It was heartbreaking to see him laying in the bed like that. Juvia had come here everyday since she learned he'd gotten the disease, and visited even more often when she learned that he didn't have much fight left before the illness took him away from this world.
Gray was too young, too gentle, and too good to suffer in such a terrible, torturous way.
She loved him entirely too much to lose him.
Juvia remembered the day she admitted that she loved him. She sat on the edge of his bed, held his freezing hand in both of hers, brought he blue gaze up to meet those gray eyes, eyes that were slowly losing their color. And she said it.
"I love you, Gray-sama."
Just like that. No peck on the cheeks, the forehead, the lips. Just a simple statement that had such a deeper meaning, one Juvia had hoped would be reciprocated.
It wasn't.
Juvia remembers the way his eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he froze for a moment. Then, he acted.
His hand was removed from hers, he tore his eyes away from her and he said, "I don't love you."
Juvia had fought back the tears as she scrambled to her feet, rushing through the door and leaving the hospital so quickly that she didn't stick around to see the tears and heart shattering sobs that wracked Gray's own body.
She didn't visit him the next day. Or the day after. In fact, she didn't return until the following week, when she received a call from Erza, the woman who was practically his sister, stating that Gray was asking for her.
That's what brought Juvia back to the hospital, why she now sat in a chair against the wall while she waited for Gray to talk.
"You never came back." His voice was shaky, like when he was struggling his hardest to live.
"Juvia didn't think you'd want her around."
"Of course I want you around." He turned to face her, patting the side of the bed, indicating he wanted her to sit there. "Why wouldn't I?"
She shook her head. "Because you don't love Juvia."
Gray fell silent for a moment. "Sit with me please?" It wasn't a command, it was more of a question.
She shook her head once more. "What did you what Juvia for?"
"I wanted to see you." He pushed himself upright in the bed with shaky arms, tossing the wool blanket off his work body. "I missed you, raindrop." He swung one leg over the edge of his bed and Juvia jumped to her feet instantly.
"What is Gray-sama doing?"
"I've missed that." He sighed, catching her worried stare. "I want you to sit with me, so since you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
With that, Gray tried to stand but Juvia could see the shaking in his limbs and rushed forward, pushing him back onto the bed. He chuckled as she picked up his legs and put them back on the bed, covering him back up with the blanket before perching on the edge, as far away from Gray as she could get.
"How have you been, Juvia?" Gray asked, reaching for her hand.
"Juvia has been okay." She let him take her hand and he held her wrist lightly with one hand while his other hand played with her fingers absentmindedly.
They feel into an uncomfortable silence and Juvia sighed, pulling her hand away.
"You still love me, don't you, Juvia?"
She looked up to find his eyes looking a little glassy and his expression unreadable.
"Juvia will always love Gray-sama." She said and rose to her feet, giving him one last parting glance. "She wishes those feeling were mutual." Juvia sniffled and turned for the door, however, Gray made the mistake of letting her leave last time.
He'd be a damned fool to make the same mistake twice.
"I love you Juvia." He called out, causing her to freeze in the doorframe. "I love you, so much, Juvia, can't you see that?" He let tears fall down his cheeks and he wanted nothing more than for Juvia to turn around and come back to his side.
She slowly turned around, meeting his teary gaze. "Gray-sama." She had tears of her own forming in her eyes.
"I do, Juvia. I love you more than anything."
"Then why did Gray-sama lie to Juvia?"
"I wanted to protect you." He started, his voice seeming to draw Juvia back to his bedside. "I knew that you loved me, Juv. But how could I do that to you?"
"Gray-sama-" Tears fell faster and she sat on the bed, reaching for his hand.
He met hers halfway and squeezed with all his strength-which was barely enough to even register there was pressure on her hand.
"How could I tell you that I love you, how could I give you hope of being with me, how could I give you the world when I didn't know if I would live to see the next day?" He was nearly crying now, unable to say another word for fear of breaking down.
"Any amount of time with Gray-sama would be worth it for Juvia." She replied, her voice wavering.
Gray scooted over in the bed and gestured for Juvia to lay with him. She complied instantly, Gray wrapping his arms around her waist as she brought her hands up to hold his face.
Slowly, Gray leaned forward until his lips met Juvia's in a slow, gentle passionate kiss. His fingers dug into her but she didn't mind. She was kissing Gray, her Gray-sama, and nothing felt as good as that did.
He pulled away and tucked her head under his chin, one hand coming up to stroke the azure locks of the girl he loved.
"I love you, raindrop."
He never hoped he'd live more than he had in that moment.
