"Yes, I did it." Juvia admitted without hesitation. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Plenty," Gajeel said harshly. "How could you do that to Lucy? She's our friend."
"She's not a friend," Juvia stated blankly. "If Lucy cared about me as a friend, she would have left Gray-sama for me."
Gajeel was disappointed. "So it really is about Gray? I can't believe you would try to kill her for that reason!"
"I didn't try, I attempted it and I'll make sure I won't fail the next time. Why did you come here?" Juvia narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to threaten me? You do not know what love is."
"I know damn well what love is," Gajeel gritted his teeth. "And I know that the love you know is not even love. It's obsession and it's gone too far."
"Is this how you repay a friend?" Juvia glared deathly. "From picking you up in the streets and giving you a home?"
"Ah?" Gajeel glared back. "You're going to use that against me? Don't start that crap."
Even if Juvia was right, Gajeel knew that the girl in front of him was not the Juvia he once knew. What else can he do now?
"Get out of my house," Juvia pointed to her door. "I don't want to hear anything more from you."
"What? Now my words can't even reach you? Juvia there are many guys out there. It doesn't have to be Gray."
"There is no one else for me but Gray-sama."
Gajeel tried to be patient. "Guess there's really no guiding you into the light huh?"
"Gray-sama is my light but Lucy took that from me. He outshines anybody."
"That's funny, 'cause that's what you said when you first met Lucy."
"Excuse me?"
"You said Lucy lit up your world and Gray stopped the rain in your heart. That's what friends are for. To make you become a better person." He shrugged then stood up, giving Juvia a serious look. "Anyway, you're excused. But I'm warning you, Juvia. If you ever lay a hand on Lucy... I'll be the one to hurt you. I'll be the one to make sure that you suffer in a prison cell without being able to atone for your sins. What hurts Lucy, hurts Levy, which hurts me. Remember that."
When the man left the house, Juvia trembled with pure anger and threw her jewelry box in the mirror, destroying her reflection into millions of pieces. The Juvia Lucy once loved was gone, but she has yet to realize that herself.
"After everything I did for the people I care about..." Juvia cried, remembering how supportive she was with Lucy's crush. "Why did Lucy have to betray me?"
A week passed. Lucy tolerated study sessions with Natsu and Gray in the hospital and the rest of the gang often visited her after work and school. Erza had student council obligations and Gajeel and Levy worked night shift so they came over at night. Today was the day that Lucy was released from the hospital and Gray came to pick her up in the afternoon. Everyone else were busy doing their daily chores.
"The doctors said you're good to go," he smiled grabbing her things and her medical papers. "I'll just sign this and we'll head home."
Lucy nodded, "okay. I'm just gonna use the bathroom."
After using the restroom, Lucy looked out of the window feeling empty. Even though she's been distracted with keeping up with her studies or the numerous visits from her friends, she couldn't help but worry about Juvia and much less of herself. She was thankful that Gray and Natsu opened their homes and Erza sold her house to help her recover from losing her home, but she can't believe that life is good if her friend Juvia was suffering on her own.
Gray says otherwise. Juvia had made Lucy suffer enough and it was time to find her own happiness. Dating came out as a joke when Gray greatly emphasized their more-than-friends-less-than-lovers relationship and Lucy decided to put it at the back of her head. She held unto the pendant that rested on her chest and gave a small smile; maybe it was time to start over.
Gray walked back in with a wheelchair. "Doctors orders. I need to wheel you 'til you reach the outside of the hospital."
Lucy made an eerie look. "I'm not crippled you know..."
"If it was up to me, I'd let you walk. Sadly, it's not. Bare with it 'till we get home."
Lucy gave up. There was nothing else for Gray to carry or do but pushing the chair so she sits down on the chair, letting herself be vulnerable once more. The nurses that took care of her waved goodbye and bid her well, thanking them and bowing as the elevator doors came to close.
At the exit, Natsu was waiting for them inside the car (referencing Edolas' Natsu), asleep. A couple of people walked around the car, studying the pink head drooling all over the steering wheel. Gray cringed, grimacing as he ran towards the driver's seat, opening it and shaking the other boy harshly.
"Natsu! Wake the fuck up, you're drooling all over the wheel!" Gray punched the sleeping boy. "I'm driving too, I don't want to touch your damn saliva- ewww!" Natsu's drool slips through one of his fingers.
Natsu woke up in a daze then head butts Gray.
"OW!" Gray rubbed his head. "What was that for!?"
"You were too close to me," Natsu shivered. "I thought you were gonna do something."
"I was trying to wake you up stupid!"
"Really? Woops!" The pink head laughed at himself. "Dude where's Lucy?"
"Um," Lucy said lamely. "Ya'll kinda forgot me..."
Gray ran to her. "Sorry, sorry! I'll help you up-" but then pauses halfway.
Lucy tilted her head and blinked. "What's wrong?"
"Lucy..." Gray looked concerned. "Did you gain weight?"
A vein popped on Lucy's forehead and smacks him.
"YOU DON'T POINT OUT THOSE KIND OF STUFF TO A GIRL!"
Natsu cackled in the car. "Oi, stupid! Let's go home, I gotta piss!"
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"This is your room. That room next to yours is Erza's."
"I'm really sorry I had to barge into your house like this."
Gray sighed. "You really need to stop apologizing, especially since it's not all your fault. I kinda took part of it too you know."
"Guess that's what we get for trying to play with love," Lucy laughed softly.
"LUCY~!" Natsu ran down the hall with a journal on his hand. "GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT?"
"Hm? What?" Lucy was so curious at the excitement Natsu was expressing that she didn't notice the jolt of panic written all over Gray's face next to her.
Natsu eagerly opens the journal, flips to the most recent page and clears his throat, beginning to read. "I've taken quite an interest in Lucy. She's pretty, smart, and cu-"
Gray grabs the vase and throws it on Natsu's head. "OKAAAY! THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Gibberish words came out of Natsu's muffled mouth as Gray drags his whole body across the floor with the journal on his other hand. Natsu whimpers, reaching out to Lucy for help. She felt bad; playfully reaching out to Natsu when she knows she shouldn't mess with them.
"S'hi yew letur Lushy..." Natsu bawled.
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Natsu glanced at Gray as he was still getting dragged on the carpeted floor.
"When are you going to tell her?"
Gray looked down on him."Tell her what?"
"That you rrrrreally like her."
"Don't roll your tongue like that! And why are you emphasizing the really part!?" Gray closed his eyes and turned serious. "I'll tell her when she's finally safe. If we become official and Juvia finds out, she'll be in more danger than she already is. I'm going to trouble her more if I tell her."
"But Lucy has us. We can protect her yenno. You shouldn't let her get in between you and Lucy."
"I know, but Levy talked to me."
Natsu raised his brow. "Why, what'd she say?"
"She told me that Gajeel thinks Juvia is behind all of this. Even burning her house."
"What?" Natsu's eyes widened in anger, slamming the table. "Juvia did that? We can't be too sure..."
"No, it's true. Gajeel came over her house about a week ago and Juvia admitted to it."
Natsu was astounded. "J-Juvia... really did that? Then shouldn't we call the police?"
"Yeah... Gajeel said he's going keep trying to talk to her. Apparently he'll do all the beating her ass thing if things don't work out the way he wants it."
"But from the stories Lucy told us about her... they sound like they were really good friends."
Gray sighed softly. It was my fault, did Lucy refuse my offer to get together to get your attention, Juvia wouldn't have gotten envious to this point.
"Che! Cheer up, you look ugly sulking like that!"
"The fuck you said bastard?!"
"What? You. Look. Ugly. Do you need hearing aid!?"
"Natsu, you little shit..." Gray cracks his knuckles.
"GAAAHAHA! Great! You're back to your old self! Let's go play video games!"
Gray released Natsu and let him drop. "Hell no! I'm studying!"
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Inside a basement, Juvia gazed at her pool that's about 20 feet deep. She touched the water, tracing a silhouette and making a slash halfway with a sinister grin.
Her grin grew wider as she dialed Lucy's number on her phone.
"Lucy? Can we talk? Juvia wants to be friends with you again."
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At the Heartfilia Concern, a familiar light blue-headed woman walked into a building with an annoyed expression on her face. When she entered the housing, the darkness swallowed her and a cold breeze swept through her feet. Her ill-mood had transformed as she felt an ominous feeling creeping up her body.
A picture of Lucy screaming and struggling for breath appeared on her head.
"Lucy?" The woman spins and looked outwards to town.
"What's wrong Aquarius?" A voice came in.
Aquarius faces Virgo with deadly looking eyes.
"Something's gonna happen to that damn brat. I just fucking know it."
"Shall we go visit the princess?"
Aquarius scoffed. "We'll head out early tomorrow."
Virgo stared at her with a blank expression. "Will we be punished?"
"Like hell we will!" Aquarius barked. "Lucy, you better not do anything reckless or else I'll kill you."
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Later on that night, Gray was getting ready to head to bed until Lucy knocked on his door. She walked in on her pink pajamas, sitting on Gray's bed as he came out of the bathroom with only his purple pajamas. He scratched his head, "did something happen?"
She shook her head. "I just wanted to ask for permission."
He blinked and sat next to her. "Permission for what?"
There was some uncertainty in Lucy's eyes. Of course she hesitated, considering that maybe Gray wouldn't let her see Juvia, but she had to try. She wanted to make up with her friend and couldn't prolong this issue any longer. The guilt was pressing on her, and Lucy felt like she deserved all of the bad things that happened to her because she hadn't considered Juvia's feelings and put hers first.
How selfish. Lucy bit her lip. "I want to see Juvia."
"Why are you asking if you know what I'm going to say?"
"I was hoping you would give me a different answer," she said with a small hopeful smile.
Gray's eyebrow twitched then. Lucy is kind; not physically the strongest girl out there but her heart was filled with love for her friends and she placed them first before her own happiness. Sadly, Lucy didn't see it that way.
He gave in. "Fine. In one condition."
Lucy looked up with bright eyes. "Yes?"
"I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not."
"There's no need to," she said softly. "I can handle it all on my own."
"No you can't," Gray grabs her wrist firmly. Lucy flinched slightly at the tightness. "What if she hurts you? Lucy, I can't risk that from happening. I don't want you to get hurt."
"G-Gray," Lucy was getting nervous. "Juvia won't hurt me, besides I'll come back right after."
Gray's silence was deafening. He looked straight into Lucy that her heart started pounding faster than it already was. She scooted all the way to the back of the bed, understanding that Gray was more worried about her than anybody else amongst her group of friends and there really wasn't anything she could do to relieve him from thinking she'll get hurt. Lucy thought wrong when Gray crawled closer, lifting her face and slowly moved closer to her face.
"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not."
Lucy's eyes was closing, feeling Gray's breath brushing against her lips. "O-Okay."
Gray let out a small smirk, "good..."
And the deal was done with a gentle kiss. Gray shut his eyes and pressed his lips deeper, making Lucy's face flush as she kissed back, her hands clutching on the blanket. Gray grabs her by the waist, pulling her into his lap and smiling when Lucy absent-mindedly licks his lip, opening her mouth to let his tongue enter.
Damnit. I want to make her mine already... Gray thought as he gently pushes Lucy down and kissed her further into the night.
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I hope the 0000000000000000 didn't cause any confusion. FF wouldn't let me do line breaks after that first one and I was super frustrated for a good 15 minutes that I didn't even wanna post this chapter omg.
Natsu x Juvia: 4 (tinygrande: I really like your idea of opposites attract. I was thinking of that on the bus today, and I was like "hmm... maybe. Lisanna and Natsu did break up after all...) but I also agree that there's tons of Lyvia.
Lyon x Juvia: 6 (I'm lowkey shipping Lyon and Juvia to be honest hehe)
JUVIA x TORTURE: 3 (man. I'm not into punishing her... but if this becomes a majority rule, we'll see how wild my imagination goes)
We're not done voting yet, friends! I'm still taking in votes for until the next chapter! I already have a bunch of ideas; it's driving me nuts. Thank you again for the reviews, my lovelies.