Hey, thanks for reading! This is my first story and I hope I was able to write it how you like it. More chapters to come, so if you like this review and let me know what you liked.
Disclaimer: I am not Hiro Mashima and therefore do NOT own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. This is just the result of my own imagination piggybacking off of his idea.
Chapter 1: Raindrops and Weddings
It had been several weeks since the Grand Magic Games had finally come to an end, and everything seemed to be getting back to normal. Well, everything except the behavior of a very sullen ice mage and his aquatic stalker.
Gray Fullbuster sat at his usual table with the same glowering expression he'd been wearing since the events on the 7th. His team had managed to come in third place at the games, (a fact that irritated them all. Even Wendy looked like she would start a fight) placing behind the B Team that had gained first place, and Lamia Scale in second. While Fairy Tail was now once again the top guild in Fiore, that hadn't changed the wager that Gray had made with his Ice-make brother Lyon.
Lyon had allowed time for his prize to say good-bye to her former guild mates, a gesture that Gray appreciated, but the day of Juvia's "departure" was just the next day and both were beginning to feel anxious.
Why did I even make that stupid bet? Juvia should the one to decide which guild to be a part of, not me and DEFINITELY not Lyon. How could I go and do that without her permission? He had noticed long ago her affection for him, and had himself, grown quite fond of her and her little quirks. He thought it adorable how she would take any little thing and suddenly explode it into an enormous love triangle; and how she would always go teary-eyed at any small hint of real romance or affection. But the trait that impressed him the most was that while she was one of the newest members of Fairy Tail, she was also one of its most viciously loyal mages. Every time one of her guild mates, or the guild itself, was in danger Juvia would be one of the first to rise and face that danger head on, and it's hard to not like a woman with that kind of determination.
Plus, and would never admit it, the wavy locks of her new hair style drove him crazy.
While Gray was berating himself, Juvia was furiously trying to think of a way out of her accepted position. Knowing that she would need help, the water mage quickly walked over to one of her former teammates thinking that maybe the Take Over mage would know of a certain bylaw that would get her out of this mess.
Mira was understandably surprised to hear of the bet, and her eyes flashed toward Gray for a second in anger. How dare he make that bet! I have 1000 jewels on him and Juvia hooking up in the next-suddenly all of Mira's anger dissolved as she remembered the exact law of Fiore guilds that would allow for not only Juvia to remain, but would also satisfy Mira's matchmaking addiction.
She quickly turned back to Juvia with a slight hint of mischief in her eyes and began to describe her plan.
The next day Lyon appeared at the guild doors earlier than Gray would have liked, but silently he couldn't blame him. Quickly walking over to Juvia, Lyon reached out his left hand while covering his heart with his right in a way that made Gray think of a High School drama student and asked simply "Are you ready?"
For her part Juvia looked like she was about to explode in embarrassment, her face was as deep a scarlet as ever and she seemed unable to speak. Again Gray berated himself for forcing his friend into such an awkward situation.
"J-J-Juvia is almost r-ready. Juvia j-just needs to say s-something to G-Gray-sama." Lyon gave her a small nod and folded his arms as Juvia made her way, slowly, toward Gray.
Gray could feel the rebuke coming; he refused to look at Juvia as she slowly came closer to him, not wanting to see the disappointment and anger in her eyes. He was also embarrassed that Juvia had decided to face him like this in front of the guild, although he guessed he deserved it. I guess if this is how she wants to deal with this I'll let her. It's the least I can do.
Juvia stopped a couple of feet from Gray to steady herself. Mira's plan had seemed sure-fire at the time she had told her, but now that she was so close to the half-naked ice mage Juvia wasn't sure she could do it. Glancing to the side in nervousness, she was surprised to catch a glimpse of Mira, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Erza, Gajeel, Levy, Cana, and even Freed and the Raijinshu to the side with a small sign that read: GO FOR IT!
Smiling slightly at their silent support Juvia once again started toward Gray and spoke meekly "Gray-sama?" Unable to ignore the woman in front of him, Gray turned to look directly in her eyes, steeling himself for what she was about to say.
"Yeah Juvia whad'ya need?"
As they held each other's eyes Juvia couldn't help but blush at all the racy thoughts that were suddenly flashing through her head, but she mentally shook those thoughts out as she slowly reached into her pocket for a small box. "Gray-sama, Juvia needs to ask something." Gray slightly winced at her words, hoping that she wouldn't start asking how he felt about her leaving, because as far as he could see he didn't have much right to ask her to stay.
To his surprise though, Juvia pulled the box in her pocket out and slowly descended to one knee, as she opened the box to reveal a simple ring and asked…
"Would Gray-sama marry Juvia?"
It seemed to Gray as if all of Magnolia had suddenly silenced at her words, holding its breath and waiting for Gray's answer. With enormous eyes, Gray turned to look at the one person he could think of: Lyon, who had a look as if he had been stung by a hundred bees that he had swallowed simultaneously.
A split second later, Lyon closed his eyes, grinned, and waved at Gray as if to say you win.
Relief flooded Gray, he was so relieved that he almost forgot about Juvia's question and ran over to hug his brother and rival. Fortunately, Gray had grown accustomed to when Erza or Mirajane were upset with him and the feeling of their glares brought him back to the woman in front of him.
Juvia hadn't looked at Gray since she had asked and therefore hadn't seen his expression change from shock to happiness. Instead she became quite familiar with a specific stone in the floor work as she looked pointedly at the ground. As the seconds ticked by Juvia couldn't help the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes, tears of rejection. Her body began to shake with her unsounded sobs until she felt Gray's familiar hands over hers and take the box.
Snapping her face up to look at Gray's she saw him smile and she fiercely blushed as he held her hands and lifted her to her feet. "If we're doing this," Gray said softly sinking to one knee, a slight glint of playfulness in his eyes "then we're going to do it right."
"OH MY GOD! HES TURNING IT AROUND AND PROPOSING TO HER INSTEAD!" Lucy and Mira cried out in unison, much to the irritation of the Dragon Slayers next to them.
"I started to see you differently during the S-class exam when we were linked by Meredy's 'sense'. At first I had no clue why I was suddenly feeling all these strange pains and emotions, but then I felt something that let me know that it was you." Juvia's blush at this point had spread to the entirety of her head and the top half of her torso. A fact that had Gray grinning even wider.
"I felt your love. A love for life, whether that life belonged to me or your enemy, you felt nothing but love for its existence. I had started crying long before you and Meredy, because I realized that such a beautiful person had been in front of me all this time and I had never noticed. But now I see that there is more to you than an excellent mage, you're an excellent person, one that I hope I can deserve. So, will you Juvia, marry me?"
As he finally asked her the ring in the box began to glow softly and Juvia gasped as she watched a small ice figure in the shape of the Fairy Tail symbol appear on the simple band. Juvia's blush had grown so much that Gray could literally see steam rising from her head, the heat from it evaporating her liquid body. However she answered quietly, her hands covering her face to try and hide her new tears of pure joy, "Yes."
Gray quickly rose from the ground and fluidly slipped the ring on her hand while simultaneously reaching for Juvia's cheek and pulling her in for a kiss. As their lips touched it seemed as if an explosion had taken place inside the guild, as Juvia's support section let loose an uproarious cheer.
The two mages never noticed. For a short joyous moment, they were the only ones in the world.
Again, please review and let me know what you liked, or didn't.
Next Chapter: Natsu decides to not let Gray get the better of him in love either.