The Midnight Madness, a fairy tail fanfic

Cover Image by 瑞 (trivial)

I followed XXinsidemymindXX and italized the dream/flashback type of paragraph so watch out for that. Thanks girl!

The Midnight Madness

The sounds of metal clinking and nails being hammered echoed through-out the town plaza. The townsfolk of Magnolia watched the members of Fairy Tail walk around the square, carrying lumbers and tools like laborers - underpaid laborers. They complained and cursed under their breaths as they carried on with their task.

Erza Scarlet stood tall and proud, donned in her orange suit, her some kind of a blueprint in her hands, watching her masterpiece coming to life. Earlier that day, she gathered her herd of grouchy men and half-told, half-forced them to build a giant ball that they would drop on strike of midnight like what they did in the now destroyed Appletown. They would invite everyone, including the previous residents of the ruined town, to watch and do a countdown while they all wait for New Year to come.

The girls brought in food and beverages to help out the guys replenish themselves.

"Gray-sama, Juvia brought you Juvi-bread."

"Oh. Thanks Juvia."

Gray dropped the lumber he was carrying and moved it to the side. He hesitantly walked towards the water-mage and her platter of Juvi-bread debating whether he should eat the pastry with an image of Juvia or not. He looked around to see if anyone was watching them and when the coast was clear he let hunger take over and motioned to grab one but his fingers touched nothing.

"Thank you Juvia, this is really good!"

"Natsu-san! That's for Gray-sama!"

Juvia ran after the fire dragon slayer who was now carrying the platter of bread and gobbling down the poor thing. The water-mage was near to tears as she found herself inadequate to Natsu's speed.

"You moron, that's mine!"

Gray joined in the chase, bent on getting back the Juvi-bread which was originally his.

Juvia was sitting on the bench, angry about Natsu finishing the entire platter without leaving even just crumbs for her Gray-sama. Because of that, her love rival had the chance to offer him some of her bread instead. And she woke up early to bake them.

"Oi, Juvia!"

"Eep! Cana-san!"

Cana grabbed her breasts to get the bluenette's attention and she succeeded. She teared up laughing when the water mage meekly crossed her arms over her breasts in a protective manner.

"What's with the frown?"

Juvia let her guard down and confided to her friend.

"Natsu-san ate the Juvi-bread Juvia prepared for Gray-sama so he had to eat love rival's food!" The water-mage boiled at the memory. She looked like ready to attack someone, anyone who went the wrong way.

"Relax, it's just bread." Her off-comment sent the bluenette into a rampage.

"Juvi-bread is not just bread, Cana-san! It's like Natsu-san ate Juvia too."

She explained to her as if it was the most obvious thing. Cana couldn't help but feel stupid in the way Juvia was looking at her right now. The card mage swore the furious little thing was ready to beat the hell out of her. She slowly took a few steps backwards, all set to run the hell away from Juvia.

"Well... Okay. I think Erza's calling me." And she did. Cana ran like her life depended on it.

Juvia slumped down the bench. Great! She just scared away the only friend willing to listen to her. She covered her face with both her hands to hide her tears. Luckily, Erza was walking and spotted her figure on the bench. She made her way to the water-mage to ask what she was doing there alone.

"Juvia?"

She looked up and found the requip mage approaching her.

"Erja-chaaaaan!"

Erza listened attentively as the water-mage relayed the story. Even if the sobbing made Juvia's words incomprehensible, Titania got most of it. She understood perfectly what had to be done. A glint of pride shone through her chocolate eyes as a new plan organized itself in her mind.

Juvia reviewed the list in her mind.

"Red underwear, stand beside Gray-sama the whole night and kiss Gray-sama at twelve!" She squealed on the last part.

Alas, Juvia was on her third and newest mission, Operation: Make Gray-sama stay with Juvia the whole night, kiss Juvia when the clock strikes at twelve and eventually fall in love with Juvia. It was the longest-named mission she had so far and she was convinced that this time she was finally getting the kiss.

Juvia stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the familiar pink logo at the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure if the hard hammering of her heart was due to the fact that she was shy and nervous about the whole thing or because she was a little bit excited about it. The bluenette inhaled deeply before finally pushing the shop door open.

"Good Morning! Welcome to Victoria's Secret."

"Oi, Juvia!"

Juvia froze. It felt like someone threw a bucket of ice cold water over her. She couldn't even order herself to turn around to face the fire dragon-slayer who sounded so happy to find her in this embarrassing situation.

Natsu roamed his eyes around the Victorian-styled shop, trying to take in all the evidence and make a conclusion. He walked around the water-mage who was rooted in her place and stopped half-way to face her.

"What are you doing here?"

"N-Na-Natsu-san..."

Juvia tried her best to greet the man whilst the sudden rush of blood up her head.

"J-j-juvia's here to-Well it's a woman's shop so..."

The blushing bluenette prayed that Natsu would realize how awkward the situation was soon without her blurting it out.

"Oh, okay."

She finally relaxed when the fire dragon slayer retreated and left her to be. But it was cut short when she heard a sudden thump coming from her left. Juvia's eyes grew big in shock when she found the pink-haired bastard rummaging through the underwear displays in the drawer.

"So this is where Lucy gets her stuff." He sounded amused.

Juvia found herself agreeing that Natsu was out-of-place and she needed to get him out of there soon.

"So you mean you can eat this stuff?"

She spotted the pink-haired at the 'EDIBLES' section dangling underwear a shade darker compared to his hair, with an equally curious Exceed staring at the obscene thing. Yeah, really soon.

"Natsu-san!"

Natsu and Happy looked up to her.

"Juvia thinks... Juvia thinks Natsu-san and Happy should get back to the plaza now." Juvia was practically shoving the dragon slayer out the door.

"Erza-san will be mad when she learns that Natsu-san and Happy are not there to help."

"But you're not helping too."

She should think of a better lie to get her out of this little Natsu situation but she couldn't think fast under Salamander's questioning glare while he impatiently stomped his feet on the floor as he waited for her smart get-back.

"Well..." She was buying some time. "That's because...That's because Erza-san gave Juvia a specific task." Technically, it wasn't a lie because it was the red-head's idea.

"Oh yeah? And what is it?" He challenged.

Juvia didn't have the nerve to tell him.

"Well..."

Juvia was about to crack. Her body was starting to melt into little bullets of sweat and she was about to evaporate. Good, she thought. If she just vanished into thin air then she didn't have to deal with the tenacious dragon slayer. But she was a soldier on a mission and Juvia Lockser must not give up in the name of love.

"Well... Erza-san said it's top secret. Only she and Juvia should know about it." Her voice was resolute.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. He stared at the sweating water-mage intensely as if the action itself would get her to tell the truth. It almost did but like him she was persistent as well. The fire dragon-slayer made that annoyed sound he makes and walked past Juvia, not buying the crap she was giving him.

Luck was never on her side because the storekeeper chose that moment to come out and bring her the different types of underwear she asked for earlier. They ranged from the typical bikini type to the totally absurd T-front with different shades of red.

"Are you buying panties?"

But in the way the petite woman was hidden from the mountain of intimate apparel she was carrying, it looked like Juvia was buying the whole Fairy Tail female population a pair.

"Sir, you can wait here while your girlfriend goes through all her options."

Some men would feel uncomfortable sorting through female 'stuff' or just being around them, publicly. They wouldn't be caught dead inside a female apparel shop let-alone actually shopping in it but not Natsu. Natsu let the brunette woman guide him towards the lavish chesterfield sofa. The dragon-slayer threw his head back with his hands interlocked behind it and put his feet on the table in front of him making himself shamelessly comfortable.

And did the woman just say she's his girlfriend? Juvia was alarmed by the brunette's misconception and immediately corrected her.

"Ano... Lady-san, Juvia is not Natsu's girlfriend!"

The Victoria's Secret shop had received a lot of couples like them. The two accommodating storekeepers giggled and silently squealed on the cute way the bluenette denied the accusation. They thought couples on their first or second month together were still shy and easily embarrassed in admitting about their relationship so the two girls let them to be. They gave the denying couple a knowing smile before the younger of the two laid out the varied underwear on the table. At that moment, Juvia wished the ground would swallow her.

Juvia and Natsu walked back to the plaza in a leisured pace. The latter had his fingers interlocked at the back of his head in his usual laid-back style while the bluenette hanged his head low; totally exhausted from the constant teasing Happy did on them. She had to deny the cat's accusation of her liking the fire dragon slayer every step of the way. One time she even smacked him with the paper bag she was now clutching.

"Juvia likes Natsuuuu~"

Too bad all her physical harm against Happy didn't slow down the teasing even until they reached the almost finished New Year ball tower.

"Hey Flame-brain!"

"What, ice princess?"

Juvia's heart leaped a mile when Gray just popped out-of-nowhere, sporting his usual furrowed brows and piercing eyes.

"Where were you? We're all here working our asses off and I haven't seen you all day."

He made his way towards them, shirtless of course, with a shovel in one hand resting on his shoulders.

"I was with Juvia the whole day."

Natsu's off-hand answer threw the ice-mage off-guard for a moment but he recovered before Juvia noticed it. He turned his back on them and said his next words brusquely.

"Then come and help."

Gray carried on his task quietly the rest of the day. He didn't feel like talking to someone and the others, who witnessed the 'confrontation',decided wisely not to even pass-by Gray's line of vision.

"Gray. Ahmmm... Have you seen Erza?"

"No."

"Oh, okay."

And if they really had to make a conversation with the obviously upset ice-mage, he replied a short, mostly one-worded response. When he was done with his assigned job he isolated himself from the group and waited for the program to begin in silence.

A festive mood enveloped the entire plaza. Families, friends and individuals wandered around and enjoyed the kiosks the Fairy Tail mages put up earlier. It was a picture of a perfect New Year's Eve where the Magnolian townsfolk enjoyed themselves and mingled with the people of Appletown. Except for a certain ice-mage who looked totally crestfallen, just hanging around a corner.

Juvia, on the other hand, stared up the hands of the clock tower, waiting for them to point to twelve, while staying at close proximity to her target of course. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger with every tick of the clock's hands.

She only had one problem though –

Natsu seemed to be everywhere, literally.

"Oi, Juvia! You should try this dolphin cake. It looks like you."

Juvia pushed his hands with contempt while Natsu fed her the finger-sized treat with all passion. Since when did they reach this level of comfort? Yes, they were friends but not friends 'friends'.

Every time she tried to 'accidentally' stand beside Gray, Juvia got dragged in whatever mess Salamander got himself into like burning up Lucy and Lisanna's barbecue stand or intentionally knocking down Erza's homemade cookies. She would then find herself abandoned by her Gray-sama.

Finally, she cornered him at Mira's juice booth toying with the drink in his hand. The older woman acknowledged her with a warm smile, knowing what she was up to. Juvia squealed inwardly when Gray looked up from his cup when he heard her name. She took this as a positive sign and moved closer to him stealthily, not having the slightest idea of the boy's sour mood.

"Gray-sama–"

"–gather up everyone! We're about to start the countdown."

Juvia only let him out of her sight for a second and when she turned back to him he was no longer there. She saw him making his way towards the gathered crowd and easily lost him in the pool of people at the center of the Plaza.

"Gray-sama!" she called out longingly.

Juvia followed him through the crowd and struggled to keep up with his pace. She was on the brink of crying when every raven-hair she saw turned out to be a disappointment. No, she wasn't drank but her whole world spun and she almost lost her consciousness in the kaleidoscope of colors surrounding her. It felt like searching for needle in a haystack. Juvia was barely holding on when she bumped into someone, lost her balance and fell on her butt. But the water-mage ignored the throbbing pain on her bottom because, at last, she hit the jackpot.

"Gray-sama!"

The feeling was indescribable - like discovering a cure for cancer or finally finding that thing you were looking for ages ago. So she did what she does best, Juvia clung to Gray like he was the fallen door floating on the boundless sea – her only way of survival.

Juvia dragged the complaining ice mage towards their group of friends, despite the latter's obvious discomfort, when the mayor of the now extinct Appletown went up the stage to express his gratitude towards the people of Magnolia and the Fairy Tail guild. Gray sneakily untangled his fingers from hers but the water-mage's grip was as firm as her disposition. He gave up, eventually, letting Juvia lean against him as they waited for the clock to strike twelve.

Three minutes. Juvia glanced at the clock tower. Three more minutes and she was finally getting that kiss. Two minutes. Her heart raced. One minute. Juvia let go of Gray's hand and faced him. Her blue longing eyes bored to his. She didn't mind missing the ball drop. What was important to the water-mage was the man in front of her, staring at her in confusion.

Gray looked around. Everybody seemed to be standing in pairs and, honestly, it bothered him a bit. He turned his attention back to the water-mage, who was still staring at him with dreamy eyes, to get some answers about the weirdness that hang in the air but before he could even open his mouth the countdown started.

The numbers rang in his ears. He didn't quite know what the fuss was about countdowns but everyone was so into it. When the count reached one, Gray got goose bumps. The pairs surrounding him and Juvia kissed like it was the most normal thing to do and it made the two uncomfortable. They both looked away to hide the growing blush on their cheeks.

"Gray-sama should kiss Juvia now." She sheepishly informed.

"What? Why?!"

"Traditions."

It suddenly became clear. That was the thing Erza was reminding him about, non-stop. Gray contemplated on whether he should comply with this crazy tradition or simply ignore it but Juvia already had the answer before he came up with his own.

"Gray-sama must kiss Juvia! It's tradition." Her resolve got the ice-mage to hesitantly agree.

"Fine."

Juvia felt like all the mini Gray fan girls inside her held hands and jumped collectively. The bluenette shut her eyes close, anticipating the moment the ice-mage's lips touch hers. She mustered all her willpower to get hold of herself and not melt, literally, in front of the man. She failed too many times but this time wasn't one of those. Tonight, on New Year's Eve, Juvia would finally succeed.

Gray stared at the woman in front of her. He wasn't really against the idea of planting a soft peck on her pink lips. No. As a matter of fact, his inner Gray was almost shoving him to do it. So, he complied. Inner Gray should never be disobeyed or else he would stay up all night thinking about inappropriate thoughts, really inappropriate Juvia-related thoughts. Gray looked around one more time, making sure none of his nosy friends were watching them and when the coast was clear he slowly leaned in.

Gray trained his eyes on the bluenette's pink glossy lips, closing the distance between them. He placed a hand at the small of her back and pulled her closer. The lump on his throat was hard to swallow. His heart was pounding so hard he could almost hear it beat because if he was being honest, he was actually nervous. Gray Fullbuster was nervous as hell and there was only one reason: she was close, so close he could feel her warm breath against his reddened cheeks. But instead of pulling her in for a short sweet kiss, he found himself shoving her out of the way.

"Look-out!"

Gray pushed Juvia out of the potentially dangerous gigantic ball rolling down their way. He immediately got up his feet and shouted at a certain dragon-slayer balancing his body on top of the running ball.

"You moron!"

Gray's other guild mate's ran after Natsu, cursing at him, bent on hurting the guy for ruining what they spent the whole day constructing. He wanted to join in the mob when he remembered about Juvia.

He averted his attention away from the angry mob chasing after a giant ball and back to the water-mage who was still lying on the ground. Gray panicked. He might have just pushed the girl hard. The raven-haired motioned to help her up when he saw a glimpse of red under her skirt. He wanted to look away but his curious eyes wouldn't let him. So Gray just stood there, unknowingly admiring Juvia's red panties.

Juvia managed to get up her feet, no thanks to the useless ice-mage standing in front of her. She brushed her dress clean with her hands and returned to the task at hand.

"Gray-sama, Juvia thinks–"

The words were barely out when Gray planted a quick light peck at the corner of her mouth. Juvia felt like all the air inside her left her body. Was she dreaming? She slapped herself a few times. No she wasn't. Gray was still standing in-front of her, rubbing his neck awkwardly. He glanced at her then turned away to hide the undeniable flush on his face.

"Don't look so surprised."

"Gray kissed Juviaaaaaa~"

Happy just popped out of nowhere. His round eyes were filled with little hearts as he clasped his hands together and announced the kiss to the world. Juvia hadn't fully recovered when she heard a collective gasp behind her. She spun around to see the giant ball come to a sudden halt. Natsu was still on top of it, frozen like a mannequin. A few heads popped out the ball's sides with their mouths hang open. Then, eternal silence fell upon them like the calm before the storm: You didn't know when but you knew it was coming.

"You call that a kiss?!"

Gray's eyes crossed when Erza drew out her sharpest sword and pointed it at him. He watched in horror as an ominous aura enveloped the woman. The raven-haired boy wasted no time and ran for his dear life with the requip mage closing in behind him.

And yes, Erza Scarlet was the deadliest storm of all.

Author's Corner

HEY HEY HEY! Move over 2014 because the new year is here! I want to start by apologizing for this being so late. I totally lost track of the date and thought I was early my schedule but voila, I wasn't. And the Juvi-bread wasn't all original but I really think it was cute so I had to put it in there. And yes I love JuTsu. I'm starting to fall in love with Natsu and I really want to pair him up with Juvia. Don't worry I know they'll never gonna sail canon land so keep calm NaLus. I just love the idea of Natsu and Juvia together. I usually have a lot to say before posting but damn I forget every time.

Happy New Year to the best of friends I met over late 2014.

NeverInUrWildestDreams, XXinsidemymindXX, P. FullbusterBelieve, mgaa I love you girls so much and see you more in 2015. Don't you guys ever forget me!

To my other readers, I hope to see more of you guys too in 2015. Love you!

Please don't forget to leave reviews! Muah.