Summary: Gray Fullbuster is a player both in love and in life. He plays Professional Basketball and is being groomed to be in line with Basketball Legends Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry. There's just one problem, Gray Fullbuster is a play-ah. His life is a giant mess of crazy parties, waking up with random women and waking up in random women's apartments. Just living the life.
The opinion of the public on him is waning. To save the million-dollar endorsements in the verge of disappearing, Gray needs to change his image. Therefore, Gray Fullbuster, Fiore Knight's Team Captain and Most Valuable Player, will be in the next season of "My Star Can Dance".
There's another problem: it seems like his star isn't that bright since his partner, one of Fiore's prominent ballerinas, doesn't know him? His billboard is hanging in front of her dancing school! And it was a good billboard since all he was wearing was his six-pack and an Aztec bandana. How come she didn't notice?
She's In Your Court 7: Heart on Fire
The days are bright and so are the nights.
'Cause when I'm with you I'm grinning
Once I was screwed now I'm winning
No I won't let you go
Now you know
– Heart on Fire, Jonathan Clay
…
Juvia Lockser held herself together until she finally got inside her house. But the moment the door clicked shut behind her, the memory of the kiss sapped all her strength in one go.
The ballerina leaned against the oak door, heart trembling in excitement. She had no idea how late it was but Juvia Lockser was wide awake. Every cell in her body was electrified by the kiss. She lifted her fingers to her own lips. The warmth of Gray's lips lingered and his taste stayed.
Oh his taste.
Juvia wondered if it was okay to let him kiss her and in such a way on what technically was their first date. (She finally gave up in the middle of it all and finally called it a date.) Juvia wasn't sure. It has been a while since the last time she went on one.
The following morning, as the memory of last night flashed before her eyes, a wave of shame hit her at full speed. Juvia ought to hit herself with the way she cradled her body against Gray's; like it was the most normal thing to do. She probably looked too promiscuous. Oh, and how welcoming she was when he slid his tongue in. Juvia slapped her palms against her burning cheeks. She wasn't her normal self. But it's 2019. Kids nowadays were a bit straightforward and liberated. A kiss on the first day was normal, right?
"Okay, Juvia. Just act normal."
The wall clock on her studio read 3:50. Its short hand stroke clockwise. Juvia could almost hear it ticking. Or it could have been her heart beating against her chest. She wasn't sure anymore.
From: BILLBOARD GUY
BE THERE IN 10.
Juvia prepped herself as she waited. She felt both nervous and excited. It was crazy. Why did she have to feel all conscious when it was her own studio?
There was only one reason: last night she wasn't able to sleep. Not just because she actually stayed up to google 'kiss on a first date' and something along that line. While the results shocked and comforted her, Juvia had one problem: she was going to face Gray in practice today and Juvia Lockser had no idea how to do just about that.
Juvia expelled a long breath.
"Normal." She finally chanted. Yet, the fast hammering in her chest morphed into butterflies in the stomach.
Was a kiss on a first date appropriate? The internet was divided. For Juvia, however, she wouldn't normally do it. She'd save a light peck on the lips for when she was finally exclusively dating the guy. But last night's kiss wasn't a light peck. Suddenly remembering what transpired the night before, Juvia felt the heat rise up her cheeks.
"Are you alright, Juvia?"
Levy came up behind her and startled the ballerina.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"
Levy narrowed her brown eyes at the blushing ballerina. Her look was suspicious. Juvia had to admit, she sounded a little defensive there.
"Anyway, what are you doing here, Shrimp?" Juvia quickly changed the subject before Shrimp had the opportunity to interrogate her about turning tomato.
"Well, tallest woman around here…"
Juvia smiled at the jab. Shrimp was learning to fight for herself.
"We're going to take a clip of you and Gray practicing. It's for the AVP."
Juvia looked over her friend's shoulders. It wasn't really hard to do so because Juvia was taller than Levy. Behind the writer, the show's crew was already setting up their expensive film equipment.
"I called and texted to remind you last night, remember?"
Of course, not. That part skipped her mind. With that thing with Gray happening last night, how could she remember anything else?
"Right." Juvia lied but Levy did not buy into it.
Levy could tell when she was lying or trying to keep something from her. If there was one thing she'd learned within those ten years of friendship it's that Juvia Lockser was a bad liar. But she had to give it to Juvia, the woman was great at avoiding topics; ignoring the poor "My Star Can Dance" writer included.
Juvia walked back to the reception desk where her young assistant, Mary, busied herself around the computer. The ignored show writer trailed behind her. If Levy wanted to get some information, she would have to work for it.
"So… you went on a date last night, huh?"
"It wasn't a date."
Juvia knew Shrimp would never back down. The latter was already phishing for answers. Also, didn't she finally give up and started calling last night a date?
"It's all over the news you know. Even trending on twitter!" Levy squealed.
The shorter bluenette took one of the seats at the reception desk and planted her elbows on the flat surface. She was going to get to the bottom of things.
"It's true!" Mary acclaimed, weighing in on the conversation. "It's trending at Top 2 on twitter. Look, Ms. Juvia." Mary all but shoved the phone to Juvia's face who acted as if she didn't care a whit. Truth of the matter was it got Juvia curious.
"It's giving us a lot of publicity."
"That's good, then."
Juvia reminded herself to create her own twitter account later. Of course, she'd lurk around that site under an assumed handle name.
"You met the Fiore Knights?" Levy's brown eyes glistened with excitement. She could only imagine how it would have been to be surrounded by the men from Fiore Knights. Her high school fan-girl heart was leaping.
"Yeah. They were nice."
It wasn't the reaction Levy McGarden had in mind. She expected some squealing, high-fiving, excited shrilling: the full fan-girl experience!
"C'mon! Spill the deets, Juv."
Talking to Juvia Lockser about her date was like talking to a brick wall. The woman wouldn't budge an inch. Levy could not help but wonder when did her best friend get so secretive?
"We danced and had fun, Levy. That's all."
Poor Levy; Juvia wouldn't give her the real thing. But Juvia wasn't ready to throw it out to the universe, the real thing. She wasn't even sure herself what last night meant. They went out, they had fun and they kissed. But that was all there was to it – just fun.
Juvia felt a knot in her stomach. For all she knew, she could just be another name in Gray's list. That possibility stung a little. Did she want something more from him? Could she expect more from Gray? Juvia had no answer. But if there was something she was quite sure of, she didn't want to be just some fun night for Gray.
Gray couldn't sleep; he couldn't sleep a wink. When he reached his uptown loft last night, he threw himself on the bed; heart leaping in joy. It has been awhile since he went on a date 'date' and not just some one-nighter with some stranger.
Gray tossed and turned in his bed and screamed into the pillow. His body simply cannot contain the excitement from tasting Juvia's kiss.
"Should I text her?"
The man bolted up from his lying position and searched for his phone. Fishing it out from his pocket, Gray started typing something in his mobile. But for some reason, the confident Fiore Knights Captain became so unsure of himself and it made him delete and retype his message over and over again.
Suddenly, it hit him. It has been awhile since he went on an actual date and not just some hook-up with a meal plan. He forgot all about the SOP. Should he text her? Should he call? Should he just leave the woman alone?
It was easier for one-night stands. He just left them 'thank you' notes and never saw them again. That was it. He did not like any drama. With Juvia it was different. Gray wanted to see her everyday. He actually looked forward to every meeting and every practice. He missed her the moment they separate. Like how he missed her now.
"No. I should call her."
Gray scrolled through his contacts and ended at Juvia's name. Just as he was about to click 'call', the current circumstances registered to him. His eyes darted on the desk clock sitting on his nightstand; it read four.
"She's probably asleep now."
As much as he wanted to hear her voice again, Gray decided against calling at that ungodly hour. He settled on just staring at the photo of him and Juvia from the party earlier. Natsu sent it to him but not before some friendly teases and violent threats.
Gray remembered the moment immortalized in the paragraph. He had said something funny which earned a laugh from the ballerina. They looked so comfortable and so natural that Natsu called it cozy. Gray was looking at her, at Juvia who had her usually condescending eyes closed. Her nose crinkled too. Then his gaze fell on her lips and Gray remembered their kiss and how she tasted.
Oh, her taste. How much he missed it.
The following morning, Gray still had that foolish smile on his face. He looked for his phone first and pondered over sending Juvia a good morning text. He did, writing a short but sweet message. His heart hammered like crazy as he waited for Juvia's reply. It almost jumped of his chest when not a minute later he received a reply from the ballerina.
He waited not long to continue the conversation but his typing was interrupted by a call. It was Briar.
"Oh, shhh*!" Gray cursed. He guessed he should save the texting for later.
Gray walked into the gymnasium like some kind of a hero or a punchline of a joke. It depended on how he would take the teasing from his team. But he was such in a good mood he didn't even give a damn. He used that energy to wipe the floor with his Vice Captain's face.
"Someone's all fired up." Natsu managed to say as he tried to catch his breath. He was the one guarding the Team Captain and was effortlessly side-stepped.
"Try to keep up, Old Fart." Gray patted his Vice Captain at the back, mocking him with pretentious concern.
"Don't be too smug." Natsu yelled after him.
Gray only shrugged at him. Then he pointed at the scoreboard. 15 vs. 5. Team White, headed by Vice Captain Natsu, got some catching up to do.
"A man in love is invincible." Loke, Fiore Knight's Resident Playboy, proudly announced.
"Are you on my team or what? Just get to your position." Natsu hissed.
"Geez. Who hurt you?" Loke thought his Vice Captain needed to get a girlfriend. And fast.
The practice match ended with Gray's Black Team winning by a landslide. He rushed over to the bleachers and searched for his phone in his duffel. On bat, he opened the message from Juvia.
'HAVE FUN. CAREFUL.'
The message said. It felt like Gray was back in High School exchanging texts with his first girlfriend. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He bit his towel to refrain from squealing.
'YOU TOO. WILL BE THERE AFTER A FEW MORE ROUNDS.'
Gray texted back.
"So, what's the deal with you and Ms. Lockser?"
Gray raised a bow at his nosy teammate.
"What? You went home together after the party, right?" Loke accused.
Gray could see the interest in Loke's eyes. Knowing the playboy, he was waiting to hear from him since this morning.
"Well, you really want to know?"
The orange head bobbed in anticipation; his eyes sparkled with excitement. Gray's adventures had always been exciting. Natsu, who stayed behind, just shook his head. He knew where the conversation was going.
"Come closer." Gray invited, putting his arm around his small forward's shoulder and pulled him close. He lowered his voice as if telling the man a secret.
"I drove her home." Gray purposely talked slow, playing on his listener's anticipation. He paused for reaction when Loke, so invested with the story, impatiently pressed him to continue.
"Then, we went to bed..." Gray hit the playboy at the back of his head. "Separately, you snoop." He finished and the entire gym erupted in laughter.
"Geez, man. You got me excited for nothing." Loke complained as he nursed the pain at the back of his head. He didn't get mad at his Captain's violence. If Loke had to ask himself, Mr. Playboy deserved it.
Natsu laughed at Loke's misfortune. Knowing his best friend and Team Captain, he knew Gray would never kiss and tell. Sometimes, he did just to rub such fact in Loke's face. They have some kind of stupid competition. Boys will be boys. Sometimes, he saved those details to himself. Especially when it came to a woman like Juvia.
The sound of the whistle yanked their heads back to the coach. Coach Macao called the team for another round. Gray asked for an extra minute. He wanted to send Juvia one last text before he finished practice.
'CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU.'
He just hit send when he felt a sudden contact with a hard object. It bounced off his head.
"Hey!" His anger deflated quickly when he turned around and saw Briar glaring at him. Her hands were on her hips, eyes narrowed at him. Briar did not look happy.
"Get your head out of your pants and focus."
Gray laughed it off like a bad joke. He knew he was in the wrong so he did not bother to cook up some excuse. Texting during practice was not professional of him.
"Yes, boss!" He gave Briar a salute as he jogged past his manager's murderous look.
At the other end of the line, a certain blue-head choked on her bottle of water reading the last text Gray sent.
Gray shook his hands and his entire body. The excitement and the familiar feeling were threatening to escape his body. The cool down exercises were not enough.
A sharp breath escaped him. Gray needed to let it out. His heart was beating like crazy.
"C'mon, self. We've waited the whole day for this." He prepped himself before pushing the twin door open.
Juvia's beauty was magnet. Gray came upon that realization because the moment he entered Juvia's studio, his eyes wandered over to where the ballerina was. From that moment, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
Gray walked over to the reception desk where two blue-heads and a pink one gathered. He met Juvia's eyes and he recognized the slight surprise in them. Gray smiled at her, the yearning feeling bringing his feet to where she was. He was glad when she walked around the desk and toward him.
Gray anticipated the friendly greeting, he wasn't sure how Juvia would approach him. Would she give him a kiss? A hug? Either would not be so bad, Gray thought. They stopped in the middle, a few feet away from each other. Gray leaned in for a kiss but Juvia walked past him after saying, "get changed."
That was it? No kiss or hug or anything? He was disappointed but the smile would not leave his lips. When he turned around he saw the show's crew studying them.
"Ah, maybe, she's shy." He told himself. He would let it pass for now. They both need to focus.
When he returned after changing into his practice clothes, a few crew members asked for his autograph and took photos. Then the production director briefed Gray and Juvia on the scenes that they needed to film. Whenever he got the chance, Gray would strike up a conversation with Juvia. Every time, however, she found some reason to dodge him.
Gray had enough of it. So, when he pulled the evasive ballerina against him per their dance routine, Hoopster discreetly asked.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not." Juvia answered point blank.
"Yes, yes you are."
When he turned her around to face him, Gray saw Juvia inhale a breath. Her eyes landed on his lips. Then, she shook her head as if trying to shake away some thoughts. Gray was pleased. He knew she liked the kiss and, like him, she wanted more.
The next section of the routine brought Juvia to face the audience with her back leaning against Gray's chest. Hoopster seized the contact and leaned in to whisper something to Juvia's ears.
"I'm sure you remembered last night's–"
What he was about to say next was cut-off by Juvia, placing a finger on his parted lips. She then traced a seductive trail from his lips down his chest before she ended the choreography. Gray was caught off-guard at how she turned the table on him. He froze on the spot; his body went haywire from the simple touch.
"That-that wasn't in the original choreography."
Gray announced which drew laughter from their audience.
"That's going in the final cut." He heard someone say.
It was little over eight in the evening when the production director called it a day. His crew members gathered all their expensive equipment and bade goodbye to the stars of the day – Juvia and Gray. Levy stayed behind and chatted a little about the live performance. In the next few days, Juvia and Gray would be performing in front of a live studio audience.
Mary was the last one to leave. Juvia felt a knot in her stomach when she realized that she was now all alone with Gray. Breathe in, breathe out, she ordered herself. She was going to face him whether she liked or not.
What was she so afraid of?
If Juvia was being honest, she was afraid that the kiss meant nothing to Gray. To her, there was something. That fear gripped at her heart. To Gray, she knew, she was easily replaceable. When she turned around, ready to face the music, Gray was already standing before her waiting for some sort of explanation.
"So, should we talk about last night?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
It was Juvia's defense mechanism – managing expectations. In order to protect her feelings and to stop before she began to feel something she shouldn't, Juvia masked her fear with indifference. She'd pull back before it was too late. Gray was the kind who jumped from one lover to another, Juvia wasn't.
"Really? So can you please explain to me why you're acting so distant all of a sudden?"
"What are you talking about? I'm my normal self." Juvia defended, looking everywhere but at Gray.
She walked past him and pretended to arrange the stack of magazines on the counter. It was, at least, true. She was just back to the serious, no non-sense Juvia that she originally was.
"Then look at me."
Juvia did as she was told, wanting to prove Gray wrong. The ballerina looked Gray in the eyes for a second but she couldn't hold his gaze. Her eyes keep drifting away from his eyes and unto his lips. She caught herself drawn into his enticing lips.
Last night's kiss flooded her memory and it awakened a longing she had been fighting all day. Juvia pulled away before she revealed more of herself. But before she could turn away from him completely, Gray caught her by the waist and ended both their agony.
Gray crashed his lips against hers. Juvia tried to pull back but he slid his hand behind and cupped her head, holding the helpless ballerina to him. She stopped fighting the voice at the back of her mind and surrendered to her feelings. Juvia kissed Gray back with the same fervor. His taste was as sweet and as heady as she remembered. Only this time, Gray wasn't holding back and neither was she. Juvia softened into him and molded her body to fit his. She instinctively tried to get close to him as much as possible, unable to stand the idea of being apart. So did Gray. He held Juvia against him, afraid to lose her woman.
The kiss was the type she never had before: satisfying and hungry at the same time.
Juvia didn't hear a knock but as soon as she heard her assistant's voice, she pushed Gray with all her willpower.
The arrival of the sudden guest stunned the two and the panic of getting caught rotted the couple on the spot. Juvia wished Mary didn't see anything or she wouldn't be able to live it down.
"Mary! What brings you in here?" Juvia managed to ask as she tried to hide the red spread over her cheeks.
"I just forgot the papers you told me to study, Ms. Juvia." Mary answered.
Mary threw the couple a suspicious look but Gray played it cool. While Juvia, Juvia was stuttering like a bad liar. If Mary didn't know better, she'd think her boss was so eager to get rid of her with the way she was almost shoving the girl out the door.
Maybe, Juvia Lockser was eager to be left alone with Gray Fullbuster.
A sigh of relief escaped her lungs. Juvia's legs almost gave out. She leaned against the twin doors after shutting them close, her back against the wood. She finally let out the breath she was holding. Next thing she knew Gray was right in front of her, just a breath away. She saw his intent and had only time for an indrawn breath when Gray pressed her against the door; his mouth was on hers. He was ready to pick up where they left off.
Writer's Corner: Finally found a song that fits this chapter. We are now treading into unknown territory. lol. I'll see what I can do about this upcoming lovey-dovey phase. And of course, the anticipated intimate scene. *winks* Not sure how detailed I want to be with it. lol. Btw, let me know what you think about Juvia's initial reaction. Do you think it was natural to think it?
Also, I'm contemplating over this SIYC spin-off with nice-guy basketball player Natsu and go-getter reporter Lucy. Lemme know if you want to see that.
Leave comments my loves!
Please don't forget to read my other stories, alright? Keep showing that amazing support of yours. #GruviaForever