Horror House of Opportunities, a fairy tail fanfic

Good News! I officially have a beta-reader. Thank you very much XXinsidemymindXX for sparing time to review and correct my work. Bless you. :)

Horror House of Opportunities

"No."

"But Gray-sama..."

"I said no."

"Gray-sama has promised Juvia."

"I said no Juvia and that's final."

Gray's rejection could never impair Juvia's spirits. It only pushed her more. You see she had it all planned. Operation: Make Gray-sama fall in love with Juvia. How many times did she try this? Countless. How many times did he say no? Infinite. If Erza was to sell her armors every time the bluenette tried only to be pushed aside, then she would be walking around the guild butt-naked.

So what made the Gray-crazed mage think this time would be different? No one actually knew. Juvia treated every day as a new opportunity to make the ignorant little bastard realize his feelings for her. As long as Juvia lives, she will breathe Gray-sama.

Halloween was fast approaching. She could feel it in the cold and eerie air. She could see it in the town's decorations. Magnolia was covered by all sorts of black and orange and the Fairy Tail guild was no exception. A certain red-head was enslaving everyone to finish her Fairy Tail horror booth.

"You wanna go droopy eyes?"

"Sure thing, slanty eyes!"

The two prepared to attack but before they even landed a punch at each other, Gray and Natsu came flying through the air and crashed into the hard brick wall.

"Now, shut up and finish the booth. We're running behind schedule."

With a constipated look on their faces – probably for trying to smile despite the throbbing pain - they replied an 'okay' in unison. Both knew going against the requip mage would only result in their imminent death.

Erza bossed the rest of the guild around, telling them where to set up the skeletons they rented for the occasion, something that came naturally for the scarlet mage.

"Hey pink hair! Stop touching my ribs. It tickles."

The skull that Gray was holding fluttered its bony jaw. He referred to Natsu who was carrying, apparently, the rest of his body.

"Hey blondie, nice ass."

The skinnier skull was speaking this time and the rest of his bony friends laughed at his remark. Which only annoyed the celestial mage.

Juvia couldn't help but stare at the bare-chested ice mage carrying probably a dozen of flapping skulls in his arms. Now, she felt jealous. She couldn't let these creepy Halloween decors be close to her Gray-sama. She wouldn't.

"Gray-sama, let Juvia carry those for you." She reached for the bundle only for it to be moved away from her.

"I can take care of it, Juvia."

Before she could even reply, one of the skulls opened its loose jaw.

"Oh yes. Let the lady take care of us."

His brows met in a frown. Where did Erza evenget these perverted decorations? Juvia reached for them again. Gray didn't plan on a tugging game but this girl had a strong grip.

"C'mon man, just give it up already. We dig chicks!" One prompted.

"I bet her boings are soft man." Boings? What the hell was this thing saying? And why did they sound like high Caribbean pot smokers.

"You bet it e…"

Gray had enough and decided to freeze the bundle of skulls that he was holding, their mouths agape. The cold stung Juvia's fingers so she pulled her hands fast to her side like she just touched fire.

"I can handle it, Juvia." Gray's voice was firm and final.

Juvia resigned. She admitted her loss. She hung her head low as she let the ice-mage walk past her. She didn't mean to upset her Gray-sama. The bluenette had the best intentions.

She spent the whole afternoon running errands for the mage but her eyes never left the raven-haired boy who was now sitting at a table with Lucy, laughing at who knew what, shirtless. Love Rival. Her mood dampened as the clouds of despair once again hung over her head, little rain and thunders coming from it. A dark aura enveloped her. Juvia exuded the feels Halloween was all about.

What did Juvia do wrong? She thought to herself. Last night, when Erza mentioned opening a horror booth for the Halloween festival, her impossible romantic brain gears sprung to life.

What if Juvia go with Gray-sama? So when Juvia is afraid, she can hold Gray-sama's hands? She clasped her hands in front of her, small hearts floating in her eyes. The current situation was drifting far away. Juvia held Gray's hands while they ran in slow cinematic motion. Pink roses blossomed on the ground their feet just touched. They were laughing together like a love sick teenage couple running towards the sunset. Then, something hit Juvia. She wasn't sure if it was a bird or a brick but it hit her hard. She cried out as Gray was now running alone, away from her.

"Gray-sama! Wait for Juvia!"

Then something hit her again, bigger and harder this time.

"Juvia? Juvia! Are you even listening?"

Erza's brows were furrowed in a frown. She just panned out a large paper in front of the girls and drew a big rectangle on it with two intersecting lines, dividing the larger rectangle into four smaller ones.

"Sorry, Erza-san. Juvia was just pre-occupied." She apologized in a small voice.

Erza refocused herself on her horror both design, much to the annoyance of the entire female population of the Fairy Hills dormitory. Even Lucy skipped The Vampire Tails movie marathon for this and headed over for Erza's so-called 'emergency'. She should explain to her again the meaning of 'emergency'. If the red-head cared enough to sit on the floor, bend down and hurt her back just to finish her drawing then they better all pay-attention.

"I can't do this sober. Who needs some beer?" Everybody lazily raised their hands at Cana's question. She counted the hands and proceeded to the dorm kitchen.

"I'll go with you, Cana." Mira, the ever-caring, soft-spoken mother figure trailed behind the card mage. Who knew she hid a demon within her?

Erza spoke as she added details to her – the girls dare say – plan.

"I want Lissana to leadthe committee of the black forest."

She penned the words 'black forest' inside the upper left box. Since Mira's younger sister controls animal souls, Titania found it useful and convenient to put her in-charge of that portion of the booth.

"Evergreen, you're with her." Erza stated: much to the green-haired, self-proclaimed fairy queen's surprise.

"Why?" Evergreen questioned the odd combination.

Erza continued on without responding. She looked like a war general and the girls were her soldiers. She gave them instructions, clear-cut and precise, like they were about to engage in battle.

"I'll put Lucy in the Ruins. You can be the witch, and Natsu will use his fire for the effects."

Lucy knew it was a bad idea. Letting the dragon slayer use his fire magic could blow the entire situation out of proportion. He would surely overdo it but she didn't have the strength or the courage to refuse Titania. Especially with Erza believing it to be the best idea she ever had. The celestial mage started writing down her last will and testament.

Juvia waited patiently for Gray's name to come up.

"We're back!" Mira announced with the drunken card mage lagged behind her. She carried a tray of six or seven mugs like the expert she was.

Each girl grabbed a mug except for Erza who was still busy studying her drawing.

"Who should I put in the Vampire cave?"

"Why not Gray? He has the looks of a vampire."

Juvia's cruel storm-cloud reappeared above her head. She sent her love rival stare daggers. Lucy covered her mouth, regretting what she just said. She never felt smaller now that the bluenette was hovering over her, promising her hundred different ways to die.

"It's not like that Juvia." Lucy raised both her hands in a gesture of surrender. Her voice was shaking, her body trembled, she feared for her life.

"Yes. Gray would be perfect for it."

Juvia's right eye twitched with Erza's agreement. So even Erza-san is a love rival?

"I'll put him in there."

The water mage's blue eyes grew big. Her jaw dropped. Her hands flew to touch her face. She imagined all the girls that would see her Gray-sama in a vampire costume, all pale and gorgeous. She gasped. They were touching her precious Gray-sama. She panicked. Her plans were ruined.

"Ahmm… Erza-san…" She sheepishly called for the red-head. She rubbed her arm shyly with her eyes on the floor.

"What is it Juvia?"

Now all eyes were on the bluenette, which made her hesitant on what she was going to ask Erza.

"Well, Juvia is…" she stuttered.

"Juvia wants to…" she couldn't get the words straight.

The other girls encouraged her but even if she was all public with her 'little' crush with the freaking tsundere, she still grew red with this small favor she was about to ask. The Fairy Tail ladies giggled in excitement and anticipation. If they could force the words out of their shy friend they would.

"You see, Ju-juvia asked Gray-sama."

Cana gulped down her beer in one gallop. She uh-huhed like she understood the situation perfectly.

"Is Juvia finally getting sexy times with Gray?"

A number of simultaneous gasping sounds filled Erza's room. The Fairy Tail ladies looked in different directions. Their faces painted a surprised and embarrassed expression. Their color turned rosy, redder than the others. It was like that one time when the Scarlet made them watch what she called an 'erotica', a week after the book-sharing where the same woman made them read a fiction that triggered the girls' hormones. They promised themselves they would never go with Titania for a movie-marathon or for a girl's night, ever.

When realization struck the clueless Juvia, she stood up and flailed her hands in front of the drowsy Cana.

"No. JuviaIsNotHavingSexyTimesWithGraySama." She explained in one breath.

Erza felt relieved. Not because she didn't want Juvia to finally do it with Gray. She just didn't want the two to beat her on it. Her competitive side was kicking in. She placed a hand on the bluenette's shoulder.

"You want to try the horror booth with Gray?" Erza asked.

Juvia lowered her gaze down her shoes – they became more interesting. She nervously played with her fingers and nodded.

"Gray-sama promised."

Gray and Juvia were on a mission last Halloween. It took them a day more than they have expected to finish the mission and return for the festival. The girls planned trick-or-treating before they left and the water mage was looking forward for it. It was her first time to celebrate Halloween in Magnolia, and to celebrate it with her new friends, plus the fact that a new horror house was built near the guild. She wanted to try it out but she didn't have a chance. She was depressed during the whole ride back to the guild. Gray, feeling guilty for the delay, promised to go with her the next year.

Her friends nodded in understanding. Erza was even proud with her child-hood nakama. Gray could really be sweet if he wanted to. A certain idea popped in her scheming mind.

Juvia woke up tired but very pleased. She entered the guild hall full of determination. Her closest friends had offered to help her, even her love rival. Scratch that. Even her love rivals. Now all she had to do was to convince Gray to go with her. That's the beginning of her dilemma. The ice-mage just kept saying no.

She tried begging, no results. She moved on to Plan B: The Guilt-trip.

"Gray-sama said a true mage should honor his words."

"Well…" Gray scratched the back of his head, uncomfortable. Looks like Plan B was working, but the ice-mage wouldn't go down that easily.

"Why do you even want to try it? It's stupid."

Mira, who was diligently wiping the glass, overheard their conversation. She stopped and froze. The glass dropped on the floor and caught Gray and Juvia's attention. The silver-hair's smile was turning into a downward curve. The weight of his words dawned on the ice-mage. The horror booth was actually Mira's idea.

"Mira, I didn't mean to…"

But too late. Mira cried like a baby.

"C'mon Gray-sama! The line's getting longer."

He didn't know what came to him to even agree in going to Erza's horror both. Gray just let Juvia drag him towards the entrance. Elfman and Bickslow stopped them in their tracks. They laid out their hands and asked for the ticket. Gray searched his pockets. It was empty. He searched both the front and back pockets but no tickets was found. Juvia was growing impatient.

"Did Gray-sama forget to buy the tickets?"

Gray smiled nervously. Did he? It probably slipped his mind.

"It's okay, guys. Let them in."

They both took in Erza's costume for tonight. She was wearing her sexy cat suit that covered almost nothing. Juvia's hands were itching to cover her beloved's now tainted eyes. Juvia should have worn a sexy kitten costume too. The water mage thought. She checked herself and concluded she was under-dressed. Juvia needs to top Erza-san. She felt bad. Erza orchestrated this whole plan. She even let them in for free. How can she think badly of her friend? But still, Juvia needs to wear something sexier. With that thought she excused herself and returned wearing a short and skimpy maid outfit.

It took a minute or so for Gray to adjust at Juvia's change of getup. The lump in his throat was hard to swallow.

"Gray-sama, would you like to go in now?"

Her voice was small and slightly embarrassed. She was taking her character very seriously. Now he felt odd only wearing his usual white coat. And to top that, men did it just got hot in here? The cold October air did nothing on the heat that engulfed his whole body. He shifted in his place and cleared his throat to refocus himself.

"Sure."

He didn't catch the wink the requip mage gave his companion before they entered.

The first section of the horror booth was the radioactive. Erza gave her specific instructions the night before. In order for this night to be a success, she had to stick to Erza's plan. She was hesitant at first but the promises the red-head gave her was enough to bring her on board.

She snaked her small hands in his. He didn't seem to mind. She mustered her courage and interlocked her fingers with his and even leaned her head on his broad shoulders. She was in heaven.

Gray led her to the pathway that ran to the next section of Erza's horror booth. He thought they would leave unscathed when out-of-nowhere a horde of zombies jumped on them. He didn't know if the shrill scream came from Juvia or him.

Wakaba straightened his crouched posture. He exchanged questioning looks with the rest of his friends-turned-zombies.

"Gray screamed like a girl!"

Then the zombie horde exploded into a thundering laughter.

They made it to the dark forest. Gray released his grip from her and placed both his hands on his knees. He panted for air. Juvia wondered. They didn't run that long or far.

"Does Gray-sama need some time to recover?"

"No." Puff.

"I just need some…" Puff.

"Air." Puff.

This was it. This was her chance. Levy told the girls about the time she shared her air with Gajeel in Tartarus. Although the solid script mage claimed it was only because the iron dragon slayer needed it and he was the closest to her location.

Could Gray-sama be asking for a… a… a kiss? Her hands flew to cover her now reddened face. Roses began to bloom in her imagination. Her eyes glistened with different impossible scenarios rolling in her mind. This could be the first time that Gray ever thanked her spacing out on him. She's probably lost in her own world again. He smiled.

Only the thought of Erza's specific instructions pulled her back to reality. Time for Phase 2. She removed her hands from her face at once and put it on Gray's. She cupped his adorably frowning face. Gray was alerted when the space between them grew thinner. Juvia had her eyes closed as she moved closer to him.

"Oi, Juvia. What are you doing?"

Gray panicked that her face was just an inch from his. He could feel her breath. Juvia's luscious pink lips filled his vision. He froze.

Both of them jerked back when they heard a sudden and big explosion. They tried to adjust with the foggy cloud that enveloped the place. Could it be part of the show? They both weren't sure. Nonetheless, their eyes were still watchful. When the smoke cleared, a toothy fire dragon stood proud on a mountain prop.

"Natsu, you idiot! I'm not the sacrifice. I'm the witch!"

Gray wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh or take pity on the celestial mage. She was trapped in one of the rings of what he made out as an infinite loop. He knew what worried her as he watched the fire trail take form to fill the eight-looking curve.

The idiot Lucy referred to ignored her cries. Natsu jerked his head back inhaled a large amount of air before breaking into what the ice mage thought as the most stupid evil laugh he ever heard. He shook his head and grabbed his partner's hand without throwing a glance at the comically horrific scene playing out in this part of the horror booth. Erza never learned from trusting the dragon slayer with this kind of tasks.

Juvia wasn't sure how and when she was separated from her Gray-sama. She was now wandering alone in an eerie room bumping against what seemed to be cloth-covered furniture. She recognized the shapes the white cloth formed.

"Now, Juvia is all alone. Where did Gray-sama go?" Juvia searched the place only to realize she was abandoned.

She was no closer to her goal than after they left poor Lucy to her destiny of being fried alive. Her plans were working fine, what happened?

Last time he saw Gray was at the boundary between the Black Forest and House of Dracula. He was arguing with his fellow ice mage, Lyon. The whole forest would have turned to ice if it wasn't for Erza and her pint-sized patience that broke the argument apart. To her surprise, Gray grabbed Lyon's hands and they both disappeared behind Dracula's door.

The loud ruckus in this part of the booth brought her here. She heard them holler at each other.

Why you? You dragged me here! Where is that woman?

But there was no sign of the two stripping mages when she arrived.

"Does this mean Gray-sama chose Lyon-sama over Juvia?" Gasp.

Her lifeless body whirled in oblivion. She was sucked in total darkness. In her imagination, that is.

Juvia felt a tight grip on her wrist. She was pulled and throwninto a long wooden box. The culprit placed a heavy covering on top and her vision turned pitch black. She blindly touched the surface, trying to find some lever or escape. The water mage moved around. She lied on her stomach, then on her back. Even if the space was small, she concluded, the box was big enough to fit a person. Her fingers clenched into fists. Before she could force the covering upward, it opened up. She would have escaped on her own if it wasn't for Gray's concerned face that greeted her. He helped her out of the box and when she looked behind she realized she was stuffed in a coffin.

A loud gasp broke their brief reunion.

"How dare you Gray!"

It was Lyon, cladded in a long black cape resembling Dracula's. He snatched Juvia away from Gray.

"What were you doing to my Juvia?"

The Lamia Scale's ice mage pulled a disgusted look. He stared at Gray from head to toe. The younger ice mage wasn't wearing a shirt. His disgust turned to anger. Lyon was ready to punch Gray when Juvia used her body to block him.

"Ah… Ano… Lyon-sama! Gray-sama is just helping Juvia out of the box."

"And what are you two doing inside the box?" He accused them like how a husband would of his cheating wife and her lover.

"C'mon Juvia. You don't need to explain." Gray's voice was casual but sharp.

Juvia couldn't help but notice how the mood of the younger ice mage turned sour.

"Where are you taking my Juvia?"

Lyon couldn't move his feet. He lowered his gaze only to learn that his fellow pupil had literally iced him on the floor. He called out for Juvia, cursing Gray under his breath but the two were no-where in sight.

Juvia panicked. They were heading to their last destination and she hadn't moved on to the next step that Erza told her to.

"The last part would be the grave yard. By then, Gray should have asked you to be his girlfriend."

You know, in Titania's world, everything went according to her plans.

"Oi, Juvia! Get your head straight."

"Yes, Gray-sama."

They tiptoed over the muddy ground. Their steps were careful and measured. The night proved to be full of surprises and uninvited guests. Juvia's hand were still clasped in Gray's bigger one. He was guiding her way. The two stopped dead in their tracks when the ground shook. Juvia wasn't particularly oblivious to what was happening. Erza already briefed the girls last night. Partly, for Juvia to use this knowledge to her advantage.

Gray pulled the water mage against him. He enclosed her body in a protective embrace. Juvia's vision was then filled with a bare chest. Oh. Gray-sama lost his shirt along the way. Again.

Arms popped out of the grounds. Dead bodies began to rise out of their graves. They slowly crawled towards the two in the middle of the cemetery. Gray's embrace tightened around Juvia but she didn't mind. The water mage was actually enjoying it. A new step for Juvia. She thought.

The stubborn raven-haired started to step on the arms that was tugging on his pants and climbing up Juvia's legs. Gray never broke their embrace.

"Just keep stepping on them." He ordered.

The growls turned into words.

"Ouch. Gray, stop it!"

They both almost didn't recognize Levy with her decaying make-up on.

"Oi, sprinkler! That's gotta hurt."

"Juvia is sorry, Gajeel-kun. She didn't know it was you."

"Well, that was kind of the point." He barked while he rubbed the sore muscle on his biceps.

"Well, you can let go. No one's coming for you now."

Gray became highly aware that Juvia was still snuggled against his bare upper body. He pulled his arms back to his side and distanced himself a little from the water mage which she clearly objected.

Juvia motioned to jump on the ice mage when Gajeel pulled her by the collar of her dress. She dangled her feet while trying to wiggle her out of iron dragon slayer's tight grip. How many times did he tell her to hold it out for Stripper a little and not lay out all her cards?

Gajeel found himself holding on to a discarded skimpy French maid costume. Stripper, true to his name, managed to strip down to only his boxers. Seemed like he rubbed off on Juvia because the once shy water mage was only wearing a baby blue lacy bra and panties. To his horror, the two obscene idiots laid on the ground, with Sprinkler on top of him, clad only in their tiny underwear. Juvia skipped and jumped to Phase 3: Skin to skin.

"Gray-san! Juvia-san!"

The repulsed young dragon slayer covered her now corrupted eyes with her hands. Not only did the two demonstrate a bold display, they ended at Wendy's foot.

"Ju-ju-juvia-chan?"

Somehow, Lyon managed to escape the cold trick Gray played on him, only to catch them in this very compromising situation. His jaw dropped nearly on the floor. Her Juvia, as he claimed, was nuzzled against his love rival's bare chest with little hearts floating in her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

The distant screams grew louder and louder. It was approaching the graveyard. As it came closer, it also became clearer that the screams were coming from a group of children. The adults of the room were alerted but alas, it was too late.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"Juvia apologizes Erza-san. It was all her fault."

The red-head heard screams from the last portion of her horror booth. She smiled with satisfaction. It was Erza's mission to scare the hell out of the people of Magnolia, just for the occasion. She didn't expect she would be subjected to a questioning when the townspeople accused the guild for tolerating indecent behavior.

True, it was she who taught the Gray-crazed maniac the moves but none of her instructions included pulling a raunchy spectacle in front of a lot of people, especially young eyes.

"Juvia will take full responsibility."

Juvia hang her head down in shame. She was so into the moment that she acted on impulse – which made the Scarlet sigh in frustration. She shifted her deathly glare between the two culprits.

Gray was nursing the back of his head. The great Scarlet hit him at the back of his head when she found out about their little show. Juvia got away with a scolding which totally annoyed him.

"Well, tomorrow you have to start on your community duties."

The ice mage wanted to protest but he knew better. No one would dare complain to Titania when she's sporting a deathly dark aura. Erza left the two of them to deal with the angry townspeople and their traumatized children.

"Juvia is sorry Gray-sama. She didn't mean to drag you into this mess."

Gray knew he walked right into her trap and he was sure she didn't intend how their night ended.

"It's okay Juvia. I know you didn't mean to."

"Hey! You two. Separate!"

Juvia promptly moved back to her side of the holding cell. The burden that bothered her lightened when she saw the small smile on Gray's face – reassuring her. He wasn't mad at her, though he had all the right to. The two had to spend the night in the Magic Council's jail.

"And put your shirt back on for goodness sake!"

He grumbled words she didn't completely understand. She softly giggled.

Well, Gray and Juvia's relationship may not have moved further from where they were before they entered the horror booth but knowing the water mage, being able to hold her Gray-sama's hands and appreciate his muscular chest in the closest proximity were a sure step-up for her.

Besides, there's always Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's, usual days and a whole lot of other opportunities. She just had to find them.

UPDATED: 01/02/15

Author Corner

Author's Note:Trick or treat?This is a treat for Halloween and although I know it's a tad late still, it's Gruvia. They're timeless.

Also, let me know what you think. Reviews are highly appreciated. :)

I'd like to thank my new found friends NeverInUrWildestDreams and . Thank you so much guys for reeling me in back to the Gruvia

Ship when I feel like falling off board. You guys are the best. And to the rest of you, my fellow Gruvia mates, let's keep the ship sailing.

Aye aye!