Another Year, Another Chance
Epilogue
by Contrail
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.
The day after the victory celebration, the other guild members took trains or carriages back to Magnolia, and Gray and Juvia made sure to be there to see them off. Juvia had been correct that ending her apartment lease wouldn't be a problem. Juvia's boss at the tailoring shop was sad to see her go, but happily congratulated her on her engagement - she'd long thought that Juvia kept to herself too much. And while Juvia hadn't been particularly close to any of her coworkers, she had to admit she'd miss them a bit.
After going over what was in her apartment and the amount of space Gray had in his, they decided that most of Juvia's furniture would be sold to a thrift store before they left, bringing only a sewing desk and some shelves with them. They started packing up in the living room, and got that room pretty much finished before calling it a night. Juvia's couch wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but Gray made due.
The next day, after eating breakfast together on the couch, they went to work on the rest of the packing. Dishes were carefully wrapped and pans were packed away in the kitchen (Gray had admitted his kitchen wasn't particularly well stocked). After they were finished in there, the next room to tackle was Juvia's bedroom.
Gray was a little cautious when entering it - it was the first time he'd ever been in a woman's bedroom, after all. Looking around, he saw the style of furnishings matched the rest of the apartment, and the bed was covered by a fluffy comforter. As Juvia started cleaning out her sewing desk, Gray moved to start packing away what was in the dresser when he stopped short.
Sitting on top of the dresser was a small doll, with messy black hair and a familiar guildmark on its cloth chest. Picking it up, it seemed to have been made by hand and with great care. "What's this?" he asked.
Looking up from what she was doing, Juvia blushed when she saw what was in his hands. "Um, uh, Juvia used to make dolls… and other things with Gray-sama's face on them…" she explained. "But she hasn't done that for years!" she added hastily.
"So what's the story with this guy, then?" He raised the doll in his hand for emphasis.
She walked over to him and gently took the doll from him, looking down at it with a tender expression. "This is the first Gray-sama doll Juvia ever made. Even when she got rid of all the others, she couldn't bear to part with this one."
Looking at her holding the doll, he said slowly, "Y'know… Maybe you should make more of those things, of some of the other guild members." When she looked up at him questioningly, he shrugged. "Max still has that store that sells guild merchandise. Maybe some people would want them, and you could make some money that way."
Looking at the doll in her hands consideringly, she replied, "Juvia isn't sure. These take a while to make, and she doesn't want to spend all of her time working on them. Besides, she doesn't like the thought of other women having dolls of Gray-sama."
He stifled a chuckle - her jealousy could be a little cute as long as it was on this level. "Well, maybe you could at least make a Juvia one to go with this guy." Avoiding her eyes, he looked down at the doll in her hands. "A Gray without a Juvia gets kinda lonely, y'know?"
After a moment, a smile spread across her lips. "If Gray-sama wants a Juvia doll to cuddle, she can't deny him that."
"That's not what I meant!" he protested, blushing, and she giggled as she went back to packing. Grabbing a box and starting to fill it, he couldn't keep from smiling, just a little.
Once everything was packed, they rented a carriage and delivered everything they were selling to the thrift store. After that, they returned to her apartment and loaded everything they were taking into it. They'd probably have to stop overnight somewhere, but they both thought that the sooner they got to Magnolia, the better. As they seated themselves in the carriage and asked the driver to get started towards Magnolia, they were both looking forward to their new life together.
I'd like to thank one last time everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story. I'm glad you all enjoyed it, and I hope you will continue to read my other stories. :^)