It's been so, so, so long since I've updated this story. And that's because I wanted to give this Gruvia one-shot a good pace, and a good plotline. So...I hope you like it?

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Fairy Tail

Name of One-Shot: I Love My Shadow
Summary: Is it weird to fall in love with your stalker?

"Natsu! They're staring at you! Those women are STARING at you!"

"And why are you so angry over it? Jealous, hmm?"

"Sh-shut up! As if!"

"Ahahaha! You're so cute when you pout!"

"I do NOT pout!"

"Ahahaha…!"

"Would you two STOP it?" I whined, slamming my empty glass – which had contained soda until just recently – down onto the table. I was beginning to get a headache as I watched the flame brain, and his new girlfriend Lucy Heartfilia talk to each other. I scowled as Natsu arched an eyebrow, and popped a jelly bean into his mouth. I hated it when he bought candy here – as in the bar. He wouldn't offer me any, and he'd eat in front of me like it was a show.

"And what have you got up your ass today, Mr. Fullbuster?" Natsu asked, chewing slowly on the piece of candy.

Lucy reached over and pinched Natsu's mouth closed. "What the idiot means is…why are you so upset?"

"Idiot?" Natsu asked in a muffled voice. I ignored him, and I pinched the bridge of my nose, and said, "You two are so…ugh…and it makes me…blech…and it's just all so urgh!"

"You, Gray Fullbuster, have the ability to describe like a true professional writer," the blonde said sarcastically as she ate a jelly bean herself. "You know…when you get sick watching a couple spend time together, it usually means you're hungry for your own relationship…"

"I'm not 'hungry' for a relationship," I snapped, grabbing a handful of jelly beans. Natsu raised a hand to protest, but stopped when Lucy gave him a look. I quickly made a whipping sound before I shoved the handful of candy into my mouth.

"Damn it, Ice Princess, I swear I will-!" Natsu started, but yelped when Lucy shoved her fist into his stomach.

"You two have such a beautiful relationship," I said with my mouth full.

"You've got a ton of women who fawn over you," Natsu said, "Why not choose one of them?"

"Like I said, I-!"

Natsu stopped listening as he dug his lighter out of his pocket and turned it on with a flick of his thumb. He had done that a lot less often after he had started going out with Lucy, but occasionally, he pulled it out of nowhere. He moved the flickering flame between us, and said with a smile, "Because when you're in love…warmth comes as quickly as if you're sitting in front of a fire…"

I stared at the tiny blaze for a moment, before I considered punching him in the face. It was so disgusting when he tried to get all poetic and emotional. I opened my mouth to retort when I felt a cold chill tingle up my spine. Abruptly, I looked behind me, and surveyed the whole room.

"What's the matter?" Natsu asked curiously.

"I thought I felt…someone staring at me," I said in a low tone as I turned back to them. I rubbed my arms together to get rid of the eerie, cold feeling I was experiencing. Goosebumps had appeared all over my skin.

"Luce," Natsu said, arching an eyebrow. "Is this what they call paranoia? Is Gray so desperate for his popular period that he's becoming delusional?"

"Hmm," the blonde replied, smiling, and sipping her drink coolly. I glared at them before I turned and peered over my shoulder again. For a minute, I think I catch sight of a shadow, but I quickly dismiss it as my imagination when I realize the bar is lighted with powerful lights – there's no way a person can create a dark shadow in a place as bright as this…right? I shiver again, and grasp my cup tightly.

"I think I'm going to head out," I said finally. "I've got work tomorrow, and I need to get there early this time."

"All right, then…see you later, Gray," Natsu said nodding his head as Lucy smiled and waved.

As soon as I had gotten up from the booth, a crowd of ten or more people waltzed into the bar, and surged along talking loudly. Gritting my teeth, I squeezed in between the bodies of people and made my way towards the exit. When I had at last reached the cold, winter night outside, I sighed in relief and walked down the sidewalk, heading towards my apartment gloomily.

Lucy was partially right. I needed someone in my life after all. Being alone was…lonely. Ever since Ul, my elementary school mentor that had looked after me like I was her own child had passed away at a considerably young age, and her daughter – Ultear, who was only a couple years older than me – had moved away to France to study overseas, I felt sad all the time. I used to think that Ultear was in love with me until she had announced in a letter that she had found someone in France. Until then, I had harbored a little crush on her for a while. But that girl had never looked at me as more than a little brother type of thing, and the thought depressed me. What if I never actually found the right girl and spent the rest of my life alone, walking away from bars that held idiot friends that had beautiful girlfriends?

I looked up at the starry sky above. It wasn't much to look at. The city's light pollution blocked the twinkling stars out of sight, and I breathed out in frustration as I looked down at the ground. People walked past me occasionally, heading home or heading to a nearby convenience store to pick up some food they had just found out they were out of. It was the moment when I passed a street lamp that I felt that tingling, bone-chilling sensation again. Someone was following me.

I peered behind me. All I could see was the people who had passed me earlier on, getting tinier and tinier as the distance between us got longer. I bit my lip, ground my shoe into the ground, and took off running. My legs pumped as I sprinted faster and faster, my breath coming in short puffs of air. The cold air stung my lungs as it entered and exited them. I turned a corner sharply, stopped, and braced myself for the impact of a person that came almost a second later.

"Ouch!" a female voice wailed as the person collided into me and fell into my arms. I gripped her arms tightly and moved into a pool of light, where I could see the stalker clearly. She had light blue hair that fell in soft waves, sharp intelligent eyes, and pale, porcelain skin that was flawless and unblemished. Her eyelashes swept in front of her eyes as she gazed up at me, her mouth open, as if she was surprised at the sight of me.

"You!" I said, breathing heavily, trying hard to block all thoughts that my follower was beautiful. "You're the one! You're the one who I keep on sensing watching me! I can have you arrested, you stalker!"

"No!" the girl shrieked, struggling against my hold. "No! Don't throw Juvia into jail! Juvia didn't mean to stalk Gray-sama! Juvia was just following Gray-sama! It just turned out to be stalking in the end! Please don't turn in Juvia to the local prison! Just let Juvia be your stalker!"

"What?!" I said in horror, releasing her. How did she know my name? And why was she talking in third person? "What the hell? That's the kind of demand that'll get you arrested, you freak!"

"Juvia isn't a freak!" the bluenette argued, stamping her foot once. The streetlight's light seemed to concentrate on her as she turned towards the bulb dramatically. "Juvia is a maiden in love! Juvia is the heroine that will do anything for her Prince Charming, Gray-sama!"

"…I…don't get you," I said. "That aside, what do you want from me? Money? Because I don't have my wallet on me…you aren't…armed are you?"

"If it's armed with love Gray-sama is talking about, then yes! Juvia is armed to the max!"

I took a step back. This girl was kind of scaring me. But then again, this kind of thing would be comical if it weren't happening to me.

"Please…I won't have you arrested if you stop following me. Just leave me alone."

"If it's going to be like that…then Juvia should just be arrested by Gray-sama! Juvia won't stop following Gray-sama! Because Juvia loves Gray-sama! Besides, Gray-sama is too kind to throw a lady like Juvia into jail!"

I felt like falling over with my legs up into the air just like in the animes I watch from time to time. "Just leave me alone! If I see you again, I'm going to call the police, and possibly private detectives on you!"

I turned around, and marched out of there. As I left, I heard the girl muttering to herself, "Gray-sama talked to Juvia! Surely, that means Juvia has made great progress!"

I ran the rest of the way home.

I opened my eyes blearily to the weak sunlight that drifted into my room. The mattress under my back was comfortable, and the warmth of my blankets made me cozy. I turned to the side and glanced at my clock. Since it hadn't rung yet, I assumed I had another few minutes or so to sleep. 8 AM. That meant I had at least-

"No time left!" I shouted, sitting up and grabbing the alarm clock in my hands. I looked at the time as it switched from 8 o'clock sharp to 8:01. I had forgotten to turn on the alarm…which meant I-

"OVERSLEPT!" I shrieked, getting out of bed, and throwing on a shirt.

"Damn it!" I cried as I tugged on my khaki pants and ran into the living room, where I threw my shoes onto my feet. I was the instructor for an ice sculpture class at the local prestigious art school. Class started at 7: 30. Crap. This was my second time being late, and the boss wouldn't be happy about this.

I ran out the front door, shut it loudly, and locked it. I shook it once, shoved the key into my pocket, and ran for my dear life – or job – to the university. I skidded down hallways, and past classroom doors until I arrived at mine; I flung it open, shouting, "I'm here! I'm here!"

My stomach immediately plummeted when I saw the assistant headmaster (A/N: Is there such a thing? Let's just pretend there is if there isn't…I didn't want to give the horrible part of this chapter to the dean himself…I imagine him to be nice or something…) and the headmaster of the school in the classroom gazing out upon my class with stern, severe looks. The actual dean of the art academy has a stubbly, white beard on his chin, close set eyes, hallow cheeks, and a few wrinkles here and there. As his stare fell on me, I felt very aware of my un-tucked button down shirt, my crumpled up pants, and my sockless feet shoved into a pair of dress shoes. The assistant headmaster – Daichi Akahiro - is younger, more strict, and a lot less pleasant.

"Mr. Fullbuster," the assistant snapped, his eyes ablaze with fury. "This is the second time you've been late! We tolerated it for the first time, and gave you one more chance, but this is it! We can't have this anymore! You must be fired immediately and-!"

"No, Gray-sama can't be fired!" sounded a voice from behind them.

I turned to see the stalker from yesterday stepping into the room. Her eyes were filled with tears, and a couple of students started whispering at the sight of her. Akihiro's eyes strayed to her and he said curtly, "Who are you?"

"I'm Gray-sama's fiancé-!"

"What?! She isn't-! I don't even have a girlfriend!"

"And Juvia has always been watching him instructing from outside the classroom! He's a great instructor and his class adores him! You can't just throw him out for being late! If Juvia remembers correctly, you're late yourself more often than not!"

"Er…well…I..it's different…because I'm the assistant to the headmaster…"

"Oh, the assistant headmaster's an elitist," said a student loudly. It was a blonde girl with her hair cut short, and her friend agreed with her equally as loudly. Upon noticing me see her, she winked at Juvia and said in a casual tone, "So you believe you get special treatment while the teachers don't?"

"And besides that!" Juvia said, stamping her foot. She did that quite often, actually. "Where else are you going to find an ice sculptor like Gray-sama?! Are you just going to cancel this class, and leave everybody here with one less class?!"

"They can just be moved to another-"

"What if we want to become an ice sculptor?! You're crushing our dreams!" a male student cried, standing up as his friends pumped their fists in the air and cheered him on. "You can't fire Fullbuster-sensei because he's the best!"

The whole class started to whoop and cheer loudly.

"We'll stay behind thirty minutes to make up for the time lost," the blonde student said, giving a thumbs up. People pounded their desks in approval.

"Your parents will not be pleased with this when I notify them!"

"We've spent twenty years of our lives convincing our parents to buy things that they won't let us have…" one student said smugly. "Are you sure about that?"

"I-!"

"Forget it, Akihiro," the headmaster sighed, rubbing his temples. "I will notify the parents. But I'm sure the fact that the thirty minutes have been made up and that all the students are willing to support Mr. Fullbuster will calm everyone down. Please go on, sensei. I will have this situation under control. But I never want to see you tardy again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I must get going now. Headmaster stuff to do, ya know?"

(A/N: I know that in real life, a teacher will probably be fired for this kind of thing, but since this is a fictional story, I have made everything a bit more relaxed…so no flames, okay? No…not the Natsu kind of flames…you know the flames I mean…)

Everyone paled at the head of the school's vague explanation, but kept their mouths shut. As soon as the two men had disappeared behind the door, the class started to cheer their asses off.

"Did you see his face?!"

"Priceless, man, priceless!"

I cleared my throat loudly, and smiled as everyone turned their heads to me. "Thanks, you guys. You saved me there."

"Whatever! Just don't be late anymore, Professor Dumbass!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, haha, very clever."

I heard a rustling noise to my side and turned towards Juvia who was shifting about uncomfortably.

"Hey-"

"Juvia is so sorry! Juvia didn't mean to follow you again, but Juvia loves listening to you teach! So Juvia couldn't help it! Juvia knew she should have checked on you when she arrived and saw you weren't here! But Juvia didn't! Juvia is so, so, so sorry!"

Someone in the class whistled. "Someone's got an obsession…"

"Shut up," I said, and I watched as her eyes widened. "You shouldn't be apologizing, weirdo. You saved me from losing my job. It's the only thing I have to gain money. For that…I thank you and apologize to you for causing you so much trouble."

"Gray-sama is never trouble to Juvia!" the girl protested. She blushed and shoved a white bag towards me. "It's donuts! Juvia's always wanted to give you some, because Gray-sama doesn't eat breakfast in order to get here on time and set everything up, right?! But Juvia's never had courage! But now she does! Because Gray-sama's thanked Juvia!"

I blinked slowly, considered asking her how exactly she knew I didn't eat breakfast, decided against it, and accepted the offering. "Thanks…Juvia."

She squealed and ran away. I ate the donuts she gave me as I taught. They were delicious. And later that night, when I came home, tired and ready to eat my usual dinner of frozen foods, I found a homemade meal wrapped as a lunch box at my apartment door. The note read: "Juvia hopes Gray-sama likes this. – from Anonymous".

I chuckled as I picked it up and brought it into my home to eat. What an idiot.

The next morning dawned bright and early…and noisy because of the shrill blaring of my alarm clock. I sat up in my bed and rubbed my face in exhaustion before I got up and headed towards my dresser where I grabbed a change of clothes, dressed in them, and headed to the living room for my shoes. I put them on neatly and laced them up before I grabbed my keys and exited my apartment. I locked my home up and went off towards the school.

When I arrived there, in front of my classroom door was a bag with a logo printed on it. I picked up and opened it. First, I withdrew a note that read, "Enjoy, Gray-sama. Juvia has work today so she cannot visit you face-to-face".

I smiled to myself as I took out three muffins with jam spread on top. I bit into one. It was still warm and the breakfast food was so finely made that the bread almost melted in my mouth. I hummed to myself as I unlocked my classroom and headed in to prepare for the day. Mornings sure were better if you had a breakfast to eat up. I grinned as I folded up Juvia's note, and tucked it into my pocket.

Later that evening, when I returned home and found another lunchbox for dinner in front of my apartment door, I tucked the note of that into my pocket as well. Dinner that night consisted of rice and fish. I had never been happier.

Wednesday was French toast and then chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Thursday was funnel cake with sugary powder sprinkled on top and rice with bits of meat chopped up in it. Friday was pancakes and waffles with sweet maple syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce and chicken soup with rice and barbecue with a dessert of strawberry cheesecake on the side. On Saturday, I woke up, and was surprised to find a batch of pancakes in a foam container at my welcome mat. Then at night, Juvia actually knocked on my door to give me my dinner. I invited her in, and then the day after that, I invited her in again.

After that, the girl would just wait for me until I got home from work so that she could come into my home and enjoy a meal with me. Instead of having a premade meal done, she'd cook in my kitchen with the stoves and pans I rarely ever used. The smell of cooking food cheered me up and reenergized me of my depleted stamina.

One Saturday, Juvia had just finished washing the dishes as I continued to scrub down the dining room table. She wandered into the living room, where she picked up a small frame that was sitting on one of the nightstands. "Gray-sama,who is this?"

I looked at the photograph she was holding up, and scratched my head awkwardly. I looked away, and washed the cleaning rag slowly as I took my time with my answer. "Childhood friend…kinda."

"She's beautiful."

"That was when I was in middle school and she was in high school. She's studying abroad in France, now, though. I used to…uh…have a little crush on her. Her name's Ultear Milkovich."

Juvia looked at me, her expression nervous. "Do you still have one?"

"Huh?"

"Do you still love her?"

"She has a boyfriend."

"That's not what Juvia asked, Gray-sama."

I averted my eyes, shutting off the water. Once the hollow draining sound of the sink died out, all there was left was an awkward silence. What could I say? If I said no, then what topic would be brought up? I placed my hands in my pockets. "Let's not talk about it anymore."

"Juvia sees," the bluenette said quietly. "Juvia thinks she should go home."

"Why?" I asked. On her face was perplexed look.

"Juvia just has to, Gray-sama."

I watched as she picked up her bag, opened the door, and shut it soundlessly.

The next day, she didn't come back. Or the next. Or the next. And so it was like that for months.

"She still leaves me food, so I know she hasn't moved away."

Natsu sipped at his tea, tilting his head one way. "So…you're telling me…that you're in love with this girl?"

"I'm not saying that!"

Lucy chuckled. "It sounds like you are."

I scowled, crossing my arms, and looking the other way. They eventually fell into a separate conversation, and I was left with my own thoughts. What an idiot that girl was. Where was she anyways?

I had been such a dumbass. Why had I even mentioned having a crush on Ultear? If anything, I should have just said we were childhood friends, and I had only ever viewed her as such. Why hadn't I said no to liking her either? There hadn't been a guarantee that Juvia would have asked who I was in love with now.

"I gotta go," I sighed, standing up and grabbing my jacket. "I woke up kinda early this morning."

Lucy waved and smiled. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Later, Gray," Natsu said.

"Yeah."

I exited the bar, running my hand tiredly through my hair when the whispers of people caught my attention. They were all staring strangely at some woman slumped down onto the ground, her hands covering her face in despair. There was something familiar about her long coat and furry hat, and the way her blue hair curled past her shoulders…

"Juvia?!" I asked, bewildered. "Juvia! What are you doing here?!"

She looked up, her cheeks plastered with tears. "No matter what, Juvia wants Gray-sama's happiness, but she can't stand it when she sees him with another girl! All Juvia can wonder is who that blonde girl is, and make her out to be Juvia's rival! Even with Gray-sama's childhood friend, Juvia can't stand the fact of someone else being close to Gray-sama!"

I looked at her in a shocked way, and knelt down to her. She abruptly grabbed onto my sleeve, and buried her face into chest. "Please…Gray-sama…who do you love?!"

I couldn't answer. My voice was stuck in my throat; a panic spread out throughout my body as she pulled away, her lower lip trembling. It was then that everything finally clicked into place for me, and the clarity of everything hit me with impact. Swallowing down my nervousness, I gazed into her eyes. I had never been one to say poetic things, but if there was ever a moment that needed something rhythmical and hopelessly romantic, it was now.

"I don't know why you even love someone like me," I said slowly. "I have too much confidence in my strength, I'm an exhibitionist most of the time, and…I have so much flaws…and…I think I'm pretty self-centered for falling in love with my own shadow."

Juvia's face contorted into an expression of puzzlement.

"It follows me everywhere, loves me for who I am, disregards my many flaws, and continues to love me unconditionally."

I ducked my head down and grabbed onto Juvia's hands. "And I think I'm pretty narcissistic for falling in love with someone who adores me the most."

Juvia breathed out slowly. "Gray-sama, you mean…"

I looked up. "I'm in love with you, Juvia. Be with me."

"Yes! Gray-sama! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I laughed nervously. "Idiot, you don't have to be so excited."

There were tears in the corners of her eyes. "But Juvia is so, so, so happy! Juvia loves Gray-sama the most!"

I smiled warmly, and leaned in to kiss her. I grunted in surprise as she threw herself at me, wrapped her arms around neck, and planted a passionate kiss on my lips.

When she pulled away, my face was hot, and probably redder than hers.

I smiled. "You wanna know the best thing about my shadow?"

"What?"

She blushed as I told her and swiftly, I pulled her into another kiss.

It never disappears.

Always a sucker for cheesy, romantic endings! :D Anyways, next is the Jerza one-shot! Expect a long wait for it, because I'll be working hard on making the pacing decent! :D

Hope you liked this chapter!

Please review!

Until next chapter!