Chapter 3 The Windmill & The Butler.
A/N: Thanks again to anyone who reviewed the second chapter, followed and favourited. I always get my best inspirations for stories in the morning but I have to go to work *sighs* I wish I had more time for my fics! I broke my phone and my instagram was my main Gruvia fix I'm dying from the lack of it! Here is chapter 3!
Gray and Juvia walked through the woodlands after having packed up the sleeping bags earlier that morning, the woods were starting to thin out now and Gray thought they were nearing the village. The walk so far had been a mostly silent one with him being sleepy and Juvia seemed to be constantly on the verge of saying something, probably about that damn coat or where she was sleeping, I know she doesn't believe me. The ice mage stretched his aching body up towards the overcast sky groaning, sleeping on the hard cave floor made his body ache. He looked at the watermage walking along beside him, she was fiddling with her fingers which meant she was nervous or uncomfortable, he had noticed this from when he had watched her at the guild or been on jobs with her. She would always smile but he could tell inside she was squirming.
"You alright Juvia?" Gray asked putting his hands behind his head as he cruised along enjoying the mornings rays.
"Yes Gray-sama." She smiled as she looked up at him through her long lashes, does Juvia really need to hear it from his lips? Juvia already knows Gray-sama didn't tell her the truth about his coat and where Juvia really fell asleep last night. The watermage decided to just drop the idea and just be happy with the fact he had done that for her. If the months following the Grand Magic Games had taught her anything about her Gray-sama it was that it was best sometimes if she didn't demand an answer for all his actions towards her or jump to any (out loud) conclusions. She should just accept it. For now. Juvia gave Gray a bigger more confident smile.
"Good." Gray let out an inward sigh of relief, he knew exactly what she had wanted to ask him and he was glad she hadn't asked him why. He didn't really know the answer himself. Is the fact she was just cold not a good enough one? His brain asked him. The rational part of him agreed and told him that that was the reason behind it. Nothing else. But the icemages heart had other ideas and feelings on the matter. Before he could ponder or the tease the thought any longer the pair exited the woods and just off in the distance was a village, and sure enough at the back of the village, perched on a hill was the biggest windmill either of them had ever seen. "Woah." Was all Gray could say.
"That's the biggest windmill Juvia has ever seen, even from this distance it's huge." The two mages stood staring in awe at the monstrosity that was looming over the sleepy village, casting a deep shadow over the houses and streets.
"Yeah I'll say." The icemage looked at woman standing beside him whose gaze was still locked onto the windmill. "Shall we get going?" She didn't answer. "Juvia?" Gray asked starting to feel very unnerved by the watermages silence. "Oi!" He spoke louder getting agitated and a (little) freaked out as he grabbed her by the wrist to pull her along the path.
Juvia snapped her focus away from the windmill and focused her eyes on Gray who was grabbing her wrist and pulling her down the path to the village still looking at her. "Juvia is sorry Gray-sama!" Juvia took a big step towards him seeing the freaked out look on his face as she realised she hadn't answered his questions. "Juvia didn't mean to freak you out Gray-sama! The windmill. Juvia just has an uneasy feeling about it." She looked to the floor then back up to him.
Gray remembered the last feeling she had on their last mission together, he had almost ended up with a pub sign falling on his head until Juvia had broken it to pieces as it fell. The watermage had mentioned every time they passed it that she had had a bad feeling about something there. He knew now that her 'feelings' weren't just coincidence. "Well then we'll just have to be cautious there then won't we?" He smiled at her "I don't want a bloody part of that thing falling on my head." Juvia giggled at the comment before going serious.
"Juvia would never let that happen to Gray-sama!" Her eyes went fierce. "Juvia thinks we should just demolish the windmill right now!" She declared setting her sights once more on the windmill before marching ahead to accomplish her new task not realising Gray still had her wrist.
"Wait Juvia! We can't destroy it! It might be of some great importance to the village." He pulled her wrist pulling her back towards him meeting her gaze directly. "Besides it is called Windmill village. And that is the only windmill in the village ya know." He saw her gaze soften.
"Gray-sama is right! Juvia wasn't thinking properly." The watermage blushed slightly at her behaviour, she was always getting worked up when it came to her Gray-sama. Her blush deepened as her eyes were drawn down to where Gray was still holding onto her wrist. Gray-sama is still holding Juvias wrist! Gray-sama must want to be closer to Juvia! Her face was now scarlet at the thought of Gray pulling her in for a kiss.
"Well shall we go and see the client then? We still need to find his house when we get to the village-" He broke off as he followed her gaze which settled on his hand still clinging to her wrist, he released it immediately scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh sorry about that." His cheeks staining a pale pink. He hadn't meant to keep hold of it that long and by the look on her face she had gone off to Juvia-land.
"Juvia doesn't mind Gray-sama!" Juvia said in her sing-song voice as she hooked her arm around his practically skipping to the village with the biggest grin on her face. She can be so silly. Gray found himself chuckling at the blunette bobbing along beside him.
When they arrived at the village they were both surprised by how quiet it was considering it was the middle of the day on a Friday, they appeared to be on the main street which was cobble and lined with empty market stalls. Where is everyone? Gray thought to himself as they made down the desolate street the only sound to be heard was the whistling of the wind around them, it felt like a ghost town, he felt Juvia tense beside him and his instincts kicked in, his senses on high alert for any danger he guessed hers were to.
"What house number was it again Juvia?" Gray wanted to get out this freaky street into some kind of normality.
"One hundred and twenty one if Juvia remembers the job request correctly." Gray nodded and the pair scanned the houses around them. They walked down the street a bit further before taking a left hand turn, at the end of that road sprawled a mansion with wrought iron gates, it was a friendly looking building not like the run down windmill. The mansion boasted white washed walls, balconies and topiary gardens from what they could see.
The two mages arrived at the gates to the mansion and Juvia pushed the buzzer.
"The Musketty residence how may I help you?" A well spoken feminine voice spoke through the speaker.
"Er we…we're mages from Fairy Tail here to take on your request." Juvia hadn't meant to stammer but for some reason she felt on edge here. That feeling with the windmill had really irked her.
"Oh yes. We did receive a message via lacrima. What did you say your names were again?" The smooth voice slicked through the air pronouncing every syllable.
"Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser." Gray answered in a flat tone. Come on already and let us in. He was getting impatient and it didn't help that Juvia was fidgeting beside him, he wanted to comfort her but he had no idea how so he decided to stay silent.
"Oh please do come on in." The voice said eagerly as the iron gates swung open, the two mages looked at each other before walking through the gates and up the driveway as the gravel crunched underneath their feet.
"Oh wow Gray-sama." The blunette looked around in awe at all the topiaries that lined the driveway; they were all trimmed into different shapes and animals; some were rabbits or horse heads, ducks and lions.
"Yeah I guess it's a pretty sweet place to live." Gray commented remembering the time that he had visited Lucy's fathers estate. Now that was something amazing.
As they neared the entrance to the mansion and walked up the stone steps they noticed a butler waiting for them on the porch, he was a young looking guy of a normal but slightly toned build with green eyes and brown hair not much older than Gray and Juvia.
"Please show me your mark before entering the residency." Gray lifted up his shirt revealing the fairy tail insignia on his chest.
"Thank you sir." The guy on the porch gave Gray a nod before turning to Juvia, after a few seconds Gray realised that there had been no exchange between the two of them, puzzled he turned to the water mage whose cheeks were tinted a soft pink. "Ma'am, please can I see you mark." Juvia's eyes grew wide. Her mark wasn't in a very private place but that didn't mean that she didn't feel a bit flustered when she had been requested to show her leg, well her thigh. If it was Gray-sama asking she would do it in a heartbeat.
"Uh Juvia. You're gonna have to show him if you want to do this job." Gray really didn't know why Juvia was so worried about showing her mark, it was visible just from the side of her clothes anyway because of her dress coat which revealed the side of both her legs not that Gray was one to complain about the view.
Juvia played with her hands for a few more seconds before looking up at the butler smiling. "Of course Juvia will show you." The watermage turned to the side and lifter her leg up and out causing the material of the dress coat to slip revealing even more of her creamy legs and thigh high boots.
Gray felt his face heat up as he stared at her legs, damn she's always had nice legs. As he looked away he noticed the butler to was staring, well practically drooling over Juvia.
"Is that everything?" The icemage snapped getting annoyed. The butler snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat whilst adjusting his collar as Juvia lowered her leg back to the floor.
"I…Uh. Yes thank you." He stammered his eyes not leaving Juvias' leg fuelling Grays anger to punch him.
"Come on Juvia." Gray said taking a step towards the big oak doors, pausing when Juvia didn't immediately follow.
"Coming Gray-sama!" He was relieved when Juvia latched onto his arm, the bashful smile she had given the man outside hadn't gone unnoticed by Gray. I'm jealous. The thought washed through his brain. I have no right to be though it's not like she's my girlfriend or anything. Annoyed he started to push the doors open but before he could open them fully they were opened from within the mansion for him by two more butlers who had been waiting behind him.
"Juvia I think-" He didn't get to finish.
"Yes, sorry Gray-sama" Juvia said as she let go of his arm, took a small step sideways and stood beside him. "It won't seem very professional if Juvia is holding onto Gray-sama." She gave him a smile as they waited in the entrance room for the client.
"That's not what-" He was interrupted yet again by the sound of heels clicking along the wooden floor towards them.
A/N: So that's the end of chapter 3! If you like this fic then please go and read and review my two Gruvia one shots - My answer set after 470 in the manga - Grays answer to Juvia, and also my cute fluffy one shot Chocolates, Flowers and Candles which is sure to make you go 'awww'
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CrookedMoonlight