So this a Christmas Gruvia story nearly a month after Christmas. Also the title only vaguely connects to the story. No regrets.
I don't own Fairy Tail.
When Sleet turns to Rain
Sleet: noun; precipitation in the form of ice pellets created by the freezing of rain as it falls.
There was only one thing Juvia Lockser wanted for Christmas.
Okay, that was a lie. If she was only going with one thing, Juvia wanted her most beloved to proclaim his undying love for her in the most romantic way possible. But knowing Gray as well as she was coming to, this year she was settling on one, little bitty thing.
She wanted him to accept the sweater she'd knitted for him with a smile. And to go about getting that smile, Juvia had been working her butt off since the beginning of October. She decided to make him something plain, to further entice him into actually maybe wearing it. The pattern was simple and had been easy to follow. She'd chosen a soft merino wool in a deep charcoal gray that she'd found on a mission. It had been pricey, and Gajeel had grumbled about all the missions she'd dragged him along on to pay for it. In the end, she'd bought too much and had ended up knitting herself a sweater too, but it her pleased to know that she and Gray would have something that connected them, even if she was the only one who knew about it. The trips out of Magnolia had served another purpose, as she'd knitted the majority of the sweaters during the long train rides.
Now as she stood in the guild hall with the rest of her guild mates, watching as Gray shed his white button down unconsciously, she questioned the wisdom of giving the ice mage clothing. Even if he wore it, there was no telling where he'd strip it off and leave it. No, that didn't matter, what she wanted was for him to simply accept it. Last year it had stung when he had rejected the scarf she'd made for him. But in the months that had followed Fairy Tail's fight with the demons of Tartaros, and Gray had subsequently gained ice demon slaying magic, he'd been...kinder to her. She couldn't put her finger exactly on the change in his attitude, but he'd definitely been warmer towards her than he ever had been before. That alone had given her courage to try again this year, and she'd made sure that the occasion didn't fall on something as somber as his teacher's death anniversary. So she had chosen Christmas, as it was celebrated by nearly all of Fairy Tail's guild members, and Juvia herself had bought presents for a good number of them.
"What are you waiting for?" Gajeel's gruff voice sounded behind her, startling Juvia. "Go give it to him."
"B-but- Juvia thinks she's just-"
"Look, just go give it to him. You worked really hard, hell I worked really hard, and if he gives you a hard time about it, I'll kick his ass. Also, Merry Christmas. This is from me and the shrimp." Gajeel told her shoving a wrapped box into her empty hand. "It's a cookie cutter set."
Juvia laughed as she riffled through the bags next to her. She pulled a wrapped book for Levy and a pair of welder's goggles for Gajeel from deep inside one."Thank you. And Merry Christmas to you too." She gave him a speculative glance. "What did you get Levy?" she asked and watched as the big burly dragon slayer's entire face turned red.
"Pfft—nothing at all." He replied sullenly. Juvia just grinned at him, she'd already noticed the new sparkly sliver earrings that adorned the script mage's ears. "Go get that ice bastard." he told her.
Juvia nodded and set off straight to Gray, willing her nerves to settle down. It wasn't a big deal, she told herself. She had always been bold and frank when it came to her love of the ice mage, and this wouldn't be any different. Besides, she was used to him rejecting her advances.
"Merry Christmas, Juvia!" Lucy Heartfilia called as she neared where Gray was fighting with Natsu. The blond was smiling, even with all the chaos going on behind her. She glanced down at the gift bag in Juvia's hand and her smile widened. "Is that it?"
"Is what 'it'?" Juvia asked, confused.
"The sweater." Lucy said.
"How do you—"
"Gajeel told Levy, Levy told me. Are you going to give it to him now? I can stop Natsu and get him out of your way if you want." Before she could reply, Lucy hopped up and bravely got between Natsu and Gray's attacks where she grabbed Natsu by his muffler and tugged him away. He squawked in protest, but a whispered word to him from the Celestial mage and he went limp, glancing toward Juvia. Then with a hearty laugh he slapped Gray on the back and shoved him towards her. "Merry Christmas, Juvia!" the dragon slayer called to her cheerfully.
"What the hell flame brai—" Gray stumbled over his forgotten shirt and collided with Juvia, nearly toppling them both. Her bag sailed out of her grasp, dumping its contents onto the floor. "Shit—I didn't mean to—this isn't how this was suppose to go."
"No it's okay, I'll just—" Juvia started as they both bent to grab the bag, bumping their heads together. Gray swore again, raking his hands through his hair. He let Juvia grab the bag and sweater off the ground. She straightened, smiling a little at the sight of him off kilter. "Merry Christmas, Gray-sama." She held out the sweater to him, "Please accept this." There was dust and bits of debris from the wreckage of his fight all over it, but Juvia diligently ignored this, watching for his reaction.
With a slightly flush face, Gray took the sweater from her with a nod. "Thank you. It's perfect." He pulled it over his head, the material fitting snugly against his bare chest. "Fits perfectly too."
Juvia's face flushed in delight as she stared at her beloved wearing the sweater she'd made for him. If she'd thought of it before, she would have brought a camera with her to preserve the moment. He looked great in it, the color wonderfully dark against his icy blue eyes. "Juvia is glad you like it. Thank you for putting it on, Juvia wasn't too sure about the size." She nodded to him. "Well, Juvia has to give her gift to the master, so she'll just get going." She wanted to find a quiet spot to burn the sight of him in her sweater into her memory.
"Wait, don't leave just yet." he grumbled as he started to riffle around in his pants pockets. He pulled a small white box out of his cargo pocket and handed it to her, his face blushing. "Merry Christmas, Juvia."
Inside, nestled in light blue tissue paper, was a silver snowflake brooch. The filigree was so delicate and intricately woven that it stole Juvia's breath.
"I uh, thought you could wear it on your hat. You know, when you don't want to wear your butterfly." Gray mumbled.
"It's beautiful." Juvia breathed. She looked up at him with shiny eyes. To hell with restraining herself. She launched herself at him wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Thank you so much, Gray-sama! Juvia will treasure it forever and ever!" Tentatively, she felt his arms come around her, squeezing slightly. Juvia just about died.
"What'd ya do, ice bastard? Propose to her?" Natsu taunted from behind them, and Juvia felt Gray stiffen in her embrace. One day she was going to drown that boy. Reluctantly, she let of of Gray as he rounded on his rival.
"What was that, flame brain?" Gray asked as he and Natsu began fighting again, breaking the spell of the moment.
"So, did you like it?" Lucy gushed as she came back towards her still beaming. "I couldn't wait to see your face when he gave it to you!"
"You knew about it?" Juvia asked, staring at the brooch in wonder. Gray had given her a present. A perfect, beautiful present.
"Yeah, found it in a small shop in Balsam Village on a mission." Lucy said.
"Lucy picked it out?" Juvia asked, some of her happiness dimming.
"No, no. We were collecting our reward from a shop owner and Gray wouldn't stop staring at this display counter. Then all of a sudden he was buying the brooch, mumbling that he thought you'd like it. Heck, I think he's been carrying it around all these months waiting for the perfect time to give it to you. He bought it all the way back in August."
Juvia's eyes went to to Gray, who's bare back was to her. It took her a moment to realize that he'd already shed the sweater, but then she noticed it folded neatly on the table Lucy had been sitting at. Her heart swelled at the sight and she grabbed Lucy and squealed in delight. It was a small gesture, but it solidified this as the best Christmas that Juvia had ever had.