"It's nothing, I swear." Juvia blurted. Her pale cheeks reddened at the thought of Gajeel trying to put two and two together.
Gajeel's teeth widened, "Yeah, I'm sure there's an explanation as to why his scent is all over you."
"There is!" She exclaimed. Before she could answer, she stopped, looked around, and then focused her attention back on him. "I... slept over." Her voice lowered on the last word.
"You what?!" Gajeel screamed. The redness raced to infect the rest of her body as she looked around again to see if anyone was paying attention. Belonging to a large guild, it's hard to keep secrets when anyone in town could be a member.
"Gajeel! Can you...lower your voice? Someone might hear you!" She whispered fiercely.
"Well I hope that lightning bastard hears me! How dare he make a mo-" A jumpy Juvia covered his mouth. He wasn't even trying to control his tone. Muffling expletives from the force of her palm, Gajeel felt himself getting angrier.
Sure, Juvia is practically an adult that can make her own decisions but he didn't think that Laxus would go out of his way to bed her.
"Nothing happened." She reassured him. He continued his aggressive muffling. She didn't have the blessed ears of a dragon slayer so she couldn't make out everything but she was sure that he said he wanted to kick Laxus' ass.
"Leh guh!" was all she heard.
"Not until you calm down and let me explain."
"No!" Juvia had no choice. She liquified her hand, forcefully entering water in his open mouth until he signaled her to stop. Once she solidified her hand, she brought it back to hold the other and watched him struggle for air.
"I can't believe you tried to drown me!" Gajeel cried, catching his breath.
"I had no choice. You were being too loud!" Juvia protested.
Once his breathing stabilized, he looked over at her. "Are you done?" She asked him as if she were asking a child who was done throwing a tantrum. He slowly nodded.
She moved closer to him. "I slept over because I was tired, okay?" He just looked at her.
"We met last night to catch up. He got me a gift from his last mission. We sparred, talked, and then I fell asleep. Are you happy now?"
Gajeel scoffed, "Mm. And where did you sleep?"
"Huh?" Her eyes widened.
"You heard me? Where...did...you...sleep?" His delivery was much slower.
"Uh...where did I sleep?" Her heart pounded and she could feel her limbs becoming heavy. "Uh...you know…" She looked away.
"No, I don't which is why I asked. Where did you sleep, Rain Woman?" His red eyes were intently lasered in on her.
"Uh…' She swallowed before closing her eyes and finally admitting, '...his bed." Her voice was so tiny.
Gajeel felt as if one of Natsu's flames engulfed him. "You did WHAT?!"
Juvia jumped. She had witnessed him in many a battle but never like this. She quickly tried to cover his mouth but this time he blocked. Oh my goodness.
Laxus couldn't help but stare at the tea pot. He didn't know why he thought to buy it in the first place. Sure, he thought Juvia would like it but he couldn't wrap his head as to why she was the first thing he thought of when he first saw it. He didn't even care for tea or tea sets. It made no sense to buy one, especially one as expensive as this.
The scent of chamomile wafted up Laxus' nose as the tray came closer. Delicate hands poured the steaming liquid in front of him.
There he was. Back at her place. This has got to be the fifth time this week. He didn't think that he would be over at Juvia's apartment often but something kept luring him back. It didn't help that he was saving a lot of money by not ordering takeout.
Laxus didn't think that this would become a routine thing but it did. Juvia has quickly become a part of his routine.
Wake up.
Train with Juvia.
Work out.
Lunch with Juvia.
Rest at his place.
Dinner with Juvia.
For someone who preferred his solo time, it didn't look like he prioritized enough alone time. He was sure this wasn't in the terms of the coupling. They weren't ordered to spend every waking moment with her. But at the same time, he didn't mind it.
Juvia sat across from him at the circular table.
"Are you starting to like it? The tea, I mean."
"Not bad." He wasn't the biggest tea drinker. The last time he really sat and drank tea was whenever he visited the old geezer Makarov. It tasted like hot water and leaves. He couldn't understand the appeal.
Juvia smiled, "Well, it isn't for everybody."
"Hmm...you said it." Laxus said as he poured honey. The taste was only bearable with it.
"Tea is probably my favorite drink. It's so smooth and calming. You know, one of the ways I learned how to control my magic was by brewing tea."
His eyebrow lifted. "What do you mean?"
"I was like you once. I thought tea was just boiled leaves. But...it takes patience and great skill to brew it."
She lifted both hands, palms upward. The tea from her cup rose with her.
"Specific plants require specific temperatures in order for them to thrive. It can't be too hot or the brew would be bitter. It can't be lukewarm either. You need to find a good balance.
"Tea is where I learned about the art of water. Once you can control tea, you can control anything."
"What's your favorite tea?"
Juvia smiled, "There's the tea from Jasmine City. I think that city has just about every variety of tea there is. Every time I pass by, I always make sure to buy an assortment."
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Abrupt knocking claimed his attention. Laxus could hear its owner.
"I know you can hear me, dragon slayer!" Evergreen cooed from behind the door.
"Go away. I'm not home." He grumbled back.
"Sounds like you are. Now open up!" She spat back. Evergreen was probably the only one in his group that could talk back to their leader with ease.
He sighed, "Fine, but only for five minutes." He walked over to open the door only to be greeted face-to-face with the self-proclaimed Queen of Fairies. What was absent was her self-proclaimed manliest man. The sight of the two would always make him internally chuckle. To see this mammoth of a man always defer to her tiny self is always a sight to see. But he guessed that's what worked. Elfman must've been on a mission somewhere. Whenever she's back in town, she's usually spending time with him.
He groaned, "What do you want?"
Evergreen replied with a smile, "What? I can't visit now?"
"Nope."
"There can't be only one lady in your life at a time." She teased. He sighed. There she goes with the teasing.
When she saw that there wasn't any amusement in his face, she smirked and bypassed him towards his living room. She stopped in front of his coffee table, noticing the tea set. Her eyebrow raised in interest. So that was what was in that box? Who knew he was a generous gift giver? The most he got her was a gift card. He must really like her.
"I see she hasn't made a visit yet...or maybe she has. And she's planning on visiting again? You know, I don't think I saw her come home last night." Evergreen winked, placing a finger to the side of her lip.
Laxus rolled his eyes. Ever since their little joke at the end of the Valentine's Day festival, he was forced to listen to her make jokes.
"What are you going on about?" He said flatly.
"Did you give her this tea pot or not?"
"None of your business."
"So I take it as a yes. You've always been quite the terrible liar."
Laxus sighed. He didn't understand how Elfman put up with her. "Aren't you two still hiding your relationship?"
"Huh? W-What relationship?! As if I'd be one with that brute!" She pouted unconvincingly.
Laxus shook his head, "Yeah whatever." He never understood why they never claimed another in public. It was quite obvious that they were together. He didn't mind Elfman. He met her physical type but allowed Evergreen to be her own person. He wasn't sure if there was anyone else in the guild that could be as compatible to her as him.
"I know you like her, Laxus. It's quite obvious."
"What are you talking about?"
"The tea set."
"That? That's nothing."
"Nothing huh? I've seen this set in catalogs, you know. That has got to cost around 500,000 jewels. Did you buy it for her?"
"Buy who for what?"
"Don't play dumb, Laxus. Juvia. I know you got this for her. This was the thing that you were guarding on the train, wasn't it?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He denied.
She stepped closer to him, trying to make eye contact with him. However, his eyes kept averting hers. She smiled, "She must be special."
"I don't know what you're talking about but I bought this tea set as a gift. Nothing more."
"You know, even if you didn't buy this, I can tell that you like her. It's all over your face."
He looked away, "You're annoying."
Evergreen took a seat on the couch and sat back. "You know, the old Laxus would've kicked me out. She must really mean the world to you." Laxus didn't say anything.
"You've changed. You've gotten softer. I can see when you look at her. It's not a look of annoyance but...admiration."
He turned his back. He could feel himself start to redden. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about."
"You miss her, don't you?" He was silent. She sighed. He was always such a stubborn idiot. "Gee, that break of hers sure did a 180 on you."
She moved closer to him, "C'mon, you don't have to lie to me. It's quite obvious you do."
He remained silent.
"You're probably afraid that she still has feelings for Gray, don't you?"