My dumbass professor gave us the vaguest topic to write our essay on so um yeah I need to email him bc I'm just like? What do you want? Five pages of what? Idk so imma go work for my lovelies right quick

honestly tho watch me get a D bc I suck at online classes, I really don't mind if I have to retake it lmao I prefer being in class, honestly, I just focus better that way. But I still intend to try my best! I rly need to fix my sleep schedule bc I keep staying up late to write lmao

Let's hope I get a C woot

Here's some more of this fuckin adorable story bc I'm honestly thinking this is a mind cleanse? Like I feel super awesome just writing innocent fluff, it takes a load off from the pressure of writing smut lmao

And I really don't mind those rude reviews I got, I was honestly expecting them with such a trope lol I'm okay! don't worry lol thank you for your support!

Gray was upset. Annoyed? He didn't know that many words and his mother was always telling him that he had a scowl on his face, but he thought it was appropriate. He was annoyed and upset, and he blamed his father for it. Well not entirely, only a little bit. He didn't know who he should direct his feelings towards, so he mostly fought them out with Natsu. But he knew why he was always agitated.

Juvia. They had practically been attached to his hip as soon as they met one another. Juvia's mother was good friends with his father, they had known each other since elementary school. It wasn't long after Gray was born that Juvia entered the world and their parents had brought the two of them together. Juvia was bright and bubbly while her mother was calm and encouraging, she reminded him a lot of his own mother. But Juvia's mom had a weak body, so she couldn't keep up with such an energetic daughter and often left her in the care of Gray's parents during the day. They did live right next to each other so why not? And Juvia's father was a dangerous man who wasn't around, Silver had shown Gray a picture of the man only once and was warned that if he ever saw him, to get his father right away and hide with Juvia.

They played together every day, Juvia would admire the sharp ice sprite, run around and call him 'Gray-sama.' He didn't especially like the nickname, but she would always smile brightly whenever she said it, so he let it pass. Mika would tease the small sprite about his softness towards Juvia, but how else was he supposed to treat her? Certainly not like he did flame brain, and he was scared of Erza and saw her as his superior; he was definitely just afraid of the valkyrie. Levy was his good friend too, but something about getting too close to her would piss off Gajeel, and he didn't always want to fight the metal dragon. So Juvia was his best friend, not that he would admit it to anyone else besides himself. He made the mistake of letting Juvia know that once, she wouldn't get off of him for at least two hours; she squealed the whole time. And he swore to his father that he would protect her. Especially since when she was sad, the rain would follow.

It was a miserable day when they had barely turned five and a half when she came to live with him.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia shouted excitedly as she ran into his yard, clutching something close to her chest.

"Eh? What is it?" He feigned his disinterest, he didn't like being too emotional when he was with her.

"Juvia made a teru teru bozu that looks just like Gray-sama!" She grinned and unfolded her hands to see the teru teru bozu have a paper hair cut in the same shape as his, with thick eyebrows facing inwards as his did.

"Oi! I don't look like that!" Gray shouted back as the mermaid giggled, pointing towards his brows as he growled.

"Gray-sama is doing it right now! Juvia knew he would." Her energetic laughter would ring in his ears, and he would calm down and click his tongue, going to shove his hands in his pockets only to find that he had stripped unknowingly. Clothes were too warm for his cold nature, what could he do about it?

"Did you make a Juvia teru teru bozu?" He asked, holding back his blush as she gasped and grabbed his arm gleefully, what a bright smile indeed.

"Juvia wanted Gray-sama to make the Juvia teru teru bozu since Gray-sama knows what Juvia looks like the best!" She sighed happily as she led him towards her house, the both of them making a sudden pause when a strange man with blue hair stood eerily in front of Juvia's gate. That hair. He knew that hair. Those black eyes that stared down at them, the creepy smile that crawled onto his lips as he looked at Juvia.

"Ice-Make: Bomb!" Gray chanted as a sphere formed in his hand, tossing it on the ground and watching as snow blew up between the two of them. The older man grunted as his vision was suddenly blocked, Gray quickly running away with Juvia and rushing into their home. He slammed the door loudly behind him, his nerves catching up to him as he heard a crash next door. Juvia yelped as he pulled her into their living room, eyes full and frightened as he looked towards his mother, father, and Igneel.

"G-Gray-sama, what's wrong? Who was that man…?" Juvia shuddered as she looked at his insecure state. If Gray-sama, the strongest man Juvia knew, was scared, then she should be ten times more afraid. Igneel jumped from his seat as he heard a loud thud that shook the walls around them.

"Dad! He's here!" Gray managed to get past his grinding teeth, his stomach dropping at the sight of his alerted father.

"Mika, get to the army box down the road!" Silver shouted and rushed towards the door, the others hot on his trail. "Gray, upstairs now with Juvia! You don't come down until I say so!"

He followed his father's instructions and quickly ran up the stairs, Juvia's tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she was confused by their urgent exchange. She didn't like this, why was everyone scared? Gray's Papa-sama never looked so scary before, even Igneel-san… and Mama-sama… Another crash from next door made her yelp as Gray took Juvia into his room and insisted they hide under the covers together. His window was open, and they heard Irene shout for Erza to stay inside with Natsu as her heels clicked against the concrete, running towards the collapsing Lockser household.

"Please tell Juvia what's going on, Gray-sama." Juvia sniffled as a lone tear rolled down her cheek, a light drizzle beginning to pour down as she tried to hold back her tears for the sprite's sake. She knew he always hated it when she cried.

"A bad man came to your house…" He gulped as he held the blue-haired girl close to his chest. "We have to wait for Dad to get rid of him."

Juvia's eyes widened, and her skin crawled as she heard her mother scream, the sound ringing throughout the neighborhood as time seemed to halt for a moment. The mermaid thrashed in his arms and insisted that she let him go, but Gray refused to release her. He gritted his teeth together and willed his strength to hold onto her harder as he heard his father shout.

"Mizuno!"

Gray gasped as she materialized into her water form, dripping onto the floor before running for his door and rushing down their stairs. The sprite chased after her and insisted that they stay in the house, his tears falling as well as they ran outside. The rain had become a sudden downpour, the world barely visible as Juvia looked upon her broken home, half of it blown out. She refused to stop as she ran to her gate, Gray hot on her trail, yelling for her to come back. Silver laid his fist into the mystery man's face, blood pooling around them and flowing away with the water from the sky. Igneel and Irene shouted as they demanded he stop his rage at once. Juvia ran to her mothers still body, the pellets raining down harder as she saw her mother's weak hand rest over a stab wound that rested deep in her chest.

"Mama! No, not Mama!" Juvia cried as her mother raised a shaky hand to her daughter's cheek and whispered soft and strained words expressed her love for her little mermaid one last time. Gray fell to his knees as he watched the girl bawl her eyes out, his best friend melting within the water that surrounded them. He ignored the sound of the army running up behind him, ignored the shouts of his father, ignored the arms of his mother that carried him back into his home, ignored Igneel as he took both he and Juvia into the bath before either of them were to catch a cold. He ignored everyone around him until Juvia held his hand, his eyes shooting towards her red and tired ones as she forced a smile upon her face.

No. Not like that, Juvia's smile was never so fake. She wasn't allowed to smile like that.

"You can cry. Cry all you want, Juvia… I won't get mad." He whispered in a hushed voice as they laid together in his bed. Her lips proceeded to quiver as she cried into his chest. The rain would fall every night for the next month as he held her and let her release her pain.

He was content with his parents deciding Juvia would live with them. Her father would never be seen again, and they had a shrine for her mother near the entrance of their house. He would be able to protect her better, he thought. And he wouldn't be skipping any of Erza's training lessons. He wanted to get strong quickly. To protect Juvia.

"Alright, Gray. We want you to watch over Juvia carefully from now on. She's going to be family starting from today." Mika smiled as her parents stood with Juvia in their living room.

He gulped. This wasn't what he wanted. No way, she was more than family...she...she was...

"Gray-onii-sama!"

He was upset.

I lowkey cried writing this I'm so fucking sorry, Mizuno will live on within our hearts

And get owned, you rude ass guests

I have younger siblings so I know they can speak pretty well at this age lol 3-year-olds are the ones that still speak jibberish

At least I think so, I have a 3-year-old sister and a 7-year-old brother and he's been talking for a long time? Idk but its fiction so we gon chill

Is there an adventure you want to see? Lemme know before they grow up!

Let's make it cute and sweet and short so I can write it in a day and lift our spirits cuz i'm fucking sad now