For Her, I Will
Enjoy. ;)
Two days until the party, Juvia is in the kitchen cooking like a mad woman. She had made nearly 20 dishes this week.
Those were just for practice. Not that anyone was complaining. Especially not the team.
Since Juvia had made so much food, Gray invited his whole team over to their house for dinner every night that week.
"Juvia, when are you going to take a break?" He asked, sliding his arms around her waist from behind.
She was wearing a green, lacy bra and underwear set with a pink apron. Her hair was pulled into a messy high ponytail and she was chopping vegetables feverishly.
He planted a gentle kiss on her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Juvia just wants to be sure everything is perfect." She huffed. He smiled and let out a sigh.
'I know the feeling.'
"It will be perfect." He said as released her. She stopped chopping and turned to look at him.
"How does Gray Sama know?" She was really into this. He shrugged and smirked.
"I just do." She slumped her shoulders and turned back to the vegetables she was chopping.
He snagged a carrot from beside her on the counter and headed towards the door.
"Where is Gray Sama going?" She pouted. He smiled. "Just going to the guild to meet up with Natsu. We'll be back in time for dinner."
She puffed out her cheeks but then nodded and smiled. "Fine."
He pulled open the door. "I love you."
"I love you too."
The door shut and he was gone.
Gray played with the tiny object in his pocket. He knew when he wanted to do it, but he wasn't sure how.
There was only one thing to do. Hopefully it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.
Gray entered the guild and headed straight behind the bar and into the kitchen.
"Mira, got a minute?" The cheerful She-Devil stopped mixing and turned to face him.
"Of course! Lisanna, would you mind mixing this for me? I'll be right back." She handed the bowl to her sister and lead Gray out the back.
"How can I help you?" Gray shifted a bit and ran a hand through his hair nervously. He was hoping that Mira could keep a secret, but was beginning to doubt it.
"I, uh... I need help with something, but if I tell you, you have to keep quiet." Her smile brightened and she clasped her hands against her chest.
"Of course! What do you need?" He stared at her skeptically for a moment but then caved. If anyone could help him out, it was her.
He pulled out the object and showed it to her. Her eyes got big and she squealed so loud he was sure that all of Fiore heard her.
"MIRA!" He hissed. She nodded and bounced up and down. "I am so excited for you!" He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, thanks, but I still need help." She calmed herself and put on her serious face. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry."
"I know that I want to do it during the party. What I need from you is the how." Her face lit up and she began squirming in place.
She was just like Juvia, only her fan girling wasn't over him, it was over them. Mira loved love. That was kind of her thing.
"So many ideas! I'll get to work on it right away!" She looked so happy she may explode.
"Wait, Mira. I kind of need to be in the loop for this kind of thing, don't you think?" He reasoned.
She stopped what she was doing and composed herself. "Right. Well, I have a few ideas, if you want to discuss it now?"
He nodded and crossed his arms, waiting. She smiled and tapped her chin.
"Public or private?" She asked before continuing. He winced at the thought of a public display, but an event like what this will lead to is just as public.
'Think of it like practice... Yeah, like ripping off a band-aid.'
"Public is ... fine." He managed to choke out. Her eyes widened and she nodded, impressed.
"You must really love her, Gray. So cute! Alright... Well, for one, since we draw names for Secret Santa tomorrow, I could make sure that you get her name."
See, with the Secret Santa, Mira calls the names she draws from the Santa hat and the person called has to call their person on stage. Once on stage, they give their gift
publicly. Gray thought about it but wasn't sure he liked it so he shrugged. Mira nodded and thought for a moment. "Okay, then how about... Oh! This is perfect!"
She told him about her big plan enthusiastically. Gray loved the idea. It was perfect for both of them and it wasn't too public. It was a bit more romantic and cheesy
than what he had in mind, but he knew that Juvia would love it so much, she may turn into a puddle for about a week. He couldn't wait.
"Thanks, Mira." He waved as he turned away to find Natsu. She bounced and waved wildly. "Can't wait!" He could hear her excited squeals as he rounded the front of the
guild. 'Please don't tell anyone!' He begged inwardly.
Just as Gray was about to reenter the guild, Natsu and the rest of his team came crashing out of the doors.
"Hurry up or we will be late for dinner!" Natsu yelled over his shoulder to his team mates.
"We still have 2 hours, Natsu." Lucy whined while trying to pull him back by his jacket.
"But I'm hungry!" He wailed. She rolled her eyes. "You're always hungry."
Natsu was about to say something else when Gray stepped in. "You guys can go ahead. Juvia already prepared 5 meals before I even left."
"She really is giving this her all." Erza said proudly, continuing her journey to the house.
Lucy, Wendy, Happy and Carla followed close behind. Natsu tried to follow, but was halted by Gray.
"Come on, I'm hungry!" He complained.
"In a minute. I need to talk to you for a sec." Natsu stopped fighting and waited.
"I need your help for this." Gray told Natsu the plan and his involvement in it. Natsu smiled wide. "I can do that. You're really going big."
Gray shrugged. "Well, you only do this kind of thing once." Natsu laughed. "Yeah, unless she says no."
He glared at the fire demon. "This is Juvia." Natsu shrugged. "Yeah. That's true."
When Natsu and Gray entered the home, they were hit with a symphony of glorious scents. Juvia had cooked nearly everything in the house... Again.
It's a good thing they didn't pay rent. Natsu squeezed between Lucy and Erza at the dining table and began shoveling food into his mouth.
Juvia was cleaning the dishes as they ate. Gray stood beside her and offered to help. "Gray Sama, Juvia can do it. Go eat, please."
He shook his head and began scrubbing a dirty pan. She narrowed her eyes and huffed, but allowed him to help.
With the two of them, the dishes got done quickly. She took a rag and wiped down the counter before washing her hands and taking a seat at the table beside Wendy.
Gray followed suit, washing his hands and taking a seat beside Juvia. They ate together at the table with their family as they shared stories about the good times.
Gray watched as Juvia listened to everyone and laughed with them. She really was the best thing in his life.
Once everyone had left and the house was once again just theirs, they stripped down and showered together.
They did this frequently. Not only did it save water, but it was just one more thing that they could do together.
they exited the shower and dried off. They climbed into bed and she rested against his chest as she did every night.
He stroked her hair and closed his eyes. "I love you."
She smiled against his skin. "I love you too."
*AUTHOR'S NOTE* Okay, so I know I am being SUPER vague. But, I can't give it all away up front. Next chapter will be the big reveal! Even though we all know what it is.
:) Thank you guys for being so loyal! Y'all are the real MVP's. ~ :D