Juvia was a complex topic...at least, that's what Gray thought. Very complicated. She has been a puzzling creature to him ever since he first encountered her. He was prepared for a full-on fight, no holding back. He was sure she was too. That is, until she fell in love with him. She went from enemy to comrade, very quickly at that.
At first, he found himself annoyed with her presence. It was suffocating to say the least. She was overbearing, overzealous, overprotective, over...everything. She went from being shy with him to outright bold and open about her feelings. And it made him uncomfortable.
But then, he actually began to work with her. Going on missions together, battling enemies, to even sitting together at the guild hall. He was slowly-but-surely getting used to her. While she continued to be bold with her declarations of love, she was also becoming more assimilated to the guild. He didn't find her as annoying as he did before. In fact, she became more endearing to him as time went on.
It wasn't as if he didn't find her attractive-because he did. And it wasn't just him that noticed, but other men both within and outside the guild as well, including Lyon and his infamous (and still lingering) crush on her.
The issue was that he couldn't return her feelings the same way. At least...that's what he thought, or meant every time he turned her down. He cared for her, he really did. However, despite his growing fondness, he also had to keep his distance, for his sanity's sake. He knew that deep down if he even showed a bit of affection towards her that she would take it the wrong way. And he wasn't ready for her over-the-top expectations. Or to really hurt her feelings.
But even so, the whole pairing with Laxus situation had become a thorn into his backside. While it was nice having Juvia off his back for a while, he felt as if he had phantom limb syndrome. He expected her to always be by him, no matter what. Seeing her with Laxus was like a joke gone wrong. It was amusing at first, but now it was getting on his nerves. They were as different as night and day. The only conclusion that he could make (or anybody else for that matter) was disaster. But his predictions were all wrong.
It seemed as if they took a liking to one other. Instead of the expected awkward interactions, he saw a naturalness between them which shows just how close they had gotten in the span of a few weeks. They sat together, ate together, trained together, went on missions together. Hell, Laxus was even visiting her at her home-a place he never went or was ever invited to. And he couldn't hide his displeasure anymore.
He knew it was selfish. Someone that had eyes for him-and only for him! -had turned her attentions toward someone else. It's not that he wanted to give him only her attention. No, on the contrary. But he disliked that it had to be with someone else. It had to be with someone else that she began to change-for the better. She was different. It felt as if she was more at ease with herself, more carefree.
It wasn't as if he didn't like the new side of her, because he did. It's just that she was becoming a whole new person in front of his eyes and he didn't know how to take it. And it was all his fault, he knew it was. She was blossoming day-by-day under Laxus. It was as if she didn't need him anymore, as if she was someone else. And he couldn't keep up. He still wanted to be a part of her life but it seemed as if Laxus was the big barrier.
Truth be told, she was important to him. Probably-no, one of the most important people in his life. And he felt that she was slipping away. He knew it was stupid-his thoughts were stupid. This was a span of weeks, not months or years. But despite that, he was feeling uneasy.
So that's why he finally asked Laxus if they could talk. He needed an answer to quell those uneasy feelings.
"Is there something going on?" Gray tried to keep his voice even as he stared straight at the crowd.
Laxus raised his eyebrow, "What are you talking about?" He matched the other man in tone.
Gray took a sharp inhale before exhaling deeply, "You know what I'm talking about. You...and Juvia. Is there something going on between you two?"
Laxus smirked. So now you finally tell me what's on your mind, eh Gray? "Well we are dating, after all." His tone was sarcastic and pointed.
In the corner of his eye, he saw how frustrated Gray was with his answer. He knew it wasn't the answer he was going for. Gray wanted him to be straightforward but couldn't even be straightforward with his feelings for Juvia.
"I mean,' Gray tried to hide his irritation, 'really. Do you like her?" He continued to press.
Laxus finally turned to face him. He was half-amused, half-intrigued at how open the other man displayed his jealousy. He continued to tease him, "And if I did? It's none of your business, right?" He emphasized the last word especially.
Gray looked over at the man, speechless. He searched for a hint that perhaps he was lying or being sarcastic as always but instead he was face-to-face with a man that was serious. Or at least that's what he interpreted it as. And he couldn't say anything about it.
Laxus continued on, "I mean, you don't even like her in the first place, right? So why would she suddenly be of interest to you?" Gray grew silent.
Juvia needed a break. With her partner gone from the stand, she decided to take a break too. The treats needed to be replaced anyways. She smirked. She couldn't believe that he breads were a success. She knew that there would be interest among fans, but never knew that fans and non-fans alike would want to try her cooking. She was even asked by Jason from Sorcerer Weekly to make a batch for himself, even going as far as to ask for the recipe to be featured in the magazine. Wait until Laxus hears about this…Where was he anyways? She needed help carrying the extra batches from the kitchen. Good thing Mira told her to bake extras.
Looking around the now-full festival, she managed to spot Gajeel. He was watching some musicians play their instruments at a nearby booth when their eyes met. An excited Juvia waved furiously at him until he approached her booth.
"What do we have here?" He says as he eyes the almost-finished batches of breads. He smiled to himself when he saw that the Gajeel breads were nowhere to be found, "Hmm, I always knew I was popular." He muttered to himself.
"Hi Gajeel. How are you today?" Juvia greeted. He looks up at her and flashed a grin.
"I've had better days.' He looks over at her side and notices that Laxus is gone. Looking back at her, he asked, "Where's Sparky at anyways?"
Juvia shrugged, "I think he went off with Gray somewhere." Gajeel observed her for a moment. She no longer gushed when she said his name. I guess he's been rubbing off on her.
"You and Laxus seem to be hitting it off." He noted.
She nodded, "He reminds me of you, in some ways." His eyes widened at her statement. They were nothing alike. Not even with the whole angry-villain-of-Fairy-Tail thing.
Noting his reaction, Juvia smiled wider, "You're really not all that different."
Just as he was about to rebuke her comments, she notices Sting and Rogue (with their Exceeds, of course) making their way towards them. She waved at the quartet.
"Hi everyone!" She greeted. Both men nodded and responded with "Hey!" Of course Sting was the most enthusiastic one.
Gajeel hit Rogue's chest with the back of his hand, "Still so shy, I see." He teased with a shit-eating grin. Rogue simply glared at him before looking at Juvia.
"Gajeel, stop! He's just quiet, that's all."
Looking over at the other man, she smiled, "How are you, Rogue?" Rogue couldn't even answer because Juvia turned her attention towards the pink frog hugging her leg. At first, Juvia was taken aback at the sudden gesture of affection but she obliged anyways and held the tiny cat.
"How are you today, Frosch?" She asked with a knowing smile.
"Great. Rogue and Frosch are going to go on all the rides today!"
"Sounds like fun." She commented before putting him down.
Rogue used to be Gajeel apprentice. That was where she knew him from. He was never a member of Phantom Lord but always hung about in the shadows to watch Gajeel. Sometimes Juvia would see him and invite him in but he always refused. Instead he scurried himself into dark shadows and silhouettes.
After the Grand Magic Games, Rogue became good friends with Gajeel. Gajeel and Juvia would see them often on their missions and hang out from time-to-time. Juvia even grew close to Frosch. She even sewed him some frog costumes and knitted sweaters.
Sting became a good friend of hers. Though, unlike Rogue, he was much louder in the vain of Natsu. Sometimes he would hang out with the group on his days off. Sting also became friendly with Juvia. He thought she was a bit crazy, but overall thought she was okay. He really liked her character breads and would often request them. And she would oblige to his request and ship them to Sabertooth. Sting, as crass as he was, would often ask her why she was single. And when she gave him her answer, he would shake his head and encourage her to put herself more "out there," which would make her laugh without fail every time.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is all good stuff and all but I heard you make bread characters. Is that true?" Lector questioned. Truth be told that it was the reason why they were here, at least Sting and Lector were.
Before she could answer, they looked over at the almost empty dishes. "Aw man! Were we too late?" Sting asked. He looked more disappointed than Lector.
"Actually I was just going to get some more." Their faces lit up at her comment.
Juvia did a quick scan in the crowd to find Laxus once more but he was nowhere to be found. She looked over at them and smiled sweetly, "Would you guys like to help me bring them out?"
"Yeah!" They both exclaimed. She giggled. They were always so adorable while excited.
She turned to Rogue, "Would you like to help too?"
"Yes!" Frosch responded without any hesitation. Rogue could feel his cheeks start to burn.
"Then let's go!"
"She doesn't deserve to be led on." Laxus claims. He was getting irritated with Gray's silence. After all, he was the one that asked him to talk.
"But-" Gray struggled to explain himself. To himself. At this point Laxus was over any explanations that he might have.
"Listen, as annoying as she may be, she doesn't deserve to be treated like that." Laxus was slightly surprised at his comment. He'd never imagine that he'd be defending Juvia like this. Maybe in battle, but never to Gray. But, as something he's been noticing lately, she was like a stray puppy. She just grew on him. Something he's become fond of. Like a sister. And he couldn't watch her struggle for Gray's affections like that.
Gray felt guilty. He knew he was wrong. But he couldn't explain himself. Not yet. He still had some things to figure out. His eyes wandered around the area as he tried to find a sufficient answer but stopped once he saw what was going on.
Laxus, still awaiting an answer, followed where the man's eyes were going. He saw the source of Gray's sudden interest. It was Juvia and one of the guys from Sabertooth looking quite friendly. Both men stopped talking to observe the scene that was taking place. They observed the two, analyzing their every moment. He was blushing as she talked to him and she never stopped smiling as he she talked. Suddenly, Laxus was out of words.
Mirajane, in the middle of the crowd, noticed the two men gawking over at the booth and smiled. This just keeps getting better.
So... How'd you like this chapter?
I thought that I would change gears a bit with this chapter. You know, spice it up a bit.
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