Raindrops
"We were camping in the woods but now there's a thunderstorm and you think we're going to die."
"Juvia," Gray said for the fourth time, a bit of annoyance and a bit of worry in his deep voice as he watched the blue haired woman hide her face with her knees, "We're not going to die. It's just a storm,"
And really, it was all. They had went to camp in the woods with Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Wendy and Gajeel and it casually started raining moments after the sun set. And, if Gray had to agree, it did look like a fucking horror movie camp right now, with all the trees moving and making weird noises, and all of their friends missing -well, they only went to go find somewhere where they could cover, leaving Gray and Juvia behind to take care of their stuff.
If they actually found a place, Natsu was supposed to come back and lead them there. But that idiot was taking too long. Gray was going to kill him the moment he saw him.
Juvia sobbed at his side, bringing him back to reality. They were inside the tent, so there was nothing to worry about, but it seemed Juvia didn't understand it. He wondered what was going on.
"Juvia," he tried again, running a hand through his black hair, "what's wrong?"
"This storm is gonna end us," she hiccuped, her body trembling.
"Of course not," Gray said.
"It will!" Juvia said. "The rain is scary,"
Gray frowned. Scary? The rain was scary for her? But she was just the rain woman several months ago...
It snapped at him, hard. The realization of the whole situation. How could he not figure it our sooner? Of course she would be afraid of pouring rain, after she had been chased down by it her whole life, and after finally getting a sight of clear sky, anyone would be scared of it, wondering if it would ever leave their sides again...
He was such an idiot. Mastering up all the courage he had, he lifted himself from his position on the ground and sat again, this time next to her.
He inhaled nervously. He always sucked at comforting people, as some flame brained liked to make him remember.
Besides, he had never seen Juvia like this. She always looked so happy, so cheerful... maybe it annoyed him sometimes how she could shine so brightly... but seeing her like this... it was all new to him.
"Umm," he murmured. "It's gonna... be okay?"
Stupid Gray. He scolded himself. Why did his words have to come off as a question? He was supposed to comfort her, dammit.
Juvia cried even more.
"Hey, don't cry!" Gray said frantically, his eyes widening. "Uh, I mean, if you do, the rain will only get worse, right?"
It was at that moment when Juvia looked up, that Gray's cold heart broke.
It was such a sad image, her blue eyes tinted with red and swollen, rivers of tears going down her cheeks, her usually combed hair a mess. She looked vulnerable, and it angered Gray.
"R-Really?" she said. Her voice was shaking as she spoke, her lower lip trembling.
"Really!" Gray said. "You knows what makes the rain stop?"
At Juvia's confused frown, he added,
"A pretty smile!"
And as soon as the words left his mouth, he blushed. Where did they come from? He was pretty sure he didn't hear that from anybody else, so that meant... those words were his?
What the fuck is wrong with me.
Still, Juvia looked at him with surprised eyes, her light blue pools seeing right through him. She looked shocked, as if she didn't expect that from him -he didn't, either, so he couldn't blame her.
He bit his lip in anxiety, the heat from his cheeks turning his skin a bright shade of red as he waited for a reaction of her. He had never been so nervous around her before.
"Does Gray-sama think... Juvia's smile is pretty?" she asked, an even an oblivious idiot like him could sense the hope in her voice.
It kind of hurt him, to know someone loved him so much. Everyone that he loved suffered a lot. He didn't want her to suffer. Heck, he wasn't sure what he felt about her yet.
"Uh..." he sputtered, scratching the back of his neck.
"Juvia is so happy!" the girl next to him exclaimed, no more tears coming from her eyes. Now she had a big smile plastered on her face as she looked at him with hearty eyes.
"What?" Gray asked, but before he could explain the situation to himself, a pair of soft arms wrapped around his neck, strangling him.
"Gray-sama said Juvia's smile is pretty!" she said, a sweet exclaim next to his ear.
"Gaah, Juvia, let go of me!" Gray said, trying to break off her hug.
"Juvia will never let Gray-sama go away!"
"That's creepy," Gray deadpanned, but still, something about her comment made his heart faster. When was the last time someone insisted him like that on staying close?
"Thank you, Gray-sama." Juvia said, this time with a soft and quiet voice, a bare whisper against his skin.
His heart made a weird flip flop at her words. What was this woman doing to him, he had no idea. She made him feel strange things and made his body react like never before. Like, he was sure he had never blushed that many before he met her.
But, she being grateful of him, it was a whole new level. He didn't deserve so much, after all.
"Anytime," he said so quietly, he didn't believe she actually heard him.
Neither of them noticed the rain stop.