Hello, it's been a while. If you've been waiting for this chapter then I am very sorry it took so long, and if you haven't, then happy reading! Well, happy reading regardless.
Finally, after the hype of seeing Juvia's breasts had settled, her accidental 'nip slip' being a thing of the past – in Juvia's hopeful mind at least – Mirajane had gathered a few people and suggested they play some drinking games. Juvia, wanting nothing more than to forget the entire afternoon happened, was more than up for the chance to drink excessively and call it a 'game', but to drink meant to lose, and she found herself stuck between her pride and the want to forget.
Juvia played alongside Bixslow, Mirajane, Loke, and Cana; their questions were along the lines of sexual experiences so Juvia sat with a smug grin, five fingers in the air, and her cup untouched. That was until the last person she wanted to see snuck up behind her.
"Gray, long time no see," Loke grinned.
"Yeah, man, good to see you, too." Gray greeted with a lopsided grin, easing into the hot tub beside Juvia. His arm grazed hers and when he was seated, he threw an arm over her shoulder to give them more room, and Juvia nearly died of a heart attack. "What's happening over here?"
"We're playing a game." Mirajane smiled sweetly, however Juvia couldn't look her in the eye at the minute. Not with her newfound knowledge. To say the least, Mirajane was definitely losing.
"Yeah, what's the game?"
"Never Have I Ever," Cana answered with challenging grin. "You want to get in on this? Juvia hasn't lost once."
Juvia noticed his eyes trail to her and she avoided his gaze, hiding her untouched cup behind her. Gray was familiar with Juvia's need to win, but as much as he enjoyed working alongside her, she knew he liked toying with her just as much.
"Yeah, alright." He answered, smug. "Seems a little small for just the six of us. I'll be back, I'll go grab Natsu."
"No, no," Juvia cut in quickly. "Gray-sama doesn't have to do that, six is plenty."
"Something wrong, Juvia?" Bixslow taunted, smirking. "You're a little jumpy."
"I'm fine," she pressed, pinching her knuckles from habit. Having not only one, but two of her best friends playing against her would serve as a great hindrance, especially with their competitive nature. "Just… uh," she had no proper reason to protest, other than she simply wanted to win. She quickly glanced at Mirajane, and then the hot tub, and then anything else for an idea. Any idea. "The, uh… water. The water will, uh, overflow with more people, right? And you just bought it. You wouldn't want the water… going everywhere."
Mirajane waved a hand. "It'll be fine! There's still plenty of room," she assured her with a smile. Juvia smiled a tight, fake kind of smile in return, but Mira's curious eyes were following something beyond Juvia's shoulder, and slowly her eyes widened, followed by her mouth, and then she shouted: "Oh, it's Natsu! Natsu! Over here!"
"What?" Juvia gasped.
"Shit," Cana smiled, unbelievingly amused by the situation. "It's really him."
Juvia slumped in her seat and slowly encased herself in the warm water, like if she tried hard enough, the substance would rid her mistakes. Bixslow's entire face lit up in amusement, and Loke commented: "That's funny, but not entirely unexpected. We're all attending the same party after all."
"Yeah, but it's the timing," Cana replied.
"Ah, that is true. Timing is perfect." He lifted his beer to her. "But not as perfect as your unique mind."
She cringed, inching away from Loke so she was almost out of the hot tub. "Leave me and my unique mind alone."
"Well, Never Have I Ever thought that would happen," Gray joked as Natsu arrived with a bottle in each hand. Juvia elbowed him but sucked in her cheeks to prevent a smile.
"Don't," Cana snapped at Gray. "Your puns aren't welcome here. This is an anti-pun hot tub."
"Natsu," Mirajane smiled, cutting off any chance for Gray to respond to Cana's jabs. "Would you like to play our game?"
"Uh…" he cast a quizzing glance at Gray who nodded, assuring him this was something he'd want to do, but as hard as he tried, Natsu wasn't entirely getting the message. "I… sure?"
Gray rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll fill you in, just get in."
Natsu waited a second, pondering, before he climbed in-between Cana and Gray. Gray leaned in and whispered into his ear, and unfortunately Juvia couldn't see Natsu's expression thanks to Gray's wonderfully toned, broad shoulders, but when he leaned back and Natsu was in her line of sight, grinning at her like a mischievous child, the small light of hope inside her diminished.
"I'm so in, bring it on!" Natsu exclaimed, determined and excited as he handed one of the bottles to Loke. "Here, everyone can fill their cups with this. It's mixed; I've got two more in my bag."
"Natsu, my man!" Cana cheered.
"What is it?" Loke asked as he unclasped the lid, but it was snatched out of his hands before he could sniff the liquid.
"Who gives a shit," Bixslow, who stole the bottle, eagerly poured the substance into his cup. "We'll find out when you lose."
Loke lifted a brow. "When I lose?"
Bixslow smirked to himself and handed the bottle to Juvia, and she passed it to Gray since her cup was full from her previous win. "Uh, I don't have a cup," he told Juvia.
Juvia shrugged a shoulder and toyed with a lock of hair. "Guess Gray-sama can't play."
He chuckled and ran his tongue across his front teeth. "Alright. So you're going to play like that, are you?"
"Like what?" she teased. Juvia knew this wouldn't prohibit Gray from participating, but joking around with him always gave her the most wonderful butterflies. "Gray-sama can't really play without something to drink from."
She was startled when a flying red object zoomed across the hot tub and collided with Gray's nose. An automatic laugh shot out of her like a reflex, but her amusement died down when Gray teasingly shook the item in his hand. A red cup.
"There," said Bixslow, catching her attention. "Now fill it up and let's get started."
"Is there another one for Natsu?" Mirajane asked.
"I'm drinkin' out the bottle," he declared, smirking, and raised the second bottle.
Cana lifted her drink to him. "There's no better way."
"Alright, let's get this thing started already," Bixslow smirked, leaning forward. "I'll even take the liberty of going first: Never Have I Ever had sex in someone else's car."
From participating in the previous round, Juvia wasn't surprised to see Mirajane and Loke sipping from their cups, unlike Gray who sat with his mouth wide open, horrified.
"Okay, my turn," Mirajane smiled sweetly. "Never Have I Ever measured my penis."
Natsu choked on what Juvia guessed was his own spit, and Gray's hands flew to cover his cute, reddening face. "What kind of question is that?" Natsu shouted, flustered and blushing.
Mirajane, taking no threat toward Natsu's exclaim, smiled sweetly, contrasting his chaotically distressed aura. "If you don't want to answer the question and properly play the game, then you're free to leave."
Natsu paused. Juvia wasn't sure whether she meant leave the hot tub or leave the party, and with it being Mirajane, both outcomes were possible. Natsu, also considering this, gradually sat back down and mumbled an apology.
Despite the question not being aimed at Juvia, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed with extremely heated cheeks, and yet she found herself ogling as all boys, with faces like her own, sipped at their drinks. That meant… Gray-sama has…
"Alright, cool, my question," Loke grinned. "Never Have I Ever had sex on a school trip."
"On a school trip?" Juvia questioned, finding it impossible to find the time and the desire to sneak away without teachers noticing a student's absence, but when she saw Mirajane and Bixslow have another swig of the drink, her tone changed. "On a school trip?!"
Mirajane waved a hand, and the corners of Bixslow's mouth turned upwards as he ruffled Juvia's locks. "What's the big deal?" Bixslow teased. "It's just a bit of fun."
Gray chuckled disbelievingly. "Really? You know you're asking a soon-to-be-teacher why students having sex on a school excursion is a bad thing, yeah?
"You think she'd never do that?"
Gray frowned in confusion. "Have sex on an excursion? No, I just said that."
"Not as a student, idiot, as a teacher. Maybe with, I don't know, a principle?"
Juvia ignored Gray's questionable side-glance because she was too busy glaring at Bixslow, and wondering if spontaneous human combustion was a real thing. Of course Erza's explicit, and unrealistic, imagination was going to be a topic of conversation in the hot tub. Between Cana and Bixslow, a change of conversation wouldn't be any time soon, and it wasn't until she noticed she had Loke's undivided attention that he wasn't going to let it go either.
"Hm. Juvia wearing one of those tight, white blouses' that expose a red lacy bra would be extravagant. Oh, and add some black rimmed glasses, and red lipstick, and then she's slowly eating an apple… wait, no, a lollipop she convesgated from a student…" Juvia's hands covered her chest when he leaned forward, his eyes greedily studying her body. "Oh my. You're right; I can totally see the teacher thing now. And I don't think I've ever said this before, but you have a wonderful body, Juvia."
"Right?!" Cana was ecstatic someone else was aboard the Juvia-teacher-scandal. "Throw in some fish net stockings and there's the whole package."
"Package?" Bixslow smirked. Juvia inwardly sighed at the pun.
"No, no. We have to be careful. Juvia's body is a work of art, but right now we're dressing her up for some cheesy porno," Loke commented.
"What the hell are you guys on about?" Raged Natsu. "This is Juvia we're talking about!"
"What do you mean?" Loke asked.
"Juvia wouldn't – Juvia isn't," Natsu fumbled, aggressively confused as he tugged at his hair, frustrated. "I don't know what this-this teacher thing is all about, but Juvia – no, she can't – that's – it's weird! It's Juvia."
"I think we should address her as Ms Lockser from now on."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Juvia intervened before it could go any further. Her face was flushed a deep red and she was hiding behind her cup, embarrassed. "Can we just continue with the game?"
"What's this teacher thing?" Gray asked her, a slight edge to his tone.
Juvia had trouble meeting his eyes, not wanting to meet his stare. She pinched her knuckles and stuttered out a response. "Um, J-Juvia will tell Gray-sama… later."
His brows knitted together and he crossed his arms over his chest. "How come I'm the only one left in the dark?"
"Oi, I don't know what they're going on about either," Natsu threw his hands in the air.
"It's just something Erza-san came up with," Juvia told them. "And, well, she won't let it go. It's really nothing, just her imagination going wild."
Juvia was surprised to see Gray's features soften as he chuckled, using the arm draped over her shoulders to pull her against him. "Erza. Enough said, I know what kind of crap that girl can get into her head," he said fondly, and then more softly in ear, "Um… sorry."
Juvia's heart swelled ten times its size. She took advantage of this moment and cozied into his side, everything inside her swimming in delight by being pressed to his warm skin. To do this every day with him casually would be surreal.
"Alright, motherfuckers, as much as I love talking about how hot Juvia is, there's something I love more than that, and that's getting people drunk, so…" Cana leaned forward, her eyes glazed from drinking, "Never Have I Ever kissed someone who was in a relationship."
Loke and Bixslow both drank from their cups.
"No surprises there," Gray commented.
"Finally, my turn! I've been sittin' on this one for a while." Natsu's eyes darted to Juvia as the corner of his mouth turned up, and then he sent Gray a knowing look before saying: "Never Have I Ever drunk dialled my old man and said I wanted to become a ventriloquist."
Juvia almost jumped out of the hot tub. "Natsu!" She exclaimed as everyone fell into a fit of laughter. Heat crept into her cheeks and she slumped back into the hot tub, hiding her face behind her hands. Gray squeezed her shoulder and she would've found it comforting if he weren't still laughing.
"What?!" Bixslow barked a laugh. "A fucking ventriloquist? Really?"
"Isn't that the thing with the puppets?" Cana questioned with amusement lacing her tone.
"Juvia was drunk!" she defended and pointed an accusing finger at the pink haired sell-out. "It was all Natsu-san's fault."
That snapped him out of it. "Oi! Quit blamin' me for that! I tried telling you it was a bad idea!"
"Natsu-san gave Juvia the drink's in the first place!"
Natsu scoffed and crossed his arms. "I bought it for you because you didn't know what you wanted to study in college, and you were freakin' out! It worked; you calmed down… kinda."
"Natsu-san said Juvia should consider ventriloquism, so I did!" She retorted, but betrayed herself when the corners of her mouth lifted into the smallest grin. Dammit.
"You're smiling!" Mirajane noticed.
"J-Juvia is not," she lied, covering her mouth with her hands. Gray immediately pried her hands away with great difficultly but she gave in when she realized he was literally all around her. His legs somehow rested atop her thighs and his warm chest was pressed against her shoulder and bicep, and with his arm still slung around her shoulder, his body was literally surrounding her. Suddenly the heat of the water and steam and Gray was way too much.
"You are smiling!" Gray chuckled warmly when he let go of her wrists, affection glowing in his eyes. "I knew it."
"Time to drink," Loke pointed.
"Whatever," Juvia pouted, ignoring the warmth in her chest and butterflies in her stomach. She had a decent mouthful. It went down her throat smoothly and everyone cheered when she finished, and then with great reluctance, she said, "okay, its Gray-sama's turn."
She knew he was looking at her and she absolutely refused to meet his stare. "Alright," he grinned, "Never Have I Ever thought flamingos were mythical creatures."
"Gray-sama!" Juvia shouted instantly, pinching his side as everyone began to laugh all over again. "You—agh! Juvia will get you back!" she promised as she sculled her drink. Fine, if she was going down, she was taking them down with her. She didn't wait for everyone to settle down and got straight into it, determined. "Okay, so it's Juvia's turn. Never Have I Ever…" she smirked, "been a boy."
Natsu paused, staring like he couldn't quite hear her. "What?"
"Does that even count?" Gray asked.
"I don't see why not," Mirajane replied.
"Drink up, boys!" Cana cheered, and after great reluctance, they did. The game continued on like that until two full circles later, Juvia realized she had an ace up her sleeve that would certainly give her the upper hand. From their previous match, Natsu had to do one thing Juvia told him to, so ordered him to work alongside her and bring Gray down, and not surprisingly, Natsu gladly sided with her despite Gray's heated protests.
As time went on people joined and some left, and a half hour later Lucy came running to Juvia's side with a mobile phone, a towel, and her over shirt. She was out of breath, and trying her hardest to be serious when she was definitely drunk. "Juvia! There you are," she gasped, doubling over to catch her breath. "Your phone's been ringing non-stop. It's your dad."
Juvia's heart stopped and she immediately tried climbing out of the hot tub, but her hands slipped against the slippery edge and both Gray and Lucy reached out to catch her. Juvia blinked, trying to sort out her head and focus on her second attempt to exit the hot tub successfully.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, concerned.
"Hmm," Juvia hummed, steadying herself before throwing a leg over the edge. Gray's large hands held her waist firmly but instead of being helpful, his warm, strong hold served as a distraction. Lucy placed her belongings on the ground and grasped Juvia's forearms, pulling as Gray lifted Juvia successfully out of the tub. Gray jumped out after her, stumbling slightly, but was much quicker.
"Here," Lucy said, giving Juvia her mobile.
"What happened?" Gray asked Juvia when she looked at her screen. It was bright and the lines blurred together, so she brought it closer and focused all her attention to reading her notifications.
7 missed calls from: Father.
1 message from: Father.
"Juvia?" Gray called her name again, but she ignored him and unlocked her phone to check the message.
Darling, I have some news. Call me back when you can
Juvia inhaled deeply and rubbed her eyes. Of all nights, it just had to be tonight. She had a general idea why he wanted to speak to her so urgently, but she didn't want to jump into any conclusions.
"Uh, it's just father," she told Gray, who wasn't pleased with her ignoring him. She accepted the towel from Lucy and wrapped it around her body.
"Is it about Gajeel?" Lucy asked when she didn't offer more information.
"He didn't say," she replied. Juvia motioned to her phone, "Juvia's going to take a walk and call him back."
Gray grasped her elbow, his stare hard as his death grip. "You're not going for a walk at night, especially when you're drunk."
"It's noisy here," she told him.
"It's quiet inside."
"Juvia wants air."
"There's plenty of air inside."
She was touched he cared for her safety, but she really couldn't deal with the possibility of being so close to all these intoxicated people if her father gave bad news, especially when she was drunk, too. Juvia could be a very emotional drunk and a very angry one at that too. "Fresh air," she pressed. "Juvia will only be ten minutes."
He scoffed. "I don't give a shit. I'm coming with you."
"Gray-sama—"
"I don't care what you say, I'm not letting you walk around by yourself," Gray argued. He snatched the shirt from Lucy's grasp and tossed it to Juvia. "Put it on and let's go."
Something angry burned deep in the pit of her stomach, and it took her a second to calm down and remember this was all from the good of his heart. Gray was incredibly protective over the people he cared about, but Juvia didn't appreciate how she was being talked to right now.
"Gray-sama," she said his name in an exhale, the calmest way she could despite reaching the end of her tolerance. "Juvia will be on the phone with father the entire time, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll call you or Lucy—"
"You're kidding, right?" he cut her off, glaring at her disbelievingly. "You've got to be fucking joking."
Her eyes narrowed. Lucy quickly stood between the two, lightly pushing Gray in the other direction. "Gray, it'll be fine. She'll just be outside."
His eye's widened with fury when his gaze locked with Lucy's. "Are you fucking thick?!" he snapped. A muscle in his jaw twitched as his body locked up with rage, and there was a fire in his eyes Juvia didn't recognise, but it ignited one of her own. "For fucks sake, I cannot believe we're even having this fucking discussion."
Juvia was about to snap at him when her phone started buzzing in her hand. She lifted the device and across the screen was written:
Dad Calling…
She shook her head and went to leave. She didn't have time to argue with Gray, not when Gajeel could be involved. Someone grasped at her elbow and forcefully pulled her back so she stumbled over her two feet, but quickly regained her footing.
"Don't just walk away from me when I'm talking to you," Gray fumed. "We're not finished."
"You've got to be joking if you thought just then was a 'discussion'." She snapped back, and then the buzzing in her hand stopped. She stared at her phone and her eyes welled up with tears. This was too becoming too much. She didn't want to be fighting with her best friend, she just wanted to call her father and see if everything was alright. "Gray, please," she begged him, her sudden change of tone catching him off-guard for a moment. "Please, just let me talk to him."
His eyes softened, but she could tell he wasn't willing to let her go just yet. "Can't I just go with you?"
Her phone vibrated again and they both looked at the device in her hand. It was him again. "Gray, this has to be important. I swear to call you as soon as I'm finished."
He pressed his lips together and sighed deeply. "Promise?" he asked, and by the tone of his voice he didn't stand by her request, but agreed regardless.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and promised him she would. The hug was brief and when she let him go, she answered her father's call and raced outside, careful not to run into anyone or anything.
"Thank the lord. Is everything alright, my darling?" her father asked through the phone, his voice laced with worry. "You haven't been answering, I got worried."
"Juvia's fine," she mumbled, trying her best not to slur. "Just at a party."
"Hm, I hope you're being safe," he told her, and she could almost see his disapproving glare. "Are you with that roommate of yours?"
She sighed and rubbed her temples. "You know his name, father. Please use it."
He clicked his tongue, and she rolled her eyes. "I just hope you're making the right decisions."
"Father," Juvia said through clenched teeth. "Juvia doubts you called to ask about Gray-sama. What's going on? Is it Gajeel?"
His sigh was heavy and it did nothing to settle Juvia's chaotic nerves. "I had a lead."
"Had?"
"Yeah. He was last seen in a small town five hours east from you. We were so close, Juvia. I even located his hideaway, but by the time my buddies got there the place was completely trashed." He explained.
"Was it definitely where he was staying?" she asked.
"Some items were discovered. Clothes, books, some food; all of it seemed like something he'd own."
Juvia stopped in her tracks. "That's hardly enough to—"
"I wasn't finished, darling." He interrupted. She could hear the strain in his voice, how tired he was, so she quickly apologised and asked him to continue. "They found drugs, enough to send him away for a very long time."
"Father—"
"And they found a gun. His prints were all over it," he told her. Her heart sunk so quickly she had to sit down on the curb, staring down at her feet dumbfounded. "I didn't tell the detectives why I requested their help, but I assure you, daughter, they will remain silent about what they found."
"And how could you possibly know that?"
"Because they owe me a few no-questions-asked," he replied, stoic. If that was an attempt to make her feel better, it didn't work. "I promise I will find your brother."
Before she knew it, a single tear had fallen down her cheek and splashed onto the road. "It's been two years. I don't think he wants to be found," she said sadly, staring up at the obnoxiously large moon. She wondered if Gajeel was gazing at the stars, too. Stargazing was something they always did on a full moon as kids.
"I'll find that asshole, even if I have to dress up like some prostitute to do it," he chuckled.
She laughed lightly, wiping away a tear. "Yeah, okay."
"I love you, darling," he said softly. "Sorry for ruining your night."
"I love you, too, father," she smiled sadly.
"Make sure to visit your old man sometime soon," he added quickly.
"I'd like that. I should probably go. Goodnight."
"Okay, goodnight, darling."
She sighed and hung up the phone. She ran her fingers through her locks and tugged at the ends, focusing on her breathing. She hated this, not knowing where her brother was, and forcing her father to break his retirement to search for his delinquent, trouble making son. How could somebody be so selfish?
They may not be a family related by blood, but the bond the trio shared was something unbreakable, and she knew her father would continue searching for him even if it drove him to his grave.
This was too much to think about. Juvia decided to worry about this tomorrow and enjoy herself tonight, but she still needed time before she could return to her loud, bubbly friends. She dialled Gray's number and filled him in on what her father had just told her. He was worried for her. She knew he wasn't that concerned with Gajeel's wellbeing because of how he treated her in the past, he had told her multiple times, but he still assured her he'd be okay.
She told him she wasn't ready to return to a party in full swing, and after arguing and Juvia faking a cry, he agreed to let her walk around if she remained on the phone with him.
Juvia enjoyed strolling through the streets past midnight. She found peacefulness in empty roads and she relished the freedom of wandering the white panted lines in the middle of them, her thoughts and worries gone along with the noise and usual crowd. There was something about it. Juvia was constantly swimming in a pool of people, and she loved her life and her friends more than anything, but sometimes she needed a break.
"Gray-sama, I'm back," she said when she returned to the right address, however as she was walking across the front lawn she noticed a strangely long lump on the ground. She paused when it moved and rolled over, moaning and groaning, then as she got closer she noticed shoes, pants, a shirt and scarf, and a body: Natsu. "Uh, Natsu-san's on the front lawn."
"Really? Natsu?"
"Yeah," she almost laughed. Natsu was sprawled out on the grass with an arm draped over his eyes and a bottle in the other; she was confused. Natsu was a well-known extrovert, so being secluded of his own accord with a party just over the fence went against his characteristics. "Um, Juvia's just going to make sure he's alright. I'll only be ten minutes."
"You sure?" he sounded hesitant. "Do you want me to come outside?"
"It'll be fine," she assured him.
He sighed, but agreed. "Alright, ten minutes. Levy and Erza are kicking everyone's asses at beer pong and I need help putting them in their place."
She giggled, a blush making its way to her cheeks. "Sure thing, Gray-sama. I'll see you soon."
"Bye."
She hung up the phone, her heart fluttering wildly. Of course now she couldn't wait to get back to the party, but there was something she needed to take care of first. "Natsu-san?" She called out, walking closer. "Everything alright?"
"Mhmm…yeah, I'm fine," he slurred but his tone told her otherwise.
"How drunk are you?" She halted at his feet, and he peeked up at her.
"Not very," he murmured, but it was clearly a lie when he brought the bottle to his lips with the lid still on. A low growl rumbled from the back of his throat. "Ah, fuck. Can you take the cap-thingie off?"
Juvia laughed and sat beside him. She unclasped the bottle then he took a quick swig, and then he offered it to her. She accepted the drink – thankfully it was premixed – and they swapped it back and forth in silence until only half the bottle remained. She leaned back on her elbows, her head swirling as she watched the stars multiply in the sky. They were very pretty tonight, and it reminded her of her brother. "The stars are cool," she told him. She wiggled her toes when her legs tingled. "Juvia likes the thought of what lies in space."
"Aliens should just come down to Earth already," said Natsu. "I mean, why wait. If they're goin' to blow us up, then damn, they should just do it already."
"But what about the friendly ones," she whispered slowly, her eyelids falling shut. Grass is comfortable. A bed made of grass would be wondrous.
"Fuck the friendly ones," he swore loudly. He slowly sat up and flicked her cheek when he realised her eyes were glued shut. Her lids flickered open and her vision was hazy, but he continued on with his speech, trying to get his message across to her. "They're all evil, radioactive, fuckin' four eyed laser shooters who'll demand to see our leader," he told her. Juvia found herself nodding off at his words. Somehow hearing Natsu talk so passionately about aliens and the possible destruction of the universe soothed her. "Tell you what, Juvia; I'm sure as hell not waitin' around for them to destroy the world."
"Natsu vs aliens?" she sniggered, peeking up at him.
He glared at her. "You makin' fun of me?"
"No way in the world," she said but a giggle escaped her at the last second. "The aliens, however… Juvia can't vouch for them."
He cringed at her pun and lay down beside her. "That was terrible," he said seriously.
"Sorry," she smiled. When he didn't say anything else she rested her head on his shoulder. "You sure nothings bothering you?"
"I said I'm fine." He grunted and turned his cheek.
She giggled and stretched her arms so they rested atop his face, something that would guarantee a reaction. Hopefully a good one. Juvia wasn't experienced with Natsu's drunken rage, or depression, unlike Lucy. Usually it was the cheerful blonde who'd comfort him when he was feeling down, and typically he would seek her out in his time of need, but for some reason tonight he didn't and so Juvia brought it upon herself to change his mood.
She blindly sought for his nose and once it was found, she caught it between her fingers and pinched until he shouted at her to stop. "Tell me what's wrong!" she cried out between laughs.
"Get off!" he warned, but she couldn't take him seriously with his nasal voice. "Juvia!"
"Natsu," she shouted back. "Talk to me!"
"There's nothing to – would you let my fuckin' nose go!" He snapped. His hands clasped around her wrists and he wrenched them away rather forcefully, glaring at her with such venom she faltered, worried she had overstepped a boundary. Oh, god. She had never seen him so angry at her before. She should've realized this before. He was obviously out here for some peace and quiet and she came out here and made him feel even worse than before. She of all people should've understood that.
She inched back with tearful eyes. "Ah, Juvia's sorry." She said feebly while balancing on her knees. Trying to stand on her two feet was harder than she anticipated, and she felt like such an idiot. She was almost upright but she stumbled backwards until her back smacked hard against something flat and strong.
She pressed her palms against the rough surface. After a few moments of confused fondling, she recognised her saving grace as an incredibly large tree. "Thanks, tree," she murmured. She pats the bark one last time steadily eased herself into a standing position.
"Juvia, wait," Natsu called from the ground, previous venom gone but replaced with frustrated concern. "Sit back down. We just drank most of that bottle."
"Don't worry, Juvia feels fine," she assured him. To prove a point she slowly pushed herself from the tree and took two slow and steady steps, and then looked down at him with a smug smile as if to say I-told-you-so. "Did ya see that?"
Natsu propped himself on his elbows, unimpressed, but smirking. "It looks like you're walking a tight rope."
"Juvia could probably do that too with all these excellent walking skills," she boasted.
"All?" called a deep voice meters away. "Pretty sure walking doesn't require more than one 'skill'."
Juvia's face brightened at the sight of Gray swaggering toward them. "Gray-sama!" She exclaimed sweetly. "What are you doing out here?"
"Looking for you," he frowned. "You said you'd be ten minutes a half hour ago."
Juvia's heart swelled that not only did he notice her absence, but he brought it upon himself to look for her. He truly was the most amazing man. "Sorry for taking so long," she smiled at him. "Juvia was with Natsu-san."
Gray's eyes drifted to the pink haired man as he eventually climbed to his feet. "Lucy's been looking for you," he told him, lifting his chin.
"Oh, really? Okay…" Natsu raked his fingers through his dishevelled hair and looked as if he was trying to keep his face placid, and failing miserably. "Um, you can just tell her I went home. I think I'm just gonna call a cab anyways."
Gray stared at him questionably for some time and when he realized he'd get no explanation for his weird demeanour, he said, "Well, I was thinking about going home soon, too." He turned to Juvia. "Or we can stay longer. I don't mind."
Everything inside of her wanted to jump around and shout 'I love Gray Fullbuster' over and over again until her lungs burnt out or he kissed her. Oh, god, what would that be like? A Gray Fullbuster kiss… Juvia had only imagined it when she saw him in the mornings, and at night, and every time in-between.
She clapped her hands and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Let's go home, Gray-sama," she said dreamily.
He shifted and slowly untangled her limps from his body. "That's good, because I already called a cab."
She couldn't stop smiling even as she focused on not plummeting to the ground, however there was something she almost forgot to ask him. She drew nearer and Gray, noting the look in her eye that said I-have-a-plan-you-might-not-agree-with, met her halfway and steadied her by gripping her elbows.
Enjoying the feeling of being touched by Gray, she sought out more by wrapping her hands around his toned and hard forearms, and she was lost in the light swimming in his eyes. God, he was beautiful.
"Juvia?"
"Mhmm?" she hummed.
"How much have you had to drink?"
She shook her head at him. No, she had something to ask him and she was getting off track. "Nothing. Juvia thinks—"
"Nothing? Now that's bullshit."
"Okay, Juvia had some of something," she corrected quickly, "That's not the point. We should let Natsu-san sleepover."
His brows drew together and his mouth twisted in distaste. "What?"
Juvia glanced behind at Natsu, who was downing the bottle and stopped every few seconds when the burn was too much, and turned back to Gray. "Natsu-san's drunk and sad. He should have a sleepover at our place to cheer him up."
"You're drunk," he stressed, shaking her shoulders so she would focus on him. "I don't think I have the energy to keep track of both of you."
"Everything'll be fine," she assured him, shaking him back. A small smile played at his lips and she fought the urge to caress his cheek. "We can camp out in the lounge room."
"No, no. No-fucking-way," Gray demurred, letting her go and folding his arms.
Her mouth fell open. "Why?" she whined.
"I'm not sleeping in the lounge room when I have my own bed," he justified.
"Gray-sama," she pouted, grasping his wrists. "It'll be so much fun! We can watch movies—"
"I hate movies," he deadpanned.
Juvia paused and her mouth fell open as she was caught off-guard for a moment. He did hate movies. "U-Um, okay, we can watch that TV show that just came out. Or that basketball game? Juvia remembered to tape it."
He thought about it for a second. "It's not a bad idea, but I don't want to watch it if Natsu's either going to be snoring or vomiting the entire time."
"I can hear your fuckin' shit talk from here, asshole," Natsu cussed, tossing the almost empty bottle near the curb. He stumbled toward them with a dangerous fire in his eyes and tightly closed fists, stopping a few feet away he pulled his shoulders back and lifted his chin, but there was an inescapable air of dejection around him that Juvia couldn't ignore. "I'm goin' home. My home."
"Natsu-san, wait," she called out but he was already heading off in the other direction – the wrong direction to his house, if she recalled correctly. "Natsu-san!"
"Oi, dumbass! You don't live that way!"
Natsu spun around in fury. He opened his mouth and suddenly collapsed onto his knees, vomiting into the grass, surprising them all.
The second Juvia saw bile projecting from his mouth a steady flow of saliva coated her tongue and spilled past her lips, so she pushed Gray away and stumbled behind the tree and fell to her knees as a forceful amount of whatever-was-in-Juvia's-stomach splattered atop of Mirajane's beautiful roses. "No… not the roses," she cried. Her eyes brimmed with tears and a second wave coursed through her with such force she swore one of the stems snapped.
She remained out of sight behind the tree for a few minutes until she heard Gray's voice. "Are you okay, Juvia?"
"Stay away," she warned him. She crawled backwards and coughed into the ground, wheezing and groaning. "Juvia hates everything…"
A hand appeared in front of her face as she wiped the corners of her mouth. "C'mon," it was Gray. She looked up and saw Natsu's arm draped over his shoulders. Surprisingly he was still managing to stand, with Gray's help. Somehow Natsu hadn't passed out, but his head continued lolling from one side to the other. "We're going home."
She was upset Gray had seen her in this state, but with their long history it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Juvia didn't take his hand since she was sure the unpleasant stickiness of her bile remained glued to her fingers, so she utilised the tree for support until she was standing on her two feet. "Is Natsu-san coming home, too?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sleeping on the couch," he told her.
"Gray-sama can always bunk with Juvia," she said dreamily.
He leaned down and his lips brushed her ear, and her heart stopped. "If you want to sleep with me, you're gonna have to try harder than that," he whispered, his raspy voice sending jolts all throughout her body in the most inappropriate way. When he stood straight Juvia couldn't look him in the eye, let alone close her mouth or utter any witty response. He turned around. "C'mon, taxi's here. Or do I have to carry you, too?"
"Mhmm… you're not… fuckin' carryin' me," Natsu muttered. "Let's go, Juvi."
Juvia silently followed them. Did that really just happen? Or was she imagining things all over again? Damnit, why did he say something like that when she was drunk and probably covered in her own vomit? Just… be cool. , just chill out. Casual. Gray's a casual kind of guy.
So… I'll just be a casual kind of girl, she told herself.
Juvia stood in the kitchen mixing something in a bowl. She couldn't remember how she had gotten to this point, and the only thing she recalled was craving Fanta and Coca Cola, and she couldn't choose between the two. Gray was somewhere inside the house with Natsu, probably finding something for him to wear and setting up the couch for him.
Juvia, though, was trying to act casual. In the taxi she stole Natsu's sunglasses and wore them despite the darkness outside. Cool people wore sunglasses all the time, and neither Gray nor Natsu found weird at all, but because no one talked to her she accidently fell asleep in the car. It wasn't until she heard the sounds of Natsu puking as he was exiting the cab did she came back to earth.
"Juvia, did you wash Natsu's clothes from the other week?" Gray shouted through the house.
She froze. Okay, Juvia, this is your chance. You fell asleep in the cab, but it's okay, he didn't notice. Act cool. "Uh, yeah, man, it's in my bottom left drawer!" she called back. Okay. Okay, alright, that was cool. Wait. Bottom left? Shit, shit, no… that was where she stores all her sanitary towels. "No, no! Bottom right! The right side, not the left!"
"You sure?"
Shit, she lost him. That wasn't cool at all. I need to remind him that I'm chill. "Yeah, bro!"
"Juvia, what the fuck?" Natsu shouted from the other room. "Why are you so—fucking, shit. No—"
"Fuck! No, you dumbass! Not on her—shit. Shit, shit, shit. Juvia!"
"M'sorry, Juvia!"
Juvia dropped her mixing spoon and hurried to her bedroom, still holding the bowl. When she arrived at her doorway Natsu's entire front was covered in his vomit, and so were her bedsheets. Natsu was still vomiting all over her cot and she had to get away, fearful his sounds would trigger her own sickness.
Gray followed her out of the room, groaning and pulling at his hair in frustration. "Shit, I'm sorry; I didn't think he'd throw up all over your bedding."
"It's—"
"I'm so sorry, Juvi!" Natsu called out from her bedroom.
She sighed but smiled into her hand. "It's fine!" she shouted back, and then she looked at Gray and said: "It's really fine, it's not—"
"Are you sure?" yelled Natsu.
The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile, but Gray was only growing frustrated with him. "She said it's fine, dumbass! So shut up, we have neighbours!"
"Fuck you, Gray!"
"Don't," Juvia said quickly before Gray was about to retort, and she could tell he didn't believe her when she assured him it was okay. "It really is fine. There are worse things than vomit."
Gray cringed. "You're not thinking of actually sleeping in that bed?"
"No way," Juvia replied. She spun around and walked toward her bedroom. Be cool. Be cool. Be cool. "Juvia's going to sleep with Gray-sama tonight."
She was surprised to hear him chuckle, closely following her into her bedroom. "You seem quite confident about that."
She shrugged and got Natsu's spare t-shirt out of her drawers. "Either Juvia share's a small couch with Natsu-san or a double bed with Gray-sama," she smirked at him over her shoulder. Be cool. "It's purely for comfort."
He chuckled at the doorway. "Sure."
Sure? Was that it? Was that a yes?
"Alright. Natsu, get off your ass and into the shower." Gray said as he made his way over to the nearly passed out man. He lifted his arm over his shoulder and hauled him to his feet, struggling under the deadweight. He looked to Juvia. "I'll get this guy cleaned. You strip the bed and get the couch ready for him."
"Sure," she handed him Natsu's clothes.
She quickly cleaned her room, putting her sheets and everything with vomit in the washing machine. She set up the couch and once that was done, she grabbed her pyjamas and helped Gray with getting Natsu to the couch when he finished up in the shower. She placed towels around him where possible vomit could land, and then had a shower of her own.
Gray went in straight after and said he'd meet her in his room and left before he could see her flustered expression. She checked on Natsu one last time, and then went into his room and lay on his bed, stiff as a board from nerves. Gray came in fifteen minutes later and lay beside her; the bed was big enough for them not to touch but occasionally their arms would brush against each other.
They struck conversation, and Gray even opened another beer as they talked about whatever crossed their minds, but there was something Juvia needed to ask. "Gray-sama…"
"Hm?"
"Um, Juvia was just wondering… why Gray-sama was so… concerned with the teacher thing." She could understand him getting angry when he was being protective, but she couldn't piece together why he would act so negatively toward something like that. It didn't make sense, not unless he had feelings similar too her own. And now she had enough courage to ask him about.
"I… uh, I guess… uh, this is embarrassing. Don't worry about it," he dismissed, but there was no way in hell Juvia was going to give up now.
She sat up on the bed and leaned toward him. "No! Gray-sama must tell Juvia!
"W-Why?!" he stuttered, sitting up. "It's not important!"
"It might be important to Juvia," she responded, determined and hopeful.
"It's not, trust me." He lay back down, and said more softly, "I was just being stupid."
Juvia stared at him for a long time. Stupid? How could this man possibly think himself as stupid? He was one of the brightest people she knew. "Gray-sama's not stupid," she said quietly, but her voice was strong.
He laughed. "Yeah. I guess that idiot in our lounge rom is a pretty good reminder. Sorry I couldn't stop him from—"
"Don't try and change the subject," she cut him off. "Juvia's not stupid either."
"It's really nothing," he assured her.
Nothing? No. "It's not nothing when it's you."
He didn't say anything for a long time and she was worried she overstepped the line a second time tonight. She jumped when something warm wrapped tightly around her fingers, and then her entire body froze when she realized it was Gray. "You're great, you know?"
She blushed, too scared to move in case she would mess it up, but she still wanted her answer. "Distracting Juvia with flattery only works momentary, Gray-sama."
He sighed and squeezed her hand. And her heart. "Alright, fine, you worked for it." He turned to face her, and she followed his movement. "Okay. I… I was jealous, alright? There. You happy?"
Juvia's mouth fell open and her eyes welled with tears. "J-Jealous?" She swallowed what felt like her heart. She couldn't believe it. Gray was actually confessing to her properly. She pictured this moment a thousand times but she wasn't prepared like she was in her fantasies.
"Well, I know you, and I know you don't date or anything like that, and then suddenly Bixslow's implying you're sleeping around – not that that's a bad thing! But I was just… really angry," he confessed. It was dark but she could see him refusing to meet her eye, something he did when he was nervous.
"Gray-sama… I…" she wanted to tell him she loved him, that the feelings he harboured were shared and they could be together and be something bigger and stronger than what they were now, but Juvia was selfish and wanted to hear everything he felt tonight, and every night before that. She wanted to know how long he loved her like she did him, she even wanted to know the length of time their feelings were mutual and curse the days they could've been together, and then she wanted to kiss him for a very long time.
"I-I thought you were keeping things from me, not that you're obligated to tell me those things," he added quickly, "but I just thought you told me everything, and to think someone like Bixslow knew something so personal about you before I did. It got me angry."
"Okay…" she was confused. She wanted him to hurry to the confession part so they could kiss already, but she didn't want to push him.
"I just thought you didn't trust me," he continued, "and I got really jealous that you would tell him before me."
She waited for him to continue on with what else made him jealous tonight, but the longer the silence lingered she realized he said everything he intended to, and now he was waiting for her response to his confession. His jealous-friend-confession.
"Gray-sama was just… friend jealous?" she whispered disbelievingly to herself, fighting back a forceful wave of tears. Never had she felt such a strong emotion of sorrow, and now she wished she never wound up in this bed.
"Ugh, I told you I was being stupid," he groaned, embarrassed.
"You're not stupid." She assured him.
I am.
He squeezed her hand one last time and let go, and at that time she couldn't hold in her tears. "You're honestly the best friend I've ever had," he told her honestly, and she covered her face with her hands, careful not to let a single sob escape past her lips. "What a lucky bastard I am."
She sniffed and turned to her side, facing away from him. "Sure," she whimpered softly. "Goodnight."
So there it is! I'm not sure why I had Juvia so sad during this chapter...
Anyway, so here's the run down. Juvia and Gajeel are brother and sister, and in case you were wondering, Jose is their adoptive father. I'll get more into that as the chapters progress. Everything in this story happens for a reason, and if it doesn't, well then I probably forgot about it.
Also, just wanted to say this chapter took almost 3 months to make. I have massive insecurities with my writing and I can still see all the little flaws, but I decided it was about time I should post it. I bet you won't believe me, but I worked on this story almost every day of those three months, and I knew I had to post this chapter today... at 3 o'clock in the morning... anyway, the reason I'm saying this is because I'm not sure when I'll be updating next, but believe me when I saw I'm most likely working on it!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and thank you to those who reviewed! :D
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