The Necklace
So, he's pretty proud of what he's about to give her.
It's a necklace with a slim, silver chain that loops around a tiny, butterfly pendant. He's not very good at this gift-giving crap but he thinks that the necklace is pretty cute and he knows that Juvia has a thing for butterflies. He had already bought her a sweater beforehand, but then he saw the necklace in one of the shops and he decided to just hand over the sweater to Gajeel (who had completely forgotten to buy Juvia a birthday present) so that he can drop at least three thousand jewels on the necklace. It's kind of expensive but he can tell that it's of good quality and it seems like an infinitely better present than the sweater he had been planning on giving her.
(Okay, fine. So maybe he bought it because it's her birthday and he wants his present to be special. Shut up. He just wants to get his nakama something nice, okay?)
He pays about ten more jewels so that the saleslady can wrap it up with some fancy, shiny paper before slipping it into his pocket and heading towards the guild where she's having her party.
When she opens it, her eyes widen and she gives a little squeal as she launches herself towards him. He tries to steady himself but he ends up sprawled on the floor, with Juvia's arms around him, the lower half of her body melting into water as it splashes against his legs. Everyone starts snickering but Erza just sort of gives him a proud smile, as if she's happy (and surprised) that he didn't actually fuck this up.
"Juvia! Oi! Juvia! It's no big deal! You can get off me now!" Gray yelps as he tries to break free of her hold.
"But Gray-sama...Juvia is just so happy to know that you actually gave her a gift!" she says as she leans back a little, finally aware that he's choking in her hold.
"Of course, I would give you a gift," Gray says, a little surprised (and offended) at her insinuation that he would actually forget to give her a present for her birthday.
"Yes! Of course, Juvia knows that you would give her a gift, silly!" she giggles as she lightly swats him on the chest. "She just didn't think that you would get her something so..."
She trails off.
He fiddles with the hem of his shirt, suddenly nervous. He rubs the back of his neck and tilts his head up towards the ceiling. "So...um...do you...do you like it?"
"You don't even have to ask, Gray-sama!" she says as she gingerly runs a finger through the chain. "Juvia loves it!"
The corners of his mouth twitch into a smile. Vaguely, he registers the rest of his guildmates nudging each other in the elbow and shooting him and Juvia meaningful looks.
"Can you...can you please help me put it on, Gray-sama?" she timidly asks as she peers at him from beneath her lashes, shy and nervous.
He can feel his palms growing sweatier as he desperately tries to think of an answer. He doesn't mind putting it on for her, but he doesn't want the guild (or Juvia) to get any wrong ideas. And besides, his hands are, weirdly enough, trembling and his insides are twisting up against each other. He feels weird and awkward and he doesn't think that he'll be of much help to Juvia.
(Maybe it's something he ate. That's the only possible reason why he feels so twitchy. And no. It isn't because Juvia is on his lap and she's wearing a really short dress with a neckline that plunges way below her cleavage.
It isn't.)
"Well...er...ugh..."
Erza suddenly looms over them, her eyes narrowed in slight anger. A flash of light envelops her and she emerges, fully clothed with new armor and a sword clasped in her hand. Everyone cowers back in fear as Erza points her sword at Gray. "Yes, Gray. We are all waiting to hear your answer."
Lucy clamps a hand on Erza's shoulder as she tries to placate her. "Erza, just calm down..."
Juvia blinks at Erza and hastily interjects, "Erza-san, it's fine. If Gray-sama doesn't want to then—''
"You wouldn't want to disappoint the birthday girl, now would you Gray?" Erza says in a dangerously calm voice.
"Yeah, Stripper. I'm with Titania," Gajeel says as he pounds his fist against his palm. He glares at Gray. "You wouldn't want to be upsetting anybody on their birthday—especially if it's Juvia."
"Er...of course not," Gray hastily says. "Sure. I'll help you put it on."
Erza requips back into her normal party clothes while Gajeel relaxes.
Juvia flushes and she bites on her bottom lip as she tries to contain an excited squeal. "Yay!"
"Um...ugh...can you please get off my lap, first?" Gray sheepishly mumbles.
"Oh, yes! Right! Of course!" Juvia says as she quickly scrambles off his lap.
He can feel the heat that's pooling in his cheeks spreading all the way to his chest and neck. He stands up and tries as hard as he can to ignore the way everyone else is pressing closer towards them in curiosity and anticipation. Natsu makes a comment about his confusion at everyone's excitement and Erza and Lucy respond by throttling him on the head.
Gray thickly swallows as Juvia holds the open box out to him. He carefully takes the necklace from the box as Juvia turns around and holds her hair up. As he secures the lock of the necklace, his hands brush against the nape of her neck. Someone catcalls and Juvia gives a surprised squeak.
"How does it look?" Juvia asks once Gray finishes securing the clasp.
"It looks beautiful on you Juvia!" Lucy says.
"Yeah. I can't believe that the ice princess over here actually picked it up himself," Natsu says as he jerks a thumb at Gray.
Gray glares at him and swats him on the arm. "Shut it, flame-brain!"
Natsu glares back at him. "You wanna go—"
Erza whacks both of them on the head before they can continue their argument. Natsu whimpers and scurries away while Gray makes an annoyed sound with his throat.
"Juvia will be forever grateful to Gray-sama," she says as her fingers lightly clasp the butterfly pendant that's hanging in between her breasts.
Not that he's staring at her breasts.
"See something you like Gray?" Cana comments as she gives him a poke in between the ribs.
He gives a startled yelp as he stares at his shoes. "No!"
He wasn't staring at her breasts.
(Seriously. He wasn't.)
"Gray."
"What, Cana!?" he irately snaps.
"Your clothes!" she says as she takes a swig from her tankard of beer.
"Ack!"
Everyone bursts into laughter as Gray attempts to retrieve his shirt and pants.
"It's too bad that we have to go on that mission tomorrow," Gajeel comments. "It must suck having to work the day after your birthday."
"It's not a big deal, Gajeel-kun. Juvia doesn't mind at all," she giggles as she wraps an arm around him and pulls him into a hug. "Juvia is just happy to be celebrating with all of you."
Cana raises her tankard and says, "To Juvia! May she have many more birthdays to come!"
"To Juvia!" everyone else yells as they raise their glasses and bottles of beer.
As Gray finishes buttoning his shirt up, his eyes briefly sweep over Juvia. His smile widens when he sees that she's still toying with the necklace, a happy smile on her face. When she meets his eyes, his insides warm and his cheeks grow hot.
He looks away and stuffs his hands into his pocket.
He takes a long swig of his beer and spends the rest of the night trying to keep himself from staring at her (and the way the necklace he had given her snugly falls on the valley of her breasts).
When Erza asks Juvia what she thinks is the best present she has received, he can't stop the corners of his mouth from curving into a wide smile when she answers, "Gray-sama's."
It's very late when she comes back from her and Gajeel's mission the next day (not that he was worried about her being so late or anything) and she doesn't have her necklace on.
And look, it's not a big deal. It's her necklace and she can wear it or not wear it whenever she wants. He isn't bothered by it in the least bit. It's just that, he's kind of used to seeing that thing hanging around her neck (even though it's been just like, a day) and he thinks that she looks a little off without it. He's not saying that she has to wear that thing all the time, okay? It's just that, he thought she liked it and that she would at least wait for a few days before taking it off.
"Gray-sama!" she says, making a beeline towards him.
"Hey, Juvia. How was your mission?" Gray asks her as he takes a sip of his beer.
"Oh, it was okay. Gajeel-kun and Juvia finished it quickly enough," Juvia cheerfully says as she takes a seat next to him.
"Oh...that's um...that's great. Hey, Juvia?" he says slightly distracted.
"Yes, Gray-sama?" she asks.
"It's nothing. It's just that you know...your necklace..." he says with a nonchalant shrug. He isn't going to ask her about it. It will seem too weird and she'll probably get the wrong idea that he's actually concerned about her wearing it (and he's not). It will probably be best if he just says something that will bring the topic up.
"Oh, right! The necklace!" Juvia giggles. "Juvia would like to thank you again for giving her the necklace, Gray-sama! It's very lovely!"
Not really what he wanted her to say.
"Okay." He restlessly shifts in his seat. "I just noticed that...you aren't wearing it..."
"Oh, Juvia will wear it later. It doesn't really go with her outfit," she responds with a huge grin.
His eyes sweep over her as he takes in the coat she's wearing. It's high collared so the necklace probably won't be seen anyway.
"Right," he says.
"Juvia's just going to go order some food from Mira-san," she cheerfully says as she stands up.
"Okay," he says, still feeling unsettled as he watches her walk over towards the counter.
The next day, she comes into the guild wearing a pretty dress that falls just a little above her knees. Now, he doesn't know much about fashion but he can see that even though the dress has sleeves and the top is a bit modest (with her breasts properly covered so that nobody else can see, thank goodness. Not that he cares.), there's ample space for her to show the necklace off.
"Gray-sama! What do you think of Juvia's new dress? Levy-san gave it to her for Juvia's birthday!" she says as she bounds up to him. She looks at him expectantly, clearly waiting for a compliment.
"The dress looks...very good on you," he mumbles.
Her cheeks redden and she looks like she's on the verge of melting into a puddle. She tackles him into a hug and squeals, "Thank you so much Gray-sama!"
"Er...sure," he says as he tries to pry himself out of her grip.
"Gray-sama? What's wrong? You look upset," Juvia says, suddenly noticing his distracted expression.
"It's just that...I mean I just noticed..." Fuck, he's rambling. He clears his throat and quickly tries to piece his composure back together. "You aren't wearing the necklace."
Juvia gives him a sweet smile as she gently pats him on the shoulder. "Juvia will wear it soon, Gray-sama!"
"But—''
"You don't have to worry! Juvia really loves it!" she says as she clasps her hands together. "It's very lovely!"
Before he can respond, Gajeel comes up from behind her and lightly punches her on the arm. "Oi! Sprinkler! You wanna go on another mission?"
Juvia frowns at him. "But Gajeel-kun, we just came back from a mission and—''
Gajeel places an arm around her as he steers her away from Gray. Gray can feel his fingers twitch as he watches them walk away.
"Come on Sprinkler. Me and Lily need your help. I really need the jewels," Gajeel pleads.
"But Juvia thought you were going with Levy-san."
"Tch. She had some research thingamig." He pokes her on the arm. "And besides, you owe me for what you made me go through yesterday. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to wade through a pile of shit?"
"Er, Juvia is very grateful for your help Gajeel-kun but—''
"So you coming or what?''
"Fine. Juvia supposes she can go."
"Oi! Me and Juvia are not done with our conversation! Don't just go rudely interrupting people!" Gray yells.
"It's okay Gray-sama!" Juvia cheerfully says as she gives him a little wave. "Juvia will just accompany Gajeel-kun for a bit! She'll be back soon!"
Gajeel raises a hand as Gray tries to contain his annoyance. "Later, Stripper!"
He sighs thoroughly irritated that he still hasn't figured out why Juvia isn't wearing the necklace.
By the end of the week, Gray is angry and annoyed and anxious all at the same time.
Juvia has worn, consumed or used everyone else's gift but his. She has worn the sweater Gajeel had given her, Mirajane's flower hairpin and Lucy's shoes. She has used the bag Cana had given her, Jet and Droy's pen, the Master's paperweight and Laxus' keychain. She has eaten the cake Erza had given her, Natsu's bag of candies and the brownies Happy and Carla and Lily had made for her.
But she still hasn't worn his necklace.
Like, what the fuck?
Why isn't she wearing it?
Every time he looks at the empty space where the necklace is supposed to be, he gets all twitchy and irritated.
He has tried to ask her like a million times but she would always smile at him and tell him that it was beautiful and that she'll wear it later.
It doesn't bother him that she's not wearing his gift, okay? He doesn't care. She's her own person and she can choose which gifts she'll wear or use. He's just a little (very) offended (and hurt) that she has only worn his gift once and worn or used everybody else's multiple times. Hell, she's been wearing that stupid flower hairpin for three days straight now and she has worn the sweater Gajeel had given her twice and she keeps using Laxus' keychain. Seriously. It's like a three-jewel cookie keychain that's made of plastic. And yet she attached it to her dorm room key and brings it with her everywhere.
So yeah, he's kind of pissed (and hurt).
Out of everyone in the guild, he's the one who has placed so much thought into her gift. He even spent three thousand grand on it. And she doesn't even bother to wear it again. Not even when she's wearing dresses that are perfect for necklace-wearing.
When she steps into the guild wearing the ugly-as-fuck shirt Lyon had given her, he completely loses it.
He barrels his way past the dorm guardian and bursts into her room without knocking. She drops the dough of bread she's been holding and gives a startled squeak. "G-Gray-sama!"
"Okay. What's wrong with it?" he demands as he stomps over towards her.
"W-what?" Juvia sputters, confused and afraid at the livid expression on Gray's face.
"What's wrong with the necklace I gave you?" he asks as he wrings his hands in the air.
"J-Juvia is...confused," she sputters.
"Is it the pendant? Should I have gotten you a necklace with another pendant?"
"Er—''
"Or is it the chain? Is too heavy? Too slim? Too itchy?"
"Gray-sama—''
"Or do you hate that it's made out of silver? Should I have given you something that's made of gold? Copper? White-gold?"
"Gray-sama—''
"Or do you just hate it—''
"Gray-sama!" Juvia says as she places a calming hand on his shoulder.
"What!?" he explodes.
Juvia serenely says, "Juvia doesn't hate your gift. She loves it!"
"Then why aren't you wearing it!?" he blurts out.
She gives him an amused look before placing both of her hands in front of her mouth as she tries to contain a giggle. She grabs his hand and starts leading him somewhere.
"Oi! Where are you taking me?" Gray says as she continues deeper into her room.
Juvia doesn't say anything. She just keeps on moving forward as she leads him to a closet tucked away in the corner of her room. She stops in front of it and responds to his confused look with a small smile.
Then, she opens it.
Gray blinks in surprise. Inside of the closet is...is every single thing that is ever related to him. There are a few clothes he thought he had lost whenever he unconsciously stripped neatly folded in one corner. There's a doll that looks suspiciously like him and a copy of an issue of Sorcerer's Weekly where he was featured. A picture of the two of them is taped at the back. Neatly placed in the closet are the different gifts he had given over the years (including the box of White Day chocolates Erza coerced him into giving). At the very center is the tiny box containing the necklace, the wrapper folded at the side.
"What...what is this?" Gray splutters.
"It's Juvia's Gray-sama closet!" she says, completely oblivious to the flustered and confused expression on Gray's face.
"Your Gray-sama...what?" he says.
"Juvia's Gray-sama closet! Every single thing she has ever received from Gray-sama...every single object that serves as reminder for the good times she has experienced with Gray-sama...Juvia has kept them all! She treasures every single moment with you and she would like to remember them, days long after the moments have passed. That's why Juvia collects these things!" she cheerfully explains.
"But...but that still doesn't explain why you're not wearing my necklace!" Gray says.
"It's because Juvia doesn't want to lose it. When she went to the mission, Juvia accidentally lost it so she and Gajeel-kun had to look for it. That's why we came back so late," Juvia explains. She gingerly takes the box and runs a finger through its top. "Juvia cannot bear to lose it so she decided to keep it somewhere safe. Juvia is sorry if you felt hurt that she isn't wearing your gift. But she really likes it. Honestly."
Gray stares at her, trying to process what she had just said.
"O-okay..." Gray mumbles. He suddenly realizes how crazy he must have acted. He scratches the back of his head and avoids her gaze. "Well. Okay. That's all I really wanted to know. I'll just leave now..."
She gives him a strange look as he starts edging towards the door.
He suddenly pauses in mid-step. He clears his throat and says, "Juvia..."
"Yes, Gray-sama?"
"You do...you do like it, right?" Gray says. He hates how uncertain he sounds.
She takes a step towards him and he stiffens when her hand makes contact with his shoulder. "Juvia can never hate anything Gray-sama gives her."
"Well, good," he says. He gives a nonchalant shrug as he turns around and makes his way towards the door.
"Oh and Juvia?"
"Yes?"
He grins at her, finally regaining his cool. "You shouldn't be afraid to wear it."
Juvia reddens and her eyes start clouding over with a dazed, dreamy look. Gray can feel himself losing his nerve as he mumbles, "I can always buy you another one."
Three thousand jewels be damned.
Author's Note: Yay! I finally wrote something that's below 5,000 words. Anyways, I tried making a oneshot for Gruvia week. This is about as close as I can get. I think that it's (sort of) related to the second prompt—Nervous.
Thanks to those who reviewed my other story, Shoot the Clocks.
I hope you had a good read! Please, if you have the time, tell me what you think :) I always welcome feedback (good or bad). :))