Good morning, dearest readers.
Here I come once again with a one-shot. This one is all about Gruvia, since they're my favorite couple, and I decided to use the Avatar Arc because I haven't written about it yet. (or rather, posted)
I chose the silly title in hopes that I could keep this mostly fluffly, and I managed. There are a few angsty moments, but overall this is a happy story.
Happy Reading!
It was cold. He might not be able to feel it, but he knew it must be freezing. Walking through the snow while wearing a simple jacket and black pants, Gray thanked Ur yet again for teaching him ice magic.
The mission he had taken a week before hadn't been as easy as expected and therefore, he was exhausted; both physically and mentally.
The thieves he had been sent to apprehend had somehow known exactly who he was and had thrown remark after remark while he fought them.
They had mentioned Ur more than once; Silver as well. If living every day with the constant guilt and regret those deaths had caused wasn't hard enough, having even random people blame him brought up insecurities and fears he always tried to keep buried.
Luckily, he had been able to use the harsh words to his advantage and grew more focused. Becayse he used demon-slaying magic, the thieves didn't stand a chance and thus he easily defeated them.
Now, days later, Gray was returning to Rainfall Village; where a surprise awaited him.
Head down, staring at the snow at his feet; he got lost in thoughts about his master.
"It's too cold." The young boy shivered, covering himself with his arms.
"No, it's not." Another boy, silver haired, remarked.
"Don't you remember the first lesson I taught you, Gray?" The unforgettable woman with dark hair and kind, black eyes said.
"I know; I know. It's just hard to concentrate when it's snowing." Gray told her; still shivering.
"You should take advantage of the snow." The other boy said, smiling. "Like this." Then he put his hands together and used his magic to create a small bird that soon grew in size.
"Well done, Lyon." The woman praised.
"Thanks, Ur." His smile enlarged as he created more creatures.
"I can do it too." Gray quickly said before joining his hands together. For a few moments; he completely forgot about the cold once small swords were created.
"Wonderful." Ur watched them with a proud smile. "I'm glad to see you boys have been paying attention to my lessons."
"Of course, Ur. You are the best teacher!" Gray told her; sincerely.
"Thank you." For a moment; her eyes brimmed with unshed tears and she sniffled. Shaking her head; Ur knelt down; opening her arms "Come here."
While Lyon was quick to rush towards her, Gray was hesitant and she knew why; therefore she didn't say anything.
However; he eventually overcame his unsureness and walked towards her. Once he was close enough, she pulled him into the embrace; holding him tightly. Unexpectedly; she pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. "Thank you."
Gray hadn't understood back then why his words had caused her to suddenly become so emotional, but now he knew the truth.
He could recall it well when Ultear told him that she used to tell Ur what a great mother she was back when everything was simple. Seeing as the day Gray had told her that she was the best teacher had been her daughter's birthday, he understood.
He was surprised to discover that a few lone tears had fallen down his cheeks. Stopping for a moment; he quickly dried them off. The last thing he needed was to become a crying mess before he got home.
Just the thought of Juvia's reaction and how she would try everything to cheer him up strengthened his need to stay strong. He couldn't lose it in front of her again; or else he would end up doing something he might regret.
Like kissing her.
It's not as if it had never crossed his mind. They had been living together; after all. For months. It was only natural that with such closeness he would wonder about such things, but he had never acted on it.
He didn't plan to; either.
Kissing Juvia or getting involved with her was much too complicated and Gray didn't want to go there. Though he couldn't deny his feelings for her had grown over the past few months; he wasn't ready to take the next step.
He was still damaged; broken after the war against Tartaros. Losing his father once again had truly affected him and thus he wasn't in the right mind to make any big decisions.
Even less the ones involving Juvia; because if something went wrong; he might end up losing the only friend he had at the moment.
He couldn't afford that.
Gray was broken out of his thoughts by a familiar smell and he froze again.
Staring through the small cottage's window; he could see the bluenette in the kitchen. There were stains on her apron and her face was colored brown. What was she cooking?
Once he approached the house, Gray could make out the heart shaped cookies that were sitting on the table.
They were light brown and there were tiny, colorful pieces on top. Once he inspected them closely, he realized they were actually M&M's.
His heart stopped once yet another memory came to mind.
"I've got you!" Gray was pushed to the ground, trapped in a tight hug by his father.
"Dad, let me go!" The child complained, pushing the older man.
"Nope. I'm taking you hostage." Silver slowly stood up and tossed him over his shoulder before walking back towards their house.
Upon entering, they could sense the familiar smell of cookies which Mika was currently baking in the kitchen. Overhearing her son's screams, she came into the living room.
"What are you two up to?" The silver haired mage asked, raising a brow.
"Just playing hide and seek, as usual." Silver replied, shrugging.
"Mom, tell him to let me go." Gray pleaded, struggling to get out of his father's grasp.
"She's not allowed to interfere with the game, boy. You're my prisoner now." The latter said, smirking.
"I'm afraid the game is over, at least for now." Mika told them before motioning towards the kitchen. "Unless you don't want to try my delicious cookies?"
"I do!" Gray yelled excitedly, trying once again to break free.
"I suppose that the lady is right." Silver finally gave in and put him down. As soon as he was free, the child rushed towards the kitchen; so he turned to his wife. "No one can resist your cookies, my love."
"I know." Mika smirked before wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I can't resit you, you handsome idiot."
He shook his head at the insult before leaning in as she did the same. Before they could kiss, however, there was a shout once the little boy came back into the living room, face colored brown and a cookie in hand.
"Come on, dad! Or else there'll be no more cookies left." Gray was clueless to the moment he had just ruined as he happily ran back to the kitchen.
It wasn't long before the couple followed him and the three of them took their seats on the ice-made round table. They spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other's company and the delicious cookies Mika had baked.
It was a special recipe, as she had told them, which she had learned from a close friend. Instead of just baking the chocolate cookies, the addition of M&M's made it even sweeter.
Gray shook his head, shaking the memory away. After watching the bluenette for a few more moments, he decided it was time to go in.
"Hey, Juvia." He called from the living room while draping his coat over the dark blue couch. Mere seconds later, he was joined by the beautiful bluenette.
"Hello, darling." She greeted him ever cheerfully. "How was your mission?"
"Easy enough." He shrugged, knowing it best not to give too many details.
"Good." She smiled brightly. "I am so glad you managed to return home today!" She was almost jumping with joy and he was a little confused.
"Really? Why?" In all honesty, Gray didn't even know what day it was. Over the past few months he had stopped caring so much about dates unless it was an important one.
"Because it's Christmas." Juvia told him, as excited as can be, before rushing towards the fireplace. He noticed that there was a Christmas tree besides it, beautifully decorated.
"Oh, I forgot." He stood a bit awkwardly while Juvia knelt down to grab a small present by the tree.
"It's okay." She fixed him with a reassuring look before coming his way.
He hated the way his heart beat faster with every step she took and his eyes couldn't divert from her cleavage, which wasn't as covered as usual now that she was wearing a simple lilac dress.
Once she was close enough, she extended her hands, handing him the present. "Merry Christmas!"
"You didn't have to." Gray muttered, feeling terrible once he took it. The guilt of not buying her a present was added to the list of overwhelming feelings he hadn't been able to shake off since the mission.
"I wanted to." Juvia told him, making him feel even worse. "It's the least I could do, after…" She bit her lip, stopping the sentence, but he knew exactly what she was referring to.
Ignoring the emotions which threatened to resurface, Gray turned his attention towards the gift. It was wrapped in a dark blue paper with a white ribbon and he could tell she had done it herself. Carefully, he removed the wrapping and inside a small box was revealed.
For a moment, he started to panic once a thought struck him. What if it was a ring? What if she was…proposing? What should he do? What should he say?
Wait, that didn't make any sense. He really needed to get it together.
"Open it." Juvia pleaded, placing a hand on his arm. She was fixing him with a worried look, having noticed his nervousness, so he tried his best to recompose himself.
Once open, the box revealed a silver necklace with a cross.
Gray's breath was caught in his throat. "How…" He couldn't formulate words anymore; this was too much.
"I remember that you lost it during the battle against Tartaros, so I wanted to replace it." Juvia told him, smiling sadly. "I've just been waiting for the perfect opportunity to give it to you."
"Juvia…" Keeping his emotions in check was becoming harder and harder. Now he was definitely scared.
"You don't have to say anything." Sensing his discomfort, she gave a reassuring smile before turning around and leaving him.
He once again stood there, frozen in place, trying his best to keep what little composure he had left. Once she returned with the cookies, however, his cracked walls were shattered.
"I remember Erza mentioned that your favorite food were cookies, so I decided to bake my mom's special recipe." She told him, glancing at the cookies with a smile. "I remember it always used to make me happy when she baked them, so I was hoping they would cheer you up too."
"Juvia…" Once again, her name came out, strangled. He couldn't take it anymore.
Juvia was caught off guard when he broke down, falling to his knees and sobbing like a child. Worried, she placed the cookies on the table close to the couch before kneeling by his side.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Self doubt filled her as she wondered if she had somehow upset him.
Gray didn't reply, instead wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Settling his head against her shoulder, he took in her familiar smell, which only made him cry even more. Lavender shampoo, the same one his mother used.
"Gray…" She held him, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. Sensing he didn't want to talk, she stayed silent while trying to comfort him.
Long minutes passed and Gray's mind started working again. Once he let go of all those suffocating emotions, many things became clear. One of which, he had been an idiot.
How could he have rejected this woman on so many occasions? How could he have treated her so horribly when she was nothing but kind to him? She had always supported him and loved him, unconditionally.
No matter what he'd done, she'd always been by his side. She was truly incredible and he felt terrible for taking her for granted.
Of course, that had been before, when they hadn't been living together. Over the past few months he had started treating her better, but he knew it wasn't enough.
What she wanted, what she needed was for him to love her because she was broken too.
He had restrained himself, no longer because he didn't feel the same, but because he had been afraid. Afraid of losing her, afraid of ruining their friendship and afraid of disappointing her.
Gray was still afraid, but now he knew that he couldn't keep his distance anymore. He didn't want to, as thoughts of kissing her returned full force.
Once he gathered all of the facts, he realized the reasons for pushing her away diminished in comparison with the ones to take the next step.
Ah, screw it. He was going to do this and now, before he changed his mind.
"Are you okay?" Juvia fixed him worriedly once he removed his head from her shoulder. A soft hand came to his cheek and wiped his tears away.
"No. Not at all." Gray replied, sighing.
"Is there anything I can do to make it better?" She had already done so much. Supported, cared for and comforted him. She had gotten him the perfect present and baked his favorite cookies only for him.
He really didn't deserve her.
"Why don't you have a cookie?" She suggested, beginning to get up, but he didn't let her. An arm wrapped around her wrist and he pulled.
"Later." Gray said once she was kneeling again. Before she could react, an arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her close, while the other came to the back of her head. He pressed his lips against hers and it wasn't long before she replied to the kiss just as eagerly.
One too many kisses later, they had to pull apart to breathe. Juvia's eyes surveyed his face, trying to understand what had pushed him to finally kiss her. "That was…unexpected."
"Trust me, I didn't expect it either." Gray told her, breathless.
"Why did you…" He shook his head.
"Can we…not talk about this now?" Looking towards the table, he smiled. "I want to try one of your cookies." She watched as he stood up and approached the table before taking a cookie.
"What do you think?" Juvia asked, trying her best not to burst with joy over what had just happened.
"They're delicious." Gray assured her, smiling brightly. "Your mom sure knew how to bake."
"She used to bake cookies whenever I was sad." She told him as a nostalgic smile came upon her face.
"Do you know where she learned this recipe?" He wondered, curious.
"No idea. I think it was a family recipe." He nodded, lost in thought.
"Would you like me to teach you?" Juvia asked after a few moments, a bit unsure.
"I would love that." They walked back to the kitchen, side by side, arms almost touching. Both were thinking about the kiss and its repercussions, but none voiced their thoughts.
They needed a little more time to comprehend what had happened and figure out what to do about it, so they focused solely on baking for the rest of the afternoon.
So, thoughts? Did you like the flashbacks? What about the Gruvia moments?
Spoiler Alert: it is no coincidence that Mika Fullubster used the same cookie recipe as Juvia's mom.
I hope I get to write the sequel that would explain this connection, but I haven't been able to so far.
What's coming next: On New Years I'll post a story about Gruvia babysitting Gajeel and Levy's twins. You can expect a lot more fluff for this one and a small surprise. 😉
Merry Christmas, everyone!