A/N: Comin' at ya with a new chapter! Enjoy it! Review it! Tear it apart (and with it, my dreams)!
Night time at Fairy Hills dormitory was usually a quiet time. At a wild guild like Fairy Tail, this is understandable. One can only be so energetic after getting into massive brawls and rejecting Wakaba and Macao's constant adances. As such, there became an unspoken rule that peace and quiet must be observed within its walls once the sun falls. That is, unless it's a very special occassion.
Tonight is such an occassion. Every once in a while, the girls of Fairy Tail get together for a sleep over, and tonight was Juvia Lockser's first time.
"This is so exciting Gray-sama!" The bluenette cheered excitedly to her plush doll. "It seems like our friends truly accept Juvia now!" She shoved another thick blanket into her bag. The Gray-plush said nothing.
As she packed, a bitter thought surfaced. This is the first time any one has invited Juvia to a slumber party. Juvia quickly shook the thought away. That was the past. Fairy Tail... Juvia... was different now.
The water mage shouldered her bag and took one last look around the room. Her gaze lingered on her plush. A soft smile came to her lips, and she stepped out into the hallway, ready to visit Erza's room for the first time.
In the center of a loose circle of girls at the center of the largest living room in the dorm, a brown haired beauty in a bikini top swirled the contents of her mug, dramatically finishing her tale.
"Never, and I mean NEVER, have I been outdrank like that before. It was... amazing," she sighed dreamily. "When I came to, my top was gone. That's how I knew he was the one!"
"Ugh, but he was such a pig Cana-chan!" Laki complained.
"Bacchus huh? Have you spoke to him since then? Like... personally?" Lisanna questioned.
The brunette hesitated. The others leaned forward with shark-like grins.
"No... I haven't," her friends sighed in disappointment. Cana shook her head.
"I don't want to approach him until I'm his equal. An S-Class wizard."
Erza nodded in approval.
"You know he's a womanizer," Evergreen said seriously.
"He won't be when I get to him!"
The room erupted in laughter.
Juvia marched happily down the hallway. Truth be told, she had never really wandered or explored the depths of Fairy Hills before.
No one could avoid finiding the Titania's living quarteres, however. It was the biggest section of the building, almost taking half of a floor on its own. The bluenette dropped her bag at the foot of the door, and hesitated.
Juvia gulped.
I've never done something like this before. What if they just invited me out of pity? What if they don't really expect me to show up at all?
The girl shook her head and raised a fist to knock when she heard a familiar voice.
"Natsu and I?"
Lucy.
Slowly, she pressed her cheek to the door and listened.
"What about you Lucy-chan?" Lisanna asked once the laughter died down. "Are you and Natsu... you know..." The room tensed. Everyone knew the young Strauss and Fairy Tail's iconic Dragon Slayer had a pseudo-relationship when they were younger.
They also knew that once Lisanna disappeared, Lucy became Natsu's closest friend.
Luckily, Lucy broke the tension easily.
"Natsu and I? Never!" she laughed before continuing seriously. "He's a great friend and as loyal as anyone could hope for," her expression softened. "There was a time, for a while, that I thought there might be something. But at the end of the day, I think a friend is all he can be to me. Honestly, when he breaks into my apartment, I can't help but think of him as a little brother."
This drew much laughter and a not-so-subtle sigh of relief from Lisanna.
"Really, Lu-chan! Everyone thought you two were going to get together. You can't deny how close you both are." Levy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"You don't get to speculate! You're pretty much in the same boat!" Lucy fired back.
"Eh?"
"Gihihi!" Mirajane laughed in a low, gruff voice.
"It's different! Totally different! Gajeel is..." Levy trailed away with a sharp blush.
Lucy laughed before noticing the demon take-over mage turned toward her.
"So? Do you have your eye at anyone at all, Lucy-chan?"
The blonde turned to hide her own blush and looked around the room. "Is Juvia here yet?"
Erza shook her head. "She should be coming soon."
Lucy sighed. "Well," she gulped, "I've always thought Gray was kind of cute."
The girls shrieked excitedly while the celestial mage hung her head embarassed.
"Hey, what's with the frown? It's nothing to be ashamed of! He's a good lookin' guy!" Cana grinned.
"Yeah!" Laki chimed in, "I'd be lying if I said I never gave him a look over. Especially when he's shirtless..."
"Laki!" Lucy slapped her arm playfully.
Erza, however, did not look as thrilled, her mind beginning to worry about the abscense of their blue haired friend.
"So are you going to tell him? He thinks you are cute too, you know."
Lucy shifted on her pillow uncomfortably. "I don't think I should." Everyone in the room knew why. The same thought crossed everyone's mind simultaneously.
Evergreen, however, was not yet close enough to the situation to understand, so she pressed.
"You should, Lucy. This could be a good shot at happiness for the both of you. Mavis knows Gray needs it."
The room was becoming a little less comfortable with every sentence.
The blonde fiddled with her pony tail a bit. "Maybe. Maybe tomorrow."
Three sharp knocks broke everyone out of their thoughts.
Erza stood up and gripped the doorknob.
Juvia stood outside the door, stunned. Lucy liked Gray? She really was a love rival after all?! She willed herself to move, but suddenly walking into the room didn't feel like such a good idea. Her nails dug into her palms. Tears threatened the corners of her eyes.
She wanted to feel betrayed. She would like nothing more than to feel anger at Lucy. One of her best friends liked the man she loved. Deep down, however, Juvia knew you can't choose what to feel for someone. Lucy was in the same boat she was.
No, she wasn't really in the same boat. It was arrogant of her to think so. Where Lucy is bright, cheerful, and beautiful, Juvia was dark, gloomy, clingy, and average. She should have know, should have suspected as much. What a fool she had been to think she had a chance with Gray.
Juvia wanted to feel anger. Instead, she felt hopelessness. Despair.
She held back a sob and composed herself.
She promised her friends she'd be here. At least now, she had friends. At least now, she had Fairy Tail.
Then why does it still hurt so bad?
A pale hand rose and knocked on the door.
Erza's calm smile greeted her as the warmth of the room flooded her senses.
"Hi Juvia!" The girls chorused as she walked into the room. She wanted to give them all a smile, but found she couldn't. Instead, she raised the corners of her mouth in her best effort.
"Juvia is sorry she is late. She had some trouble packing," she said as she took a spot by Mirajane.
The girls began chatting excitedly. A pillow fight broke out. Funny stories were exchanged. It was everything Juvia thought it would be. A real bonding experience.
But deep down, the only thing Juvia wanted to do was go back to her room.
In the stillness of the night, Erza awoke to the quiet snores of her friends, the sound of rain hitting her window... and the quiet, surpressed sobs of Juvia Lockser.
The water mage took slow, steady steps toward the Guild hall. She planned on going in, grabbing a mission, and taking off right away. A good, long mission to clear her head.
As she reached for the door handle, it flew open on its own.
Lucy was trudging out when she nearly ran into Juvia.
"Oh, Juvia."
A million thoughts raced into her head when she saw Lucy, but they all vanished when she saw a familiar look in the other girl's eyes.
Lucy offered a small, sad smile, then continued her walk out of the building. Juvia could see many concerned and shocked faces staring in her wake.
The room itself was eerily quiet.
"U-um, good morning everyone!"
A few offered some good mornings, but everyone else maintained their shocked expressions.
"What happened? It's Lucy okay?" She asked the nearest person, who happened to be a semi-angry Erza.
"Gray just shot her down."
The red head turned to face the water mage. Erza's expression softened. "I may not be an expert on these things, but I think it'd be best if you go talk to him."
"Juvia doesn't understand. Why would Gray-sama shoot Lucy down?"
Erza gave her a knowing smirk and simply walked away.
Juvia spotted Gray sitting at the bar. His shoulders looked tense, giving her pause.
Maybe this isn't the best time for Juvia to bother.
Before she could turn away, the ice mage happened to turn and spot her. His face was neutral, and Juvia wished then more than ever that she could read minds.
"H-Hello Gray-sama. Are you... okay?" Juvia tried.
He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." His voice was a little hoarse.
"Gray-sama," Juvia slid onto a stool next to him. Her heart was pounding, and against her every wish, she couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Why did you turn Lucy down?"
The look on his face said he did not want to talk about it, yet at the same time, it seemed as if he was forcing himself to.
"She just wasn't... What I'm trying to say is, well... She's nice and all. But she's not who I..." A myraid of emotions crossed his face, and Juvia was never more confused.
"Juvia, do you want to maybe take a mission together? With me?" Gray suddenly blurted out.
"Eh?" Her heart was racing, and she fought to keep a smile off her face.
Does this mean what Juvia thinks it means? Could it be that Gray-sama really -!
"It's okay if you don't want to. It's just, I was wondering.."
His stuttering. The determined yet embarassed look on his face.
He's nervous.
Juvia summoned her courage and slid her hand over his. "Juvia would love to, Gray-sama."
He said nothing, instead looking around the room as if there was something of greater interest. Juvia wondered if maybe she overstepped her bounds. Then his fingers curled around hers.
She scanned his face, but his eyes wouldn't meet her's. She smiled. They didn't need to.
It might not be the confession that she had seen so many times in her dreams. Juvia smiled contently as he continued to pretend his hand wasn't entwined with hers.
No, it definitely wasn't a confession. But it was a start.
With a short, surprised yelp, she found herself being pulled off of her stool, hand in hand with the man she loved guiding her to the request board.