!"
He glanced down. No pants indeed.
Or underwear.
"Shit," he cursed. Just when he had something important to say, he ended up flashing his junk at her instead. "Stay here."
She simply nodded, shaking visibly due to either excitement or emotional scarring (Gray fervently hoped it was neither of those). The ice maker didn't believe she would go against his command anyway and quickly went to hunt down his clothes.
A few minutes later, he returned, fully clothed and prepared to have a serious conversation with her. He was absolutely determined to get that stupid idea that she had to stalk him out of her mind.
"Okay," he began, slamming back down into his previous spot, "did you hear what I said before?"
"Gray-sama considers Juvia a friend," she answered, smiling shyly.
To be honest, he was surprised that the blunette had even been able to listen when she'd so obviously been staring at his penis, but he pushed the impulse to go slack-jawed away. "Right, yeah. You're my friend, so you don't have to hide from me."
"Juvia knows," the ex-Phantom Lord member replied softly, "but Juvia cannot be close to Gray-sama all the time… She will not be able to appreciate Gray-sama…"
"Appreciate?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She placed a hand over her chest and peered at the table, smiling somewhat anxiously. "When Juvia is close to Gray-sama, sometimes…she-she stutters and, Juvia—she can't think. Her heart goes 'pitter-patter' and Juvia gets so nervous. Juvia…is not sure what to say.
"But if Juvia can look at Gray-sama from afar, she can remember how beautiful he is. She can admire the way he walks and how he carries himself. Juvia remembers how strong he is and what kind of person Gray-sama is, and Juvia loves him."
The ice mage rarely blushed, but that explanation made his face red in a matter of seconds. Being confessed to so sweetly for the first time, even while already aware of her feelings, was both flattering and embarrassing. The way she spoke about both of them in third person somehow made it even more adorable, and he simply couldn't brush off the sincerity she spoke with. Every word was true and every word she knew came deep from within. The thought of him gave her confidence. He had not missed the second half of her explanation; Juvia hadn't stuttered or hesitated at all. He meant so much to her…
…And it scared the hell of him.
He'd just wanted to be friends, but how could that possibly happen now that looking at her made his throat dry, his palms sweaty, and his face unbearably hot? Gray definitely hadn't just magically fallen in love with her after that confession; he simply didn't know how to maintain a friendship with someone whose feelings went so deeply for him. Before, it was easy. Now, he actually had to acknowledge that this wasn't some stupid crush.
Yep. Scared him shitless.
"Juvia really likes being next to Gray-sama as well," the highly emotional mage told him. "Juvia…simply hopes that friends…is not all Gray-sama will want them to be…"
His head should have seriously exploded at that. He thought he had been prepared, but her words were so genuine—so obviously from the heart…!
"I, uh…" he coughed out, unnerved by her bluntness.
"Juvia doesn't need to know right now. Juvia can wait," the blunette placated him gently.
If there were any words for that, they were caught in his throat. It made him feel horrible.
She shouldn't have to wait, he thought miserably. She deserved an answer and he couldn't give her one because Gray couldn't figure out what the hell he was doing! He'd been so confident that it was just an infatuation that she had with him, and that it would disappear as soon as he appeased her need for attention. He was so, so wrong. So damn wrong. He'd completely misjudged her and now he was paying the price.
I'm a dick, the ice-maker realized in devastation. That was even worse. If anybody could be considered a dick in their guild, it was Laxus, and now Gray was one too. I don't wanna be a dick!
Before Gray could mourn over his new self-appointed status as a male phallus, there was pink in his face—or more accurately, rose.
Why was Natsu's hair in his face…?
It took him second to see Juvia's equally as surprised face and one more to find Lucy shoving the dragon slayer's head forward. She was grinning suspiciously and suddenly the dark-haired mage felt like the day was going to become a lot less normal. Lucy was always a failure when it came to concealing emotions.
"Hello there, Gray, Juvia!" the summoner greeted them cheerfully, her questionable smile growing larger and therefore more suspicious. "Natsu has something he wants to say!"
"I DO N—"Natsu shut his mouth as soon as the blonde's glare hit him. He straightened himself, waving off the celestial spirit mage's grip, his face hardening. "I got something to say to you, bastard!"
"She already said that, moron," Gray retorted snarkily, removing his jacket unconsciously.
"I'm only gunna say this once, so you'd better listen," the fire-eater growled irritably. His arm shot out swiftly, index finger fully extended and eyes ablaze. "I. LOVE. YOU."
The room fell silent, all eyes on Natsu in shock and amusement. Lucy stifled a laugh. Natsu stood still determinedly. Gray stared at his rival as if the guy had lost his mind.
And then he remembered exactly who was sitting beside him. If this was a practical joke, it was cruel. Very few minutes ago, Juvia had told him that she didn't need to know whether he reciprocated her feelings or not, but that didn't mean she was willing to share. Who knew what she would do? The melodramatic female could end up flooding the entire guild!
For now, though, she wasn't moving and her head was bowed low, expression hidden. Gray took his chance to do what he could before a bomb exploded somewhere.
"What the hell are you doing, you dumbass?" he demanded hotly, standing up furiously. "You tryin'a start something?"
"HELL YEAH, YOU—"Natsu was about to respond, presumably with something nasty, but stopped when the blond nudged him roughly with her elbow. He shot her a death glare before glancing back at his rival with equal ferocity. "…sexy…beast…"
Lucy burst out laughing hysterically, as well as anybody else watching (which was a lot of the guild). Gray's mouth dropped open, dumbfounded. It was Lucy's doing. It had to be Lucy's doing. He had never ever heard the word "sexy" or anything remotely similar exit the dragon slayer's mouth. It had to be Lucy.
"NO!" Juvia suddenly screamed, also getting to her feet. The blunette look hysterical as well, but in a completely different way. The ice-maker wasn't sure if she was going to murder someone (namely Natsu), literally explode into a puddle of tears, or burst into steam from her love triangle-octagon-penta-shape thingy overloading her brains.
It was really quite astonishing when she did none of those things.
Gray's mind couldn't keep up as Juvia stepped in front of him protectively, arms spread wide. "Gray-sama," she started, "is not a pie!"
Okay, now he was really confused.
"If all you say is that Gray-sama is sexy, you do not truly love him! Juvia will never acknowledge you in this battle!" she continued heatedly. "Juvia will not forgive you!"
The summoner seemed momentarily stunned by Juvia's tirade, but Natsu looked like he was completely lost on what she had been raving about. The ice mage didn't blame the guy for being dumbfounded; he himself was still trying to figure out what was going on. Like all others though, Natsu was built with a fight-or-flight mechanism, but he had never gained the wisdom needed to invoke the latter, even when his intelligent, good friend was shuffling away rapidly. Though Gray knew the water mage would never hurt him, he began moving away too.
The surprise was over; it was time for the usual.
"Bring it o—"
The dragon slayer's response was promptly cut off when he was thrown through a wall by a speedy jet of boiling water that followed him through the hole.
Lucy stifled another laugh.
Gray glared at her.
Damn woman. It was definitely her doing.
Two minutes after Juvia had attacked the foolish Natsu, the ice-maker had discovered the reason behind the whole incident: a bet. Thirty seconds after that Gray had jovially joined the blunette in her quest to beat the crap out of the fire-eater—not only for making such a bet, but for losing as well. He would forever be haunted by the vision of Natsu calling him a "sexy beast". He might've been able to handle it if Lucy had been the one to say it, but Natsu? Really?
…Speaking of Lucy, she had run as soon as she had the chance. Of course, Gray would certainly have wanted some sort of revenge on her too—she'd gambled using his love life! He didn't care that romance was pretty much the last thing on his mind! That bet had meddled with it and he was the one left dealing! Jeez, and she used to be such a nice girl, so eager for approval when she'd first joined. That summoner had been influenced too much by Natsu and Happy…
Anyway, at least the dragon slayer now lay on the ground in an inspiring bloody heap. It was a bit comforting. Even Juvia seemed satisfied with their work.
So…what was that about a pie again?
She bowed at him politely with that cute, shy smile playing on her lips. "Juvia will be going home to shower now. Juvia…really enjoyed speaking with Gray-sama today."
With a flounce of her bouncy hair, she turned to leave. "W-wait," he called out to her before he knew what he was doing. What was he doing? Was there something that was supposed to go after a pathetic-sounding "wait"? Gray didn't even know why he'd said it. Still, he couldn't just stand there like a half-naked idiot with nothing to say. "I'll… come with you…"
Her face immediately flushed and he felt his own flooding with heat at the same moment. Admittedly, the black-haired male wanted to ask her a few things, but that could've been done another day. His mouth was screwing him over (probably not for the first time) and he had to convince himself that his brain was muddled from the recent chain of events or he might have to question his own sanity. Somehow, that had been the only thing he could think of to say and it sure as hell wasn't intended to be romantic. Dear Mavis, he couldn't count the number of issues that had developed around him today. Yesterday seemed so far away…
"Gray-sama…wants to-to walk Juvia home?" she asked, eyes glittering hopefully.
He flinched nervously at her scintillating glance. "Yeah, something like that," he answered, finding no point in backing out now, "but don't take this the wrong way."
Juvia nodded vigorously and Gray really hoped that the rest of the day would go as smoothly as the morning had. He couldn't handle any more confessions today, false or not.
As they walked, Gray made a conscious effort to keep his pants on—he hardly wanted another crotch-staring incident. The water mage was being very quiet, but her happiness in this situation was quite evident by the look on her face. While he had cooled off from the earlier embarrassment, she still maintained a light blush. He used to think nothing of it, but now he realized there was probably a cascade of emotion mounting in her at this very moment. He still wondered why it was for him.
"So why am I not a pie?" Gray inquired suddenly, arms cradling his head while they walked.
Juvia jumped slightly at the start of a conversation. She met his eyes briefly, her dark orbs darting to his gaze and then hastily away, back and forth. "A pie is…something one slices and shares with friends, is it not?"
"I guess that's one way to describe it," he muttered with a raised eyebrow. Only Juvia could come up with such weird metaphors.
"Well, Gray-sama cannot be divided. He is too special!" the blunette declared whole-heartedly.
"Juvia…"
"Juvia knows that Gray-sama is not hers and that many others love him, but Juvia wishes one day…"
The ice mage didn't say anything, glad that she didn't have any illusions, but also feeling guilty once again for so easily brushing off her feelings.
"Juvia simply could not stand such shallowness!" she stated in annoyance, clearly thinking back to the incident. "Juvia will have to fight for Gray-sama, but Juvia wants to fight for him. All of him. Juvia does not want just one piece of him."
His hearted raced as she finished her explanation. The passion in her voice couldn't be denied. She cared for him so much. She could admit this freely and continue moving forward like it was natural. She loved him unconditionally and hoped for something in return one day, but didn't expect more than he was willing to give.
Who was this girl?
After so many missions together, he had though he had her figured out. For more than a year he'd known her, been decently close to her, and constantly spoke to her. He hadn't known—no, he'd never bothered to notice—the kind of emotion she held for him. This moment was really driving it home. She had always just been another friend in the guild and a capable fighter that stalked him as a hobby.
…But no. He hadn't known her at all.
She stopped walking at tall building, presumably at the apartment complex where she was currently living. Juvia took a key out of her pocket and began to put it in the lock, and Gray realized that he needed to say something to her. Anything. He felt like crap.
"Hey…" he began shakily, "I'm…I'm sorry I haven't been respecting your feelings."
Juvia looked at him quizzically. "Gray-sama was only being himself."
Yeah, himself. A dick. "Why do you even like me?"
She smiled lightly at him and his heart throbbed painfully. What had he done to deserve that smile? What had he done to deserve such devotion?
"Juvia has already said many things, but most of all…" The blunette successfully opened the door and dropped the key back into her pocket. She turned her head back to him, sharing her radiant eyes with him for the longest period of time that day. "…Gray-sama is the one who took the rain away." She pushed the door open and bowed again. "Thank you for walking Juvia home."
That was her goodbye for the day as she disappeared behind the door, leaving him to stand there alone with his thoughts. He spun on his heel and headed back toward the guild.
Took away the rain, huh? Absent-mindedly, Gray looked up into the open air as he pondered her words.
Clear skies.