Winter Maria 4
"Here's the plan." Gajeel whispered as he plopped himself down on Juvia's mattress. Crossing his arms behind his head, Juvia remained passive beside him, playing with the white puffy scarf that Gray had given her.
"Later when he comes to visit you, undress and seduce that bastard." Gajeel said convincingly, glaring at the silent girl beside him.
Juvia's face immediately turned beet red. "W-what are you saying Gajeel-kun!" her hands dropped the said item on her lap.
"Yeah," shrugged Gajeel, looking up at the ceiling. "Seduce him and we'll see what he'll do to you."
Juvia shook her head.
"It's not like you're going to... you know, idiot! Just tempt him! And if he did nothing but cover you and be a gentle dog, I'll..." the guy paused, looking thoughtful for a second. "I'll trust him then."
Juvia blinked, moving her head to her best friend's direction, her eyes down on his lap. "Hm? You also want to be friends with Gray-sama? Aren't you two already...?"
Gajeel rolled his eyes. 'Really, sometimes, this girl needs to be smack, real hard on the head. "Idiot! I don't like him! You can have that Ice prick all yourself, blind woman!"
Juvia pouted as she closed her eyes, faking that she's offended.
"I'll hide in the bathroom during the whole time. Scream if he did something perverted."
Juvia nodded dejectedly. Even though she already trust Gray with all her heart, she also need to make sure that Gajeel would also trust him.
She could also use this time to prove that Gray is nothing but a gentleman. She remembers; Guys or Prince in Fairy tales are all gentle and caring. They're all nice and handsome. A very prince-y type, she guess.
Her face flushed red. At that moment, for the nth time, she wishes that she could see.
–
That afternoon, Gray decided to visit Juvia again. He had brought her some books, Fairy tales to be exactly. And he's excited to read them all to her. His mind then went to her guy best friend, oh, that guy would really be a pain if he's there.
…
"Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed as she opened her door.
"Hey," returned Gray with a smile. "Can I enter?"
Juvia stepped back carefully, her shoulders tensed as she allowed him to enter.
Gray, after removing his boots, placed a hand on her forehead worriedly. "Are you alright?"
The girl jumped lightly, surprised at his touch. She nodded timidly, bowing her head. "Juvia's fine. It's just... just a little colder than yesterday."
Gray smiled a little as he proceeded to go inside. "You're right. It's freezing outside and- wait, where's your heater?" he asked, as he glanced inside the room, noticing that her home was lacking some warmth.
Juvia stood awkwardly at the doorway, fidgeting. "It's broken."
Gray whipped his head, looking at her with wide eyes. "What the hell?! It's freezing Juvia!"
Gajeel, who's hiding in the bathroom, smacked his head mentally. How could he forget about the damn heater?! No wonder why his best friend was a bit paler than usual.
"I thought that Iron lizard was responsible on all of your appliances? Why that idiot can do anything better?" Gray scoffed, really irritated whenever Gajeel's on the line. "That bastard reminds me of some one from work. They're both lizards, the other's only a fire-breathing one."
Gajeel wanted to punch the black-haired guy right now. His nostrils flaring. 'That Ice prick.' he hissed, 'just wait for a bit and I'll punch that mouth of yours.'
"H-hey!" Gray's stuttered. "Juvia what are you doing?!" Gajeel leaned his ears firmly on the door, listening carefully.
"T-this," Juvia, with a red face, whispered. Her voice shaking nervously. "This is what Gray-sama came for, right?" the words left a bitter taste on Juvia's mouth. She knew, oh good heavens, that this guy respects her.
She slowly unbuttoned the first three buttons of her shirt, in which Gray quickly looked away.
Juvia walked carefully to him, she sways her hand in front of her. Her palms came in contact with Gray's chest; she patted her hand up until she reached his cheeks. "G-gajeel-kun's will not be here for a week, w-we can do it and-" she was cut in her sentence when Gray, rather harshly, swayed her small hand away from his cheeks. His eyes were dark and piercing. The next thing that Juvia felt was her whole body hitting the cold floor with a loud thump.
Both her hands were caged by Gray's right hand, which was on top of her head. His left hand, flat on the floor, next to her head, lined with her eyes.
He leaned down as he straddled Juvia's hips, holding her in place. The girl squirmed but remained silent.
'No! Her Gray-sama would never do anything so aggressive like this!' she felt tears on the corner of her eyes, hot and burning as she tried her best to remain silent.
'Gray-sama wouldn't be encouraged to do something likes this if Juvia didn't seduce him, it was all Juvia's fault! The bond that they built for almost a month was now ruined.'
Juvia didn't even know if she wanted to scream for her best friend's help or not. She doesn't want to believe that all of this are happening right now.
She silently thanked Gajeel as he remained quiet and honest with his words, that he will not show up until she asks for help.
"Gray-sama." the blind woman breathed. She closed her eyes for a moment then blinked it open. She's now staring unconsciously straight at Gray's dark eyes.
"What the hell are you thinking?!" hissed Gray, scrunching his nose in annoyance. "Juvia, are you out of your mind?!"
"..."
"You think I will dishonor you by advancing on you while that red-eyed bastard was away?"
"..."
"If that's my intention," he growled. "Then I should've made a move on you from the very first time I entered this apartment!"
Juvia blinked her eyes continuously, dropping the corner of her mouth as she bit her lower lip, afraid the Gray might eat her alive. "Gray-sama..."
"I didn't know that you think of me like that." he shook his head, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Even if we only knew each other for a short time... I..."
Juvia waited for his next words, closing her eyes gently. She sighed softly and found her hand cupping his cheeks.
A part of her, despite of the fear, was happy. She now had proven that her Gray-sama is a very thoughtful person, unlike what Gajeel thinks of him.
"The Juvia I know is shy. Always thinking of others first before herself." he paused and leaned back, freeing her hands as he sat straightly on his back. "It's not like you, you know." he said quietly, looking away.
"It's not the girl that I've come to like since the first time she asked if she could trust me."
Juvia gasped, surprised.
Suddenly, the door from their right burst open. Gray saw Gajeel's foot still hanging in the air as he kicked the door open.
He stomped his foot down, pocketed his gloved hands on his tattered pants, a hard scowl on his face. "Tch, sissy." he muttered. "Get your fucking ass off of Juvia before I punch you Ice pants."
He looked at Juvia, a smirk on his lips. "I guess you're right this time Juvia." he shrugged as he walked to the front door. "I'll leave you two now," he glared at Gray.
"Remember your words, asshole." he mouthed to the dumbfounded Gray Fullbuster, he glanced at the blind girl and nodded as he made sure that she didn't heard his threat to Gray.
And with that, he slammed the door close, leaving the couple alone to themselves.
...
"W-what was that?" whispered Gray, looking back at Juvia whose still laying on the floor.
Juvia replied with a sniff. "Gray-sama..." she cried, tears flowing from her blind eyes.
Gray was surprised when Juvia threw herself at him, hugging him as if he holds her dear life.
"Juvia's thankful of you." she cried on his neck as she squeezed him tightly.
Gray gulped, as he felt the squishy softness on his bosom, his face flushed red, steam was also coming out from his ears.
He had no choice but to hug her back, carefully circling his arms on her back, squeezing her as well.
"J-juvia also likes Gray-sama." whispered the crying woman, burying her face even more on his neck.
Gray smiled at that. "The feeling is mutual Juvia, its mutual."
Juvia sighed quietly as she pocketed her hands on her dark pink coat. The girl had been standing outside of her apartment building for almost half an hour, waiting for a certain black-haired guy.
Today, much to Juvia's embarrassment, Gray offered to accompany her to buy some groceries, since Gajeel wouldn't make it today.
They agreed to meet at exactly two o'clock in front of her apartment, but Juvia being her punctual self, made sure that she wouldn't be the cause of delay.
"Juvia!" her head perked up at the voice, instantly, a smile appeared on her face.
Gray huffing, stopped in front of Juvia, breathing pretty hard as he placed his palm on his knees. Juvia's smile turned into a grin, a light dust of pink tinting her cheeks.
"Gray-sama..." she said softly. Gray smiled before straightening his back; he adjusted his scarf and went to look at her. His eyes narrowed when he examined her attire for today. Thankfully, the girl was wearing some proper clothes, enough to shield the chilliness of winter.
Gray's hand then adjusted Juvia's dark blue beanie, making sure that it won't fall off. "There..." he grinned before grabbing her left hand out of her coat. He groaned lightly when he saw her bare hands.
Juvia blinked her eyes rapidly; clueless on how hard the scowl was on Gray's face.
"Juvia," he sighed, grabbing her right hand as well. He brought it close to his lips before puffing his breath on it. "Where's your mittens?" he asked, slightly irritated.
Juvia pouted cutely, her eyes glued on his chest. "Juvia couldn't find it."
Gray then puffed again, he lowered her hands. He removed his gloves and carefully put it on hers. "G-gray-sama!" Juvia squeaked, her whole face red.
Gray ignored her, continuing on his task "Ill buy you one later, just wear it for now." his eyes focused on her face.
Juvia nodded timidly. Although the gloves were big and doesn't fit her hands, it was very warm and comfortable. Her cheeks flush at the thought of Gray's hand holding hers.
An idea passed on her mind. She reached for his hands and she held it tightly.
"There..." she smiled, "I'll hold Gray-sama's hand in return then."
Gray chuckled lightly, "Thank you, Juvia."
...
Juvia and Gray made their way on the mini-grocery store where Juvia asked him to bring her. This day was full of politeness, Gray remarked.
At every little thing that he would do to her like; guiding her inside the store, reading labels for her, holding the plastic bags... he would receive a gleeful smile along with a soft thank you.
They were strolling around the streets now, since it was afternoon and the sun was up for some unknown reasons.
Gray's left hand was occupied by the two grocery bags, while his right one was squeezed by Juvia's.
He never felt so warm before, not like this. Every now and then, he would find himself smiling or even laughing at her silly jokes. It was quite entertaining aside from the other hobbies (fighting) that he had involving his friends.
When she finally got tired of walking, he decided that it was time for them to take a rest and sit at one of the cafe's near the park.
"Here, take a sit." he said softly as he helped Juvia on her seat. The girl had this bright smile on her face the whole time, and it quickly radiates, affecting him.
"Why are you all smiley today?" he asked as he plopped himself down on his seat across the table.
Juvia giggled, clasping her hands together as she put it on top of the table. "This is fun."
Gray nodded, staring at her. "Yeah."
Their orders arrived and Gray couldn't help but to watch as the girl sip her drink. "Are you sure you're fine with yourself? Be careful cause it's hot." he warned worriedly.
Juvia frowned lightly, "Juvia's used to it. She had been drinking tea's even after she met Gray-sama." she said, a bit offended inside.
Gray found himself scratching his head, he sensed the blue-haired girl's firm voice and he doesn't like it if he made her upset. "Y-you're right."
They were sitting at one of the tables outside the shop, free from the soft ballad music that was playing inside the cafe when a bicycle passed by.
The soft ringing of bells - attached at the stem of the bicycle- caught the blind girls attention. Gray followed the movement of her head. "What's wrong?"
Juvia blinked for a moment before her eyes went down to the table in front of her. "Nothing," she smiled but it didn't reached her eyes.
"Tell me." insisted Gray, leaning closer to her. He gripped the arm rest of his seat as he felt the coldness on his hands, he just hoped that Juvia's feeling comfortable with his gloves.
"Hmm," hummed the girl, hesitating for a moment. "I-it's just, Juvia remembered something from the past."
"What is it?"
"The bells..." she sighed, smiling to herself as she gripped the warm cup of coffee on her gloved hands. "Back at the orphanage, they gave me a bell. The sound was so cute."
"You missed them?" asked Gray carefully, tilting his head to the side.
She nodded vigorously, she won't hide that fact though. "But a year after Juvia leaved the institution, she heard from Gajeel-kun that it was already gone."
"Juvia's wondering if where are the others now, especially the kids." she said quietly, lifting her head up to the sky, her eyes closed. "Ah~" she gasped surprisingly. "Juvia's being emotional again."
Gray only watched her as she bit her bottom lip and still had her face up to the sky. Slowly, she opened her eyes and a tear escaped from it.
Gray moved forward, stretching his arm to her, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "You're such a cry baby." he teased, chuckling.
Juvia giggled softly, "Sorry."
"Nah, it's fine." Gray told her, before placing his cold hands on hers. "Say..." he poked her red nose, "do you want to ride a bike?"
"H-huh?" Juvia replied, tilting her head to the side. "A bike? H-how?"
"Heh," Gray smirked. "It's easy!" he stood up then and grabbed for her other hand. "Let's go!"
...
Gray, being his adventurous self, rented a bike at one of the shops he had known since he was young. He and the owner had became good friends, he even bought one for him so it could be his transportation when going to work.
"Careful," he said as he let her sit in front of him, she sat in a sideway position, and Gray was sitting at the saddle.
When Gray pedaled, Juvia squealed astonishingly. "G-gray-sama!"
Gray laughed behind her, placing his chin on her shoulder. "Yes?!" he shouted back as they zoomed forward.
Juvia opened her mouth, laughing loudly. Her hair was flying in every direction.
Gray also took some safety precautions, knowing that the road was slippery. He then pedaled through the park, where the ground was dry and where yellow, red and orange leaves are everywhere.
The cold breeze was hitting Juvia's pale face, making her lips shiver and her teeth clatter.
"Cold?" Gray asked and his lips was dangerously close to her ears.
Juvia felt his warm breath on her ear, making her face ten times redder than an apple. "It's very cold." she whispered, her voice thin.
Upon hearing her, Gray hit the breaks, not even thinking about the possibility that they might tumble forward if he did that.
Well he already did anyway, and even he doesn't like it, his weight crushed her forward.
Juvia moaned breathlessly, gripping his arms on her side.
"Im sorry," Gray quickly pulled away, blushing. "Damn, I'm being careless again." he really needs to remind himself to be careful most of the time, since Juvia's always with him, the girl was frail and by looking at her made him want to feed her with all the tastiest and delicious food he could find, so she could gain weight and will not be so thin like that.
He was surprised when he herd the blind woman laugh. "This is really fun!"
His white teeth appeared when he grinned on her hair. "Yeah, wanna go another round?"
Juvia nodded excitedly, "Sure!"
Gray thought of something that Juvia might enjoy as well. Instead of Juvia's hand gripping the front part of the grip, he made her hold the grip itself. Then he enclosed his hands on hers and now they're both holding it.
Juvia flushed, lowering her head.
"Don't worry, I'll guide you." he smirked, squeezing their hands together.
Juvia blinked and moved her head to the side. His lips then made in contact with her cheeks. "H-hai!"
And Gray, with a flushed face, swallowed. He pedaled again and made sure that Juvia would enjoy this even more.
A/N: Hello~ And Im back! Sorry cause it's already late and Im having blocks right now T_T. This chapter was a half-filler for the story. I mean, the part where Gajeel finally allows Gray to get involved with Juvia's life was considered as one of my main idea's for the story. Then the rest is all about their bonds. Next chapter will be a little difficult to write since Im going to unleash, -yeah unleash- the main conflict of the story :)) It involves about Gray being like this... and Juvia, being like that. Then there's... And...
See you next chapter! LoL xD
Thank you for the kind and wonderful reviews guys! I love you all! and if you have time, please do leave a review~ it will really make me happy! Thank you again!