"Gray-sama, would you like to accompany Juvia to get some frozen yogurt?" The overly joyful water mage asked hoping for some alone time with her beloved.
Gray was feeling exhausted from the mission and could not for the life of him comprehend how she had so much energy. They had literally just sat down in the hotel after completing a tiring S-class mission and she was still jumping off the walls. Juvia had been going on missions with him, Natsu, and Lucy ever since Erza took that 3 year S-class mission with "Mystogan". In that time Juvia had changed quite a bit, she stopped stalking Gray since she would always go on missions with them anyways, she stopped calling Lucy "love rival" after countless observations of how suspiciously close Lucy and Natsu are, Lucy and her are basically best friends now, and Gray and Juvia have never been closer.
"Eh I'm not really up for it Juvia, maybe another time." Gray answered honestly. He was really fucking tired.
"Please Gray-sama! Juvia has always wanted to try it and Juvia does not want to go by herself!" Juvia gave out her cutest pout.
Gray tapped his finger on Juvia's lip. "Hey! No pouting!" Why did she has to use her number one weapon on him?
That face should be banned from use at banks everywhere.
"Oi Juvia, I'll go with you!" Natsu grinned whom was obviously bored since Lucy was in the shower and Happy went with Carla and Panther-Lily to an exceed only cruise for the weekend. Damn those cats and their exceed benefits.
But Natsu actually had things he wanted to discuss with Juvia. She had become like a sister to him over the years, not to long ago they entered a contest together that involved enchanting the audience with the beauty of their magic. Natsu had made a fire dragon while Juvia made a water dragon, together their dragons flew past each other blissfully until the dragons destroyed one another by roaring their elements at one another, a vivid purple filled the skies. Needless to say they went home that day with 500,000 jewels.
"See, flamebrain wants to go with ya!" Relief washed over Gray. He doesn't mind spending time with Juvia, he actually enjoys her company, but all the ice mage wanted at this minute was a long nap, preferably without clothes on.
"Okay sure! lets go Natsu" Juvia wasn't too disappointed, she liked spending time with Natsu, just not nearly as much as spending time with Gray. Juvia was stopped halfway out the door by Natsu.
"Wait, aren't you gonna ask Iceprick what flavor he wants? I know what Lucy wants but"
"She knows what to get me." Gray interrupted, ignoring the Salamanders prior insult.
"Juvia will be back with Gray-Sama and Lucy's yogurt shortly!"
"See ya later" Natsu shut the door.
Gray stripped his shirt and jumped into bed. The hotel bed was everything he imagined it to be. Soon in the morning they would be off back to Magnolia to compete in this years Grand Magic Games. It had already been 3 years since they won for the first time and they won consistently every year. It had also been 3 years since Gray had rejected Juvia's love confession at the ball after the dragons attacked. Not that it changed anything, she was still immensely in love with him, but she did stop obsessing over him. That he was thankful for. Gray stopped thinking when Lucy had finished her shower and came out in her towel.
"EEEK, I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU GUYS LEAVE?!" shrieked Lucy, obviously surprised of the presence she was completely unaware of originally.
"Relax, you're talking to the guy who used to bathe with Natsu and Erza, I've seen it all." Gray said indifferently. He walked around naked practically all the time. He wasn't going to scold someone else for doing it accidentally.
"ITS NOT THE SAME BAKA!" Lucy shouted. Lucy went to get her clothes but couldn't find them where she had left them. Great. She wondered if Natsu was playing a prank on her again.
At this point Gray was already up getting some iced water when Lucy asked where Juvia and Natsu had head off to.
"Oh, they went to get us all frozen yogurt." Replied Gray.
"Why did Natsu leave without telling me? He purposely gets me cherry flavored when I keep telling him I want chocolate. I swear he plots to coerce my tastebuds into liking cherry more." Lucy grumbled, swearing if he brought home cherry flavored frozen yogurt she would summon Taurus to do something more so "unpleasant" to the dragon slayer.
"Anyways, how's you and Juvia?" Lucy smirked.
Gray nearly choked on water. "What do you mean how are we?". Lucy did not fail to notice the faint blush that dusted his cheeks. It was either a blush or him choking on the water. It was hard to tell.
"Well I've noticed you guys have been super close recently." Lucy knew exactly where she was going with this conversation?
"It's Juvia we're talking about, she's always close to me." Said an amused Gray. Again not that he minded, Juvia always had this mixed aroma of vanilla and sea salt that he would go nuts for, not that he would ever admit that to anyone for that matter.
"Gray you know what I mean. You are well aware of Juvia's feeling for you. Juvia is one of the most strongest and beautiful mage in Fairy Tail, I don't understand why you keep her waiting so long."
"Tch, I only see Juvia as my namaka, don't be absurd." Gray retorted.
"That seems like a legitimate claim considering how you consistently threaten to shove ice shards up the asses of any guy who dares to hit on Juvia." Lucy countered.
"I just don't appreciate how they eye-hump the shit out of her is all, anyways what about you and flamebrain huh?" Gray smirked knowing he had hit a nerve.
"Excuse me?" Lucy glared.
"Did I stutter? " Once again Gray was amused.
Lucy, too irritated to care that she had a only a towel still on, was prepared to kick Gray so hard that Lyon would feel it. She stampeded towards the unprepared ice mage and accidently fell on top of him in the most unflattering position.
"Oh what the fuck Lucy!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't think you would lose balance like that!"
Gray groaned until he felt something huge yet soft in his left hand. His hand was on her her chest.
Eh, Juvia's were nicer.
Wait what? Where did that come from? He remembered the time he accidentally groped Juvia's breast when they first met but he did not recall that coming to mind.
Then the door unlocked.
Oh shit.
Juvia walked in first with her long waves flowing, wearing her laced yellow sun dress that proudly displayed the guildmark on her thigh. She was laughing with two frozen yogurt cups in each hand . Was Gray that tired earlier to not realize how gorgeous she looked when she left?
"Gray-sama, you won't BELIEVE what Natsu did on the line!" Juvia said still consumed in laughter until she looked down.
Juvia's eyes locked on Gray and Lucy. Not even a second after, Juvia dropped both yogurt cups on the floor followed by a thunder so fierce that it nearly shook the room.
Gray and Lucy froze, they were both expecting to drown in boiling water at this point.
Yet instead, Juvia's head was down and for the first time ever, Juvia looked more miserable than back when she was in Phantom Lord.
"Juvia, it's not what you-"
" It is alright Gray. Juvia is sorry for interrupting." Juvia whispered at a barely audible voice.
They saw a single teardrop hit the floor when the rain . The skies looked as if it were about to rip apart. Juvia then turned around and walked right out the door.
"That was really bad." Whispered Lucy.
Gray's own heart just shattered. Never had he seen he like that. The man who took the rain away brought them back tenfold. Gray never knew how bad it would sting for Juvia to revoke the "sama" from his name. Not because he wanted to be put on a pedestal but because he knew that she only used that honorific for those she had high affections is why it annoyed him whenever she occasionally addressed Lyon as "Lyon-sama". He was the only one Juvia should have affection for.
You go ballistic whenever anyone hurts Juvia. Well it was you this time around buddy. How you're gonna fix this one?
Then Lucy and Gray froze again. Near the door was presence they had almost forgotten about. There stood Natsu, frozen yogurt cups long beyond ash, looking down in nothing less than his own fiery hell, the same glare in his eyes they had seen three years ago when future Lucy died.
To be continued
