"You're beautiful, you know that, right?" He emphasizes his words with a sweep of his hand through her silky blue locks, bringing his face close to hers as he presses a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. His palm rests on her cheek, thumb rubbing slow circles over her skin.

She lets her eyes flutter shut at the kiss, and a smile twitches on the corners of her lips as she nods. Her hand comes to rest over his on her cheek, fingers threading through his. "Juvia knows…Lyon-sama tells her that every day."

It's true; not a day passes when he compliments her like this. Usually, it's in his good morning or goodnight greeting, but he still makes a habit of it to remind her how special she is whenever he can. Lyon is a true gentleman in every sense of the word; he treats her like a queen, and he cuddles like he knows she loves to, kisses like she always wants, and when he makes love to her, it's like he knows nothing else except how to bring her the most intense pleasure.

"I just want to make sure you know," he tells her, and he claims her lips in a tender, loving kiss, tongue dipping past her teeth and into her mouth for that sweet taste he loves so much. She returns it, brow knitting together in concentration as her lips move in time with his, and it isn't long before he pulls away from her, standing up straight again and slipping one hand into his pocket. "I'll be gone for a few days this time, okay?"

Juvia leans back against the wall, hiking her legs up to press her feet to the other side; the window is to her right, giving her a perfect view of the outside world, and the cushion beneath her is plush, comfortable. Eyes slowly shifting towards him, she speaks to him in a quiet tone. "Are you sure you don't want Juvia's company?"

Lyon nods, a quiet chuckle spilling over his lips as he brings his free hand to her hair, ruffling it. She closes one eye at the touch, looking up at him with a seemingly-blank expression etched into her features. "It might be a dangerous job. I don't want to risk seeing you end up hurt."

"Juvia can take care of herself."

"I know you can, trust me." He leans closer to her, lips covering her cheek and moving to her ear to whisper; his hushed laughter sends a chill down her spine, though she's sure it's just the cool air he blows against her skin. "I'm getting Juvia a gift on the way back, but don't tell her that."

She can't fight back a grin at that; sometimes his dorkiness really makes her smile even when she's in the worst of moods. One thing she loves about him is that he can help her without even intending to do so. She brings one of her hands up to thread into his hair, giving a gentle tug on his snowy locks as she pulls his ear down to her mouth. "Juvia will be sure to keep it a secret for you, Lyon-sama."

"Good." Both hands now in his pockets, he turns away from her. "You took on a job too, right, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes." She turns her head towards the rain-splattered window, closing her eyes now that he can't see her face. Her lips form a frown, voice sounding tired and bored, but to him, that's normal. She's been that way for a while now, and while he wonders if something is bothering her, he figures it might be best to let her sort it out for herself – he has faith that she'll come to him if she needs his help, and if things get bad enough, he won't hesitate to step in. "But it's a quick job. Juvia will leave tomorrow morning and be back by nightfall."

Having heard what he wants, he gives a curt nod of his head. His own tone pleasant and rich, he addresses her by the nickname she so loves, though sometimes she'd rather hear it coming from another ice mage's lips. "Then I'll see you when I get back, princess."

His footsteps fade as he heads for the door, but Juvia stops him, calling out almost in a motherly tone, "Lyon-sama, your coat!"

When he glances over his shoulder, he's pleasantly surprised to see her looking over at him, her eyes flashing with concern for his well-being. She's obviously more worried about him than he initially thought. He breaks out in a wide smile, meeting her gaze, his own joyful – mood suddenly skyrocketing. "I don't need one. It's been raining nonstop for weeks; I'm used to it, okay?"

That said, he's off, and Juvia doesn't have a chance to say anything in return. However, after she hears the door shut, she mumbles to herself, "You'll end up getting sick…"

She presses her forehead to the glass, lifting her gaze up to stare at the storm clouds covering the blue sky she loves so much. She wants to see it again, but Lyon can't give her that. Gray can, but not his rival.

She doesn't know where she went wrong. Gray never returned her feelings in the past; the only thing she's ever wanted is someone to love and cherish her. Lyon will cradle her in his arms when she cries, will kiss away her tears, will whisper sweet nothings in her ear while she falls asleep next to him. Everything she wanted from Gray, Lyon will actually act on.

So why is the rain pouring? She got what she wanted.

Lifting one finger, she touches the fogging window, eyes falling shut as she finds herself lulled to sleep by the patter of the rain against the glass. She's happy; she tries to tell herself that, and for a time, she knows for sure that she was. But now, she can barely bring herself to force a smile to her trembling lips even when Lyon says the very words she's always wanted someone to utter, just for her.

She has everything she's ever wanted, but still, the rain won't stop coming down.

I really, really love Lyvia. But I can't picture them having a joyful relationship. It would take Juvia forever to adjust to being with Lyon instead of Gray.

Reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!

(:Mizune