Hi.
As you can tell, this is long story. My word count informs me that chapter one alone has 6515 words. That may seem long, until you find out I've written close to 60,000 words.
For.
Just.
Three.
Chapters.
And no, this story isn't three chapters long, I actually have no idea how many could come for this, but based on some of the scenes I've already written up, I say close to fifteen if I keep up with story.
I really want to keep up with this story.
It's my first one, so please be gentle, I've never put myself out here like this before, and just thinking about makes my arms shake with nerves.
Just a few things to note before the story begins-
By the way, thank you so much for reading so far into the AN. I really appreciate it. Even I've been subject to tl;dr, and skipping ahead to the story, sometimes.
Anyway, my notes.
Though I'm uploading three chapters between New Year's and (hopefully) New Year's Day, the meat of the story doesn't begin until chapter four. That's when the baby shows up.
1. I know this sounds a little ridiculous, but I tried to write this like an actual story in an anime, and got carried away with the background story.
You have my deepest apologies.
Anyway, if you just came for the cute baby fluff you'll have to wait until chapter four. Follow, subscribe, for the update later. If you like hijinks and general Fairy Tail lunacy, read on my fair knight!
1. I'm not sure how many are aware of this, but the money system in Fairy Tail represents how Yen behaves. So J7500 isn't $7,500 but ¥7500, which is closer to $75 American. I always remove the last two digits to clear up my confusion. I just think of them as the cents column.
1. There are OCs in this, but they're only background characters to move the story along. I couldn't find actual characters to fill in some of the roles, o it couldn't be helped.
Um, I think that's all. If you have any questions, I'm super open to DMs. And if you have headcanons or things you'd like to see in the story, please feel free to tell me. I love new ideas, and wont be bothered in the slightest.
Okay. Grab a snack, cuddle in a blanket, pee if you must, (Hopefully not in that order.) and enjoy the first chapter of Will You Play House With Me?
Mwah!
~xJx~
Juvia Lockser was staring blankly out of her window.
She wasn't focusing on the swaying pines or the glittering frost that covered the grass. Her mind couldn't seem to take in the stars that gleamed so much brighter in this altitude, nor was she watching out for the polar lights three locals had already told her would dazzle her senses, and make her question her place in the universe.
No, all she could do was think. Try as hard as she could to wrap her mind around what had occurred today. Rather than taking in the sights, Juvia was busy thinking back to all she'd gone through earlier, to finally reach this point. How could so many ridiculous things happen in such a short amount of time? She'd been so carelessly happy this morning, her thoughts had been inane and down right peaceful. Daydreams and memories. That's what she'd been smiling about.
Her eyes shuttered.
An hour and a half was all it took to turn that upside-down.
She turned away from the window and took a deep breath, the first waves of exhaustion truly hitting her. Flopping face-first on the bed, she felt her blue hair falling in a messy heap where ever it wanted. Her thoughts were melting into white fuzz, she couldn't bring her emotions into check. She didn't know how she felt.
Was she happy? Hungry? Bored? Nervous? All she could identify with was tired.
Too tired to change out of her travel clothes, too tired to shower, to brush her hair, to read, to flip on to her back and prevent her own suffocation. Tired in her mind, tired to her bones.
She'd gone through a lot today...
~xJx~
Juvia had begun her day around 8:15 am. It was a cool Saturday morning. The sun was shining brightly, the trees were mostly bare, and the perky bluenette could be found kicking her legs through the red and gold leaves covering the stone path connecting the Fairy Hill's girls dormitory to Fairy Tail's main guildhall.
Though winter was by far her favorite season, for obvious reasons, autumn always came with it's charms. The wind rustling through her bright blue hair had a pleasant bite to it, and the sunlight that filtered through the naked maple trees was a bit sharper, clearer. It was unusually quiet in that moment, because the birds had already gone south, but Juvia wasn't complaining. As soon as she walked through the doors of her favorite wizard guild, noise would be in abundance.
The water mage wondered what would be in store for today. Who would be fighting who? Or more likely, who would be fighting Natsu?
She sighed audibly.
Hopefully, it was someone other than Gray. She'd had yet to have a conversation with him I two weeks, he was so busy with work. It would be nice if for once, rather than show up to the guild and pick a fight with the first boy he saw, he instead walked up to Juvia and engaged with her.
And not even with marriage! She understood they had to take it a little slower, after all, her handsome prince was shy, but...
Well, of course she was always willing to cheer on her beloved as he round house kicked his friends, bandage the wounds Erza inflicted after someone inexplicably ruined her shortcake, get him a drink of the strongest alcohol Fairy Tail had in it's possession to help distract him from his injuries, and recap on how well he did, but...
But for once she just wanted them to talk. Really talk.
About what, who knows?
Her day, his dreams, the middle names of their first three sons. (Juvia liked Tundra, Ulrich, and Teru, but maybe he had a difference in opinion?) Anything was alright with Juvia, as long as they talked.
And maybe today was the day. Maybe today she would find Gray-sama sitting alone, waiting for her. He could invite her over, and tell her he spent all night waiting outside the guild, just so he could get them a private table. Juvia would laugh and say that there were plenty tables in and around the guildhall, there was really no need for Gray-sama to sleep on the cold ground. And Gray would laugh in turn, telling her that he had a hard time thinking straight when it came to her. Juvia would blush, and he would comment on how pretty the color looked on her.
"You should wear pink more often," he'd murmur in a honeyed voice.
Her eyes would widen, shocked, "Do you truly think so? Juvia has been wearing blue for so long, and, well, it reminds her of you..."
He'd stand then, a glimmer in his eyes, and announce, "Then I'll wear pink from now on, so I can remember the cute look you make when we're alone together!"
"Oh, Gray-sama!" She'd reply, fluttering her lashes.
Just then, his friends would arrive, interrupting their very private, very intimate conversation.
"Hey, Gray," crowed her beloved's pink haired rival, "come with us, we have a mission that's too difficult for us without you. After all, there's no Team Gray, without Gray!"
Gray spun around, punching Pinky right in the face. "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me when I'm alone with my dear Juvia?!"
She gasped, long hair flowing behind her, "Oh Gray-sama, don't fight over Juvia! Violence is never the answer. It's just they love you so much, they can't do anything without you!"
"I understand," he said gallantly, gathering her in his arms, "but I can't stand when your sweet, delicate voice is interrupted by anyone, let alone him." He looked away sadly, tears glistening down his cheeks. "You know, he's been in love with you from the start. All those fights you saw? They were for your hand!"
"Say it isn't so!" Her hands leapt to her mouth in surprise. "But surely Gray-sama knows there is only room in her heart for one? For you!"
Gray released her, completely turning away, as the tears continued to flow freely down his face. "Juvia please, do not tease me, my heart couldn't take it. If you have any doubts about your feelings for me, speak it now, before I fall irrevocably in love with you!"
"Gray-sama, if you fell that deeply for Juvia, you would find her standing there all along. For she fell in that chasm of love years ago," she turned his chin, wiping the last of his tears away, "for you."
He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, the depth of love had deepened to impossible lengths. He leaned into her embrace, his hands tangling in her hair. "Then there's only one thing left to do."
He bent his head, lips aligned with Juvia's, who was standing on the balls of her feet. Millimeters separated them, his mouth opened a bit, ready to cover hers-
"WAIT!"
The lovers turned their heads in the direction of the offending screech. Of course, they should have known, it was the blonde bimbo. Truthfully, it was shocking she had waited this long to interfere. For years the pitiful girl had been hounding Gray, in a feeble attempt at finding love. Everyday she could be found wearing fewer and fewer clothes, but more globs of make-up. Juvia never felt threatened by her, of course, she just wished the poor girl could find her own path to happiness.
"We need you to come on this mission Gray, how else will I be able to stick my claws in you- I mean, pay my rent?!"
"Enough, Bimbo!" The knight had finally spoken, derailing the hussy's financial woes from appealing to Gray's too soft heart. The red headed warrior was a true ally, after all. "I do not wish to impale you, but to protect this lovely young couple, I will do what I must. Concede defeat, and allow them to live in peace, maybe then a spirit will smile down on you, and gift you a boyfriend of your own."
"Do you really believe that will be possible?" She asked, rightfully unconvinced.
"Of course, there are plenty of blind men in Fiore, and once Juvia's beauty has been swept off the market, they will have to settle for anyone. Why would you be an exception?"
Blondie nodded, encouraged by those potential prospects. She readjusted the rubber band she called a shirt, and melted into the background, allowing Gray to do what he had wanted to do for years, but he was too much of a gentleman to do in front of his pining teammate.
He climbed onto the bar, pulling Juvia along with him, and kissed her, in front of the entire guild. There were cheers, tears from the rejected women, and calls for their wedding date, but Juvia heard none of it, too happy to be proudly embraced by her love.
~xJx~
Juvia sighed, happily.
Yeah, any day now, she would walk into the guild and experience that very same thing. Really, the only thing missing from that fantasy, was a plate of chocolate croissants, but that could just be the early morning hunger talking.
The guild would have only just opened, which meant Mirajane Strauss, Fairy Tail's resident flaxen haired barmaid, would either have just come back from a trip to the bakery, or would be found pulling something fresh from the oven. Either way, Juvia hoped she had those sweet chocolate filled pastries waiting for her. That, a cup of Earl Grey, and a quiet conversation with her Gray-sama, would start off her day nearly as perfectly as that daydream coming to life would have.
Nearly as perfectly.
Rounding a corner on the path, which brought the beach into clearer view, Juvia's thoughts began to drift again. She wondered when Gray would arrive today. She wasn't even entirely sure where he'd been whisked off to now, but chances were he wouldn't be there before her.
She loved him dearly, but she also knew he was not much of an early riser. The dark look he used to give her, when she woke him with her cooking, cleaning, and singing at the crack of dawn, could rival those of some of her fiercest opponents.
She giggled softly, remembering the early days of their life in the cabin. Acquiring the little cottage was the simplest part, the entire village had been abandoned. They simply chose the one with the most garden space that could be could be tended to quickly.
Juvia'd believed it would lessen the burden of food expenses if they grew their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and if they had trouble finding work, the bluenette could always sell the extras to the larger town, a few miles over.
She was sure she had it all figured out.
What Juvia hadn't expected were the pains of adjusting to each other's habits.
Juvia and Gray had worked together frequently on missions and jobs before. Those jobs would often last for days on end, which meant either bunkering down in a nearby hotel, or camping out under the stars. Mostly the latter. So she thought she understood what he would be like just waking up. How much different could it be; making camp and having a home? Juvia skipped over a large stone, shaking her head; the difference was monumental.
When they had taken those missions, there was always either a time crunch, or a level of discomfort so pronounced they couldn't wait to start the day. In their home, not so much.
Gray liked to train, he liked to take jobs, he liked looking for information on E.N.D., but above all else, Gray liked sleeping in. He genuinely believed there was no difference in starting out the day at 6 am or noon, except that he'd be in a better mood at noon.
When everything that needed to be done, could be done at their own schedule, he wanted that schedule to start when the sun was nearly down.
It boggled Juvia's mind.
She'd tried everything to convince him to rouse earlier; she made his favorite foods, whispered sweetly in his ear, pointed out all the animals he'd missed out on while he was asleep, showed him articles on sleep health on the small lacrima they'd owned, went to bed at ridiculously earlier times, hoping he would get bored and sleep earlier too, but nothing worked.
Instead, he would eat his breakfast hours later, stone cold, pointedly ignoring her glacial looks. He swatted her words away in his sleep, nearly knocking Juvia out one time. He would shrug nonchalantly and remark that Happy honestly turned him off to most animals, anyway. Any articles would be closed so he could watch a drama that he liked, with a scoff that she didn't know who those quacks were, or where they were getting their information from. And when she went to bed at 2:30 pm, sunlight bathing their living room with a warm golden glow, he would announce how much he appreciated her thoughtfulness, he couldn't express how much this alone-time meant to him.
That had hurt her feelings a little.
It went beyond the sleep differences, though. Fundamentally, their individual sense of peace and balance was almost laughably different. Juvia liked contrasting meals, fresh vegetables and savory meat, sweet pastries and slightly bitter drinks. Gray disliked most things with sugar, and Juvia found herself having to find creative ways to hide vegetables from his notice.
Gray always took showers at night, Juvia took showers whenever she wanted to feel refreshed, sometimes multiple times a day. Which meant bumping into each other in the hall, both intent on bathing, it meant limited hot water being used up and stoney silences filling the house, afterwards. (Though why Gray would get mad at having to take a cold shower, Juvia couldn't understand, he was always bragging about his tolerance with frigid temperatures.) And inevitably, it meant run-ins.
Naked run-ins.
When he'd walked in on her with one foot in the shower, full frontal on display, he swore that from that day on, it would be baths in the river for him, or no baths at all. (A week later, a family of leeches brought that bright idea to an end.) When he'd returned to bathing in the house, they had to set "ground rules."
And by they, she meant him.
It started small; the bathroom door had to have a new lock.
Well, that seemed reasonable on the surface. The old one didn't work, and sometimes the door opened on its own. It was a feature of their home that had frustrated Juvia to no end. So she'd agreed, setting aside the amount of Jewel Gray said he'd need for the project. Juvia had gone to sleep that night, foolishly believing that that was that and all of their issues had been resolved.
But he started pushing further, because then they needed a knocking system.
One tap for sink, two for toilet, three for shower.
Sounds simple right?
Well it wasn't.
First off, as Juvia tried to explain when Gray came up with this silly idea, the shower was nowhere near the door, it was on the other side of the bathroom. Which meant anyone in the shower couldn't knock on the door because it was too far away, and they couldn't hear the door being knocked on, because of the running water.
Also because of the running water, it should have been pretty damn clear someone was in the bathroom!
And secondly, if someone was on the toilet, in the middle of their very important business meeting there, Juvia hardly thought they would just get up from the toilet, to knock twice on the door, assuring the person outside, that someone was indeed occupying the space.
She was pretty sure both them would just scream through the door that they were using bathroom right now, come back later.
'Cause that's what normal cognitively functioning humans would do, and Juvia just so happened to be one of them.
Gray... The results still needed to come in.
Because he wasn't willing to hear any of her arguments, and even more disastrously, he decided that the knocks were too simple. They didn't cover broadly what the other person could be doing in there.
Like there was so many options.
Ah, yes, let's remember tap tap double tap knock knock slap, just in case Juvia decided to host Princess Hisui in their bathtub, that made a lot of sense.
The tapping game didn't last a week, mostly because Juvia couldn't be bothered remembering all those combinations, but also because Gray couldn't, either.
Two hours they'd spent huddled on the floor, coming up those combinations, all to end up thrown out the window overnight...
Though if she were being completely honest, Juvia hadn't minded the huddled on the floor for two hours part one bit.
He'd also wanted to try color coding, but that plan was blurry on it's best day, and he never bothered buying the paint necessary, so that was one headache adverted.
But then he'd come up with idea that they needed a schedule, and not just for showers, no. Every possible use of the bathroom had to be predetermined, and planned out. Gray made them sit in the living room once again till two in the morning, going over who would get which time and for how long. He wouldn't listen to reason.
How was she supposed to know what time she'd need to pee tomorrow night, and every night after that?
What difference did it make if she reserved washing her face for 7:14, or 7:17 AM, if he wasn't going to be awake at either time, anyway?
He'd reasoned, 'Just in case you decided to brush your teeth naked', as if that were a clever response.
Who, in the middle of brushing their teeth, thinks, 'You know what this menial task needs? Less clothing.' It was the most preposterous thing Juvia had ever heard.
And the hypocrisy on his part was both astounding, and yet, completely lost on him.
Gray, Gray Fullbuster, first of his name, last of his line, the infamous naked ice wizard from the north, was really going to give other people pointers on modesty and public decency?
Were they honestly supposed to pretend, after years of being in Fairy Tail, that they'd never seen a peek? Like she'd never witnessed him in a brawl, just as naked as the day he was born? Why was nudity suddenly such a problem, just because they were living together? When she tried to press him on it, he'd get evasive, muttering that this was different. This was more serious.
That response had not improved Juvia's mood.
So, Gray could flash a group of Grandmas knitting sweaters for the homeless, and that was no big deal; 'The cops should focus more on thanking us for saving the senator, not trying to arrest me for a petty misdemeanor.' he'd scoffed, after she bailed him out with a third of their reward money, her lips pressed in a firm line, to keep silent.
Juvia, though, had to wear three coats when she sold fruit in the village by herself, and a corset after she'd picked up his stripping habit. She tried her hardest not to be petty, but she couldn't imagine him shoving a dozen parkas over Lucy's head, every time she took a stroll. Which meant this wasn't male versus female thing. This was a Juvia thing. Literally only Juvia's body was not to be seen by anyone, according to Gray.
Why?
Would the masses go blind if they caught sight of her elbows? Was he protecting everyone from the next Great Plague, by asking her to dress like a Zentopian nun? Did he think men would projectile vomit in the streets, while women died of aneurysms just because her neck was exposed?
Gray had fled the house that night like he was on fire, and hadn't returned for a solid fourteen hours, if other people saw Juvia naked would they just abandon Earthland, entirely? Hide their kids, hide their wives, pack up their homes and flee? Find some way to open the gate to Edolas, and reside as refugees there?
Forgive Juvia, but it had all seemed a little overdone, not to mention, thoroughly insulting.
And she could have moved past that, but there were other things.
While Juvia loved adding little knick-knacks to make their place feel more homey, Gray didn't care as long as she stopped making her plushies. Of course, Juvia loved her plushies, so that just meant a new problem had arisen between them.
When the bluenette had left Magnolia to follow Gray, it had happened so promptly, that all of her things had been left behind, including her collection.
Which meant she had to make a new one, it wouldn't be home without them.
So Gray, instead of understanding this and acting like an adult, would hide her sewing supplies, insist they couldn't afford extravagant indulgences like fleece or buttons (which cost less than his beer, by far), and used the ones she'd managed to make as airborne target practice, during their training.
She hadn't really understood what was happening when Gray had brought an armful of her plushies to the clearing in the woods, the first time. It hadn't registered in her mind what his intent was. She simply hadn't noticed the preditory gleam in his eye. Not until a seven inch spear of ice impaled the tiny chest of her beloved Scowl Plush Gray-sama, did she realize what was going on. Only when he fell to the ground, dirt marring his felt, filling spilling out from his stomach, ice melting all over his body, did she realize she'd been witness to a brutal assault on the innocent.
It felt like the wind had been completely knocked out of her body. It was horribly surreal, Juvia had no doubt she would have started screaming if the initial shock hadn't muted her.
She had, however, managed to make a sound when Gray raised a second one, (the one with dimples!) ready and prepared to commit the violent act again. She'd managed to make a few sounds, actually.
That was the first time Juvia had ever yelled at Gray. Yelled, screamed, stomped, and more. Her tirade lasted over 15 minutes, and it was filled with the kind of expletives she'd only heard from Gajeel, after he'd stubbed his toe. She must have looked crazed, eyes so slitted she couldn't really see, hair flying everywhere, legs turned to water, steam billowing from her sleeves, hands curled into fists.
She may have even shoved him.
They were both at bit shocked by her visceral reaction, but for some reason that hadn't stopped him from doing it a second, third, or fourth time. She had felt like pulling her hair out. His blatant disregard for her things left her boiling.
And so, while lying in bed feeling truly fed up, she'd had the brilliant idea to run to the weekend marketplace and buy as much fabric as she could carry. She'd rushed back home before the sun had even really risen, and got to sewing.
Juvia had worked that needle until her finger tips were numb, and then worked it a little more. She painted, stitched, crocheted, and knitted, barely aware of the sun making it's way from one end of the sky to the other. She didn't move from her spot at the table all day, the water mage hadn't noticed hunger, boredom, or pain. It almost felt like being entranced. An insatiable need to avenge the fallen.
And that's what she did.
Gray had arrived that night, from a solo mission he'd taken for the extra cash, to find himself littering the cottage, ranging from thumb sized chibis all the way up to one larger-than-life plush, who's head easily touched the ceiling while sitting in a corner of the living room. No matter where he looked, his face stared back at him, scowling.
Well, no, that's not entirely true.
Juvia had managed quite a few expressions besides that.
There was winking Gray, cocky Gray, shirtless Grays and princely Grays. One plush came out with a smolder so intense, Juvia had almost passed out.
She'd put her creations in every crevice of their home that she could find. In the sink was a Gray-sama Dishrag, their bathroom rug was stitched with his name, a thousand times, in a thousand different fonts. She'd made plushies, and towels, and curtains, and sweaters, and washcloths, and tea cozies, and socks, and a blanket that could have covered the whole house. She'd painted over the mirrors with his face in water colors. She'd added patches to all his clothes. His face, body, and name, added to everything from his shorts, to his wallet, to his towel.
Even the garden had been transformed to reflect his visage. She'd painted the potters with a couple of oil pigments the vendor had thrown in for free, as thanks for the sale. And the two trees behind the garden, had a Gray-sama Hammock with bonus Body Pillow, strung between them.
Perhaps this was a bizarre way of getting revenge, but his reaction to seeing them, after all that hard work, was the most hilarious and gratifying thing she'd experienced in a long time.
Whenever he'd come across something new, he'd try to school his features so he wouldn't look as affected as he was. But Juvia always caught the stunned look, and she worked hard to hide her giggles. She simply talked to him, asked about his day, what he wanted for dinner, as if she hadn't noticed their place had received an Extreme Make Over: Gray Edition.
He in turn tried to respond as though nothing had changed. When he asked for something to drink, and she pulled a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge with his winking head wearing Rufus's hat. He'd flinched, but then asked for a cup as though he hadn't. When she pulled down a glass that was part of the pitcher's set, featuring Gray suggestively covering his front with said hat, he'd pinched his nose and announced he was no longer thirsty.
Which was funny, because those glasses always seemed to give Juvia the opposite reaction.
Finally, after trying to take a bath and finding all the bar soap sculpted into his head, and trying to enjoy dinner, only to discover he was eating with a Shirtless Gray-sama Fork, and cutting his fish with a Pantsless Gray-sama Knife, he'd given in.
Gray conceded that the target practice prank was wrong, and he'd never do it again if she swore all of this stuff would be gone within an hour. The water mage agreed fairly quickly, and skipped throughout the house, gathering all her new collectables and placing them in her room with care. The rest of the house seemed more bare without them, but Gray had breathed deeply for the first time since he'd arrived, so she left her comments to herself, for his sake.
She'd won that round because he'd seemingly forgotten how much raw power she held at her fingertips when provoked.
(Juvia lost the next round when he'd discovered she'd spent two weeks worth of savings on her little escapade. She was forced to sell 98% of all her new memorabilia the following week, in the same market she'd bought all of her supplies. They sold quite well. Too well, they'd turned a profit. But no amount of money could return the tears she'd shed as she sold Jumbo Gray-sama Plush-Plush to a five year old who couldn't even lift his arm by herself. That had been a devasting day.)
In that instance, she'd been on parr with him though.
There was one pet peeves that she would never be able to handle, no matter how much time she spent with him. Because his worst habit, the most ridiculous trial, the biggest offender to her sanity, the greatest pain in her ass, had to be awarded to: The Clothes.
Juvia's eyes shuttered, and a groan escaped her, thinking of all the clothes she'd had to pick up, while living with Gray Fullbuster. She could swear her back was getting sore simply from the memory of his clothes scattered up and down that village.
Pants on the lawn, shirts on the roof, socks in the sink, underwear in the river, jackets in trees, and on the water tower.
Juvia became convinced Gray was trying to beat some high score in his mind, recklessly flinging his clothes as far as they could be catapulted, while her back was turned. Or maybe he just wanted to see how far she'd go to retrieve them. If that were the case, she hoped she'd sufficiently amused him.
It had to be intentional. Juvia had picked up his stripping habit, but had never seen her clothes go further than a few feet from her. She tossed them just like he did, why did his clothes make three trips around world before landing? She couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it.
She'd asked him about it, but he'd shrugged, saying she was exaggerating. She tried watching closely as he ripped his clothes off, but got distracted, because, well, he was ripping his clothes off in front of her, that's kind of distracting. She tried to sense if it was his magic, unintentionally adding force behind his throws, but felt nothing.
It was a puzzle she had yet to figure out.
An incredibly aggravating puzzle.
But there were good parts. Really good parts about living together that made most of that headache worth it.
Every morning for those six months, Juvia was the giddiest girl on Earthland. She woke up in the same home as the person she loved most, and seven hours later, she would be greeted by him. She was the first person he saw in the afternoon, and last person he saw at night.
They were each other's confidantes and companions, for the first time Juvia was with someone who was incredibly interested in her childhood, in all the pain she went through thinking herself lesser than, because of her magic.
She never realized how difficult it would be to open up. One moment she could be talking for an hour and a half straight, going into minute detail about how dry the morning glory muffins in the orphanage were, and then something would resurface, hitting her so hard she would just stare at him mutely, mouth moving, but no sound coming out.
That memory in particular, of the morning glory muffins, had suddenly reminded her an incident when she was twelve.
It was deeply surpressed, so when she started recalling images and sounds and the laughter that had surrounded her, but never once came from her, it had left her frozen in place.
A couple of those terrible boys had pinned her down, and crushed those muffins into tiny crumbs. They made sure to get as much as possible under her clothes, and tangled into her hair. She'd showered twice that day, but the itch remained for close to a week. After that, Juvia had started wearing hats, insisted on wearing clothes that covered every possible inch of her body.
The water mage wasn't sure why she was surprised at how caring Gray was, this was her love after all, but when he'd held her that day, not asking her to explain why she'd suddenly gone into shock, she'd felt surprise radiate in the back of her mind.
Maybe because he wasn't much for hugs or open affection, maybe she thought he'd want her to tell him all the traumatic details, she didn't know.
But in moments like that, when she could breathe in the cold, minty scent of his body wash, while he ran his fingers gently through her hair, asking her soft, distracting questions in an attempt to pull her from the past, it truly cemented in her mind how far she'd come, and how much she loved him.
Clothes piles, and all.
~xJx~
Juvia sighed happily again, warmth spreading through her that had nothing to do with the sun, and everything to do with her pleasant memories. She looked up, and realized she had stopped directly in front of Fairy Tail's front gate.
Time really did fly by when you occupied yourself with pleasant thoughts.
She slipped through the gates, and walked across the shadowy courtyard, humming a little to herself. Juvia loved arriving this early, she found it amusing how chaotic and lively everything could become as the sun made it's way across the sky, and the guild's rowdiest members arrived to add their stamp on the day.
By 1:30, Fairy Tail's guildhall would be nothing like it was currently; quiet, peaceful, nondescript. A unlabeled sanctuary to those seeking silence. Bunnies could nap, undisturbed, in the guild right now.
Or they could have normally.
Though Juvia's description of an early Saturday morning here would have been correct on almost any other weekend, today Fiore's best wizard guild had decided to start it's day a little earlier. Juvia swung open the heavy wooden front doors to find an image that would be burned into her memory for a lifetime.
At first she didn't understand what she was seeing. So many things were happening at once, it took her a moment to comprehend it all. It seemed the entire guild was present, something unheard of this early in the morning, unless there had been a wild, drunken party the night before.
Which wasn't possible, Juvia had been here Friday night and everyone remarked how unfair it was when Master Makarov announced the continued ban on anything resembling a party for the remainder of the month, for something as silly, and reoccurring, as property damage.
(Three mountains, that had served as national landmarks and a pretty profitable tourist trap, were blown up, it's a long story...)
(Actually, no. It's really not. Natsu and Gajeel were to blame. They returned home covered in bandages, with a scroll that had a palpably menacing aura. When Makarov had read it, he'd become steadily whiter until he came upon the ticket price, and promptly passed out. It was the most serious I.O.U. Juvia had witnessed since joining Fairy Tail's ranks. Mavis had burst into tears, flew through the rafters, wailing, and hadn't been seen since. When Master had finally been revived, he bellowed that with a fine that big, the Slayers should never be allowed in the same room again, let alone the same team. Any profits that month had to go to the fine, or the guild would be shut down, and the two Slayers plus Makarov, would be imprisoned by the crown. Which meant that any guild-wide luxuries had to be postponed, i.e. parties. But since Erza had come up with some mystery plan behind the scenes with the master, most of their punishment had been recinded last night, everything except for parties. Huh, what do you know, it actually was a long story...)
Anyway, unless that was all just a cover to get Juvia to go home early, while they enjoyed a wonderful soiree minutes after she left, there was simply no way this could be a hangover crowd.
Besides, Juvia had been to plenty of events held by Fairy Tail before, but none of them resulted in the sheer chaos reigning in front of her at the moment.
There were iron rodes taller that Juvia impaling the floor, and shards of what looked like letters, made from bits of metal and marble, scattered everywhere. Someone seemed to have hacked away at the guild's support beams, most were covered in scratches and dents, two were completely destroyed. Large steel bars, presumably supplied by Gajeel, were blocking almost all of the guild's windows and doors.
Though it could be noted tables never seemed to last very long in this guild, someone had a real vendetta against them this time, it looked like they put an effort into getting them as irreparable as possible. The celestial spirit, Sagittarius, was galloping around the perimeter of the room, arrow nocked and ready, his hooves adding additional dents to the floor. The door to the basement was off it's hinges, and was slowly smoldering away from a badly put out fire.
There were puddles of water everywhere, big and small, with broken bowls and soggy cards floating in most of them. Purple rune cages popped in and out of existence all over the guild, in an almost random pattern. The walls were coated in more of the incrypted script, moving at a speed that was almost dizzying to watch. An electric charge filled the air, causing everyone's hair to stand a bit on end.
But most prevalent was the ice. Ice hanging from the ceiling, frost covering the floor, melting slush piled at various points around the hall, a sharp jagged wall of it completely blocked the bar from view. Laxus Dreyer's beloved jacket was impaled on one of the sharp points.
All of this she could contended with though, what concerned her the most, was the state of her guild mates.
Cana's legs were encased in the ice, cards at the ready, while Lisanna was in her cat form, trapped on all fours. Lucy Heartfillia was half kneeling on a table, sweat beading her brow, a key held at arms length. Gajeel made an imposing guard, watching over a petite pair of seemingly knocked out bluenettes, Wendy and Levy. Natsu was also out cold, though the only one standing over him was Happy, blue paws softly smacking his cheek. Jet, Droy, and Bixslow, were stone statues, a frozen look of surprise etched on all of their faces. A Lizardman Elfman was holding Evergreen aloft, and Juvia wasn't sure if he was holding her back, or planning on launching her across the hall.
Three people were flying above all the others. Freed Justine in his Dark Écriture form, Erza Scarlet in her Fire Empress armor, and Mirajane Strauss as a Helphas Demon.
And smack in the middle of the landing, presumably the cause for all this ruckus, was her beloved Gray Fullbuster, hog-tied in the center of the only stationary rune enchantment, with Laxus's boot firmly placed on the back of his head.
The lightning Dragon Slayer noticed Gray's muffled cries being directed at the door and turned his head in the water mage's direction as well, smiling easily.
A smile Juvia had only ever heard of, but never witnessed before. It was something deviously pleased, infamous for it's wickedness. Like a cat left alone with a mountain of fish.
In his deep baritone, Laxus announced to everyone present:
"Well, if it isn't the lady of the hour!"
Juvia took several frightened steps back, almost tripping over herself, "Eehhh?!"