Welcome to the [Mazeverse]-A post Tenrou AU that explores the tangle of romantic relationships between our favorite guild mages through a series of interconnected short stories. Read these as stand-alone pieces, or follow a relationship through its ups and downs by referencing the tags in the description.

Many pairings will be explored (not all at the same time, obviously). Throughout the series, we'll see some: Gruvia, Lyvia, Grayza, Jerza, Nalu, Nali, Lolu, Bixanna, Gale, ElfEver, Miraxus, Laxana, MiraFreed as well as a handful of crackships as we try to pair the spares.


Happy Friday! You guys asked for more Juvia, so here you go! This is a two-parter that was inspired by the 413 Days episode - mostly the idea that Juvia is an absolute disaster in the kitchen... Eventually, I will have a Mazeverse 413 story, but that's later. :)

I had a lot of fun with this one, so I hope you like it. I really appreciate all the support I've gotten from this community on my first story, Schemes, Dreams and Festive Treats, including my very first author follow (thank you freyarob!) It really does means a lot to me. I've been writing since I was kid, but I've always written just for me. This is the first time I'm sharing (which is a little bit scary, let's be honest), so it makes me really glad when I see you guys are reading and enjoying my stuff. - K. Chandler


The light rapping on his apartment door made Lamia Scale's resident Ice Mage groan. "Who could that be?" he grumbled as he dried his sudsy hands on his trousers. He was preparing for company later that afternoon and he was in no mood for interruptions.

Lyon flung the door open. "What do you want?" His eyes widened at the sight of the woman on his doorstep. "Juvia! I wasn't expecting you so early…"

The Water Mage wrung her hands shyly. "Juvia apologizes for the inconvenience. It is just that she is so eager to get started, she really couldn't wait until later."

"It's no problem at all," said Lyon. "Come on in."

He waved her towards his living room, and she nodded as he hung up her coat.

"What a lovely place," Juvia said politely. "Being one of the strongest mages in Lamia Scale must afford you a lot of luxury."

Lyon smirked. As much as he wished to entertain that idea, he knew it wasn't remotely true. "Being on the same team with Iron Rock Jura is what affords me luxury. Tends to get me on the jobs that rack in the Jewel."

"Modest," observed Juvia.

"Honest," he corrected. "Why don't you make yourself at home? I've got to finish up a few things in the kitchen before we can get started. I can get you something to drink, if you'd like."

"…Anything's fine…" murmured Juvia. Her eyes were wide as they wandered the living room.

"Juvia? Is everything all right?"

"…Hmm? Sorry about that!" Juvia flushed under Lyon's gaze. "You see, Juvia was just wondering… if her darling Gray's apartment looked anything like this… Sorry! Juvia didn't mean-"

Lyon chuckled. Juvia was beyond adorable when she was embarrassed.

He frowned as he considered her question. "Gray? He has his own style, I think," he said. "Though his tastes have always been simpler than mine."

Satisfied that Juvia would be fine for a while, Lyon returned to the kitchen, brewing a fresh pot of coffee. He finished scrubbing his breakfast dishes and was rinsing them when Juvia poked her head in.

"Coffee's done," said Lyon, drying a plate with an old towel. "Help yourself. There's creamer and milk in the fridge and sugar up in that cabinet."

Juvia filled two mugs, stirring a splash of cream and a generous amount of sugar into one of them. She took a tentative sip, scrunching her nose. She added more sweetener.

Lyon tried to keep the amusement off his face. It seemed like Miss Juvie had quite the sweet tooth.

"How does Lyon take his coffee?" she asked once hers was to her liking.

"Just cream. A little more….that's good," he said.

"Is there anything else Juvia can do to help?" she asked.

"I'm almost done here. But if you want, you can start getting ingredients out. The recipe's over on the table. After we talked last week, I thought about what sorts of things Gray likes. And I think I found a recipe that's sure to be a hit."

"Spice cookies?" asked Juvia, holding up a weathered recipe card.

"That's right. It's sort of a tradition in the Isvan region. That's where Gray and I grew up. Christmas isn't Christmas without them."

Juvia seemed impressed. Lyon tried not to look too smug.

"Juvia didn't realize that her beloved Gray liked sweets." She brought over the canister of sugar and pulled out a large bag of flour from the cupboard.

Lyon chuckled. "Maybe not as much as you do." He nodded at the coffee in her hands.

Juvia shrugged, clearly used to getting teased for her coffee habit. Then she grinned. "Juvia doesn't know how you can stand to drink that." She shuddered, pointing at Lyon's mug. "But all of Juvia's friends tell her the same thing," she declared mater-of-factly.

Lyon laughed. For someone who seemed so serious and soft-spoken, Juvia had the most animated features.

"There's two recipes here," she said suddenly.

"I almost forgot. The one on the table, I found in a cookbook. It's a more traditional recipe. Basically, it's what most people think of when you say 'spice cookie.'"

"It looks easy enough," said Juvia. "What's the other one?"

"The one in your hand? That's Ur's recipe." Lyon had hesitated to dig out their master's version of the classic cookie. He wasn't sure if bringing Gray face-to-face with their shared past that would dredge up fond memories or feelings of guilt.

Juvia's mouth formed a round 'o.' She understood.

"So it's your choice," said Lyon. "What do you want to do?"

The water mage tilted her head, frowning in thought. "Can we make both?" she asked timidly.

Lyon shrugged easily. "If you want. You do realize that you're taking a risk with…" he pointed at the recipe card clutched in Juvia's hand.

Juvia smiled brightly. "Don't worry. Juvia and Lyon are sure to win Gray-darling's heart. All that's needed is a little faith. And Juvia has faith in Lyon."

Lyon turned away, pressing his lips together to keep from responding. He reached for a large mixing bowl and some measuring cups. Then he picked up a wooden spoon, a whisk and a rubber scraper.

"Did you find everything?" he asked.

"Almost. What's…this?" Juvia's finger hovered over an unfamiliar word.

Lyon craned his neck to see what she was pointing to. "Crecaric?" asked Lyon. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a small bottle filled with small, dark spheres. "It's best to keep them cold until you're ready to use them," he explained, returning them to the fridge.

"What is that? I've never heard of it before."

"It's the spice that makes these cookies so distinct. It's a bit like how cinnamon rolls wouldn't be right without cinnamon."

It was true he always kept some dried Crecaric on hand. Lyon liked to sprinkle some on his toast in the morning when he was in the mood for something sweet.

Fresh Crecaric wasn't easy to get a hold of in this part of Fiore. Aside from a six-hour train ride (both ways), this little indulgence had cost him a pretty penny. He would definitely be taking a few extra jobs next month. But it was all worth it. For Gray. And for Juvia. But mostly for Gray.

The things he did for that idiot.

Lyon helped Juvia to measure out all of the ingredients. He should have suspected when she didn't know to sift flour. Or when she asked why they needed a different measuring cup for the milk than the sugar. Or when he had to show her how to level off the salt she was measuring. But he wasn't until he and his kitchen were covered in flour that he could no longer deny it.

"You don't bake much, do you?" asked Lyon. He wiped the flour from his face with his sleeve.

Juvia squirmed. "Juvia lives in Fairy Hills. The girls' dorm. Juvia doesn't really cook…ever. This is actually Juvia's first time. Maybe her second time…" She tugged at her hair, leaving it streaked with white.

Well. That explained a lot. Lyon scoffed.

"Juvia's sorry for all the trouble, Lyon!" The water mage ducked her head to hide her embarrassed flush. "Juvia guesses she just isn't very good in the kitchen."

If it had been Chelia or Toby, Lyon would likely have thrown them out. But this was Juvia.

Juvia was Gray's friend, so Lyon would be patient with her. And that was the only reason why.

"It's fine," said Lyon, trying not to sound annoyed. The fact that he was grinding his teeth probably didn't help matters. "Why don't you measure out more ingredients while I clean some of this up."

Lyon grabbed a broom and began to sweep up. So she'd never cooked before, huh? And she was attempting to bake for someone else…her crush no less! Lyon couldn't help the fond smile that started to creep across his face. He grabbed a towel to wipe down the counter.

Juvia was an overconfident dolt. That, or her feelings for Gray were truly incredible.

Juvia frowned in concentration as she measured out more sugar.

"You've got some flour…" said Lyon. He pointed at his own cheek.

Juvia squeaked. "Where? Here?" she asked, brushing at her face, smearing the powder around even more.

Lyon tossed her a clean dish-towel.

No, Juvia was just an overconfident dolt. Definitely.

Probably.

"Thank you…" she said, looking sheepish.

"Now, why don't you let me show you how to mix dry ingredients?" said Lyon. He phrased it as a question, but he didn't wait to take the whisk from her before she could cause another disaster.

"You really seem to know your way around the kitchen," said Juvia.

Lyon shrugged easily. "I live alone. I have to feed myself somehow."

"Your female teammates don't ever cook for you? Juvia's Love Rival, that is, Lucy—Lucy makes food to share with Natsu and Juvia's beloved Gray all the time."

"It'll be a couple of years, at least, before Chelia starts trying to poison us. I think she's about the same age as that little Dragon-Slayer girl in your guild."

"Wendy?" asked Juvia.

Lyon nodded. "Sherry will share sometimes," said Lyon. "She makes the best casseroles. But lately, all of her casseroles have been going over to Blue Pegasus." Lyon gave a wry grin.

As soon as Sherry had announced that she and Ren were an item, Lyon had dashed to the station to grab the first train over to Blue Pegasus.

"Oh…Juvia's sorry to hear that. Juvia knows that you and Sherry are close."

Lyon chuckled. "You misunderstand. If that Blue Pegasus Playboy Ren can make Sherry happy, then I don't mind in the slightest. But if he so much as thinks about doing anything that might make her cry, I will personally turn his pretty-boy face into an ice sculpture." Lyon glowered.

"Lyon certainly cares a lot about his friends."

Lyon smiled, amused. "I'm actually doing Ren a favor."

"Oh?"

"He's better off dealing with me than with Jura," Lyon smirked. "I don't think life-sized statues would match the décor at Blue Pegasus, no matter how artistic they look."

It took two more attempts before they had made a dough that Lyon deemed ready to bake.

"Well?" asked Juvia, wringing her hands. She seemed to do that a lot.

Lyon paused, considering. Cinnamon, ginger and crecaric. He let the spices from the cookie dough dance delightfully across his taste buds. "Not half bad."

"Really?"

Lyon pushed the bowl of dough towards her, inviting her to sample it for herself.

Juvia's eyes lit up. "This is delicious!"

"Even better after they're baked."

"It says here we have to let it chill in the refrigerator—"

Lyon reached over and hit the bottom of the metal bowl with a shot of ice. "Done." He smirked.

Juvia giggled. "Sometimes Juvia forgets that Lyon uses the same magic as her darling Gray does."

"It certainly comes in handy," said Lyon.

Juvia sighed contentedly. "Juvia's so happy, these are nearly done!"

"Don't forget that you wanted to make two batches," said Lyon.

"We have to do this again?" asked Juvia, her expression twisting into one of wide-eyed distress.

"It was your idea," he said.

Juvia pouted.

"Do you want Gray to notice you or not?" His words were harsh but his tone teased. "Here." Lyon pressed a large spoon into Juvia's hand. Then he pointed at a baking sheet. "Start scooping."

Even with her culinary skills, or lack thereof, he doubted Juvia would struggle with as simple task like scooping cookie dough onto a baking sheet.

She stuck out her tongue. Lyon laughed. He hadn't expected the shy, polite, tentative Juvia from this morning to turn into this sassy, animated Juvia who was so much fun to tease. He kind of liked it.

"Aren't you going to help?" she asked.

"No," he drawled, crossing his arms.

"Lyon!"

"But if you ask nicely…" he leaned in dramatically. "…I might think about starting on the other batch of dough for you."

Juvia's eyes widened. "You would really do that for Juvia?"

"Sure. But only if you ask really nice," he said, already starting to measure out the ingredients.

"Lyon really is such a kind person," observed Juvia with a sunny smile.

"And I wasn't kind before? I can still change my mind, you know."

"No, Juvia didn't mean it that way. Juvia means that Lyon always pretends to be so…cold. And annoyed…with everybody."

Lyon raised an eyebrow. He imagined he looked plenty annoyed.

Juvia blushed, looking apologetic. "But Juvia believes that deep down, Lyon is a very kind person."

Lyon looked away to hide the flush that threatened to appear.

How did she manage to fluster him this way?

"Lyon doesn't pretend to be anything," he declared carelessly, imitating her distinct verbal tic. "Lyon promised to help Juvia with that idiot Gray. And Lyon keeps his promises. That's all."

"Lyon says that, but Juvia knows better."


So... what do you think of my Mazeverse version of Lyon? I was trying to keep that I'm-so-much-better-than-you, obnoxious edge to him while making him sympathetic.

Did you guys catch Lyon's little dig at Ren? Someone's not too pleased. If you want to read about Lyon wreaking havoc on Blue Pegasus, check out [Mazeverse] A Promise.

Next time, in [Mazeverse] A Wingman for Christmas we bring this story to a close as Juvia asks some tough questions: "Lyon, do you think Juvia should stop calling herself Juvia?" Stop back on Tuesday for Part 2, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.