Chapter 3: Third Wheel
It was a neat place. Too clean for his liking but homey enough to feel welcoming. Plus it was warm inside.
Natsu waited for the blue-haired beauty to grab some dry towels. She told him to get comfortable, but he realized she won't be happy if he got her couch wet. His pants had considerably dried off, but his shirt was still damp. So the only polite behaviour he could think off was to simply stand in the middle of her living room.
Her apartment appeared roomy, though he assumed it wasn't really a big place. It was enough to house a single resident. The entryway to the kitchen was on the left as soon as one enters the front door. A short hallway immediately led to the living room; an island counter (which Natsu deduced served as the dining table) separated it from the kitchen. The living room also led to the balcony. Natsu walked towards the glass windows and peeked through the curtains. The rain continued its downpour, blending the colours of the outside into a blur.
"It's a beautiful sight when the sun is shining," Juvia said from behind. "That's why Juvia rented this place. It's quite small, but the view from the balcony was the deciding factor."
Natsu let go of the curtains and turned to face her. "Is a cool place," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He took the dry towel that she handed and began to dry his damp hair. He eyed the next thing she tried to give him, raising a brow. "Don't tell me that's Fullbastard's shirt."
Juvia frowned but didn't scold him for the offending nickname. "No, it's my brother's. He tends to stay here whenever he's fighting with his girlfriend."
"Ooh, I get to have it? I can totally sell it on eBay and make some dough." He took off his shirt and didn't miss the slight hitching of her breath. "Here, hold this," he handed his damp shirt to her, which she took with a scowl, then took the dry shirt of the famous Redfox. "A little loose."
"Well, Gajeel's a pretty tall and muscular guy."
"And Fullballster's a limp dick. What's your point?"
Juvia draped the damp shirt on couch to let it air dry. "Can you stop with the insults towards the person who can't defend himself?"
Natsu crossed his arms. "But that's what makes it fun! To be able to throw punches and jabs without actually hurting my fist!" He laughed out loud, clearly proud of himself. "I can't say it to the asshole's face because I would offend Luce."
Juvia shook her head in defeat. "No wonder she chose Gray." She meant to say it under her breath but decided to just let him know of her honest thoughts.
Rolling his eyes, Natsu plopped to the couch. As soon as his butt hit the cushion, he immediately relaxed. It was just that damn comfortable! "Nah, Lucy is just having temporary insanity. She'll come around and leave Fulldickster eventually." He could tell he was starting to annoy her.
She stood in front of him, her left hand on her waist and the other pointing at him. "That's not a good thing to say. Juvia might have feelings for Gray, but not to the point of wishing bad thing for their relationship."
"So you don't think you're good enough for Ballbuster?"
"That's not what Juvia said," she argued. "What makes you think you're good enough for Lucy and not Gray?"
"I know everything about her. What makes her tick, what makes her laugh," he paused while smirking, "and what makes her orgasm within a minute or two!"
Juvia gave him a disgusted look. "And yet she still chose Gray."
Natsu didn't take that as an offence. "Yeah, well… because for now he's still a mystery waiting to be solved. She wanted a little bit of adventure. But sooner or later, she'd realize that she doesn't belong with a Fuckbuster. Instead, she belongs with me."
Juvia shook her head, clearly appalled with what she heard. She turned to walk away, but Natsu reached for her hand.
"Tell me Juvia. You don't think Gray suits you more?"
Juvia was caught off guard with the question. She already had the answer to this question, but she was afraid to voice it out.
"Is your silence indicating that Lucy is better for Dickbuster than you then? That it's better for Lucy to be in Gray's arm every fucking night instead of you? That Lucy deserves him better than you?"
"No!" Juvia pulled her hand from his grip. "Juvia knows Gray better than anyone else…" she trailed off, the last of her words barely a whisper. "Gray needs someone to look after him, pamper and baby him. He's been through so much while growing up that he shouldn't be taking care of someone now. He should be the one being taken care of."
Natsu stood up, causing Juvia to take a few steps back to create some distance between them. "And you know deep inside you're that person, right?" He took a step forward, intent on intimidating her somewhat. "And you are sure no one can do a better job at slaving for Fuckballster than you, huh?"
Without thinking twice of the answer, Juvia nodded. She allowed herself to look up at him, blinking quite rapidly. He kept advancing towards her while she retreated. Before her back hit the bookcase just parallel to the couch, Natsu quickly took her right arm, tugged it, and pulled her towards him. They nearly collided, but she had the presence of mind to stop it by placing her palms flat on his chest.
Natsu snickered. "Ya know, Lucy ain't one to baby anybody. She prefers the guy to dote on her, especially when she gets home after a night shift. It doesn't take a fucking genius to know she'd soon get tired of Suckbuster." He lifted Juvia's chin up when she tried to look away from him. "I'm so sure that once he fucks up, Lucy would go running back to me."
"Why are you so confident?" Juvia questioned. "Where are you getting this arrogance from? How sure are you that their marriage won't work?"
Natsu snorted before placing the lightest peck on her lips, making Juvia a bit wide-eyed. "Cause you're gonna help me, babe." He winked at her then went for another taste of her lips. Juvia allowed him access, and he noisily kissed her with vigour. She tensed up when his left hand raked up and down her back while the other squeezed her behind.
"Wait! What do you mean help you?"
Pulling back, he stared directly into her eyes. "We're gonna break them apart." He trailed kisses from her left jaw down to her neck. "We're gonna make Lucy realize I'm better for her." He repeated the same action on her right side. "We're gonna make Foulbuster regret not being with you."
Juvia shook her head. "That's so wrong," she said in a whisper, almost as if unconvinced of what she stated. "H-how are you going to do that?" she asked nonetheless.
Natsu snickered. He touched Juvia's lower lip with his right thumb and proceeded to caress the corner of her mouth. "I don't know yet. But right now, I've something else in mind."
"Juvia only invited you for coffee or tea."
"Only?" He inched his face closer. She kept blinking again but her eyes were set on his as well. "Are you sure not for something else?"
Juvia squirmed against his hold, wanting to free herself. However, her movement only caused for her chest to press against his. Natsu flashed another crooked smile. It was annoying and captivating at the same time. So, Juvia made the first move. Bringing her lips to his, Juvia welcomed his lips for another bout of making out.
He was attracted to her, almost immediately when he laid eyes on her during Lucy's wedding. Yet, Natsu knew that he was taking these steps too quickly. When they were at the elevator earlier, he actually decided he wouldn't try something with her, though he was feeling quite horny. No, he didn't need to make a one-night stand turn into a casual fling.
But was that such a bad idea? Certainly, she was very unintentionally alluring. Like, she wasn't making any conscious part to entice a man. A thought crossed his mind. He didn't even know the colour of her eyes! He pulled away from her, snatching his mouth from hers. She was caught by surprise, her lips still parted.
"S-something wrong?"
Natsu cupped her cheeks to make her still. "Hmm, I thought you had brown eyes. But, I like this more." He moved her face in different angles to analyze the magnetic colour in her eyes. "It's sky blue, but there are like hints of green, purple, and grey in them."
His straightforward analysis made her blush.
"Juvia should offer you something to drink." She announced as she pulled away. Natsu restrained her from moving.
"I'll drink you instead."
"That's so cheesy. And if that's a pick-up line, it's so lame."
He laughed. A real hearty laugh. "You got me. But if I say I want to have sex with you again, will you let me?"
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Three weeks later…
It was too late to back out now. Juvia can't believe that her best friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law put her in this position. Okay, it wasn't exactly Levy's fault. It was more like Gajeel's. Still… Levy should've done everything in her power to stop this cruel fate.
Okay, Juvia can be really dramatic. But, who wouldn't? Especially now that she's impatiently waiting for a ride that would surely feel like hell. And there it was—that all-too-familiar charcoal grey SUV slowing coming into view. It parked just by the curb, and the windows rolled down.
"Hey Juvia!"
Juvia hated that her brain told her mouth to flash him a smile.
"Hi Gray."
However, her smile faded as soon as Lucy Fullbuster's face came into view. She gave Juvia a wave and a small smile. "Hello Juvia. How are you?"
Gray had stepped out of the vehicle and ran to where Juvia stood. He took the small luggage in her hands. "Sorry for the change of plans. I insisted with Levy that I pick you up. You're on the way anyway."
"Yeah…" the only thing she could say. Gray proceeded to place her bag at the back.
Juvia turned her attention to Lucy. "Did you just get off work?"
Lucy scowled. "Yeah. So tiring." And to that, Juvia only nodded. She was about to open the passenger's door when Lucy stopped her. "Wait." Lucy stepped out of the car as well. "I hope you don't mind to ride shotgun. I'll sit at the back so I can lie down a bit."
"S-sure. Juvia doesn't really mind."
With another small smile, Lucy gave her thanks and went to the back of the SUV. Juvia heaved a sigh and got inside.
"Juvia, I hope it's okay. I'll take a nap now. Go and entertain Gray," Lucy tapped Juvia on the shoulder and settled in her reclined seat. She didn't wait for Juvia to respond as she put on her earphones and closed her eyes.
"She worked for twelve hours," explained Gray as soon as he got inside the car.
"You should've stayed home. Mira would understand, you know."
Gray chuckled, shaking his head. "Like I'd miss this annual long weekend getaway. Plus, I told Lucy she can sleep all weekend at the cabin."
"True," was all Juvia could say.
Their destination was at a cottage, owned by Laxus, about four hours away from Magnolia. Mirajane always held a long weekend get-together every year. They had been holding this event for the past nine years, since Laxus and Mira became a couple during university. This year marked their tenth anniversary.
The original plan was for Juvia to hitch a ride with Levy and Gajeel, like usual. However, Gajeel had a last-minute social event appearance he couldn't get out of. The couple would arrive at the cottage at a later time. Juvia would've been okay to wait, but Levy messaged the whole group and voicing her concern for Juvia. Gray was quick to respond to give Juvia a ride. Lisanna offered to drive back and pick up Juvia, but Gray was insistent. Not to make a big deal out of nothing (well, for Juvia it was a BIG DEAL!), Juvia relented. She didn't want Gray to suspect anything.
She also didn't want Gray to feel that she's trying to stay away. At work for example when Gray would invite her for lunch, Juvia always managed to find an excuse. She knew if she continued to spend more time with him, her heart would never learn to let go. It's quite painful not to see him, but it's the only thing she could do to move on.
'We're gonna break them apart.'
That sentence kept popping up on her mind for the past three weeks since that night. Juvia reflexively fixed the scarf around her neck, very self-conscious of a fresh mark. The last thing she wanted was for Gray to see it. Though, would he care? Would he be curious? Would he feel jealous?
'We're gonna break them apart.'
That's what he declared, and yet he never expanded on it. Juvia knew it wasn't a carelessly-said-comment. There was determination in his voice and confidence in his demeanour that Gray and Lucy will not last.
"—via?" Gray snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. The car came to a smooth halt at a red light, giving Gray the chance to look at her directly.
Juvia blinked away the thoughts plaguing her mind. "Sorry Gray. Did you say something?"
"Well, I've been talking for a while now. All you do is nod or shake your head. I don't think you heard me at all."
"Oh sorry. Just thinking."
"Yeah, I figured," Gray chuckled. "You always get that misty look when you're in deep thought, and the world becomes a blur to you I bet. You don't even hear anything other than the voice in your head."
Juvia had to turn her head to stare at Gray. How he knew her so well!
"So what were you thinking?"
Juvia was about to answer, by making something up, when Lucy's voice interrupted.
"Babe, turn up the heat will ya. I feel cold," she told her husband.
Gray scowled but complied. The stop light turned green and Gray slowly accelerated. Juvia peeked at him and could tell he was annoyed; he hated the heat and always enjoyed the coolness of autumn. Juvia couldn't even help but take a quick glance at Gray's wife. Bitter thoughts ran through her mind.
It's cause you're hardly wearing anything!
Juvia resisted rolling her eyes at Gray's spoiled wife. It's nearing the winter season and yet Lucy was still wearing a skirt, knee-high boots and a vest top. Sure, her sweater was draped all over her upper body, but it still wasn't enough to provide warmth.
"So…" Gray started again. "Lisanna told me you're seeing someone."
"What? W-where did th…that come from?" she stuttered a bit. Did Lisanna find out about her secret liaison with a certain salmon-haired man? Maybe it was about a week ago when she cancelled meeting up with Lisanna. It was because that pinkie randomly showed up at her door without even messaging her. Perhaps Lisanna actually went to her apartment and saw him? That can't be! Did Lisanna read the messages on Juvia's phone? Surely that's not it. Juvia was careful in assigning his name under Contacts. Plus she turned off her notifications, so none of her messages popped out on her locked phone.
"I'm losing you again. It must be true then. You're thinking of someone."
"Of course not!" Juvia denied.
"There's nothing wrong if you're dating. When was the last time you had a relationship?"
Juvia felt like screaming. This was the one conversation she never had with Gray. Never! Gray was quite open to her about his relationships, but Juvia wasn't. He also never showed any interest in her love life, or lack thereof. Why now of all times?
There were some movement from the back. In her peripheral vision, Juvia saw Lucy sitting up straight. She was suddenly interested in the conversation between her husband and his friend, it seemed.
"Don't tell me you haven't forgotten about Bora?"
Grrrrrr, there he goes again.
"Who's Bora?"
"I thought you have your earphones on." Gray took a quick glance to his side then furrowed his brows.
"I did, but I could still hear you guys. Who's Bora?" Lucy directed the question to Juvia instead.
Juvia quickly hypothesized the amount of damage she'd get if she jumped out of a moving car while on the fast lane. It would hurt too much, so she might as well go through this torture. "He's an ex-boyfriend," she supplied the answer. Juvia used telepathy on Gray pleading to put a halt to this topic, but it didn't work.
"When did you break up?"
"Uh…" Juvia's mouth felt dry.
Gray answered for her. "When she was twenty-two, right?"
"You're still hung up on an ex-boyfriend for eight years?" Lucy gasped in bewilderment.
"No babe. She's a year younger than me. So, she's been trying to move on for seven years." Gray snorted.
Juvia clenched her fists in anger. She could imagine herself putting these newlyweds in a water bubble of some kind and lock them there for eternity. "Where is this conversation headed?" She finally asked out loud, making sure the annoyance was loud and clear in her voice.
"My bad," Gray gave a half-assed apology.
Lucy was of different story. She clapped her hands in enthusiasm. "I have the perfect guy for you, Juvia."
"Don't tell me it's that pink boy!" Gray was quick to interject.
"What the hell? If you're talking about Natsu, what's wrong with him? He's a great guy!"
Juvia observed Gray's jaw hardening. He's pissed for sure. She tried to say something but the couple ignored her.
"No way am I letting that piece of jerk near any of my friends."
Lucy pounded on the back of Juvia's seat, hopefully unintentional. "Don't call him a jerk. You don't know him enough to say that. Why? Is it because he's my ex-boyfriend?"
The vehicle came to an abrupt stop. Gray decided not to risk running a red light. "Not just that. Juvia's way too good for him."
"You guys know I'm here right?" Juvia asked but was unheard.
"Again, you don't know Natsu at all. And does it hurt to actually say his name for once?" Lucy angrily responded. "Plus, I wasn't even thinking of Natsu for your information."
Gray was about to say something when Juvia had enough. "Okay, STOP!" Her voice was raised but not to the point of yelling. "We are all going to stop talking about Juvia's love life. Case closed!" With that, the couple clamped their mouth shut. Lucy announced she's going back to sleep, and Gray continued to drive silently.
Juvia stared out the window and let her mind drift towards the very topic of the conversation. Natsu Dragneel was the very embodiment of her non-ideal man. Loud, obnoxious, cocky, brusque, vulgar, tactless… and many more negative adjectives. He knew how to drive her insane, especially the things he does with his fingers and tongue. He managed to find the switch of her inner spot, so she could reach her climax within minutes. She could argue to herself that she'd been celibate for a few years, so it'd be easy to please her. But Juvia's no innocent virgin. That annoying 'pinky boy' had managed to bring her to new heights for a new world record (for her) in one session. For Juvia to be generous with positive adjectives to describe him, it would be based on his intimate performance.
Her phone vibrated indicating of a new message. It's from 'Fireball'. It was a picture message of a man hiding his face. On top of his head was a blue cat, acting like a wig. The caption was: Look, we have the same hair colour now!
Juvia couldn't help but giggle. She added "humorous" to his list of attributes. He could make her laugh.
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The cold air was adding to the aching of her shoulders. She should've insisted to her husband her unwillingness to join him. She wasn't exactly comfortable around his group of friends, but she knew that compromise is essential to a successful marriage. Add to the fact that his girl best friend hitched a ride with them. Talk about third wheeling!
It's not that she hated Juvia. Far from it. She just had this feeling in the pit of her stomach there's something beyond friendship between her husband and the woman. Something much deeper than when he was around Mirajane or even the single Lisanna.
Lucy climbed inside the SUV without her presence being acknowledged. They were parked at a rest stop to get food and go to the washrooms. The two friends headed back to the car right away, while Lucy went about her own business. Now, the two were engaged in a serious conversation about work.
Apparently, Juvia had this amazing idea pop in her head and she needed to put it in paper. Observing them closely, Lucy could tell the greatness of their partnership and collaboration. Gray had even mentioned to her that Juvia is amazing to work with. Her brilliance and creativity made them both successful in many of their projects. The scene in front of Lucy was a testament to their effective working relationship.
So why does it feel like she's the third wheel in this scenario? She frowned; she hated feeling left out. At least when Gray was around her group of friends they always make sure to involve him. Erza was always amazing at making everyone feel welcome. Alzack and Bisca, husband-and-wife duo, were always great at creating conversations. Sting, Rogue, and Yukino were fun-loving individuals. It was only Natsu that rarely show up when Gray was around, with legitimate reasons.
A message on her phone popped up, bringing the biggest smile on her face. He really knew when to cheer her up. Though they haven't had the chance to hang out lately, he never missed the chance to talk to her. Lucy scrolled through a series of photos her best friend, former lover and forever soulmate sent her. One is of a blue cat surrounded with plush fish toys—Lucy's gift for Happy the cat. Another photo was of him making faces; the caption stated he was stuck at work during the long weekend. The last one was him holding his cat up close to the phone screen. Half of his face was covered by Happy. The caption said that Happy misses her.
Lucy brought her attention back to the two, when Gray told her to give them five more minutes. Lucy only nodded. If Gray didn't think Natsu would be good enough for Juvia, Lucy doubt Natsu would even give Juvia one glance. She knew Natsu like no one does, and Juvia would be the last girl he'd want to hook up with. However, she would definitely try and couple Juvia with someone else. Just so… just so she will have the assurance that there would only be friendship between Juvia and Gray.
a/n: pretty long chapter, eh? anyway, i will keep the M rating as requested. however, I am still undecided whether to make some "scenes" graphic (as that's not my forte). let's just wait and see. I am already missing the autumn season, so that's where this story is set and going to winter.
deep gratitude towards the ff: Angelina08, Godzilla327, cleverhead, Mariobluecrimson, QueenXCaramel, Nega Kris, FSM, shadow61953, ExpressLover22, BlackDragonShinigami, MaouokiKenjiro13, glittering-couch-potato, rosaji, wilathewitch, Snoopy A, and our 3 Guests.
the next chapter or so will involve some flashbacks, which means more on the Gruvia and Nalu side. Hopefully all you readers will stick with me. Please leave me feedback and comments. It's very motivational in crafting the story (makes me write faster, ahem ahem!)
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