Weary Hearts and Throat Lumps
A/N: A bunch of dialogues popped in my head and I felt the urge to write it down ASAP. I dunno why but I was on a roll while writing this fic. Not a single wink of sleep. I also made this my entry for Day 5 of Gruvia Week 2019 cause I dunno, it just fit the prompt by coincidence.
Anyway, please enjoy the read! I'm really new to fanfic writing and your reviews would really help me know what I can improve on. 😊
Weary Hearts and Throat Lumps
Three weeks.
It's been three drawn-out weeks since he returned from a mission that nearly cost him his life and was admitted to the hospital for immediate medical attention. To his relief, today was his last full day of confinement before being discharged. He'd normally wake up to the shuffling of visitors around his room, or the scent of citrus and flowers permeating the air. But when his eyes first cracked open that morning, he hadn't expected to find her sitting beside the hospital bed.
"Juvia…"
Eyes wide in worry, she drew in a sharp breath before tackling him in a hug.
"Oh, Gray-sama!"
"What are you…"
"…doing here?" she finished for him, sitting back down. "Juvia was worried about you!"
"I know, but…" But it's been more than a year since she left. Since she agreed to go on that long-term mission with Lyon. Since she decided that she needed to distance herself from—
Juvia reached out to hold his gauzed hands.
"Gray-sama," she started. "Everyone thought you weren't going to make it. If… If that had been the case, and Juvia failed to see you, I would never be able to forgive myself."
He felt a knot at the pit of his stomach.
"Thank you… for being here."
These being the words in his head, Gray was taken slightly aback when it was her voice that spoke them.
"Juvia would be sad—no, devastated if the very person who showed her clear skies no longer lived beneath it. I cannot bare that thought, that's why I'm very thankful that Gray-sama is still here… with us."
There was a lump in his throat as he listened to her. This was the person who, resilient as she was, had been on the receiving end of his cold shoulder for the longest time. Her heart had eventually grown weary, and he couldn't blame her for her temporary departure. Yet somehow, she still found it in her heart to come back simply to remind him that his existence mattered.
"For everything back then… I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "Juvia had been relying too much on Gray-sama for her happiness. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
Seeing her in a new light for the first time, he disagreed with this. She was back, and he wanted to make things right this time around.
"Juvia, I know—"
The door creaked and swung open, revealing Lyon whose eyes brightened upon seeing Gray awake. The white haired man walked up to Juvia's side while scrutinizing all the bandages wrapped around his brother.
Gray lay back down on his pillows, swallowing all the emotions and words that had been at the tip of his tongue.
"You're quite good at getting yourself into trouble, aren't you, " Lyon said jokingly, though it did little to hide the worry in his voice.
"Pretty fucking pro at it."
"And he manages to brag about it. Unbelievable."
Both ice mages chuckled.
"When did you get here?" Gray asked.
"Juvia and I arrived together. I'd say about an hour ago." Then turning to Juvia, "You didn't tell him?"
"Oh, Juvia had been so overwhelmed when Gray-sama woke up that she forgot to mention your arrival with her," she admitted bashfully. "Sorry."
"No worries," Lyon replied, giving her a single pat on the head.
Gray caught a short glimpse of the affection in Juvia's eyes as she looked at his brother before her pupils darted back to him.
"It's a good thing we had completed the mission when we heard about your condition," she said. "We rushed back here as soon as we could."
Each 'we' amplified in his head and he found that it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Gray?"
"Mm? Oh, yeah, the mission."
Juvia eyed him with worry. "Perhaps you need more rest, Gray-sama?"
"No, uh… Yeah, I'm fine. Tell me about the mission."
I'm fine.
They'd left.
From his window, he watched Lyon and Juvia walk towards the hospital gates. Lyon turned to Juvia with a comically sour look which she laughed at, allowing Gray a glimpse of her face from the side. There it was again—the affectionate look she had graced Lyon with earlier. The one Gray had embedded in his mind because it was the only way she used to look at him. Used to, because right now his brother was the lucky bastard drinking in all its tenderness.
Lyon reached for Juvia's hand.
Just—
…and she locked their fingers.
—stop.
Fucking stop, please.
Later that day, he heard the door open and found Cana walking in with a plastic bag in one hand.
"I hope you like apples," she smirked. She took out the contents of the plastic bag and gently dropped one on the bed.
"Cana."
"Hm?"
"...this is beer."
"I know right! It's apple-flavored."
He stared blankly at the bottle.
"C'mon, I heard you were dying. Consider this your last drink before you pass out permanently."
"You do know I'll be discharged tomorrow."
"Sweet, another cause for celebration."
He picked up the bottle from the bed and removed the cap using the table ledge beside him. Cana mirrored the action with her own bottle.
"You've got impeccable timing, you know that," he said wryly, raising his bottle.
"Heh, cheers!"
They clunked their bottles and downed their drinks. Cana proceeded to update Gray of all the unsurprisingly catastrophic things happening back at the guild, not bothering to ask him about the light tear stains on his cheeks.
A/N: After two fics, I realized that Cana is fun to write, hehe.
I'm not quite sure what to do with this fic tbh. I was thinking of turning it to a series of oneshots. But if you guys liked the story and want a continuation, just lemme know and I'll see what my little brain can do!
Cheers!