AN: I think we need some sweetness in this difficult period. So, a bit of Gajuvia friendship! Hope you like it!

In a world where there's no pandemia...

Chapter 3: Rock'n roller

Juvia watched the sun setting behind the buildings.

The last exam was the day before, and she thought she succeeded most of her tests. It was now Saturday and that morning, Gajeel surprised her with two tickets for a concert of one of their favorite metal group. She protested vehemently, saying he should keep his Jewels for something else. Like a date with Levy-san. His face was red when he said back he could do what he wanted with his money and he had enough for a date with the shrimp if he wanted to but he didn't. Wait. Don't tell that to Shrimp, Sprinkler, okay? Or I swear… Okay, then. So, it's Jabberworck's claws you know? Yer coming or not? If not, the tickets can still be sold on the black market.

She had jump on him as a thank you and he had ruffled her hair. And she was now in his car, enjoying the last sunrays of the day. The previous weeks had been exhausting and she was glad to be able to relax for one night.

At least, between her exams and her job, she hadn't crossed path with Gray. She was still unsure of how to react in his presence. She still wanted to follow Erza's advices but would she manage to get a hold on her feelings? She had to be very attentive, she absolutely should not fall in her daydream land! And how would she know if Gray would not be upset when she'd talk to him? And what can she talk about? A neutral topic would be fine, but it could become boring quickly.

She sighed internally. Could she really change her nature?

Gajeel parked his car near the concert hall and they joined the people lined up at the entry. Once inside her friend made his dark face to frighten people out their way, and they managed to be close to the stage.

"Do you clearly see the stage, Juvia? You're not as shorter as Shrimp but you're not that tall ever."

Juvia puffed her cheeks. "It's fine Gajeel-kun. And Juvia's height is all right, thank you."

Gajeel gave her his toothy grin and for the second time this day, ruffled her head, ignoring her protests. She could not help the smile that curved her lips as she smoothed her hair back with her hand. No one would ever replace that tough guy with a soft heart.

"The fuck are you doing here metalhead?" A voice shouted behind them and Juvia tensed as Gajeel hissed a curse.

If Natsu-san was here, that meant… She turned slowly and as she expected she saw the pink-haired man escorted by Loke and Gray.

"I return the question, Dragneel. The FUCK are YOU doing here?" Gajeel growled back.

"You wanna fight? I'm fired up!"

"Easy pals. Easy." Loke tempered. "You don't want to freak the girl out… Juvia?!" He exclaimed as he recognized her.

At his side, Gray's eyes widened.

Her look was so different. He had only seen her in dress or skirt before but right now she was wearing tight long dark pants and a kind of purple tank top with cross laces on the front. His eyes lingered on the flesh exposed of her shoulders, her cleavage and her belly. When he found himself staring, he adverted his eyes from the porcelain skin to her face. She had dark eye shadow that made her eyes looked even bigger and a purple lipstick outlined her mouth. Metal necklace and a spikes bangle completed her rock attitude. She looked so…. badass.

Juvia felt a bit uneasy with the look they were all giving her. She cleared her throat and greeted them. "Hi mina. Gajeel-kun and Juvia are here to celebrate the end of the exams."

"Same here." Loke said. "We proposed to the girls but they declined."

"Yep." Natsu shrugged. "They said they prefer a movie night. I don't know how you could choose a cheesy movie rather than a Jabberwock concert."

"That's why we were surprised to see you." Gray addressed to Juvia. "Didn't know you like metal."

She smiled. "Juvia likes all sort of music. But rock is her favorite. Sometimes ago, it was her dream job to become a rock singer."

"Yeah…" Gajeel added with a snort. "She even had her stage name: the Rain Woman."

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia exclaimed as her cheeks flushed red and she slapped him slightly on the arm.

"Gehee."

"That's better than Natsu's when we were sixteen." Loke commented with a large grin.

"Dude no!" Natsu protested but to no avail.

"Oh, what's that?" Gajeel asked with a mischievous glint in his red eyes.

"He wanted to be call Salamander." Gray dropped the bomb and Gajeel burst out laughing while Natsu was so red, Juvia feared he would catch fire.

"You're dead, Droopy eyes!"

Natsu was going to punch Gray's face but then, the lights turned red and swept the stage as the first chords were heard. And soon Juvia was entranced by the music and half-forgot the people around her.

Gray watched as she yelled the refrain at the top of her lungs along with the crow. He couldn't help but smile. She seemed transported by the music, jumping up and down when a new song was played. Her eyes were sparkling, her head nodding with the rhythm and her lips silently forming the lyrics during the singer's solo. Like her outfit, it was a side of her he had never seen. His eyes followed the line of her back and stopped on her butt that looked so round and firm in her pants. He shook his head. What was he thinking? It was Juvia for fuck sake. He returned his focus on the stage and missed the smirk on Loke's face.

At the end of the concert, Gajeel and Natsu roared literally when Loke simply whistled and Gray and Juvia applauded.

"Jabberwock is the best group of the world!" The pink haired exclaimed with his characteristic energy.

"They're good. But Devil Howl are better." Gajeel claimed.

"You kidding? They're lame! They can't reach Jabberwock level!"

Juvia watched their dispute about their favorite groups with a smile. She was a bit sweaty and her voice was hoarse from all the singing and yelling, but a happiness was diffusing warmth in her body. All her tensions were eased and she felt delightfully relaxed.

"Hey Juvia." Loke said as he put his arm around her shoulders to bring her close to him. Then he raised his phone and Juvia saw her own dumbfounded face on the screen. "Smile!"

She had just the time to lift her lips in a tiny smile before he took the photo.

"What's for, Loke-san?"

"I need a picture with a hot chick for my followers. I post one a day. And as much as I liked them, Gray and Natsu have not your assets." He replied already typing on his phone and didn't even budge when Gray hit him on the back of his head.

"Moron." He mumbled while Juvia's cheeks reddened with Loke's sort-of compliment.

Then, they separated Natsu and Gajeel and they all made their way toward the exit. Gajeel bumped slightly Juvia's side.

"So, Rain Woman. Did you enjoy your night?"

She bumped him back and smiled. "As much as you, Black Steel."

"Shhh!" He shushed her. He did not want the others to hear his own dream stage name when he had wanted to start a band.

"Hey guys." Loke called ahead of them. "We planned pizzas and beers at Natsu's place. Want to come with us?" He offered.

Juvia's heart drummed wildly in her chest. She was offered to spend more times with her Gray-sama! How could she reject this opportunity? But at the same times, she remembered Erza's advices. Should she decline then? But what if it was her chance to get close to Gray? Ah, she didn't know what to do! Should she follow her heart or her mind? She glanced at Gajeel for help but he arched a brow as he did not catch the matter. She was left alone with her inner turmoil. And the guys were waiting…

"Hum… Thanks, but Juvia is tired by her exams and she'll go to sleep instead."

"Seriously?" Natsu retorted. "I thought you were all rock'n roller. If you're exhausted by a little concert…"

That struck something inside her. "Juvia changed her mind. She's not that tired." She heard herself saying.

Natsu smiled at her. "That's the spirit! And you, metalface?" Gajeel just shrugged in response. "Okay, then, Gray! You go with them."

"What? Why me?" Gray asked with a frown.

"Because we went with Loke's car and I can't lead them if I'm sick."

"Don't throw up again in my car, Natsu." Loke warned, focused on his phone as he seemed to discuss with someone. "Tell me to stop this time."

"I didn't throw up in your car. I throwed up by the window."

"Yeah, and now there's a brownish smear on the side. I drive girls in my car, you know? It can't smell vomit or look like someone puke all over it."

Gray sighed as the two bickered. "Come on." He said to Juvia and Gajeel. "We'll stop to grab pizzas while these idiots argue."

Juvia nodded as her mouth felt dry. Gray was coming in the same car as her! She was dreaming, there was no other explanation!

She mechanically went to the front seat and realized after it would have been better if Gray was on the front to lead them. But Gray said nothing and opened the back door to slide in the middle seat.

"So, how your exams went?" He asked leaning forward, his elbows on the top of the front seats, while Gajeel turned on the car.

Juvia hesitated. Was he asking her or Gajeel? Or both? She was so nervous, she had difficulties to think! She turned her head, and she met his eyes. Ah, so he was asking her!

"Fi…Fine. Juvia thinks. She's not so sure for a few. And you?"

"All right. Architecture history was a bit complicated, but I managed. Turn right after the next traffic light, Gajeel."

The knot in her belly lessened. She was able to talk to him without awkwardness. They continued to talk about student life and when they ordered the pizzas, Gray even asked her about her favorite flavor. She had a bubble of joy inside her that felt warmer than the pizzas boxes on her laps.

Finally, Gajeel parked the car in front of a building and Gray led them to the third floor. His frown returned when he rang the doorbell a few times but nobody answered.

"These idiots. They're still on the way. Stupid." Gray grumbled.

"My! That a patient boy. Love you too." Loke said behind them while he supported a pale Natsu and slammed the stairwell door with his heel.

"Well, the pizzas are not getting warmer. What took you so long?"

"Natsu felt sick and I had to stop the car. Twice." Loke answered as his pink haired friend recovered enough to stand by himself and unlock his door.

Natsu entered first, followed by Loke and Gray who went directly to the fridge to pick the beers while the owner fall on the couch.

"Excuse Juvia." She whispered as she shyly entered the apartment. She looked around. It was like any other student flat, and just like she expected, messy and not very clean, if she judged by the dust bunnies here and there.

"There, take a seat." Loke invited her as he handed a beer to Natsu who looked a bit better and straightened himself on the couch.

Juvia sat on an armchair which was all but new. She accepted a beer and took a gulp, wondering if she should start a conversation or wait until one of the men ask her. Then she felt something tickled her legs and looked down. A blue cat was rubbing its back against her.

"Hello there." She murmured as she bent to caress its fur and she got a meow as answer. "What's its name?"

"Happy." Natsu replied as he reached for a slice of pizza and Gajeel snorted. "What's your problem, iron brain?"

"Salamander and Happy. You're going with chitty names."

"They're cool names! I'm sure you can't come with name much cooler!"

"Gajeel-kun has a cat too." Juvia said as Happy, felling confident, jumped on her laps and she proceeded with her patting. "It's named Lily."

The three other men laughed hard while Gajeel's ears turned red.

"It's Pantherlily! Panthers are cool!"

Juvia watched with an astounded face the trio recovering from their laugh. She didn't get it; Lily was a very good name and Gajeel's black cat was cool with a scar above one eye.

"Do you want a picture of Lily?" She proposed. "Juvia has a lot on her phone."

"No!" Gajeel shouted and launched on her to grab her device. He knew what pictures she had. There were many with him in cute but compromising pose with Lily. Like the one when he cried after Lily's return from cat errands because he thought the cat was lost or the one when he fed it with kiwi and had a silly smile on his face.

"Oh? I definitively want to see these photos." Gray smirked.

"In your dreams Stripper!"

"Huh? Ah, crap!"

And for the hours that followed, there were laughs, stories and fun facts about their group of friends when they were in Highschool and even Elementary school for Erza, Cana, Natsu and Gray. At one moment, Happy jumped on the table to sniff the pizzas and Natsu fed him with small pieces of anchovies. Juvia was quick to take a picture, saying she had to show it to Lucy and Natsu's cheeks turned as pink as his hair while he tried to snatch her phone like Gajeel earlier. Seriously, what was men's problem with cat pictures?

Gray grinned at them. He felt appeased to see Juvia bubbly again. He had not met with her much since her faint and he had feared she would get sick again with the exams pressure. But the stress had faded apparently and she looked fine now.

Still struggling to keep her phone from Natsu's reach, Juvia collided with the table where Happy was eating the remaining part of fish. The cat freaked out with the impact and jolted far away, over Gajeel's head.

"What's that? A flying cat?"

"Happy!" Natsu lay down on the floor and tried to coax the cat to come out from under the TV bench. "Come on buddy! There's more fish for you!"

Feeling guilty, Juvia joined him on the floor. "Juvia's sorry, Happy-san! She promises to give you tuna next time as apologize."

"You're both dumps." Gajeel deadpanned as he looked at them, one cheek pressed against the floor, talking to the cat with fake meows and others stupid noises.

After fifteen minutes and a bowl of cat food, they managed to pull the cat out. They spent ten more minutes patting its head, neck and back.

"You're done?" Gajeel asked finally. "We should go home now."

Juvia pouted a bit, but she surrendered and kissed Happy's head as a goodbye. Then, she thanked her friends for the evening and waved at them, jogging to join Gajeel who had already left after a grunted "See ya".

"They're fun." Loke said, pulling out his phone. "We should invite them more often."

"Mmmm…" Gray mumbled and Loke glanced at him.

"And Juvia was very hot in this outfit" He added with a playful glint behind his glasses, earning a glare from Gray.

"Shut up, Loke."

AN: Hope you like that chapter!

What do you think? Did you find Natsu, Loke and Gajeel into character? I want to make Juvia interact with others than Gray, but I'm not sure if I do it right. And I tried to make a longer chapter than usual, do you like it? Please let a review!

I don't know if you're into metal, I'm not beside some songs of Iron Maiden or Rammstein. But I hope the groups names were fine.

For the next chapter I need your help as I'm unable to decide: what colour do you think would suit Lucy the best? Red or pink?