Gajeel was laying on the sofa in his house with his arm under his head, thinking.
"Hey," Levy said, entering at that moment.
"Hey."
"How's it going?"
"Normal."
"Gajeel, we need to talk."
"What's wrong? Is it the baby?" he asked, shooting up and approaching her, putting his hand on her stomach.
"No, no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, the baby is fine."
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, we're both fine."
"Then?"
"Let's sit down."
"What's happening? What do you want to talk about?"
"We need to talk about Juvia… and Gray."
"Was it the cat? Sometimes he doesn't know his place!"
"Lily didn't tell me that you argued with Juvia, but it's obvious, and also you know, the guild always knows about everything."
"Those damn gossips!"
"I know you're sad and upset."
"I'm not sad! I'm mad!"
"Gajeel…"
"Levy, please don't butt in!"
"I'm not the one who butts in where I shouldn't, Gajeel."
"I don't butt in where I don't have to! I have all the right to know about her."
"You fought over Gray again."
"She doesn't get that she deserves better than him."
"And you don't understand that she's in love with him."
"But he's not."
"Come on Gajeel! You know you're lying! Gray loves Juvia!"
"In the wrong way! He's always making her suffer!"
"Gajeel, I understand that you're worried, but she is grown up, she's not a child anymore, she knows what she's doing."
"I doubt it."
"Look, I know you're still upset with Gray for leaving her alone for six whole months."
"I'm even more upset with her for letting him treat her like trash."
"Gajeel."
"And that… when it's about him she's weak, and it pisses me off."
"Love is complicated, Gajeel, it makes you strong and weak at the same time."
"Ugh…"
"Why did you fight this time?"
"He promised to give her an answer, and finally be serious and sincere, he told her before the start of the war, telling her that he would give her an answer later."
"And?"
"It's been a year! And he hasn't said anything! In fact, his response was to go on a 100 year quest!"
"A lot of things happened during the war, Gajeel."
"Yeah, you know who she defended him? Saying that he really wanted to give her an answer but after what happened with that Invel he changed his plans."
"It was a traumatic experience for both of them."
"Yeah, and that traumatic experience should have made him be honest and stop running away."
"Gray is a complicated person."
"Yeah, she fell in love with the most complicated being in Earthland!"
"But he loves her, Gajeel, you know it too, he loves her."
"I'd like for him to show it…"
"She accepts it like this, no?"
"Unfortunately."
"Listen, you know, I believe that some way we can feel empathy for them both."
"What?"
"I think I understand Juvia."
"Are you comparing me to the stripper?"
"No! Just listen!"
"I'm listening."
"When I fell in love with you, when I began to have feelings for you, I felt bad, crazy, it was almost as if I had Stockholm Syndrome."
"Well…"
"I knew that everyone was judging me, that no one would accept it and I was afraid, even I didn't accept it."
"Yeah, but, what does that have to do with this?"
"I've always admired Juvia and the fact that she wasn't afraid to yell out her love to the whole world."
"And?"
"Sometimes I would tell myself that I needed to be like her, to throw myself out there, but I didn't have the courage to do so."
"Me too."
"You too?"
"She realized it before I did and she pushed me to take a step forward, but I thought it was crazy."
"We didn't start off well."
"No."
"Then, after Tartaros, while we were in the council we grew closer and we got together, I was so happy, but I was still scared."
"Mh."
"Then, when we were rebuilding the guild, we preferred to keep it hidden."
"Well, yeah, it wasn't the right time to say it."
"I couldn't even tell Lucy, my best friend."
"Well…"
"Then after Alvarez, we told everyone and I was very happy, but there were still people who judged us."
"Yeah."
"And it hurt, because people I had known for years thought I was crazy."
"I still don't see what this has to do with anything."
"It hurt that so many people thought badly of me."
"Yeah and?"
"Juvia told me that for the longest time you were the only friend she had."
"Yes."
"You are like a brother to her, Gajeel, your opinion is important, she is suffering, because she loves Gray but you don't support that."
"And she's like a sister to me, I know that she's suffering and that's exactly why I'd like her to understand."
"I love you Gajeel, but do you know how many people are against it? We continue with our story, but doesn't it hurt knowing that there are people who speak ill of us?"
"No! I'm used to it!"
"Juvia didn't ask you to jump for joy, just that you respect her feelings and decisions."
"When we talk about him she turns into a different person."
"It's love! You even told the first that you couldn't arrest her for falling in love with Zeref."
"Well! Yeah, but what does that have to do with this?"
"This thing between Gray and Juvia is also love, it's complicated but it's love and you know it."
"Yeah, but now it's becoming unbearable, I accepted it before, I let it be, but enough is enough, the time has come to pull the reins on this situation."
"Let her choose who she gets with."
"I let her! But the first guy she chose was a mediocre jerk who turned out to be a playboy who was only interested in toying around with her and then she chose the stripper! And we all know those ended up."
"That's where you're wrong."
"Eh?"
"Juvia chose Bora, you're right that it was a mistake, she knows it herself, but you also know that she didn't choose Gray, it was destiny."
"You've been spending too much time with her! She's putting these ideas in your head!"
"Gajeel, Juvia was the first to support us and not judge us."
"I know."
"And she did it because, even though she knew that it probably wasn't normal for us to get together, she wanted to see you happy, right?"
"She really did it because she's a hopeless romantic."
"But she did it, right?"
"Yeah, and?"
"I would like for you to do the same, that you keep supporting her and believing in her."
"I do! I just wish that she'd open herself to other possibilities! There are so many guys, but she doesn't care how many offer her the world, she keeps loving Gray."
"Because love is like that! You don't choose who you fall in love with! You fall in love and it happens in such an inexplicable way!"
"I know he loves her, but it pisses me off that after all this time they're still like this."
"You're right! But let them figure it out on their own."
"It'll stay the same, whether I want it to or not."
"It's worth it though, no?"
"Mh."
"Why don't you tell me something about the two of you?"
And like that, Gajeel began recounting the past that he and Juvia had shared in Phantom.
The adventures of the Iron Dragon and the Rain Woman, of Kurogane and Ameonna, of Black Steel and Rain Woman.
.
.
.
"When she arrived she was a scared little girl, she couldn't control not just her rain but not even her powers."
"I've always wondered why the rain followed her, in the end, in my opinion it's something to study, I've looked through several books but I haven't found anything."
"It's always been a mystery."
"Yes, most of all because it stopped after she met Gray, it's something surprising and impressive."
"Mh."
"Continue."
"José decided that the Drama King would be the one to teach her."
"The leader of the Element Four?"
"He was the most powerful elemental mage, at that time the Element Four didn't exist yet."
"Yes, I heard something about that."
"Anyway, in the end, she became the most powerful mage in the guild, the woman most feared in Phantom."
"There weren't many women in Phantom, were there?"
"Few and weak."
"Gajeel."
"You know, it was the first time that I felt proud for someone who wasn't me."
Levy smiled.
"When she arrived she was a scared girl, but with time she became the most powerful woman in the guild, she surpassed them all, she gained the respect and fear of every one of those members, no one dared speak badly or make fun of her ever again, well to her face, because behind her back…"
"It must have been hard."
"Yeah, but that made her stronger, I was very proud of her when she gained the title of Phantom Queen."
"It was a great victory."
"Yeah, it didn't matter to her, but I was proud, I felt that she had accomplished so much and I was happy to be there for it."
"That's so great, Gajeel."
"But Juvia didn't want power, despite the S rank, despite all the titles, all the victories and everything else, she wasn't happy, she was getting more and more sad and depressed."
"Very different from now."
"Mh, one time she told me that she couldn't have love, that it was what she wanted the most, so she'd have power, that it was the only thing she seemed destined for."
"That's so sad."
"Yeah…"
"Now she's completely different."
"Gray makes her happy like no one else has, but at the same time he is able to make her fall into the most absolute sadness."
"I think there are things that we will never understand, Gajeel, the only thing we can do is support her, even though you wish things would turn out differently, support her."
"I'm worried, you know? After I realized how much emotional power he has over her, I got scared."
"I understand, but he matured after Avatar, you know it too."
"Yeah, but sometimes I would like her to be as strong as she used to be."
"That wasn't strength, Gajeel, that was a mask that she made because it was the only way to survive."
"That's true."
"Will you talk with her? Fix things up?"
"Yes."
"I know that you can't sleep when you two fight."
"That's not true."
"There have only been a few times that you two have really fought, but when it happens, it's difficult for both of you, you can't be certain."
"It'd be better if the stripper would confess as soon as possible, otherwise I'll make him."
"Who knows, maybe in a few years they'll give our kid a playmate," she said, caressing her belly.
"Eh? I'm not ready to be an uncle! Besides, she's too young!"
"I love you," she said, kissing him.
.
.
.
The next day, Gajeel and Juvia made peace and he promised that, even if he didn't agree, he would respect her decisions and feelings.
It ended with her hugging him like a koala and him letting her while he smiled.
.
.
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Weeks later, in one of Team Natsu's return trips during the 100 year quest… Gajeel received a visit from Gray.
The two talked for a long time and, finally, Gajeel was convinced that Levy was right about everything.
It was true, he was an overprotective older brother that valued the happiness of his beloved little sister.
.-.
Author's Corner!
Good evening!
I had this story saved and this morning I decided to publish it.
I'll tell you the truth, I wasn't very confident, because this is the first time that I write about Gajevy and I was afraid of making mistakes.
But I wanted to try and here's the result.
Obviously Juvia is included, I can't write anything that isn't about her.
As for the conversation with Gray, I have another fanfic about that too, I just haven't written it yet… so I'll have to wait for a long time, I'm not even sure what I'll write about to be honest…
Either way, nothing, I just wanted to publish this.
I hope you like it.
Thank you to those who read and comment and we'll see each other next time.
Thank you very much to Botan G for the english-language translations,for everything she does for me.I'm so grateful to you!Thank you very much for all you do!
GruviaSilver.