Hi guys! Okay, so first off before the story continues, I'd like to address some confusion from the last chapter with Gray's "condition" and his demon slayer magic. I don't read the manga, and I'm not even up to that part in the anime! But I'm so invested in this fandom that I see spoilers everywhere. So yeah. I don't know much about his mark or the demon slayer magic. It's just a headcanon that because it's demon magic, that there would be some not so pretty side effects, hence, his magic gives Gray intense pain when he's in a foul mood or is distressed (again, headcanon).
Also, in the second chapter, when Gray said he had something to fix, I was referring to his search for a remedy or medicine that'll help him keep his demonic magic at bay so that he no longer has to fear about hurting the people he cares about.
I hope that cleared up any confusion?
I'd also like to add my thanks for the reviews last chapter! They all made me very happy to see that other people are enjoying my story! Again, I never thought that I'd even get one single review. When I wrote a lot on wattpad a few years ago, the most I got would be at least three comments for one whole completed story! That's why it blows my mind that it's only the fourth chapter and we already have 30+ reviews. It's very heartwarming. I smile like an idiot reading your reviews! Thank you all so much again for sticking with me :D
And I apologize for the long wait, I just wanted to make sure this chapter was written well with good quality and wasn't half-assed. This chapter was written, deleted, and re-written so many times I lost count. Hopefully, I pulled through? I did write this over the time span with many breaks in between so the constinency may be shit. Please point out any mistakes that I need to fix? Ty.
Now, let's get rolling ;)
Gray was quite the gentleman over the weekend.
He had offered to help her move out, which she accepted. There was no way Juvia could haul all of her luggage by herself! She was sure that without Gray's help, moving out would've taken longer than just two days.
Frankly, she could've just asked Eryna to help, that girl was the perfect moving companion given her magic, but Juvia was out of luck. Her good friend was out on a mission and wouldn't be back until Sunday in the late evening. This also meant that Juvia couldn't give Eryna her answer until then...
For now, she enjoyed Gray's help, thankful that he made an effort to not make things harder than they already were. On the first day of the moving process, all they did was pack all of Juvia's belongings into boxes and luggage.
Gray actually stayed with her at their no-longer-shared house. Juvia was surprised that he held up the offer he made the other night after their rather deep conversation. He seemed unsure about it when he said he'd lend her a helping hand, almost as if he was unwilling to do it and only did it to be polite. There was something about him that felt off to Juvia when he insisted that he let her help, but she assumed he was probably just eager to finally have this place to himself.
They started with her clothes, which wasn't hard. She only had a few outfits anyways. Gray commented that she needed to go shopping for clothes more and that he knew a good marketplace that he could take her to sometime, to which Juvia replied she didn't really see the need to dress up anymore. It pricked Gray's heart a bit to be shot down. How ironic.
They proceeded to pack all of Juvia's things in a silence that both parties couldn't help but notice was tense. For some reason, the comfortable silence they had established between each other's over the years had vanished and was replaced with one of relentless awkwardness.
Juvia was confused, what was Gray so quiet about? She imagined he would be chipper, praising the heavens that she would finally leave him alone.
They were packing some of Juvia's toiletries when Gray surprised her by breaking the awkward silence that settled upon them.
"So... do you plan on going any missions soon?"
Her mind wandered to Eryna's proposition. Juvia chuckled nervously, "Uh, not quite." "Oh... well," Gray rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly, not meeting Juvia's eyes. Luckily, the beautiful bluenette was occupied with folding some of her skirts into a carboard box. "You know, if you ever need a mission companion, you can ask me." He expected her eyes to light up, and her cheeks to pinken like they always do, but instead, she just nodded as if she only half-heard him.
Gray ignored the pang of hurt her nonchalance gave him. The two didn't speak for the rest of the day.
The next day however, when they brought all of her stuff to Fairy Hills, the two found themselves in another awkward position.
Juvia, being somewhat clumsy and exhausted from the packing yesterday, had accidentally dropped a box and all of it's contents in the hallway in front of her apartment's door. The items that happened to be in that box just so happened to be all of her homemade "Gray-sama" merchandise. And to think, it was the last box too.
"Oh no, Juvia is so sorry for the mess!" The bluenette covered her face with her palms. She was so embarrassed!
She wasn't alone. Gray on the other hand was red in the face. Who knew somebody could blush that hard? "I, um- No, it's fine. Let me... let me help you."
Juvia couldn't argue with him, she was already slowly dying on the inside.
Gray was reaching out for a "Gray-sama" plushie when he teased, "All of this is gonna fit in your apartment?"
"Oh, Juvia wasn't even going to bring them here actually. She meant to donate them to an orphanage perhaps on the way here but she forgot..."
Gray's voice sounded small. "You were going to donate them?"
Juvia chuckled awkwardly. "Heh, yeah. Juvia knows that not many people would appreciate them as much as she did, but they're still in good condition! Juvia's handiwork shouldn't be underestimated." She said proudly.
Gray glanced at her from the side. He was never fond of the idea of her keeping these little homemade replicas of him...seriously, how creepy was that?
But for some reason, her words made his heart drop down to his stomach. He shook his head slightly, he really needed to get a grip.
"Yeah," he forced a smile, "these look almost as good as the real deal."
Juvia's laughter made his false smile turn into a genuine one. "Sure, whatever you say Gray-sama!"
/
After unloading everything in Juvia's apartment, the atmosphere around them being much more tolerable, the two decided to head to the guild and bring Juvia's "Gray merchandise" with them. They were going to offer them to Max as new items for the store.
It was Gray's idea, surprisingly. What? Maybe Juvia would want to buy them back one day...
When they arrived at the guild, they were greeted with the usual hearty cheers and drunken hello's, mixed with the occasional 'Have you kissed yet?' comments and the like.
The two ignored the pestering over the status of their relationship and headed over to Max, who sat by the bar, seemingly enjoying an ice cold beer.
"Hey, Max."
At the sound of Gray's voice, the sand mage curiously turned around. A friendly smile adorned his face when his eyes landed on the pair. "Hey guys! What's up?"
"Hello, Max-san. Juvia was wondering if you'd care to sell these in the shop...?" Juvia then offered him the box full of Gray plushies and other Gray-themed things.
Gray blushed at the look Max was giving him at the evidence of Juvia's "unwavering" devotion. Stupid...
"Oh... I see. Did you make all these for Gray and he rejected them? Is that why you're giving them up to the shop?"
Juvia's cheeks then matched Gray's with their pink hue. She laughed awkwardly. "Heh, not quite." "Oh?"
"You see...Juvia made these strictly for herself, so that she can feel Gray's presence whenever she wanted, but Juvia doesn't really need them anymore..." This piqued Max's interest. The sand mage sat up straighter, fully prepared to embarrass the ice mage further. He had a sneaky grin on his face. "You don't need them anymore? Is that because...oh, I don't know...maybe Gray has confessed his love for you and that he wants to stay with you forever?"
Gray wanted to strangle that stupid prick. "Why don't you just put these up in the shop already, will ya? We don't have all day."
Max held up his hands in surrender. "Sheesh, man. Okay, okay. I'll take these to the shop right now."
"Good, and you better give Juvia some of the profit since she made those things. It wouldn't be fair if..."
Gray and Max's conversation faded into the background for Juvia, Max's teasing comment ringing through her head. 'Gray has confessed his love for you and that he wants to stay with you forever?' Her heart sunk deeper into her stomach. That was far from the truth. A sudden realization dawned on the water mage. How would her guild mates react to Juvia's change in emotions towards Gray? She sincerely hoped they would not blame him, this was Juvia's doing after all. These thoughts made her insides twist.
How disappointing... and to think, just a few minutes ago she was casually chatting with her Gray-sama...
"Eighty percent?! There ain't no way Juvia should get that much of the profit! You do know that I already split the money made with the guilds funds right? Are you saying I should only get 10%?" Max's offended voice snapped Juvia out of her reverie.
"Damn straight!"
"Okay, Gray. I know she's your girlfriend and all but you should chill-"
"She's not my girlfriend, dumbass!" Gray threw his hands in the air in exasperation, when would people understand that? "Geez, some help you are. Juvia's getting eighty percent, and that's final. Come on, Juvia. Let's go."
"Alright, Gray-sama." She replied happily, trying her best to mask her inner conflict. She bid her farewell to a slightly irate sand mage and followed Gray, a few paces behind him.
Despite her efforts not to seem suspicious, she hung her head low. She may have gotten over the obstacle of coming to a decision, but she didn't know that it would only lead to more problems. Trying to restrain herself from Gray and prove to her guildmates that all was normal would be a tough challenge.
Gray, noticing her silence, decided not to pry. The last time she behaved this reserved, their conversation took a turn he'd rather not acknowledge.
Juvia saw that Gray was leading them over to a table where the rest of his teammates sat. Her instincts told her to follow and join, after all, he was the one taking the lead, but she didn't. Not like she usually does. Instead, the bluenette smiled sadly to herself and wandered over to sit by her lonesome at the bar. If Gray wanted her to sit with him, he would ask. This logic, is what's been missing from Juvia, she declares to herself.
However, as she approaches an empty bar stool, a blinding white light appears before her, a circular form she knew all too well.
As the portal enlargens, a hand darts out to grab hers. Despite expecting it, she lets out a surprised squeak as she's pulled through, the familiar sensation of teleporting making every hair on her body stand on end. The feeling is short-lived however, and the water mage falls rather clumsily onto a soft, plush bed. She doesn't think she'll ever get used to Eryna's magic.
Groaning in slight discomfort, Juvia spoke, "Juvia thought you wouldn't be coming back until later."
Eryna laughed softly as she joined a disgruntled Juvia on her bed. "Well, when you're as talented and gifted as me, you tend to finish jobs rather quickly!"
Juvia smiled at her friend's slight narcissism, but that expression was short lived, soon replaced with the small frown she adorned only minutes before in the guild hall. Her new lifestyle that she proposed to herself, a lifestyle where she didn't show Gray her genuine love every second, would be a hard challenge to take on. Juvia was already starting to feel iffy about her decision. If this is how she felt after one day of keeping her emotions at bay, what would weeks feel like? Months?
"Hey, there. What's got you looking so down?" Juvia felt Eryna's concerned gaze on her. The bluenette sighed.
"Do you really have to ask Juvia that? She is sure you know what makes her feel this way..."
Juvia heard Eryna sigh and plop down on the bed beside her. "I'm guessing you've made your decision?"
Juvia nodded slowly.
Eryna let out a soft laugh. "Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think you had it in you!"
Juvia looked at Eryna then, slightly offended. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Eryna only smiled brighter. "I just didn't know if you would ever admit it to yourself." "Admit what?"
"That life without Gray wouldn't kill you."
Silence accompanied the two mages as Juvia let those words process. Well, Eryna wasn't wrong. Alongside the feeling of reluctance and slight discomfort to the change in her behavior, Juvia also felt minor excitement and intrigue. She will admit, devoting yourself to another human being takes a lot out of someone. And if she were to be quite honest, it took so much out of her, she wasn't sure what type of person she'd be now that she promised not to constantly pine after Gray.
She hoped that the least she could get out of this change was a sense of who she was as an individual, and not just "the girl who loved Gray Fullbuster".
"Juvia is surprised herself that she has even managed to get this far without backing out..."
"Well, at least the hard part is over! Now, we can finally start the process of going to visit Edolas..." Eryna folded her hands underneath her chin as if in deep thought. There were so many preparation a dimension mage had to go through before travelling to such a distant place. Like how much magic power was needed to get there, how long would she need to maintain the spell, would the environment in Edolas support her magic or would it just drain her completely? There were so many variables...so many factors...
Eryna was about to propose a plan when she noticed the eerie silence. The golden-eyed mage looked to her side to find Juvia frowning once more, much to her dismay. Maybe she had made a false assumption?
"Oh... I'm sorry. I must've jumped to conclusions. Did you decided to not go to Edolas?"
Juvia jumped in her seat, clearly being snapped out of a reverie. She looked sheepishly at Eryna as she laughed softly. "Oh, sorry. You were correct. Juvia has decided to travel to Edolas... to see what it's like. She was just thinking about something, that's all."
Eryna hummed in thought, narrowing her eyes at her dear friend. "Are you thinking about Gray?"
Juvia's eyes widened in embarrassment. "What? No! Juvia has sworn to herself-"
"Don't even bother lying to me, Juvia. I can see right through you." Eryna teased, gently nudging the water mage whose face was slowly turning pink.
"Juvia's sorry! It's going to take awhile to... adjust."
"You know, Juvia, you can take more time to think this decision over if you want?" Eryna's voice was soft and gentle, letting Juvia know she one hundred percent meant it.
Her friend's consideration of her feelings made a small smile appear on her face. Eryna was reliable, truly a good friend. She felt safe in her hands. She knew that there was nothing to fear if it would be someone as kind as Eryna pulling the strings. "You're very kind, Eryna-chan. But Juvia is certain of her decision. She wants to... hm, how should she put this...live a little?"
"So, you really want to go to Edolas?!" Eryna's skin tingled with excitement, anticipating the adventure that was soon to come.
Juvia laughed at her friends eagerness, the sight of her fellow guildmate smiling being enough to wash away the last of her reluctance. "Yes, Eryna-chan. Juvia wants to go to Edolas."
And with those words, Eryna smiled from ear to ear, and so did Juvia. The taste of a new adventure just barely within their grasp. Little did they know what would be in store for them...
This is super short oh boy
I know I kNoW
we're not in Edolas yet afbdkapierjv
I plan that they will be soon. Like REALLY soon though. And I also plan to make the meeting between Edo-Gray and Juvia to be worth the wait, so please bare with me if I become a victim to writer's block AGAIN. *sigh*
Wow I didn't read through this at all. So please, if there are any major mistakes, let a girl know pls and ty.
I'm so sleepy.
My freshman year of college starts next week and I'm totally bugging. Hopefully, I can still update as often as possible!
Please don't forget to leave a constructive and kind review! They're my motivation to keep on writing and trekking through the agony that is writer's block. If it weren't for you all who make it known that you enjoy my story, I would've abandoned this fic long ago…
Thank you again for sticking with me, and I really hope the wait isn't as long this time. It pains me when I have to wait for fic updates and I surely don't want to leave you guys hanging either!
Until next time, friends!