Hello, people. Today is a very special day because my little sister is turning 16. I don't know if I've talked about her before, but she's like my second favorite person in the world. The first is my dog, Carlos. Just kidding, it's my dad. But my precious baby sure has a huge spot in my heart.
But anyways, for Sophia's birthday I have decided to write a piece dedicated to her. Even though she's not a Fairy Tail fan or a Gruvia fan, I know she'll be happy that I decided to honor her with this little one-shot.
The main focus here is the relationship between Gray, Lyon and Ultear; but you can also expect some big Gruvia scenes at the end.
As the summary says, this can be considered a sequel to my other one-shot, I Love You. However, you don't have to necessarily read that story in order to understand this one unless you wish to know how Gruvia came together as a couple.
Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.
You'll Be In My Heart-Phill Collins
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
"Are you sure about this?" Gray asked and Lyon nodded.
"I am. What about you?" The latter turned to Ultear, who stood a few feet behind them, staring at the door.
"I don't know." She sighed. This wasn't easy for her and they knew that. But it was just something that they had to do, the last step in their journey to finally let go of the past so that they could move on to a brighter future.
"Come on, it will be fine." Gray took a few steps until he was in front of her before taking her hand and squeezing it. She couldn't help but to mirror his smile.
"Alright." Lyon slowly opened the door and they followed him inside the house. Everything was just as the two boys remembered; nothing had been changed. It seemed as if the small cottage had survived the test of time because no one would've guessed that the last time someone had been inside it was 18 years before.
"It looks the same." Gray commented once they entered the small living room where he could see the brown colored couch where they would spent many afternoons curled besides Ur while she read them stories. The few book shelves filled with information that she had collected during her journeys were still there as well as the now dusty photographs she used to keep on the table by the couch.
"It's strange." Ultear said while gently touching one of the pictures of herself and Ur. "This looks so different from our old house, yet it feels like home."
"I think it's because of Ur's presence." Lyon suggested, a smile on his face when he picked a book about ice magic that Ur had given him years before.
"Yes. She might be gone, but I can still feel her here." She agreed and Gray nodded.
"Crazy, isn't it?" He asked, glancing around the room as if expecting his former guardian to show up.
"Not at all. I heard some people say that the people we love never truly leave us, so it makes sense that we can still feel her presence." Lyon told him while placing the book back on the shelf.
"It brings me comfort to know that she's not completely gone." Ultear commented while dusting off the picture. A smile came upon her face as she recalled good times spent with her mother.
"Me too." Gray said, placing a hand on her shoulder and they smiled at each other. They had grown a lot closer in the year since he had returned from Tenrou Island.
If anyone were to ask what their relationship was now, there'd be no hesitance as they replied with the honest truth: "We're family."
"So, what do we do now?" Lyon asked and the other two shrugged.
"Shall we check out the bedrooms?" Ultear suggested. They nodded before following her through the small house. The first bedroom they found was the one Gray and Lyon had shared. It was mostly empty except for a few clothes still on the closet. The two boys didn't have many belongings after their houses were torn apart by Deliora, after all.
"Is this where you stayed?" Ultear asked and they nodded.
"Yeah. It actually looks cleaner than when we lived here." Gray said and the three of them laughed. They didn't linger much on that room and quickly moved on to the next. Ur's bedroom. This one was more decorated; the walls were painted in a lilac color and there were more pictures scattered around. A few clothes hang in the open closet and there was a box by the bed.
"What's in there?" Ultear curiously asked and Gray and Lyon shared a look.
"We don't know." The latter replied.
"Ur never opened it in front of us." Gray told her and she took a few hesitant steps before slowly opening the box. She froze upon spotting a familiar teddy bear and long sleeved violet dress.
"I can't believe she kept it." Ultear sniffed, attempting not to cry as she picked the stuffed animal and held it against her chest.
"I remember seeing her holding onto that dress." Gray told her, pointing towards the dress. He too was filled with emotions being back to that house, but for years he had trained his ability to appear unaffected.
"Are you okay?" Lyon asked when they heard Ultear sobbing.
"I'm fine." But she couldn't hold the tears anymore. They began streaming down her face while she held onto the teddy bear. The white haired man wasted no time kneeling by her side before his arms wrapped around her in a comforting hug while Gray watched them with a bittersweet smile on his face.
"It's okay." Lyon whispered and Ultear hang onto him like a lifeline. They also had grown close over the past few months, mostly due to his new relationship with Meredy. The girl Ultear considered to be her own daughter had fallen in love with the ice mage after an unexpected meeting during the battle against Tartarus, when she had saved his life.
Their relationship quickly developed into something more and it wasn't long before he was confronted by Ultear about his feelings for Meredy. She had a hard time accepting that her somewhat brother was in love with her daughter, but in the end all that mattered was their happiness.
So she had supported them through the past year and when the two came with the news that they were expecting a child about two months before, she had been overjoyed. The thought of becoming a grandmother/aunt (she preferred the latter title) was exciting and scaring at the same time.
"I'm sorry to ruin the moment, but I'm kinda starving." Gray said after a few minutes of the three of them reminiscing.
"Yeah, me too." Ultear quickly dried her tears and stood up with Lyon's help.
"Let's get something to eat, then." The three of them walked back to the living room and packed the few things that they'd like to take back with them. Photographs, books and other objects that reminded them of Ur were placed into the large bag that Ultear had brought with her.
When they left the house to grab some lunch, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders and one thing became clear as Lyon helped Ultear put on her coat while Gray held onto her bag: they were family. They might be broken, damaged and dysfunctional, but all that mattered is they had each other.
"I'm so happy for you!" They were in the middle of lunch when Gray revealed to them a secret he had been keeping for a few weeks now: his intention to propose to Juvia.
The two of them had embarked on a relationship about 15 months before, after Gray sacrificed himself to save her during the Grand Magic Games. Ultear and Lyon were told of the ice mage's heartfelt confession about a week later and how, after a lot of convincing from Grays's part, since Juvia had been afraid to be with him after watching him die, the two finally got together.
Their relationship quickly progressed into a wonderful romance and Gray's siblings watched as he became more open and happier. They were glad that he had found someone who loved him and who he loved in return. Even though Lyon had some trouble dealing with the new romance at first since he had been in love with Juvia, he was happy for them and let them be. It was only three months later that his world changed once he met Meredy and fell for her.
Now they were all friends, no, family.
"Congratulations, Gray." Lyon's smile wasn't forced and he reacted with sincere happiness at the news that his little brother was about to propose to the water mage.
"Oh, this is so wonderful." Once again Ultear couldn't hold the tears; she wasn't made of stone after all.
"So, when are you planning on doing it?" Lyon asked and Gray picked something from his coat pocket.
"Actually, I wanted to do it today." He replied while showing them the beautiful ring inside the small blue box. Instead of a diamond at the top, Gray had made a small piece of ice, making the ring unique.
"Really?" The other ice mage stared at him in shock.
"Yeah. I'm sorry I took so long to tell you, but I didn't want to risk Juvia finding out." He told his siblings and Ultear's smile fell as her face changed to offended.
"What makes you think that we'd tell her?" She crossed her arms, suddenly looking threatening.
"Are you kidding? Do you remember when you found out that Meredy was pregnant?" Lyon reminded her, eyebrows raised.
Gray smiled at the memory. About two months before, Ultear had come to the apartment that he shared with Juvia while they were having breakfast and accidentally revealed Meredy's pregnancy, even though the pinkette had asked her to keep it a secret.
"She's got a point." He told their older sister, who sighed.
"Fine." She shook her head, glaring at them for a moment before the smile came back. "It's a beautiful ring, I'm sure that Juvia will love it." She sincerely told him while inspecting the object.
"I hope so." Gray replied, feeling a little nervous.
"Don't be nervous, she loves you." Lyon told him while giving a pat on the back.
"I have no doubt she'll say yes." Ultear added while giving him a reassuring look.
"Okay, I think I'm ready." Gray stood up from his seat before taking the ring from her hands and placing it inside his pocket.
"If you don't mind me asking, why today?" Lyon curiously asked and his smile was as bright as the sun when he answered.
"It's been two years since we met and I know how Juvia loves to keep track of our relationship." He explained, thinking back to all the dates they had celebrated together. Their first kiss, the first time they danced together, their first anniversary, the first time he told her that he loved her. "So I decided to surprise her on this special day."
"How thoughtful." Lyon told him.
"Yes. I didn't know you were such a romantic." Ultear teased and she was pleased when he simply smiled.
"She made me become one." The reply earned him a tight hug from his older sister.
"It might've taken ages, but you've finally grown up." She whispered in his ear and Gray rolled his eyes.
"Thanks, Ultear." He removed his arms from around her and she got out of the way as it was Lyon's turn to embrace him. The hug was quick, but effective.
"Good luck, man." Gray nodded.
"If this doesn't work, can I stay with you for a while?" He turned to his older sister with a pleading look and she laughed.
"Just go." After taking a deep breath, the ice mage turned around and began walking away. As they watched him, Ultear and Lyon shook their heads while smiling.
Gray had truly had come a long way from the clueless, childish and closed off ice mage from 2 years ago.
Gray arrived in Magnolia a few hours later, close to sunset. He didn't know why he suddenly felt so nervous; he knew that Juvia would surely say yes to his question. She had never given him any indications of being against marrying him, much of the contrary in fact. She would be happy.
He got out of the train and passed by a flower shop to get Juvia's favorite flowers, white roses. After that he picked a few items for them to have a picnic on the park as arranged weeks before. Once he stopped by the Fairy Tail guild, he quickly greeted his friends before going towards the table where Juvia was talking to Gajeel about something. As soon as her blue eyes spotted him, a bright smile came upon her face and she quickly stood up and approached him.
"Welcome back, my love." He smiled as well.
"Thank you." Once they were in front of each other, he placed the picnic basket on the table before giving her the bouquet. "Happy Anniversary!" Her smile widened as she took it before smelling the flowers, eyes closed.
"You're so wonderful." She opened them again before giving the flowers to Gajeel, who rolled his eyes though a smile was on his face. "Thank you." She turned back to her boyfriend and Gray wasted no time closing the distance between them, arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
"You're welcome." Her arms circled around his neck before they kissed. It started out soft, but quickly became more intense and passionate as Juvia's hands lowered to his shoulder then chest.
"Okay, you two. I know today is your anniversary, but some of us would like to eat." Lucy called their attention, making them break apart.
"Sorry, we got carried away." Gray gave her an apologizing look.
"It's okay." Erza eyed them with a bright smile; Jellal's arm wrapped around her shoulder casually. The two of them had gotten engaged a few months before and their happiness was contagious.
"It's almost sunset, so we should get going." Juvia said. For some reason she had insisted that they celebrated their anniversary with a picnic by sunset, which fit perfectly with Gray's proposal plan.
"Have fun!" Natsu called with a knowing grin and they smiled back before Juvia took the picnic basket and the couple walked away. They arrived at the guild door just as it was opened by a pregnant looking Levy, carrying a book.
"Hey, you guys." She greeted them cheerfully.
"Hey, Levy. How are you doing?" Gray asked; it had been a while since he had last seen her.
"We're okay." She replied, a hand placed on her stomach.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Gajeel called, having stood up from the table and walked towards them.
"I've rested enough." Levy replied, shrugging.
"But the doctor said…" She sighed and Gray and Juvia took it as a sign that it was time to go before they started arguing. Ever since they found out about Levy's pregnancy 5 months before, the two of them had been constantly getting into fights about her refusal to stay still like Gajeel wanted. The water and ice mages knew better than to be around them before an argument, if they did they'd miss their date and Gray wouldn't get the chance to propose.
They arrived at the park only 15 minutes later and had a nice little dinner like planned. Juvia noticed his nervousness, but didn't think much about it. She was just happy that they were together, for the past few weeks he had been taking many jobs and then traveling with Lyon and Ultear, so she missed him.
"It's so beautiful." She said as they watched the beginning of the sunset, Gray's arms wrapped around her from behind while they lay on the grass. It was truly a beautiful view, but not the one his eyes focused on.
"Yes, it is." She slightly blushed and a smile came upon her face once she realized that he was talking about her.
"You're too sweet." Juvia turned around so that they could share one more kiss.
"I'm so glad we finally got to spend some time together." Gray said once they pulled apart.
"Me too. I've missed you." She added and he nodded before kissing her once again.
They pulled apart a few moments later and decided to go back to watching the sunset. Silence fell upon them until she broke it.
"It's so wonderful being here with you on our anniversary. I feel like this moment couldn't be more perfect." He smiled as the nervousness came back.
"I think it can." She gave him a surprised look once he removed his arms from around her and stood up.
"What do you mean?" Blue eyes stared curiously at him as she stood up as well.
"I mean that I'll try to make this moment even more perfect and memorable." Gray replied while taking her hands, internally praising himself for being so romantic. Usually it was so hard for him, but after so long spent with Lyon, he picked a few things.
"I love you so much." She removed one hand so that it could gently touch his cheek.
"I love you too, Juvia." He took a deep breath before kneeling down and her eyes widened. "It might've taken me a while to realize it, but there is no doubt in my mind that I love you."
"Gray, what…" He interrupted her.
"Let me go first, okay?" She nodded wordlessly. "I don't want to be anymore cliché than I've been so far, so I won't make a long speech about how much you mean to me and how my life's so much better with you in it." He paused, taking another deep breath. "So all I want to say is, I know it's you. I always have, even when I didn't love you. I know you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, so I need to be sure: Do you want the same?"
"Yes." Tears were streaming down her face, but she was smiling brightly and he thought it was so beautiful.
"Crap, I forgot to show the ring." Gray realized and he panicked while searching for it. "Here you go." He opened the small case and showed her the beautiful hand made ring. "Juvia Lockser, will you marry me?" She nodded a few times.
"Yes. Yes." He stood up and hugged her tightly before placing the ring on her finger.
"It's so beautiful. Did you make it?" Juvia admired it, feeling happier than ever.
"Yeah, did you like it?" He didn't even know why he was asking that, her reaction made it clear.
"I love it!" She hugged him once again and they wasted no time in celebrating their new engagement with a breath taking kiss that was interrupted too quickly by the arrival of Lyon and Ultear, god knows from where.
"So I guess you two are engaged?" The latter asked, a large smile plastered on her face.
"How did you know we'd be here?" Gray asked, a bit confused.
"We went to the guild and they told us." Lyon explained before casting a glare at their older sister. "I wanted to wait a bit longer, but someone couldn't wait to see the newly engaged couple."
"I needed to see for myself that you were going to do it." Ultear said and Gray's smile fell.
"Gee, thanks for having faith in me." He rolled his eyes and she laughed.
"Sorry, Gray, but when it comes to grand romantic gestures, you're not exactly the best." Was her reply and Lyon didn't lose the opportunity to tease him.
"I'm glad you managed not to screw this up." Juvia was quick to come to her fiancee's defense.
"He did wonderfully. In fact, I think he's managed to surpass you with that proposal." Lyon's face fell and the smile came back to Gray's face.
"Thanks, Juvia." They shared another quick kiss.
"Can we go celebrate now?" Ultear asked once they pulled apart.
"Actually, I was thinking that the two of us could…" She didn't let him finish the sentence.
"Nonsense. We're family now, so you gotta get used to not having any alone time." The couple stared at her with raised brows.
"You didn't need to put it like that." Lyon warned, but Ultear only shrugged.
"It's the truth. Families do everything together, so we'll celebrate this engagement together. Let me just let Meredy know." She briefly excused herself to call Meredy via lacrima and the trio watched her, shaking their heads.
"Are you sure you want to be a part of this crazy family, Juvia?" Lyon asked after a few moments and the water mage was quick to nod.
"Of course. I've always wanted to be part of a true family." Gray knew it was true; she had talked many times about wanting to be a part of a family as a child.
While Fairy Tail had given her an opportunity, it was marrying him that truly allowed her to become part of the family consisting of himself, Lyon, Ultear and Meredy. It wasn't perfect or ordinary, but it was enough to make Juvia's dream come true and he couldn't be happier for that.
So, what did you think?
Did I do a good portrayal of the characters and the dynamic between them? It was hard sine we've had zero scenes with them acting as a family.
Do you guys like to picture Gray, Lyon and Ultear as siblings? I feel like it was such a missed opportunity and Ultear's death only made it worse.
Gruvia fans, what did you think of the proposal?
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this little story.
I wish you all a wonderful day!