Snow
There were footprints in the snow in front of his house.
It seemed as if they magically appeared from nowhere. Here was a path to his house with his own footprints – and no others were there. Then, just in front of his door, the other trail began – smaller than his own and going left, where the woods were.
It was strange, he thought. Would someone teleport here? Would someone fly?
Sinking in the snow with each step, he followed the trail.
It went down the path between heaps and heaps of snow, among woods all white and shiny, up to the hill, where in the middle of a large snow plain -
- she was just lying, a striking splash of blue amongst the endless white. Half buried in the snow, she was rising her hand to touch the snowflakes falling on her face.
Half puzzled, half mesmerized, he came quietly to sit by her side.
"Gray-sama," she greeted him with a smile, faint shade of red on her cheeks contrasting sharply with her skin, as white as snow.
He just looked at her, afraid to break the spell that turned her into the fairy queen of winter. Snowflakes were whirling down on her face, shining in her hair, melting on her nose. He winced.
"You're..." he hesitated. He knew he would regret saying this.
"What Juvia is?" she asked, smiling softly.
The most beautiful thing in the world right now, he thought.
"Nothing," he murmured, looking at his knees. His generous fairy didn't press him, though.
"Why are you here?" he asked, suddenly uncomfortable with the silence.
"Juvia saw Gray-sama's footprints in front of the guild," she said, turning her gaze to the sky. "And she wanted to check how her foot would fit into one. Then another, and another." She absent-mindedly drew abstract patterns in the snow. "And so it led her to Gray-sama's house, but she didn't thought he would like her to disturb him, so she came here instead."
There was something sad in it, he thought, but he wouldn't say it. "But lying down like this... Aren't you cold?" he asked instead.
She shook her head slowly, her eyes flickering with strange lights.
"How could Juvia be cold here?" she asked, smiling gently at him. "The snow is like ice and water together. It's like Juvia's and Gray-sama's love."
"Eh... What?" He felt sudden dizziness. How was she able to say those things with straight face? Or was he going crazy, imagining things?
"Like our love, Gray-sama."
"But... There's no such thing as... I-I... I don't..."
She hushed him quiet with her gaze, serious, affectionate, and daring. He wasn't able to hold it, so he just stared into the snow.
"Shouldn't..." he said, plunging his hand in the snow, feeling like a fool. "Shouldn't love be warm?" He cringed slightly when he heard himself saying this word.
"Is Gray-sama's love warm?"
"What- what kind of question is this..." And how could he answer that? He lied down in the snow too, to hide from her eyes.
"Well, Juvia doesn't really know the answer."
He just pressed his cheek into the snow, turning his head away from her. If he didn't say anything, maybe she would just change topic..?
"But if it's cold, Juvia is fine with it too," she said, and he could tell she was smiling even if he didn't see her. "Or if it's thorny, or painful, or sour. As long as it's Gray-sama's."
"What are you talking about, Juvia?" He stared into the snow where her face should be. "All the love should be warm. And nice, not any of those things."
"Is Gray-sama's love warm then?" Her hand wandered through the snow all the way to his and touched it, very gently. He didn't move, shocked that he fell into her trap again.
"I've got no such thing," He said finally, taking his hand away from her and crossing his arms on his chest.
"Gray-sama has no such thing as love?"
"Yeah," he told her, even though he felt something clenching on his guts. "I only got cold things inside me."
"Gray-sama is lying," she said through her smile.
"I'm not."
"It's strange that Juvia would know better when Gray-sama is lying than himself."
"I'm not lying, Juvia," he grumbled.
"Uh-hum." she purred doubtfully.
He took a handful of snow and threw it on her.
"Gray-sama just hit Juvia with our love!"
"It's just some snow, Juvia, not our... our..."
"So Gray-sama admits that it exists!"
"Don't put words into my mouth!" He felt his fists clenching. "All I wanted to say is that snow is just snow, not something else."
"Gray-sama knows nothing."
"Oh, and you're so knowledgeable all of a sudden." he snorted.
"Gray-sama is so stubborn," Juvia hummed. "Our love covers all the ground and the trees, and it falls from the sky, and Gray-sama still denies it, even as he's lying in it."
"..."
"See, Gray-sama," she knelt beside him, filled her hands with the snow and sprinkled it on his chest and stomach.
"It doesn't prove anything," he protested.
Juvia just smiled at him, pressing her cheek to the snow she held in her hands. "Then say you don't love Juvia, Gray-sama."
Gray sat up and brushed the snow off his clothes. "Fine," he said. "I... I..." But she would be so hurt if he said that... He swallowed. "But of course, you're my nakama and..." His eyes slided sideways on their own.
"See?" She beamed, sprinkling heaps of snow all over his boots.
Gray pressed his forehead into hand. "It doesn't mean anything. And you're gonna get cold," he grumbled. Who knew how long she was lying here? Her lips were turning blue, he noticed.
"It's fine, as long as it's because of Gray-sama's love..."
"But it's not!" He stood up and held a hand for her to pull her up too. "Come."
"Where are we going, Gray-sama?"
"To my house," he said. "We have to warm you up."