A/N: This is one of the shorter stories. Think of it as set in a modern AU, though I guess it can be set pretty much anywhere, maybe even in canon (hopefully not though)... Hope you'll enjoy it! (P.S. It's kind of angsty, but what did you expect with that kind of prompt?)

Pairing: Gruvia

Prompt: Goodbye kiss

-Doesn't it hurt to hate someone who meant so much?-

Word count: 646


And every loss, and every lie

And every truth that you deny

And each regret, and each goodbye

Was a mistake too great to hide

Linkin Park - New Divide


It was probably better like this.

It wasn't like they didn't try – they both gave their best to make the relationship work, but their best was simply not good enough. There were too many differences between them, which didn't matter at the beginning, but has proven to be a thorn in their sides later on. Their fights were frequent and meaningless – either he made a mess and threw his clothes around again, or she pouted at the way he talked to another woman. Those faults were supposed to have been accepted by both of them at the start. They knew each others' bad sides, but they chose to be together because they loved each other.

Now that love seemed to be lost, overshadowed by their disagreements.

Gray tried to be less messy. He really did, but that trait had been so incorporated into his being, it was nearly impossible for him to get rid of it. The same was with Juvia. She fought hard against her jealousy and clinginess, but she had her insecurities, so seeing Gray with another woman, that she didn't know that well, irked her in an inexplicable way. It scared her.

For a long time, both denied everything. Juvia refused to admit that she thought Gray's messy habits were getting out of hand, and Gray chose to turn a blind eye on some of Juvia's jealousy fits. That period didn't last, though, because each unspoken truth and each lie they had said came back to hurt them, and they got tired of the charade soon. There was no hiding the truth anymore. They had to face one another honestly, and with no restrains.

After a heartfelt talk, they decided it was for the best to end things between them.

They still loved each other, they admitted, but they both agreed that sometimes, just love wasn't enough. Sometimes, no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't keep the ones we held dear. Juvia thanked Gray for everything, and told him that he was the one who brought the sun to her somber life, and that for that, she will be forever grateful to him. He'll always hold a special place in her heart.

Gray answered that she helped him open up, and become warmer. Thanks to her, he learned to communicate with other people better. She melted the ice around his heart. He said he knows he'll never love anyone the way he loved her.

Their break up was seemingly unemotional. Both Juvia and Gray wore forced smiles, and their goodbye was short and curt. They kissed, for one last time. And then they both continued on their separate ways, neither looking back.

But when she returned to her apartment, Juvia immediately started crying. She sobbed and sobbed, and she couldn't get a hold of herself. To her, their "goodbye" kiss tasted like bittersweet memories, and the knowledge that she can never again have what she has lost. It tasted like many regrets she had, many things she'd left undone, many words she'd left unsaid. She never thought they'd come to an end. She never believed she'd have to say goodbye to him.

And Gray, Gray returned home with empty eyes and emotionless expression. He sat at his table and stared at a single spot for hours. She tasted like tears. Like the ones she was too afraid to cry, and the ones he refused to let out. She tasted like all the things he'll never have, all the memories from a future which will never be, all the broken promises, and the unfulfilled dreams. He was lost. She was lost as well. But they knew they made the right choice. Because, had they stayed together for just a while longer, they would have started hating each other.

And neither Gray, nor Juvia, wanted to hate someone who meant so much.