Gray had managed to get everything he needed. Ingredients for a soup that was sure to help Juvia feel better, a few other things like vegetables, fruits, juice and tea so he can stock up her fridge and make sure she had enough stuff in order to make sure she eats healthy. He also made a quick stop at the pharmacy to get her some medicine. She probably already had some but it wouldn't hurt. Rather safe than sorry.

Although now that he looked into his rear mirror and saw all the bags on his back seat, he did become a little insecure. He might have overdone it. Oh well, too late. He was not going to chicken out now, it did take him long enough to convince himself to even come here. Besides he could use the things for himself if Juvia kicked him out. Which she wouldn't do. Hopefully..

Taking a deep breath, Gray got out of his car, took the bags from the back seat and made his way over to the door. He took a deep breath before ringing the bell. His heart was beating so loud, Juvia could probably hear it from inside. Why was he so nervous anyway? It was just Juvia. Sweet Juvia, with her pretty eyes and pretty hair and pretty smile.. she was too kindhearted to reject his help. At least he hoped that.

Suddenly another thought came into his head. There's no way Gajeel left Juvia alone while she was that sick. Unless she wasn't actually sick and it was just an excuse after all. Than he would look stupid with the medicine and all. But Juvia wouldn't lie to Cana.. she's too loyal for that. And again too kindhearted. So she must be actually sick. Gray shuddered at the idea of Gajeel opening the door for him. He really didn't want to deal with that too. He could manage the awkwardness with Juvia, her best friend however was a whole other story. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.. he should have thought it over before coming here. Since when did he make such impulsive decisions anyway? That wasn't like him at all. Juvia was definelty affecting him more than he liked to admit.

"Gray?"

He was so deep in thoughts, he didn't realize that the door had opened and ended up looking like an idiot, standing there, unsure what to say.

Standing in front of him was Juvia, a blanket thrown lazily around her. Her skin was paler than usual, expect for her cheeks and nose which were tinted red. She had her hair thrown in a lazy bun. He could tell that she was definitely sick and she seemed to be really tired but she still somehow looked adorbale. He watched her rub her eyes before blinking a few times as if to make sure that he was actually here. A few emotions passed her face but she didn't say anything, just stood there and looked at him with what appeared to be disbelieve.

"Hey.." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly before motioning to the paper bags next to him. "Can I come in?"

This was the moment he was going to get rejected. He should have prepared himself for the kick a little more. Because despite acting all nonchalant in front of her, he felt like he was going to freak out any second now if she didn't do or say something.

Juvia glanced at where he had pointed, before nodding and opening the door fully, gesturing for him to come in. She didn't expect to see him today, scratch that, she didn't expect to see him the entire week because she was sure it would take her art least that long to get better. So to say she was shocked to find him at her door would be an understatement. She wasn't going to be rude however, especially because he seemed to have made quite the effort and went shopping for her. And because she was secretly thrilled that he was here. Although her foggy mind had yet to fully register the whole situation.

"Are you alone? I really thought Gajeel would be here.." He trailed of, trying to be casual and avoiding the elephant in the room for now. He didn't like that she was by herself in her current state but deep down, he was also thanking the entire universe for that. Juvia however didn't need to know that.

"Um, yes. He wanted to stay but Juvia insisted that he didn't. It's his anniversary with Levy and Juvia didn't want to ruin it for them. She promised to give him updates every hour through texts though."

Gray halted. Did she just talk about herself in third person? And why did he find that so cute? Juvia must have noticed it too because she froze in her step before looking down embarrassed.

"Sorry, I- It's a weird habit I used to have.. Juv- I mean, me, I-" She was rambling and Gray decided to take her out of her misery. He wasn't bothered by it after all and neither should she.

"I don't mind it. It's cute. I was just surprised because I never heard you talk about yourself in third person before."

"I stopped doing that for a long while now. But I guess sick Juv- sick me, I mean sick me, isn't that aware of what she's saying. Or too tired to control it."

Gray just smiled at her. Yep, she was definitely adorbale. They walked into the living room and Juvia let herself fall on the couch. Normally, she would be freaking out. Gray Fullbuster was standing in the same room, he was at her place, checking up in on her because she was sick. But she was too tired to be as thrilled as she would usually be.

"Gray.."

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here?"

Juvia didn't mean to sound rude, she was just really curious. After the conversation yesterday, she was sure she had messed up everything. She had counted on Gray avoiding her again, or pushing her to take the offer from another company. Or maybe just fire her without any last words. For him to show up with bags of groceries however, that was the last thing she had expected.

She watched Gray as he stood there awkwardly, blushing a little and trying to avoid her eyes.

"Well, um.. Cana told me that you're sick.. and well, I wanted to check up on you. I got you some things to help you get better, but I might have overdone it." He glanced at the bags and laughed awkwardly. Yep, he should have definitely thought it over.

"That's very sweet of you. Thank you." Gray looked at Juvia to find her smiling brightly. And she meant it. The gesture was too sweet. Juvia wasn't used to nice acts like that and she for once felt genuinely happy. For a minute she even forgot about the terrible headache that she has been dealing with all morning as well as the fact that her body felt like it was on fire.

"It's nothing."

Of course he'd say that. Juvia wasn't surprised with his response at all. That was such a Gray thing to do. Make such a sweet gesture, such an kind act and try to shrug it off as nothing. Juvia however wasn't having that. She was very thankful and she needed him to know that.

"It's not nothing, Juvia really appreciates it. Noone has ever been this caring and sweet to Juvia. So this really means a lot."

Gray smiled back at her, happy that he had come here after all. He was glad that she appreciated his effort and it filled him with happiness to know that he managed to make her feel better. For a moment they just looked at each other, neither saying a word, before Gray decided to change the topic.

"So, did you eat anything yet?"

"No, too tired to make something."

"Alright. Then you'll be trying the Fullbusters chicken soup today. It's my mom's recipe, she used to always make it for me when I was sick. Although hers was much better than mine will be."

Juvia laughed, seeming genuinely happy. "The Gray Fullbuster is making me soup. I'm happy no matter how it turns out."

"Yeah, I guess you're pretty lucky if I'm being honest. No one had the pleasure of that before."

"Oh wow, well I'm flattered. What a lucky woman I am."

"Indeed, you are." He winked at her before taking the bags.

Gray loved how easy it was for him to lose his seriousness when it was just the two of them. He managed to open up and joke around, just by her being around him. They talked a little longer before Gray ordered her to lay down and rest while he went into the kitchen to put the groceries away and prepare the food. Good thing he was at her place before and had watched her closely when she was working in the kitchen, preparing dinner for them. Thanks to that he didn't need to bother her in order to ask where everything was or belonged. It was weird how at home he felt at her place despite only having been there once. But he was sure that was an effect from Juvia. She was so kind, sweet and welcoming, you could probably not not feel at ease her. He was purposely ignoring the fact that there was a monster of a guy living with her here. Yep, he was just going to ignore his presence.. Gray liked her place for another reason to. It wasn't big but not to small either, it was cozy and Juvia had done a lot of effort to make it her home, plastering pictures around and putting several plants in the rooms. He compared it to his own place. They were worlds apart. His place was rather sad and lonely looking. Pretty much taken out of a catalogue. Gray didn't bother with personal things or decorations, he hardly spent time at his place anyway. The only thing remotely close was the picture frame he had in his office showing a younger version of him, being held by his parents.

Gray put his focus back on the task before him. After a while the soup was done so he got a bowl, poured some of it in and carried it to Juvia carefully, making sure not to spill anything.

"Alright, time for food. There is some left in the pot, in case you want more." Gray put the bowl down on the table and looked at Juvia, only to find her asleep on the couch. He found himself smiling at the sight of her, wrapped up in her blanket like a burrito and curled up on the couch. Even in her sleep she looked pretty.

Sadly he had to wake her up. One, the soup would get cold and two, if she didn't eat that also meant that she didn't take any medicine yet. And he wanted her to get better after all. He crouched down in front of her and shook her lightly.

"Hey. Hey Juvia.. you need to eat. Come on, wake up." He had to shake her a little more until she finally turned towards him. The poor girl was really tired. She looked at him, brows pulled together and a slight pout on her face. To say she looked confused would be an understatement. But still so cute.

"How sick is Juvia? Because she swears she can see Graysama in front of her."

Gray chuckled lightly. "You're sick, but not that sick. I'm actually here."

He watched her eyes open wildly before she jumped up, making him fall back.

"Gray!?" She looked down at herself, dressed in her blue pyjama shorts and a white shirt with a huge penguin drawn on it. "Oh, this is so embarrassing."

"What are you talking about? Come on, sit down and eat your soup before it gets could."

"Soup?"

"Yeah, soup. You forgot already? The Fullbuster recipe?" Juvia remembered their earlier conversation and shook her head slightly.

"Right, yes. Juvia actually forgot."

"Yeah, I realized. Now come on." He handed her the spoon and Juvia sat down, slowly eating the still hot soup.

"I'll get you some medicine, I take it didn't take any yet?" Juvia shook her head and watched Gray disappear inside the kitchen. Gray was right. She was sick, but not that sick. This wasn't a hallucination. Gray Fullbuster was actually at her place, making her soup, a very good one too, and taking care of her. What the hell was happening?

Juvia thought back to what she said to him yesterday. Was he doing this because he was feeling bad for her? Because she was into him and he wasn't? Was it pity? Juvia didn't like the idea at all.

"Here you go." Gray walked back in and handed her a glass of water along with two pills. Juvia took it not daring to look up to him.

"Thank you."

"No problem. How's the soup?"

"It's really good."

"I'm glad. I was worried, it's been a while since I've done something in the kitchen." Gray chuckled but Juvia didn't respond. He found her staring at the bowl in front of her.

"Juvia, are you okay?"

"Can we talk? About yesterday." Gray was afraid this was going to come up. But he also knew that he couldn't avoid this conversation forever. Sooner or later, he had to make things clear. Might as well do it now.

"Sure.." Gray settled down on the floor next to her. However neither of them made a move to start the conversation. After a moment of silence, they both decided to speak up.

"I'm sorry-" They stopped and looked at each other questioningly. Juvia sighed before speaking up again.

"I'm sorry. I put you in an awkward situation and that wasn't fair. I was going to apologize to you today but then I woke up sick. Look Gray, I really appreciate what you're doing for me here, but.." She glanced at him before continuing. "I don't want you to spend time with me because you feel bad or out of pity. You're my boss and I should have respected your boundaries. I was just too emotional yesterday and blurted out things that I shouldn't have. So yeah, you really don't need to be here if you don't want to, I understand-"

Gray didn't let her continue. "Stop it."

Juvia looked at him a little taken aback. He appeared to be bothered by what she had said and looked at her with a frown on his face.

"Don't say stuff like that. It's not the case. I'm not here because I feel bad or pity you. I'm here because I was worried and wanted to check on you. I'm here because I want to be here." Gray sighed and decided to just be honest. Screw his precautions, he couldn't let Juvia believe that the only reason he was hanging out with her was because she was sick.

"Listen Juvia, what you said yesterday.. Yes, it did catch me off guard. To say I was confused would be an understatement. But I think.. I think it's what I needed to hear. I want to make things clear with you.

I'm not just your boss- I mean I don't want to be just your boss. Right now, I want to be your friend. Be there for you, hang around with you.. and in the future, maybe we can be more.

I don't want to pretend with you. I'm not exactly the relationship kind of guy. I'm not someone you'd consider romantic. But I wont lie that you've been affecting me. So let's be friends and just see how things develop, is that okay for you?"

Gray looked at Juvia, waiting for her reaction. She was staring at him, not uttering a word. He was getting worried before he watched Juvia break out into a huge smile.

"That sounds perfect. I would like that very much."

"So friends it is?"

"Friends it is."

Juvia threw herself at Gray, hugging him.

"Juvia loves hugging her friends."

"Alright then.." He patted her head awkwardly, but found himself smiling just as wide as she did.

Gray spent the rest of the day with Juvia. They decided on having a movie marathon to pass some time. To noones surprise Juvia was a huge fan of pretty cliché romance movies. He learned that after being forced to watch three in a row. They had just finished "A walk to remember" and Juvia swears she saw him tear up but Gray will deny it as long as he lives. Although deep down he had to admit that he did find a soft spot for those movies. Not that Juvia needed to know that.

They were about to choose the next movie when a faint rumbling sound was heard. Gray glanced at Juvia who looked away embarrassed.

"Was that-"

"Yes." Juvia was still not looking at him. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"Don't laugh." She turned to him, pouting, which didn't help her case because Gray just laughed more at her adorableness. Juvia scoffed and punched him playfully. "It's not funny."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." He smiled at her before getting out his phone. "How does pizza sound?"

"Pizza sounds wonderful. As long as you don't dare put pineapple on it."

"Alright, I can manage that."

Gray ordered them pizza and settled down next to Juvia.

"Another movie?"

"No, let's do something else."

"Something like what?"

"Um.. I don't know. How about.. twenty questions?"

"So basically we just talk?"

"Well.. yeah. But you can only answer with yes or no. We can find out more about each other that way. Friends should know things about each other."

"Alright, lets start then. What do you want to know?"

"Um, how about favorite colour?"

"I can't answer that with yes or no."

"My bad. Is your favorite colour blue?"

"Yes. My turn. Do you have siblings?"

"No. Do you?"

"Nope. Is that your natural hair colour?"

"Yes. Do you always wear this necklace?" Juvia locker at the pendant in curiosity.

"Yep. I got it from my mom." Gray smiled fondly at the memory. Than he remembered something else.

"My turn. Did you actually go out for a jog during the night?" He glared at her waiting for a response.

"Um.. yes?"

"Juvia!"

"I'm sorry? I had a lot on my mind and jogging usually helps."

"Yeah, that sounds reasonable. But not at night! Who knows what could have happened! Don't you dare do that again.. I freaked out when Cana told me."

Gray was still rambling when he noticed Juvia just staring at him with a huge smile.

"I didn't think you'd be so worried."

Gray couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks. He didn't know how to respond but thankfully, he was saved by the bell. The delivery guy just earned himself a nice tip.

"I'll get that." He got his wallet and ran towards the door, happy over the interruption. When he went back into the living room he found Juvia leaning against the couch and busy picking another movie.

"How about an action one for a change?"

"Sounds good."

He sat down next to her, leaning against the couch as well, their arms touching. Juvia started the movie and Gray put the box on their lap, gesturing for Juvia to take the first slice.

"Dig in."

"No need to say that twice."

Later that day Gajeel came by to check on Juvia only to find her sitting on the floor, her head leaning on Grays shoulder who in return had his arm around her. There was an empty box of pizza on their laps and the end credits of a movie playing on the TV.

He put the pizza box away, turned the movie off and threw a blanket over the two. With one last look at them, Gajeel turned around and left. There was no need for him to worry over Juvia, she was being taken care off well enough. Maybe Fullbuster wasn't that bad after all..