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She's In Your Court 16 He is Real
…
It gives me sweet little pains in my heart
Like a sweet little rain, that falls for a flower
And that's love
A new kind of love
A New Kind of Love, Skylar Grey
…
The sun had already set when the little party ended at the Home for Boys. The day ended with hugs and high fives, some ugly cries too – from the big guys, not the kids. The team promised to be back the next year. Even with that promise, goodbyes weren't really that easy. Juvia had to comfort a sobbing Mika all the way to the presidential car. She said it never gets easier.
After a laughter-filled dinner and teasing, Gray invited Juvia to walk off the carbs. He took her to the back part of the house, to the most beautiful flower-filled garden Juvia has ever seen.
Mika Mine hand-grown the flowers in her garden. She started with just some dark pink Geraniums she liked sitting around the house. Not until she found that large blank canvass behind her mansion that the Mine matriarch eventually developed a certain fondness getting her hands dirty, waking up early to water them and most of the time, talk to her plants. She said it was therapeutic, helping her cope with the stress. Gray uneasily admitted he was almost always the reason for her stress. So, her mother named that garden after him.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Juvia was sure Mika Mine's garden would have been very beautiful under the brightest shine of the sun. She took a note to come visit the "Stressful Gray Garden" in the morning. Tonight, she took the time appreciating the living attraction in the silence of the evening. It was simply magical.
Illuminated by natural moonlight, Gray and Juvia covered the narrow pathway, bathed in cold breeze and silver light. On either side of the pathway were beautiful, fully bloomed flowers on trimmed shrubs. But they cleared the path that led somewhere more beautiful, as Gray promised.
"More beautiful than these flowers borne out of the stress you caused?"
Juvia looked around the backyard garden. Mika Mine outdid herself. Or Gray was just a stressful fellow to raise. Page Six did a good retelling of how Gray painted the town red. Looking around the fully bloomed buds around the 'stress garden', Juvia had a feeling she didn't know the half of it. Different kinds and colors scattered around, giving life to Mika's green-thumb project, like fresh from a Monet painting. If Olivia Lockser saw this, she would have begged Gray's mother to become best of friends or maybe died of jealousy. That's a thought.
"Yes. But not as beautiful as my girlfriend."
Gray pulled her to a stop. As a gentleman who had his fair share of women, Gray knew that off-hand 'more beautiful' comment would read as 'even than your girlfriend?' He crossed the small distance between them and got himself that kiss that he'd been waiting for. It was just a brief brush of the lips, like a kiss shared in children's books, at the end of the story, when the prince and the princess lived happily ever after. One innocent kiss like that came so naturally.
Juvia wiped the stain of lipstick that transferred on Gray's lips. Then, she took his hand, taking the lead this time. They walked down the narrow path, side by side. Her small hand was clasped in his bigger one, her slender fingers intertwined with Gray's. She leaned on Gray every now and then, wanting and needing the contact. They exchanged stories here and there, talking about nothing much really, until they reached the end of the paved path and a silhouette of a familiar structure emerged.
"That, girlfriend, is my favorite part of this house."
The ground they stood on was abruptly cut by a grassy, shallow slope, right before the rectangular pavement began. Gray guided the ballerina down the sloping garden, watchful over Juvia who was trying not to lose her footing, and held her hand as he ushered Juvia onto the flat surface.
"Stay here."
Gray's absence was quickly missed. It made the breeze feel colder against the skin. Juvia enveloped her arms around her own frame to fight the chill. Her eyes never left the figure jogging towards a shed. Even through the dimness, Juvia saw Gray pushing a lever. The light coming from the lamp posts standing at each corner flooded the playing surface. In the floodlit view, Juvia could make out the unmistaken round hoop attached to the backboard; the rectangular pavement bordered by freshly cut-grass. Juvia knew enough about basketball to recognize the lines painted on the pavement. Although, it did seem to have seen better days. There were obvious wear and tear, a few repairs here and there. When the mansion decided to move forward, that particular part of the house was left behind.
She lost Gray for a moment, not finding him where has just a minute ago. Next thing she knew, her boyfriend was standing next to a covered cart near the stone bench. He peeled off the cover, bent over to pick one ball out. Gray remained standing, feeling the rubber skin in his palms, taking his time, like some sort of ritual. He then waved his girlfriend to come.
Juvia crossed the paved court, her purposeful steps synced with the bounce of the ball in Gray's hand. But instead of running toward the ring to show off a perfect shot, as Juvia expected, Gray replaced the ball inside the cart. He met her half-way and led Juvia to rest at the stone bench.
"Man, I spent most of my childhood here." shared Gray. He turned to Juvia, who remained quiet, and held her gaze. "This is where everything began, you know." The usual confidence in Gray's smile was hidden safe for the time being.
Gray left her side and covered the pavement with sprints toward the middle of the court. His absence allowed the breeze to touch on her exposed skin, penetrating through the fabric of her clothes.
"My first shot." He dribbled an imaginary ball and pretended to shoot the same, flicking his wrist like the pro that he was. Juvia imagined the ball went in perfectly and she clapped, humoring him with his 'play pretend' game. Then, Gray scampered over to much nearer the ring, executing the familiar two-step footwork before he jumped off his left foot and shoot with his left arm. The ball would have hit the backboard and went into the hoop without miss.
"My first lay-up." He made a quick chuckle. "It wasn't a good one. That I admit."
Gray dashed back to the center, the tip of one shoe nearly touching the white paint which Juvia recognized as the three-point line. Hoopster had his proper posture down to a T: with feet shoulder-width apart; his dominant foot ahead the other; knees bent at the perfect angle; his toned body and shoulders squared toward the basket. His dark blue eyes were unrelenting, drilling a hole on his target. Juvia has seen it far too many times, but every time Gray fell into that stance, her heart skipped a beat. Like any minute now, something magical was about to happen. That's how he always made her feel. Gray held the ball above his head, elbows bent in the perfect degree, then he snapped his wrist, ending his signature three-point shot with a perfect follow through. Juvia was back at the lower box of the Fairy Academy Dome, her heart in her throat as she and the rest of the roughly six hundred basketball fans waited at the edge of their seats.
His sharp blue eyes, now staring at Juvia's mesmerized ones, pulled the ballerina out of her reverie. He resumed his rightful spot next to her at the stone bench, drawing a long, slow breath. That little prancing around the court didn't tire him out. Gray didn't even break a sweat but showing off to his girlfriend did exercise his lungs.
"My dad always said, 'Gray… if you. Want to set yourself apart from the others, you need a signature'. He decided, right there and then, that three-point shots would be mine." He relayed to Juvia. "He trained me day and night until I perfected that shot." Those perfect three point shots that eventually earned him his nickname.
To Juvia, it sounded like the Fullbuster patriarch was a believer of putting in the time. She knew now where Gray got his hard-working disposition. She believed in that too… nothing of value was ever borne out if taking it easy. Juvia believed in the hustle, too. His father may have had all the connections to make her dream a reality sooner but Juvia was never one to want everything handed to her.
"Or passed out, whichever came first."
He tried to play it off as a joke but Juvia could see no humor in Gray's eyes nor that forced smile – because he was talking about his father. Once, when they were just starting to get along, Silver's name was mentioned in passing. Juvia remembered how his expression turned serious and how Gray quickly changed the subject. It was obvious back then that it was a touchy subject, one Gray would rather not talk about. Ironic, considering how Gray was considered an open book, his tales of gallivanting making headlines. But Juvia understood, that topic was too personal for Gray. This was the first time that the elusive Hoopster was the first to mention Silver Fullbuster to her, which only meant one thing – he trusted her. She knew better than laugh. Juvia sought his hands, took them in hers and giving them a gentle squeeze – one that told him that she was there. This time, she was going to be there for him, like how he was always there for her. It was Juvia's chance to show Gray that she was going to be the one he could rely on; the one he could trust with his heart. If she could, Juvia would have eased the pain she knew was still there. A big chunk of Gray's heart was still missing. But there wasn't much she could do but to lend an ear. Her soft gaze told him she was ready to listen.
Gray heaved out another breath, preparing himself for the outpour.
"I miss him every day, you know. He was my best friend."
Gray wasn't looking at Juvia. He was staring at somewhere at the court, remembering. A bittersweet smile touched his lips, eyes looking out at the empty court as if he was watching the figures play on the paved ground – Silver and an eight-year-old Gray.
"He trained me in this very ground. Sometimes, we'd just play around all day until mom calls us for dinner."
When Gray turned to the quiet ballerina, his eyes were different. The soul behind them was different. He was showing another side of him, one Juvia has yet to see. They said the eyes were the windows to the soul; that they held the truest, most genuine emotions. Tonight, those windows held his vulnerability.
"He wasn't just my coach, my strict trainer. He was my dad."
Juvia knew she was only an audience, merely a listener. She didn't say a word and continued to listen even through the shy moments of silence that filled the in-betweens. A few strands of black hair fell over his forehead. Juvia brushed it away from his face, tucking them back to that shock of coal-black hair.
"What I am now is all because of him."
Honor and gratitude equally shone through his dark eyes. But there was another one hiding behind that shine – loss. He lost his father. The tears he was holding back was for that important person taken from him far too soon. Juvia knew of the pain of losing someone she loved but she could never fully understand what Gray went through, still going through. It was something that sticks with us no matter what happens.
"When I was in my senior year, my school was up for a championship in the regionals. He stayed behind because he wasn't feeling well. That was a first for him because he was always present to all my games."
It's been more than a decade but the memory was as fresh as if it happened yesterday.
"The neighbors called my mom. They said dad was… my dad was on the way to the hospital. He had a heart attack."
His last words felt like a silent whisper lost in the soft gust of wind.
"She hid it from me. My mom waited until I finished the tournament. And when I got there… when I got to the hospital," Gray shifted in his position, his strong jaw tightening at the memory, at the long-forgotten anger that resurfaced. He faced Juvia, finally letting her see that side of him he never wanted to show people. And she saw the tears in his eyes that he tried to hold back. "It was too late. He was there, lying on the hospital bed. His doctor just…covered him in that… in that white sheet."
He brushed away the tear that managed to fall and for some reason, an awkward chuckle erupted from him.
"I don't even know why I'm still crying over it." He said, harshly wiping the tears with his bare palm.
"It never really goes away." offered Juvia.
"For years I've blamed my mother. I blamed her because I couldn't even properly say goodbye. Then, basketball." Gray huffed. "God, I hated basketball."
Juvia remembered that silent, blank space in his career. When he graduated from High School, everybody expected Gray to be the first to be picked out for the draft season. No one ever heard from him since the news of his dad's passing.
"I should have stayed, you know. I should have been there for him."
Regret clouded his dark blue eyes like an unkind storm rolling in.
"It isn't your fault, Gray."
Gray visibly gulped.
"I know that. But for so long I've been so angry at everyone around me." He struggled to bit back the sob. "If I hadn't met Natsu at that orphanage, I would have never went back to basketball."
"Is that why the Home was so important to you?"
His only answer was a gentle smile followed by a stretch of silence. Juvia thought Gray didn't want to continue but he did.
"I realized, basketball was only way I can feel closer to him. When I touch that rubber ball, the rough texture of its skin, the smell of the rubber, the beat when it hits the floor, suddenly, I was back here." He didn't need to point to the open space. "In this court, with my dad, teaching me how to properly hold my first ball."
He gave her a small smile, a result of a mixed feeling of gratitude and regret.
"That's why I can never hate basketball ever again." He expelled a breath that felt like a finality, like an end. The worst part was over. "Why are you crying?"
Juvia laughed it off, looking like some crazy woman as she frantically rubbed her eyes. She told Gray she didn't even know why. That wasn't true. Juvia was crying for him, for all the bad things he went through and for all the good things that came after. She couldn't feel more proud of him, of how Gray overcame that painful moment in his life. Not all could recover from that loss. But Gray was strong. A warm feeling swelled up in her chest. Juvia was grateful he was able to overcome his rock bottom. Now, he was on top of the world.
Gray reached to Juvia, cradled her wet cheeks between his palms. She leaned into the warmth of his hands. Juvia wished she could be there for him back then, to help him go. Through that darkness. That's all in the past. All she could do was be here for him now.
"Look at us crying like idiots."
They made a shared attempt to laugh. Then, Gray gathered her in his arms, lending his girlfriend heat against the night chill. But more so, feeling sorry for having Juvia go through all of that. Yet he was grateful to be able to get it off his chest. It wasn't easy to be so out into the open, to even admit to any weakness. In his world, in basketball, there was no room for weakness. But even if he covered himself of layers and layers of defenses, at the very core he was still vulnerable. When he saw Juvia struggle through her dance albeit being a professional, seeing the stern, no-nonsense ballerina he first met being bothered by the small things as performance jitters or her paralyzing adoration for Aquarius, Gray realized that he didn't have to keep up appearances all the time. That he could just be him – flawed and human.
Hoopster rested Juvia's head against his chest, gently stroking waves of her long, silky hair while Juvia listened to his heart's every beat.
"Man, after all the ugly crying, you still think your boyfriend is cool?"
He used to think that his pain was his weakness. It did almost ruin his career and his future once. He was never going to let that happen. He was never going to let his emotions get the better of him. So, Gray went through all those superficial relationships, if he could even call them that, and worldly fun, albeit fleeting. But now he decided it was time to break down the wall. He was ready to allow himself be vulnerable.
"Much cooler." answered Juvia as she snuggled into his hard chest. "Much, much cooler."
Because now he wasn't just some fantasy Gray Fullbuster that was perfect at everything. He was real.
Writer's Corner: That was quite... short, isn't it? Well, I didn't honestly wanna ruin the feels... There you go! And because I failed my promise to update sooner and that we didn't get any Gruvia stuff from the latest FT100 YR Quest. Double Chap coming up!