AN: Just remind you that Lucy can be scary! :O And the reason for the delay is on the other AN. I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)
-Nine-
"Lucy, the door!" Natsu said from their bedroom, where he was currently in, lying on the bed with a bunch of potatoes chips and Lucy's latest chapter of the new novel.
"I didn't hear a thing!" She responded from the bathroom. They were going to the Guild and she was getting ready. She didn't wake up looking like a goddess. It needed time and patience to become gorgeous. Plus, she really didn't hear the door. The Dragon Slayer was the one who had the good hearing, not her.
"Fine, I'll go." Natsu said annoyed and getting up from the bed.
By the smell that was coming from the hall, he knew who was. Natsu opened the door and smiled to his old friend.
"Well, you're alive then." He leaned on the door, smirking. "Did she kick your ass?"
"Shut up." Gray shoved the pink haired inside and entered the apartment.
"Why so touchy? PMSing?" Natsu laughed while closing the door, but stopped when he saw Gray's face. He was mad, real mad. "Okay… What happened?"
"I proposed to Juvia." He said throwing himself on the couch.
"You what?" Lucy appeared on the living room in a second. In one hand was a brush and in another a hair dryer.
"Sure, now you hear it." Natsu mumbled to himself.
"Shut up, Natsu!" Lucy snapped and looked to Gray. "What did you just say?"
"I proposed to Juvia." The Ice Mage sighed.
"Oh. My. God!" She shrieked and started jumping. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" Lucy laughed. "Juvia's probably passing out right now!" Lucy threw the things on her hand on the other couch and grabbed Natsu's shoulders. "It's finally happening! Can you believe it?" Before her husband could answer, she continued to talk. "This is gonna be the marriage of the year! Well, after ours, of course." She smiled, and then got serious. "I need the perfect dress! And my hair! Maybe I should wave it. What do you think, Natsu?" He opened his mouth to answer, but she interrupted again. "Why am I asking you? What do you know about hair?" She shook her head and turned to Gray, who was looking at the ceiling. "When's gonna be the wedding? There are styles for every season, you know?"
"There's no wedding." Gray mumbled.
"I'm sorry, what?" Lucy asked smiling. She was sure she didn't understand what he had just said.
"There won't be a wedding." He sighed. "She said no."
One steamboat. Two steamboats. Three steamboats.
"Who said 'no'?" Lucy asked still smiling.
"Juvia." Gray responded.
"She said 'no' to what?" The smile didn't fade from her face, while Natsu just kept looking from one to another.
"To my proposal."
One steamboat. Two steamboats. Three steamboats.
"Juvia?" Lucy frowned.
"Yes." Gray answered.
"Our Juvia?"
"Yes!" Gray was getting pissed with all the questioning.
"Juvia Loxar said 'no' to your proposal?" Lucy was trying to get things straight.
"Yes, Lucy!" Gray got up mad.
Everyone was in silence for a full minute. Gray cooled down a bit and sat again.
"Gray?" Lucy asked and Natsu shrieked. He had to live with that monster a few days every month, so he knew what was coming.
"Hm?" The Ice Mage felt a murderous aura coming from his side, when he turned around, he saw a very creepy Lucy.
"What did you do?" She asked. Half of her face was hidden by her hair, but one of her eyes was out and he could see she was angry.
"Whaaaat?" He backed a little. He didn't like when Lucy turned all Erza on him. "I proposed to her, remember! She's the one who said no! Go stare at her like that!"
"Oh, yeah? You did nothing?" Lucy poked his chest. "She likes you since the first day you met," Poke. "she's the one who makes you the bentos you share with everyone," Poke. "she's the one who cry rivers when you get injured," Poke. "she's the one who's carrying your child! And then you come to my house and tell to my face that she refused to marry you? What. Did. You. Do?" Poke, poke, poke, poke.
Gray removed Lucy's hand and got up. He considered leaving and actually gave a few steps towards the door.
"You better answer her, man." Natsu said, from his spot on the living room (in a safe distance from his wife). "She'll probably just hunt you down if you don't." He nodded. "Besides, Lucy's a girl. She can help, I guess. Right, babe?" Natsu smiled to her, trying to lighten up the mood a bit.
"Shut up." Lucy said, now on her feet and hands on her waist, patting her foot impatiently.
"Yes, ma'am." And he did.
Gray thought of it. Lucy was a woman and friends with Juvia, so she probably knew what the heck was happening on the Water's Mage mind at the moment. But, for that, he needed to tell everything that happened at Juvia's apartment a few minutes before.
He passed his hand through his hair and started to walk, one side to other.
"Things were working out fine. I said that I wanted the kid too, we hugged, things like these. We were getting along again, but when I brought up marriage, she went psycho again!"
Juvia was silent with Gray's words and he was growing nervous with her silence. Her eyes watered a bit, and she seemed like she was fighting some thoughts.
"I can't marry you, Gray-sama." Juvia said shaking her head and finally breaking the silence; while Gray was looking at her strangely. What did he do wrong?
"You can't or you won't?" He asked confused. What was happening? During that time they were apart, he thought about the situation and realized that a baby needed a family and since Juvia liked him, it was the reasonable outcome, but apparently he was wrong. Apparently Juvia was saying 'no' to his proposal.
"I can't."
"Wait a second…" It was his time to shake his head lightly. "Last week, you said that you…" He took a breath. "That you loved me."
"Yes." She took a breath. "I love you." There, she said it. Well, it wasn't like Juvia was hidden it, but it felt strange to tell him that. She always thought he would freak out with the simple thought of it. "Marriage is the celebration of love between two people." She took his hands on hers and smiled sadly. "Two." Juvia shook her head. "It wouldn't work."
"But…" Gray tried, but she cut it off.
"We've been nakama for six years and seeing each other for seven months. If you loved me, I think you should've known by now." He stayed in silence and looked down to the floor. "Do you love me, Gray-sama? Not as your nakama, but as a woman."
"Juvia…" He sighed and looked up to her. Why was she pushing this subject? Okay, he was the one who started it, but she was supposed to say 'yes' and they were over with it.
"See?" She smiled sadly. "We better off not married." He opened his mouth to say something, but she interrupted. "When I figured it out that I was pregnant, I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to not burden you with more than what you need to do. And marriage is way too serious."
"Having a baby together is serious!" Gray removed his hands off hers. "Don't you see that? You grew up without your parents too, right?" She nodded. "So you know that the best thing we will ever give to the kid is a family; is to have a mother and a father when he gets home; is to be able to hug a mother and a father." He said a little nervous. "You know that's the bigger issue here, Juvia."
"This baby," she put a hand above her stomach "is already loved, Gray-sama. This baby already has a mother and a father that are, right now, discussing about its future." She looked to him. "You are the father, and if you want you will be there, present, during our baby's life. I won't deny you any access, ever. We made this baby together, but that's no excuse to get married."
"Do you know how hard was to me to decide that?" Gray groaned and something changed in Juvia's eyes, but just for a moment it looked like she was hurt.
"Exactly. If you really wanted to marry me, you would've snapped and realizes that you couldn't live without me." She said dreamily with her eyes watered. "And it's not like that, is it?" Again, she gave him a sad smile. "Maybe I read too many love novels, maybe I'm too naïve, but I still think that love needs to be the reason for marriage." Gray sighed. She was stubborn when she wanted to.
He stared at her for a few seconds before allowed his head to fall.
"You just need to make things harder, don't you?" He groaned and she giggled because of his exhausted expression.
"Life is never easy, Gray-sama."
"… then we changed topics and she talked about her next visit to the doctor and I asked if I could be there. That's it." Gray finished, while Natsu was looking outside the window and Lucy was frozen in her spot.
Gray kicked himself mentally. He should've pushed the subject. He should've just say to her that they were going to get married and it was final; but no… he had to ask. Women never do anything a man asks, they do the opposite, god knows why.
"You…" Lucy was with a pillow on her hands and threw it at him. "You insensitive moron!" She took another pillow and threw it again. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Another pillow. "Men! You are all so…" With nothing more to throw at him, Lucy just growled. Yes, growled. "Argh! None of you have a single romantic bone inside you!"
"Hey!" Natsu tried to defense himself.
"And you shut up! You are as dense, or denser, than him!" Lucy walked to the apartment door, and opened it. "I'm going downstairs and try to save your ass, Gray. Just because I know that all men are stupid and you'll come around someday." She shook her head in disapproval. "Argh." And left.
Natsu and Gray just stood there confused.
"Thank you so much, stupid." Natsu said after a minute of silence. "Now with this little story of yours there's no way in hell that I'm getting lucky tonight."
Gray was walking around Magnolia's park in deep thought. What would be his next step after all that? Juvia was going to have their baby, but didn't want to get married. He never thought that his life would turn out like that.
"That's a face you don't usually have." Gray heard a known voice and looked to its direction.
Fried. He was sitting on one of the benches from the park, with his usual clothes and a serious face, as always.
"Oh. Hi." Gray said without energy.
"You seem a little down. What's the problem?" The green haired man asked politely and Gray thought about if she should tell the other mage. They were nakama for a long time, but they weren't friends to exchange secrets. But hell, he was married and had a kid. Maybe Fried was the person for him to talk this whole time.
"Can I sit down? This is gonna take a while for me to explain." Gray said and Fried took away the small green bag that was there.
"Please, do." He sounded almost eager for the company.
When Gray sat, he understood why. Without realize, he walked directly to the park for children, with the toys and the moms. The moms. Apparently Fried was the only man in there.
"Wow." Gray was surprised. "I didn't even know I was already in here." They were on the most distant bench possible. And the moms seemed to ignore Fried completely. "Why… why are they so far like that?" Gray asked.
"Well, some of those mothers are single or widows." Fried said calm. "And I understand that some of them are very propitious to, as people say, throw themselves at me."
"Man, they're not even glancing at you." Gray frowned.
"Yes. And I also believe that they know that I am married. And with Mirajane's old reputation as the 'Satan', my guess is that for them, I'm invisible." He sounded relieved.
"I… I see." Gray nodded. "Mira was very scary back in the day. I guess people didn't forget."
"No, they did not." Fried agreed.
"So, where's Luke?" Gray asked trying to find the boy.
"With his nanny." Luke had a nanny a few times a week when Fried was in mission, and since Mira worked at the Guild, they paid a girl to watch him.
"And you're here too?" The Ice Mage found it strange.
"I just got back from a mission." Fried responded. "At the guild Mirajane told me that he was here so I stopped to see him." Luke got out from a house-like toy and waved to his father, who waved back, smiling. "He's… refreshing after such tough mission."
Gray observed the interaction with curiosity. Fried was such a closed man, always hiding his emotions, but when his son waved at him, it wasn't just his face that lightens up. His whole body changed with the sight of the young boy, he was truly and purely… happy.
"What is it like?" Gray mumbled and Fried turned to look at him in confusion. "To be a dad. What is it like?"
Fried seemed a little surprised with the question, but responded anyways. "In two words? Amazing and terrifying." He said looking back to his child playing with some other kid. "Terrifying because you need to do everything right, and sometimes you can't, and because you know how dangerous the world is and you need to protect him of it all. Shield your child of all hurt and pain, even though you know you can't. That's… terrifying." He was serious. "But… it's amazing." Fried shook his head lightly. "I never thought that you could love something as much as I love Luke. Every little thing he does makes me so proud."
Gray was looking at him the whole time and saw the differences on his face while talking. When Fried was talking about the terrifying part, the muscles of his jaw were tight; but when the subject changed, he, again, was lighter.
"If you have to choose between now and before what would you..?" Gray started to ask but Fried cut him off.
"Now." He said and Gray didn't doubt for a second.
They stayed watching the kids playing for some minutes in complete silence.
"Why did you ask those questions?" Fried asked. "I doubt that it was just curiosity. Is it something related to your state of mind when you came over here?"
"Yes." Gray sighed; while Fried was waiting for his reasons. "Juvia's pregnant."
Fried Justine was literally open mouthed, a very rare sight.
"I…" He was trying to recompose himself. "I didn't know you two were dating." And probably none else, otherwise Mirajane would be saying to the world about them.
"We are not." He said fast, like he was used to. And then responded again, frowning. "I mean… I guess we kind of are now."
"Wait, how that happened?" Even Fried was aware of Juvia's interest in Gray and was really curious about how they ended up… pregnant!
"Natsu and Lucy's wedding." Gray said.
"Oh…" Fried recalled, that day they both were drinking booze as if it was water. It wasn't surprising that they ended up having sex after. "You two were pretty drunk."
"Yeah. That whole weekend we were at it, man. We could've done this kid on the bed, the floor, the bathroom…" Gray was shaking his head. "I don't think I walked straight that Monday. I knew it was too good to be true."
Fried was nodding and stopped, after thinking of what he just heard.
"Wait. The whole weekend?" He was confused.
"Yeah." Gray looked at him strangely.
"That whole weekend you were together?" Fried was surprised. "I thought that after spending the night together you would get away from her the minute you woke up."
"What?" Gray frowned.
"Well, since Juvia was always so… obsessed with you, I thought that after realized what happened you'd run away fast." Fried was confused too.
"Nah… That night we were drunk and we kind of laugh about everything we did, but after we sobered up, we were as good as before." Gray smiled.
"'Good as before'?" It was Fried's turn to frown. "Did… did you two sleep together before the night of the wedding?"
"Yeah. We've been meeting for about… hm.." Gray stopped to think. "About 6 months."
Oh, yeah. That was the afternoon to surprise Fried Justine.
"Let me get this straight…" Fried put a hand on his chin. "Six months ago you two started to 'see' each other" He quoted with his fingers. Gray nodded. "Then, about the time Natsu and Lucy got married, she got pregnant; and when you figured out, you yell at her, she slapped you and ended up at the hospital?"
"Yeah." Gray had his elbows supported by his thighs, and had his head down facing the floor.
"So, Juvia refused to see you while at the hospital." The green haired man continued.
"Yes." Gray, in the same position as before, responded.
"But earlier today you passed through her house and you two talked and resolved most of the things, but when you asked her to marry you, she said 'no'." Gray nodded. "Wow… When Mirajane hear this…" Fried half smiled. He knew his wife; she was going to move earth and heaven to make Gray and Juvia end up happily married. She was a disaster as matchmaking, of course, but sometimes, just sometimes, she got it right, like when she helped Alzack finally confess to Visca, or talking Levi out to go and say her feelings for Gajeel. But that was it. She messed up more than helped most of the time but everybody knew she meant well and no one could be mad at her.
"Oh, no. Don't tell Mira." Gray said raising his head fast. "She'll do something and dig my grave even more."
Fried nodded at that. He knew what the other man meant. He remembered how many times she already tried to match Gray with Juvia. At first, Juvia participated; giving her ideas, helping with the details. But a year before, something happened and she stopped. He had no idea of what it was, but she stopped and as crazy as it seems, Mirajane stopped as well. Fried thought it was strange for his wife to give it up like that, but she didn't bring the subject again with him or anyone else at the Guild.
"Yes, but... You know people will realize pretty soon she's pregnant, right?" Fried raised an eyebrow. "They will notice Juvia getting… bigger."
"I know, I know." Gray sighed. "But I need time to figure Juvia out. She's driving me crazy. First I'm insensitive when we argued, then I'm insensitive for trying to marry her and make this baby have a family?" Gray growled in frustration.
"I see." Fried nodded.
"Give me a tip, man. You're married!" Gray looked at the other man desperate for some advice.
"Don't ask me." Fried shook his head. "You'll never understand her. Even today, after two years we got married I don't get all Mirajane's actions."
"Crap." Gray cursed. "What's with women that when we try to make something right, they have to be the ones to complicate things even more?"
"You got me." Fried looked back at his son, now walking towards him with some toy and his nanny following close behind. "Thanks, Kara-san. I'll take him now. You can call it a day." The young girl smiled and waved good-bye and left after giving Luke a kiss on the cheek.
"Pa!" The small boy yelled and threw his arms up, happy.
"Hey." Fried smiled at the boy. "What you have there, little man?" He asked and Luke started to mumble something looking at the green elephant on his hands. Fried was serious at that point, but with a soft look on his face. "Is that so?" The boy continued to talk more baby non-sense and his father just nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah." The boy stopped to talk and looked up smiling at his father and noticed Gray.
"Ga!" He smiled brightly, showing his baby teeth all white and shining to him.
"Hey, Luke." Gray smiled back. "Having fun?" The baby talk started all over again. "Yeah… I don't really get it, but the way you are all dirty, my guess is that you had a great time."
"I'm lucky that he likes to take a bath." Fried sighed and got up, taking the baby bag and Luke afterwards. "We have to go, mud-man." He said to his son who started to whine because he didn't want to leave just yet. "Yes, we are going. You'll eat and take your nap; otherwise dad will not rest tonight." As the boy continued his whining, Fried looked to Gray and offered him a sympathetic smile. "As for you… good luck."
"Yeah, yeah." Gray waved a hand. "We'll figure something out sooner or later."
"Do. Trust me, you do not want to miss the pregnancy." Fried said changing his whining son to his other arm. "Some of it will drive you crazy but it's the most amazing thing you'll ever experience." He turned to leave. "Luke, don't pull dad's hair!"
Gray entered his apartment and leaned on the door while sighing. Why life was doing things to make him crazy? First he thought she would do fine without ever having a family, then when he accidentally started to build one; he realizes that he indeed wanted it on his life. When Ur said that when she held her daughter it was like a light was shining into her heart, he was a kid and didn't get it, but looking at his sensei's face, he knew she meant and the thought gave her comfort when she needed it.
Would he feel it too?
He walked through his place, already on his underwear. He already ate lunch before going home, so he decided to just sleep and see if things looked better when he wake up.
Throwing himself at the mattress, he let out a sigh of contentment. Hugging a pillow and lying his head on another one, he tried to sleep but the only picture that came to his mind was Juvia and how things were just fine just a month before.
Gray woke up with the sound of water. He frowned in his sleep while moving to grab Juvia; he was an Ice Mage, but the warmth of a woman on his arms was something he really enjoyed having. But he found it empty.
He blinked and looked around. Where was she? She knew he didn't like to wake up alone. He liked to have her there to wake up properly.
The sound, he realized, came from his bathroom, where she was probably taking a bath. Then he suddenly had an idea. He got up smiling and as silent as he could he sneaked into the bathroom, while Juvia was, in fact, in the shower, distracted singing some song he never heard before.
Getting in, he grabbed her from behind making her yelp in surprise.
"Gray-sama!" She exclaimed.
"Gotcha." He smirked at her.
"You can't stay here! It's too tiny!" She turned around to look at him.
"Now there's something you should never say to a naked man." He laughed at her embarrassment. It was so easy to make her blush that it was ridiculous.
"J-Juvia d-didn't mean like t-th…" She said and then felt Gray pressing her on the wall. "G-Gray-s-sama…?"
"Well…" He smirked and leaned closer to her. "Since we're already here…"
"Gray-sama is so mean." Juvia, hair still wet, said lying on her stomach on Gray's bed facing the opposite side of where the man was.
"Why's that?" He asked amused. Changing his position, Gray turned to look at Juvia and stayed on his side using his hand to support his head.
"Juvia was taking a bath and Gray-sama didn't let her finish it." She was still looking away from him.
"Are you gonna say you didn't enjoy it?" He smirked. He knew she did.
"What? No, Juv…" She raised her head and turned to Gray but he predicted her movement and interrupted her midsentence with a kiss.
And he knew that she liked his kisses.
"Not fair." She said after he let her go. Her face was red all over again. He wondered why she always blushed like that. They've done it so many times that she should be already used to all that.
"You won't get fair in here." He smirked and closed the distances between their bodies. "I play dirty. You should know by now."
"Y-yes!" She got even redder. "But t-there are somethings you can't do, G-Gray-sama."
"Really?" He smiled at her. His hand on her hips. "What, for example?"
"L-like k-kissing Juvia at the G-Guild." She murmured like it was something very wrong.
"But nobody saw us." He laughed. "I closed the door of the infirmary. Don't worry."
"They could've!" She exclaimed.
"Well, it was your fault." Gray said in his defense.
"What?" Juvia asked confused.
"You were wearing that shorts and top that I like." Gray said and remembered the white strapless top that hugged her body like it was drawn on her and the shorts that showed how amazing her legs were. To even think of that outfit on her made him horny all over again.
"It was hot!" Juvia was the one to defense herself this time.
"I know, that's why I kissed you at the Guild." Gray frowned in confusion.
"No!" She was exasperated. "The day! It was a hot day!"
"Yeah…" Gray thought. "Well, anyways…" He made a movement with his hand and it went a little higher, right on her waist, and Juvia giggled. "What was that?" He smirked. It was what he thought it was?
"N-nothing." She tried to stop her giggle once he did it again.
"Don't tell me you're ticklish." He asked laughing as he repeated it and she laughed as well.
"S-stop it, Gray-sama!" She asked between laughter.
"How come I never realized?" Oh, he was having fun.
After some minutes playing like two children, they finally stopped to get some air. Gray laughed hard as well, seeing Juvia laughing like that was extremely rare and he liked it.
"Don't tickle me!" She said catching her breath. She was again lying on her stomach. Arms supporting her head.
"It was fun." He laughed and looked to his side, only to match a smiling Juvia. "What?" He frowned.
"Juvia likes when you smile, Gray-sama." She removed her arms from underneath her head and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"Gray likes when you smile too, Juvia." He was about to repeat her action when she got up, with a sheet around her body. "Hey! Where are you going?"
"Shower." She entered quickly the bathroom.
"You and I know that it's not gonna happen." He sat at his bed. "I live alone, you live alone and nobody will come to neither our places, so you can stay here until morning." He looked outside from his window. "It's not even night time yet!" He got up and went to the bathroom, following her. "Oh, you are so not going home yet!
"Kya! Gray-sama!"
That was it!
Gray sat on his bed while the entire plan was forming in his head. God, how didn't he think of that before? It was the perfect plan!
He got up and started to gather his things. He was finally going on the right track.
Juvia had just finished having dinner and started to clean her kitchen when she heard the knock on her door. She frowned and went to see who it was. Maybe it was Lucy to check on her again like she said she would earlier.
When she opened her door, she was not expecting what she saw.
"Hi." Gray smiled at her. He had a backpack and in each hand a big suitcase.
"Gray-sama?" Juvia frowned.
"I'm moving in." Gray said as walking inside her house.
AN: Sorry, sorry and sorry for the delay! But I have a good excuse, okay? On chapter eight, I told you in an Author's Note that I went to a doctor, well, I went through a surgery two weeks ago, so I couldn't write while was at the hospital (Mom didn't let me :O), and I just arrived home Saturday so I could had only type Sunday and I was lucky enough to type half of it before going traveling (I live in the country, and my doctor's from the big city). The surgery was easy peasy but Mom didn't let me use my laptop while I still had the stiches. Yeah, it was freaking torture. My cousin and I needed to lie to my mother (which is very difficult. She's kind of a ninja. Really.) so I could read the mangas that were released while I was at the hospital and when I was bed resting!
If I knew the surgery was going to be that day, I'd write a lot faster, but it was like: "Hey, hon. The doctor just called, your surgery is tomorrow" and I was like: "What?" And I have to say this: total anesthesia is AWESOME. The very first question I made when I woke up, very groggy was: "Am I alive?" the nurse said yes and I: "Good." and slept again.
Anyway, I'm back and kicking, so… (H) How did you like the chapter? Boring as hell? :O
How did you like Gray and Fried's talk? And Luke? Isn't he the cutest?
PS: Oh, about chapter 242, it's just me or you also think that Meredy will be really close to Juvia? If I was to write it, I'd make her enter the Guild and be jealous of Juvia when she's with Gray, but well... Mashima is the genious here. So, he'll work things out perfectly like he did giving us the Gray x Juvia fanservice this last five chapters! :D
PPS: Chapter ten is already done. I'll update as soon as I respond your reviews! There are forty reviews, so I guess that it'll be up in an hour or so. Double chapter to compensate the delay! I hope you guys like. Review in both, okay? :)
