The first time he sees her is in the park.
She is sitting on a bench, sobbing into her hands, shoulders heaving violently. The rain is pelting down hard, and her curly, blue hair is plastered to her flushed cheeks.
"Hey," he asks concernedly, "are you okay?"
He doesn't know how to deal with crying girls, so when she looks up, mascara smudged and nose runny, he isn't quite sure what to do.
He walks over to her, and awkwardly pats her on the back.
The girl bursts into tears again.
He suggests, "Want to get coffee? We can talk about it, if you want." In truth, Gray has no idea why he's talking to this strange girl, but he feels some urge to comfort her.
She stares at him, and he feels stupid. He's about to say never mind, because she doesn't seem like she's going to accept, when she says softly, "Juvia would like coffee."
They spend the next hour discussing Juvia's diabolical ex–boyfriend ("Bora–san would always leave Juvia alone!") and Gray thinks that this girl is a mix of crazy and awesome; something he likes.
He leaves the coffee shop after a few minutes of Juvia saying: "Gray–sama doesn't need to walk Juvia home! She is fine on her own."
He doesn't see her for a few weeks, and he almost forgets about her––her rosy cheeks, wavy hair, and dark blue eyes––but not quite.
In the early morning, one of the mornings that Gray resents ("Who gets up that early? Damn.") he sees her again. Standing behind a tree, peeking out from the side of the sturdy trunk, stands the girl, hands tucked behind her back shyly.
"Hey," he calls to her. "I remember you––Juvia, right? From a few weeks ago?"
She seems so surprised––she almost faints––that he remembers her that she trips, and lands on her face.
Gray rushes over to her, and squats. "Crap, you okay?" he asks.
Juvia nods vigorously, before replying, "Juvia is okay. She was just surprised that Gray–sama finally noticed her."
Gray nods, before pausing. "Wait––finally?"
Juvia bows her head slightly to cover a hot blush. "Juvia was just… wanting to speak with Gray–sama, sometime."
Gray nods, because he really does know the feeling (if he didn't, he would've forgotten this woman ages ago), and offers, "Wanna go out for coffee again? We can talk, like last time."
And this time, Juvia really does faint.
–fin–