Hello all! Sorry for the long wait, but here we are with the next chapter right in time for the holidays! A huge thank you to my wonderful readers. Your support really means a lot. Now, please enjoy and leave me a review if you're feeling up to it! Happy holidays!

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Movements

Scherzando

-:-

{A mood indicator meaning "playfully"}

-:-

"Okay, Gray-sama. Are you ready?" Juvia asked as soon as Gray opened the front door.

He blinked in confusion, "Um, ready for what?"

"Has Gray-sama forgotten already?" Juvia huffed, "The puppy! Today is the day Mira-san will let you take her home! Now, let's go!" Gray didn't have time to process exactly what was happening or to decide if he wanted to protest before he found himself ushered out of his house and strapped into Juvia's car. It seemed the woman was more excited than he was about picking up his dog. "Have you come up with a name for her yet?" Juvia asked as she started the car.

"No, not yet," Gray muttered.

"What? Gray-sama, were you just going to call the poor puppy "Dog" for the rest of her life?"

"Pretty much," he shrugged flippantly.

Juvia gasped in horror, "No! Juvia will not allow it. If you don't have a name picked out for that dog by the time we get to Mira's, Juvia will… Juvia will…"

Gray snorted, "Juvia will what?"

"Juvia will not help you train your dog," the woman decided.

Gray just snorted again, "Doesn't matter. Mira can help me."

Juvia spluttered incredulously, "Mira-san will not help you!"

"Oh, and how would you know?" Cue eyebrow lift.

Juvia could feel her irritation building, "Because Juvia will make Mira-san promise not to! Gray-sama is so irresponsible. He can't even be bothered to come up with a name for his new companion. Why, Juvia should-!"

"Ok, ok, calm down Juvia," Gray raised his hands in surrender, cutting off an impending rant, "I was just kidding."

"Just kidding? Gray-sama was just kidding," Juvia stopped short.

"Just. Kidding," Gray laughed, "You are so easy to mess with someti-ow!" He grabbed his arm where Juvia had none-too-gently punched him, "Now that's just mean."

"Gray-sama was mean first," Juvia pointed out.

"I… Ok, fair enough. So how does Luna sound?" At Juvia's silence, Gray chuckled nervously, "You did ask if I had decided on a name, right? I thought Luna sounded pretty."

Juvia snapped out of whatever shock she had gone into and quickly reassured him, "Oh yes! Luna's a wonderful name! Juvia is impressed. She didn't think Gray-sama had it in him to think up a good name. She thought she was going to have to name the dog herself."

"Ouch, give me some credit, will ya?" Gray scoffed, "Natsu's the one who can't think of a better name for a pet than Happy, not me." Juvia's mind flashed back to work the week before when the fish-loving Russian Blue/Maine Coon mix and his loud owner had walked into her office for an annual checkup. As in previous years, Juvia could find nothing wrong with the cat besides an abnormal love of fish.

Shrugging, Juvia just said, "Happy is a lovely name. By the way, that reminds me. Natsu-san and Lucy's wedding is in two months. Natsu-san said that he would be stopping by your house sometime to deliver the invitation."

"Got it already," Gray said, "The man came by three days ago with a wedding invitation and a request that I be his best man."

"Please tell me that you accepted," Juvia interrupted worriedly.

"I must say I am slightly offended that you think so lowly of me," the dark-haired man smirked jokingly, "But yes, I decided to be a good friend and said yes. As much as I loath to say this, I hope the Flame Brain will be my best man at my wedding. It's only right that I am best man at his."

"Aw, so Gray-sama can be sweet!" Juvia gushed playfully.

"I am not sweet," the man spat the word out like it was poison.

"Juvia thinks you are," Juvia teased before suddenly becoming strangely nervous and reserved, "So who's the future Mrs. Fullbuster?"

Gray spluttered for a full minute before he choked out, "I-I haven't d-decided. Sheesh, what k-kind of question is th-that, woman?"

"Gray-sama mentioned it, and Juvia was curious," Juvia said with obviously fake nonchalance. Gray almost asked her about it, but chose not to at the last moment, deciding he really didn't want to know. Nor did he particularly wish to be embarrassed even further if he happened to have incorrectly assessed the situation.

Instead, he crossed his arms and snorted, "It must be Bully Gray Day or something."

"That it is," Juvia nodded matter-of-factly. Gray groaned, but the woman ignored him and giggled, "We're here! Gray-sama, get out. Come on! Juvia's so excited!"

"Excited for what?" Gray sighed exasperatedly, wondering which Juvia he should prefer more: mischievous or dog-obsessed, "It's just a dog."

Juvia just let out a long-suffering sigh and replied, "Oh, Gray-sama, one day you will understand."

-:-:-:-

By the time Juvia turned the corner back onto Gray's street, she was almost bouncing up and down with excitement. The newly-dubbed Luna seemed to be in equally high spirits, licking Gray's face (much to his chagrin), wagging her tail, and squirming around on Gray's lap. Juvia had spent less than an hour with this puppy, but she had already fallen for the black-and-white furball's charm. Pulling into Gray's driveway, Juvia immediately noticed something a bit odd, "Hm, strange."

"Ugh, stop licking me! It's so gross," Gray whined, "What is it, Juvia?"

"There is an unfamiliar car parked in your driveway. Do you know somebody who owns a silver sports car? Oh my, it looks very expensive."

Gray felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and groaned in annoyance, "Please tell me it's not a Lamborghini."

"Um, well, Juvia would be lying if she told you that," Juvia said, "What's wrong? Do you know the owner?"

"Oh yeah, I know the owner all right. He was here just last week... Don't worry about it, he's allowed to be here, as much as I hate it. Let's just get this stuff moved in, shall we?"

Juvia hummed in agreement and grabbed Luna's leash. Gray got the box with all of Luna's necessities in it and allowed Juvia to guide him to his front door. After fumbling around with his keys for a moment, Gray managed to wrestle his door open, and they stepped inside. Juvia barely made it three steps into the house before a handsome older man with an uncanny resemblance to Gray stepped into the hall and boomed, "Son, you're back! And you brought home a beautiful girl and an adorable dog! My, do you know how to make your old dad proud."

Juvia blushed and started stammering something nervously, but Gray just nudged her with an exasperated shake of his head and snorted, "What are you doing here, old man?"

"Ouch, tough crowd," the person who Juvia concluded to be Gray's father sighed, throwing an exaggerated wink in her direction. Juvia smiled; she was liking Gray's father already. When Gray remained in a frosty silence, Fullbuster Senior continued, "It's great to see you too, son. Oh, how am I, you ask? Wonderful. How 'bout you?" At Gray's continued silence, he snorted, "Well, if you must know, I have come, out of the kindness of my heart, to help you raise that puppy of yours until she is old enough to start guide dog training. You know, puppies don't start that until they're a year old, and raising a pup is no easy task. I would know, considering I raised you."

Gray looked like he would start banging his head on the nearest wall if his father made one more embarrassing comment about him. A giggle escaped from Juvia, drawing the older Fullbuster's attention away from Gray. "Ah, my apologies, I got too caught up in my one-sided conversation with my son. The name's Silver Fullbuster, and who might you be, young lady?"

"Juvia Lockser," Juvia replied with a smile, "It's very nice to meet you." She extended a hand.

Silver shook it and grinned as well, "Ah, if it's not the great Juvia Lockser I've heard so much about." He stepped back and winked, "I must say, I haven't seen Gray so smitten with anyone since, well, ever. He rarely stops talking about you."

Juvia blushed a deep red and stuttered, "O-Oh, does h-he?"

"Stop lying, old man," Gray groaned.

"Lying? Why would I be doing that?" Silver asked, "I was stating a fact. I mean, just last night, I called you, and you spent a solid twenty minutes talking about how Miss Lockser would be coming over today."

"I was talking about how she would be coming with me to pick up my dog today," Gray all but snarled, "By the way, when are you going to actually interact with Luna and stop embarrassing me?"

Silver just laughed at his son's hostility, finding it all quite amusing. He turned to the puppy who had been sniffing quietly at his shoes as the humans were talking. Bending down, he let Luna sniff his fingers and lick him excitedly while he scratched her behind the ears. Silver laughed; he'd always been a dog person. "So, Luna is it?" he asked, glancing up at Juvia, who was still slightly red from the earlier teasing, "Can I assume it was you who came up with the name, and not my son?"

Juvia's eyes widened, "Oh, no! Gray named her all on his own. Juvia was quite astonished as well."

Silver guffawed at the blunt honesty, "I'll bet. Nice job, Gray. Who knew you had it in you?" The elder Fullbuster watched in amusement as his son's scowl deepened and he stomped away with Luna's dog crate.

"I'll be unpacking Luna's stuff," Gray grunted as he walked purposefully out of the living room to avoid more teasing. Juvia giggled at Gray's immature behavior, having never seen him quite so flustered before, before she called after his retreating back, "Gray-sama, would you like Juvia to help with anything?"

"No, thanks. I've got it,," Gray responded stiffly, "But I would be eternally grateful if you would just stay there and keep the old man occupied." Silver's head whipped up when he was addressed as "old man," and he let out an indignant, "Hey, I'm only fifty!" Juvia giggled again and sat down across from Silver, who returned to petting Luna.

"So Juvia, I hear you are an exceptionally talented violinist," Silver said, looking up at Juvia with a grin, "I'd love to hear you play sometime."

Juvia blushed for the third time that hour and said, "Oh, thank you. But Juvia isn't as good as Silver-sama seems to think she is."

"Nonsense!" Silver boomed heartily, "I didn't arrive at that conclusion completely from Gray's biased opinion, you know. No, when I heard him going on about how good a player you were, I just had to learn more about the musician who could make Gray of all people appreciate music. I must say, you are an extremely accomplished musician, if your profile on Fairy Tail's website was anything to go by."

"Um, thank you, Silver-sama," Juvia said, unsure exactly how to respond, "But Juvia always looked more impressive on paper. She still has a long way to go if she wants to be as good as some of the other members of Fairy Tail."

"Stop being so humble," Silver chided, "I listened to a few of Fairy Tail's recordings too. Trust me, I've done my homework. You are as good as your resume makes you out to be, and much better, in my opinion. I trust that I know a good musician when I hear one. I was a mighty fine trombonist in my day, you know."

"Who did you play for, if you don't mind my asking?" Juvia asked, her curiosity piqued. Meeting and learning about other musicians always excited her.

"Hmm, let's see," Silver leaned back, "I played for Fairy Tail for a while, if you can believe it. But that was before you were even born. I met Gray's mother during that time." Here, Silver adopted a rather wistful look before he shook himself out of it and continued, "After that, I played for the Tartaros Symphony for a while, but the people there just were unpleasant, and it involved a lot of moving, so I quit. I was married by that point, so I settled back down in Magnolia, got a desk job, and started focusing on my family. After all, there's nothing more important than my family for me."

Juvia nodded in agreement. Before she could so much as open her mouth, however, there was a clang and a curse that resonated through the kitchen. Jumping up in shock, both Juvia and Silver sprinted over to find a most amusing sight. Gray was sprawled on the floor, covered in puppy food, as Luna happily munched her food out of his hair. Juvia tried to smother her laughter behind her hand to help preserve a bit of Gray's pride, but Silver had no such reservations. He laughed until he was gasping for breath, and, to add insult to injury, he took a picture of the scene to send to the whole family. Gray was distinctly unamused.

"A picture, Dad?" He grouched, "Is that really necessary?"

"Oh yes," Silver snickered, "I haven't seen you do something this funny since I found you hiding in the performing arts center's elevator after you and Natsu broke Erza's cello. Fun times, though my checkbook might disagree. Her new cello cost a fortune!"

Juvia finally couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a giggle. Gray looked betrayed as he whined, "You too, Juvia? How could you?"

"S-sorry Gray-sama!" Juvia choked out, "You're just too ridiculous."

"I'll show you ridiculous!" Gray yelled in mock anger as he stood up and pulled out a handful of the canned dog food still stuck in his hair. He started advancing toward Juvia, wielding his weapon threateningly. Juvia yelped when she realized what he was about to do.

Backing away, Juvia was about to make a break for it, when Silver cut in with a chuckle, "Alright, alright. Break it up, children."

"Children? Oh you're one to talk, old man," Gray snorted, "Who's the one who finds his son's misfortune oh-so hilarious? Then takes a picture to send to the rest of the family?"

Silver grinned innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now go get cleaned up. I want you to try on a tux I got you for Natsu and Lucy's wedding. It's coming up in a few weeks, isn't it?"

"More like two months," Gray muttered, but he obeyed his father's orders without further objection.

Juvia watched him stomp upstairs in amusement before glancing back over at the mess in the kitchen. She moved to go wipe down the floors, but Silver waved her away, "No, no, Juvia. You're the guest. Why don't you play with Luna, while I clean up here."

"Are you sure? Juvia can help. It's not a problem," Juvia protested, but Silver was having none of it. Giving up, Juvia led Luna out to the living room. Looking down, she saw the Border Collie puppy looking at her innocently, and Juvia giggled, "You're truly are really cute, you know? Just like your owner." Luna's response was to roll over and invite Juvia to give her a belly rub. Juvia simply giggled and complied.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Silver had paused in his cleaning and overheard their little conversation. Smiling widely as his speculations about Juvia's and Gray's relationship were proven correct, Silver thought happily, I approve of your choice, Gray.

Con Amore

-:-

{A mood indicator meaning "lovingly"}

-:-

Gray fiddled uncomfortably with the cuff of his sleeve. The tuxedo that Erza had stuffed him unceremoniously into was slowly smothering him to death. The only thing keeping him from sneaking out of his best friend's wedding reception to go strip was the excitable Juvia. She was clutching Gray's hand so tightly that his fingers had gone numb ages ago. He was about to protest, but she was too busy dragging him from place to place to notice. Resistance was futile.

They eventually came to a halt before the radiant bride and groom. Gray could just imagine how beautiful Lucy looked in her wedding dress and how admittedly dashing Natsu was in his tux. As best man, Gray had spent much more time than he'd have liked listening to Natsu delve excessively into every aspect of the wedding. Heck, Gray could recite the color of the napkins at each table if need be. For some strange reason unknown to man, Natsu had decided to host his wedding at the performing arts center, then proceeded to invite every member of Fairy Tail, on top of the couple's other friends. In the end, the number of attendees topped out at a whopping three hundred people. Gray didn't remember Natsu and Lucy being quite this popular.

Clapping his best friend's shoulder, Gray laughed, "How you managed to get Lucy to fall in love with you, we'll never know. But you got lucky, so don't let go, got it? Good luck, Lucy. You're gonna need it in order to spend eternity with this whacko."

"Oh trust me, I know," Natsu snorted, "And the world will end before I ever think of letting go." Gray heard Lucy 'aww' and sniffle a little before she undoubtedly gave her new husband a kiss. Knowing the two wouldn't be surfacing for air anytime soon, Gray let Juvia tug him back into the sea of guests. Thankfully, they didn't go back to mingling, as he had no clue how much more of that he could take. Instead, they found a relatively secluded table and sat down.

"Juvia figured you might be getting a bit tired of socializing," Juvia piped up before Gray was given the task of scrambling for a topic of conversation. He was eternally grateful for the woman's talkative nature at times.

"Hit the nail right on the head with that one," Gray sighed, "I love spending time with you guys, really I do. But you're all social butterflies, and I can't keep up half the time."

Juvia giggled, "Well, here's a secret. Juvia is dead tired too. It wasn't completely for altruism's sake that Juvia agreed to find an isolated table."

Gray's eyebrows shot up, "You? Tired? I was beginning to think you were the most social of the bunch!"

"Gray-sama has got to be kidding," Juvia snorted in quite an unladylike fashion, "Juvia can't stand gatherings like this. It takes too much energy to keep up the pleasantries. And don't get me started on small talk."

Gray let out a bark of laughter, "Well what do you know. I think I can still be friends with you after all." He winked to let her know he wasn't being very serious before continuing, "How about we make our great escape and go get some cheap fast food?"

"Juvia would love to, but she does not want to die today. Erza-san would have our heads."

"Good point," Gray conceded. They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Juvia would giggle, and Gray would look over curiously. Juvia would then have to explain through her laughter how Natsu stepped on Lucy's foot (which explained why Gray could hear the groom apologizing while the bride yelped in pain) or how Gajeel was failing at nonchalantly asking Levy McGarden to dance. Gray laughed at the mental images, and he was shocked once again by how freely he could enjoy himself around Juvia. He felt completely normal around her, more so than he felt around most of his other friends. It was in that time, just sitting there and chatting with Juvia, that he began to really notice the odd, happy little blip of his heart whenever Juvia laughed. The sensation doubled in strength whenever he was the one to make her laugh. Gray furrowed his brow, trying to remember when he had felt that sensation before. It was a familiar feeling. He just hadn't noticed until just now, but he still couldn't place it. Deciding to ponder it later, Gray returned to his conversation with Juvia, smiling when she giggled once more at something stupid he was unaware he'd said.

However, as the songs got progressively slower, Gray could tell Juvia was getting a bit restless. Her fingers were tapping nonstop, and she was fidgeting in her seat. "Is everything all right?" Gray asked in concern. He had never pegged Juvia as the nervous type. Shy, maybe, but not nervous. He wondered what could be the matter.

"Hmm?" Juvia replied distractedly. In the time he had known her, Gray had never heard her use that tone of voice before.

"Juvia, what's bothering you?" He repeated.

"O-oh, it's nothing, Gray-sama," Juvia stammered this time. Now Gray knew something was up. He would have to be stupid to believe someone who tells him that nothing is wrong like that.

"No, it's obviously not nothing. Can you tell me, so I can help you?" Gray paused, trying to pinpoint something going on around them that could cause her to act the way she was. He didn't know the time, but he assumed it was getting late. He probed, "Are you sleepy? Do you want to go home?"

"Gray-sama, it's only 11:30. What kind of bridesmaid would Juvia be if she dared get tired and leave before one in the morning?" Juvia giggled slightly.

"A pretty bad one, I'd guess," Gray chuckled, but he returned to his game of "Guess Why Juvia's Acting Strange."

He heard the steady clinking of glasses. Did she want something to drink, maybe? He remembered a waiter had come by offering drinks, and if he remembered correctly, Juvia had gotten one. "Do you want another drink?" he guessed.

Gray could almost hear the eye-roll Juvia gave him as she sighed, "Nothing is bothering Juvia. Please stop guessing."

"No, I don't think I will," Gray snorted with a wink, "You see, there's a defining trait within the Fullbuster family, and it's not what you think it is. Sure, our dashing good looks could count, but you've got a select few who were… more modestly gifted in that respect. Take Lyon, for instance. I showed you a picture of him once, right?" Juvia giggled, remembering the white-haired man's photo that Gray had pulled out of his wallet once. She wasn't about to say anything, but she felt Lyon-san was quite good-looking as well. Though, in her biased viewpoint, she still thought Gray more handsome. Gray continued, his smirk widening, "No, it's not the good looks, even though those take a close second. The Fullbuster family treasure is actually our extreme stubbornness. So no, I will not stop pestering you."

Juvia opened her mouth to object once more, but seeing the determined set of Gray's mouth, she thought better. Juvia sighed, "Fine, Juvia will tell you. Th-there are a lot of people here…"

"Yes?" Gray said slowly, not quite sure where this was going, "Isn't that obvious?"

"Let Juvia finish!" Juvia huffed before continuing, "Anyway, those people are all getting up to do something, and…"

"You want to join," Gray finished.

"W-well, yes."

"Juvia, you can do whatever you want. I don't want to hold you back," Gray said, frowning a little when he realized he had probably been the reason Juvia hadn't been enjoying herself the whole night.

Juvia gasped, "No! Gray-sama is mistaken. Juvia knows she can do whatever, but she sort of needs a friend for this particular task, and she was hoping Gray-sama would be that friend…" She trailed away awkwardly.

Gray was, if anything, even more confused, "Uh, what task? What are you talking about?"

Juvia groaned in frustration, "Good grief, Gray-sama! Juvia is asking you to dance!" A split-second later, she realized she had blurted her invitation out loud and gasped in embarrassment. However, she didn't regret her actions. It was Gray's own fault he was so dense.

A flurry of emotions slammed into Gray at Juvia's order: doubt, fear, confusion. Doubt in his naturally nonexistent dance abilities. Fear that any hesitation would disappoint Juvia and make her see that he really was not worth her time. Confusion as to why his heart still raced with anticipation for the chance to dance with Juvia. Finally, his features settled into a mask of cool indifference. There was an agonizing silence between them, then…

"I don't and can't dance," Gray stated bluntly.

He sat down with a huff and crossed his arms like a petulant child. What he wasn't banking on was Juvia's persistence. She grabbed his hand and pulled with all her might. Gray could do nothing but stand up, but his unhappy frown remained etched into his face. "As if Juvia is going to believe that," Juvia giggled.

"But I really can't dance," Gray argued.

He realized that was the response Juvia had wanted because a moment later, he heard her giggle louder and reply, "Then Juvia will have to teach Gray-sama. What better way than by learning on the job?" She was probably smirking as she dragged Gray away from the table. However, realizing the woman was about to drag him smack dab into the public eye, Gray dug his heels into the ground.

Juvia stopped her tugging after a moment and took a real look at her companion. He was pale, paler than usual, and his eyes were wide with panic. Juvia instantly regretted being so pushy and gently guided Gray back to the table. "I-I'm sorry," she said as soon as they were resituated in their seats, "Juvia didn't know you had such an aversion to dancing."

Hearing the understanding apology, Gray felt an odd swooping sensation in his stomach, but the feeling quickly turned into the unpleasant churning of guilt. He could tell that Juvia had wanted to dance really badly. She had danced a few times earlier that night, out of friendly obligation to the groom and sisterly love for Gajeel. However, those dances had been few and far between, and she had returned to their table as soon as the songs ended. Gray, for his part, could have believed she had simply been gone to get drinks if she hadn't mentioned her intention beforehand. Now, though, Juvia was asking him to dance, and the matter became completely different.

Suddenly, Gray shot up to his feet, almost sending the table flying. Juvia let out a startled squeak, "Gr-Gray-sama! What are you doing?" Her confusion grew as she noticed the slight smirk on the man's face.

"Hey Juvia, can you take us to an empty practice room near here?" He asked casually.

"Why? Do you need an instrument for something?" Juvia asked apprehensively.

"Not exactly. Don't worry. You're gonna like what I have planned," Gray smiled reassuringly. Juvia was still a little hesitant, but she complied with Gray's wish and led them out to the hall. "What part of the performing arts center are we in right now?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"We just passed the utility room around the corner from the banquet hall," Juvia said, checking the label on the nearest door, "Ah, here's an empty choir room." She tugged Gray in and was about to close the door, but Gray stopped her.

"Wait, don't close the door. I want to hear the music, if that's all right."

"Of course," Juvia replied and steered Gray over to one of the chairs on the bleachers that wrapped around the room.

"Are we in room 107 right now?" Gray suddenly asked.

Juvia's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked Gray incredulously, "How did Gray-sama know that?"

He chuckled, "Because Natsu and I used to play hide-and-seek, and subsequently get into brawls, a lot here as kids. I carpooled with Natsu for ages, and I ended up coming along for his saxophone lessons here. Drove Gramps up the wall having two bratty seven-year-olds interrupt his practices every week.

"When Natsu joined the youth symphony in middle school, I still carpooled with him. I had a lot of free time to explore, so…" He spread his arms out around him and adopted a sheepish grin.

Juvia giggled. They lapsed into companionable silence once more, enjoying the ending strains of John Legend's "All of Me" drifting in from the ballroom. A minute later, the next song began to play, and Gray subconsciously straightened. He recognized the song as "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. When Juvia leaned against his shoulder with a happy "aw" and started humming along to the song, Gray knew it was now or never. Coughing nervously, he stood up and turned to face a confused Juvia. Bowing, he extended a hand to her and asked, "May I have this dance, milady?" He heard Juvia's sharp intake of breath, and he could only hope it was one of delight.

After a moment, Juvia, obviously shocked at actually being asked to dance by Gray, let out a happy laugh and said, "Of course," before adding jokingly, "my prince." A huge smile spread across Gray's face as he straightened. He felt Juvia tentatively guide his hands to her waist, then place her own hands on his shoulders. A strange, though not unpleasant, warmth filled Gray's chest as he swayed slowly to the music, enjoying just being there with Juvia in his arms.

-:-

"I don't quite know

How to say

How I feel.

Those three words

Are said too much.

They're not enough."

-:-

They danced in silence, content with having the music wash over their ears. As the song continued, Gray registered Juvia hesitantly rest her head on his chest. His heart did that strange flip again, and he subconsciously pulled her closer.

-:-

"If I lay here,

If I just lay here,

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"

-:-

The world seemed to melt away as he danced there with Juvia. All his worries, fears, and insecurities evaporated like water on a hot summer's day. The only thing he was aware of was Juvia in his arms and the steady pounding of his own heart. He only vaguely registered the next few verses of the song.

-:-

"Forget what we're told

Before we get too old.

Show me a garden that's bursting into life.

Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads.

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own."

-:-

Gray's heart skipped a beat as he felt Juvia lift her head up and smoothed back a few rebellious strands of his hair. She paused, seemingly debating with herself over her next move. Gray's heart sank a little as the pause dragged out a few more beats, but it soared as Juvia returned to their slow dancing once more. Suddenly, he felt her raise a hand and gently lay it against his jaw, smoothing her thumb over his cheekbone. Gray resisted the urge to jerk away after the initial surprise and found himself leaning into the touch. It was strange. He had never felt this comfortable with anyone in his life, let alone after his accident. Suddenly Juvia just appeared and brought his out-of-control life to a screeching halt. And Gray was strangely okay with it.

-:-

"All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see.

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all.

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"

-:-

As if pulled by an invisible force, Gray's head slowly dipped lower. He could feel Juvia's exhale of air puff against his nose. They were so close that if Gray were in his right mind, he would have bailed long ago and avoided her for a month. But obviously, he wasn't. He figured he must have gone mad. If he hadn't, why was his heart beating so hard in his chest? Why was he feeling so happy and content just with Juvia there? Why was he feeling anything at all? Time seemed to slow down. Gray could sense Juvia getting closer to him as well. They were literally nose-to-nose.

Bang!

The crash of the practice room door against the wall forced Gray and Juvia back to reality. They jumped away from each other as though burned and turned toward the intruder. Gray was furious. Whoever had interrupted them had better have had a good reason.

"Wha-? Oh, I'm sorry, I was heading to the restroom and saw the lights on in here." It was Erza. "Did I interrupt something?"

Oh, I am evil :). There it is! End of a new chapter. Whatever will happen next? On a side note, I had forgotten how much I loved "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol until I wrote this chapter. If you've never heard it, go listen to it now! Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! See you guys next time, and have a wonderful holiday!