AN: So this chapter wasn't supposed to exist but here we are. HAHA hope you like it. Oh, the rating is now T!

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Dragon Heart

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Living at the Edge had been fun while it lasted, and they would always remember, but with the Hunters gone, life at Berk called them back and soon, they had a new routine.

Juvia made her money by sewing and baking – skills she perfected while living at the Edge – but she still found time to fly with Bozu in the mornings and before she retired to her house at night and she spent time whenever they could, which wasn't much, giving the fact Silver increased Gray's duties as training to become Chief one day.

So, the young couple snatched any moment they could to be together.

"I can't believe Natsu and Lucy are getting married in three days." Gray said while kissing Juvia's neck as she straddled him, both at one of the hot springs, the one only the Chief used (and since learning about it, Gray was more than happy to share with Juvia).

"Juvia does." She giggled and moaned a little when his hands roamed over her body, the hot water and his touches keeping the cold air away from them. "She has been baking a lot for that wedding."

"The Heartfilias are the richest people in town, so I am guessing you will be paid well." He kissed her clavicle and she hummed in agreement. "To think that was almost me."

The blunette's body tensed and she pulled him by the hair, so she could look at his face, and he looked up at her, dazed, expecting her to kiss him, but instead, she was frowning at him. "Almost you?"

"Uh…" Alarm bells rang inside his mind, but he tried to fix it. Bad move. "Our parents wanted to marry us when we turned of age. Richest family, Chief's family. They thought it made sense." He shrugged.

"You almost married Lucy-san." Juvia's face was as impassive as it could be but Gray knew, inside, she was burning with jealousy.

"The contract was never done." He was quick to tell her. "Lucy and I grew up together, she's like a sister, she always loved Natsu and I wasn't interested at all. Period." Juvia narrowed her eyes. "At all, I swear."

"You never told me that." Juvia said.

Gray shrugged. "I barely remember most of the time." It was clear she still didn't like it. so he moved his hands to her waist and tried to reassure her once more. "She will be married in three days, there was never anything for you to worry or ever will be, okay?"

It took her a moment to lean and kiss him, hard, her hand going between them and she bit his lower lip, making him groan. "Juvia will make you remember whom you belong to just so you won't ever forget."

For the next hour they stayed at the hot springs, Gray thought of nothing else other than Juvia.

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The wedding was beautiful, and it made Gray remember the betrothal necklace he had gotten Juvia months before. Certainly, enough time had passed so he could propose to her without her thinking it was a way to make her forgive him.

After the couple left for their honeymonth – now with dragons of their own, it was easier to they decided to travel around the archipelago instead of being locked away at their new home – Gray thought it would be time to ask, but his father told him he was sending Gray away to visit some of their allies, Erza would accompany him.

"I can't believe you will be gone for a month." Juvia whispered while snuggling closer to him. They were at her house, where he was spending the last night before his trip – he had snuck out of his own house once enough time passed, and he knew his father and the rest of Berk would be asleep. He had to leave Avalanche at the stables to not raise suspicions to his whereabouts.

He got inside her house after petting Bozu, scratching his chin like he loved for a few minutes – the dragon had finally made his peace with his human's mate – and entering through the personal stable built attached to the house made it less likely to someone see him.

Juvia had been waiting for him and they didn't lose time speaking at first. Now, slightly calmer and recovering, Gray held her tight, the front of her body pressed against his side and her head on his shoulder and her fingers drawing some invisible patterns on his chest while he had his arm around her shoulder, his thumb caressing her skin.

"Me neither." He sighed. "You know my father is trying to make me take on more chiefly duties, so he wants me to work on my diplomacy skills."

Juvia chuckled. "You do need to perfect those."

"Hey." He said, playfully and she giggled, hiding her face on his neck and Gray couldn't help but to smile. Ever since they got together – ever since he met her, really – it became easier to smile, his mother's death when he was young really traumatized him. "I know I told you I'd take you with me when I went to another mission, but…"

"It's alright." She kissed his neck and trailed up to his cheek and finally his lips. "This time you are telling Juvia you are and where you are going, and you promised to send her Terror Mails while you are away."

"I will." Gray told her.

"As long as you are aware Juvia has her own dragon to go get you if you don't return in time, plus she has your itinerary."

Gray actually laughed at that. "That would do wonder to my credibility with the other tribes: seen being dragged home by my girlfriend because I missed a deadline."

"Juvia will be sure to have her armor, spear and dragon with her so they can see why you'd be afraid of her wrath."

"Oh, they would understand." Gray chuckled. "You are quite fearsome when you hold that thing."

"And don't you forget it." She told him. "Juvia might be small but she can fight."

"I like to think I am safe from all that." He raised an eyebrow and she smiled.

"You are."

"Good, so I get to enjoy the show if you go Berserker on someone." Gray kissed her. "You know I always like to watch you fight."

"Yes." Juvia giggled and they stayed in silence for a few minutes. "I'll really miss you."

"I know, I will too." He kissed her temple. "Just a few weeks and I will be back, okay?"

"Okay."

He dared to stay a little while longer – they were up until late, slipping out of her house early in the morning after giving her a kiss, which she returned sleepily before returning to sleep.

Later, when they said their good-byes in front of town, they had to prevent themselves to kiss each other and hugged instead. Her smile was sad and so was his, but he knew they would see each other soon.

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Gray arrived at Berk late that night and after saying his good-bye to Erza, he stopped by Juvia's house and saw Bozu's stable was empty which meant Juvia was out and he felt so tired – Avalanche was tired too – so he chose to go home instead.

Icepick, his father's Nadder chirped happily when he saw Avalanche and Gray. Icepick was more than happy to share his fish with Avalanche and was more than glad to receive chin scratches and his back for a while and then petted his own dragon before going inside his house.

His father was by the fire and pretty much every flat surface of their home was covered in baked goods, making Gray frown. Silver looked up when he saw his son come inside and smiled, getting up to hug the younger Fullbuster.

"Son! We were expecting you tomorrow! How was the trip?"

"It went very well, we made some good treaties and since we ended things earlier and decided to fly straight back." Gray answered and reached for some bread – gods, he was starving – and frowned. "Oh, did Juvia stop by? She baked theses, right?" His girlfriend was a great baker, she could bake about anything and it would taste amazing.

Silver cleared his throat. "Yes, but I bought them, actually."

"Really?" Gray frowned, looking around and saw some sweets, cakes and pies. "Were you waiting for the whole town to come over to eat?"

"Gray, I know you are tired and we need to talk about your trip, but we need to talk about another subject." Silver sighed. "Something happened while you were away. It involves Juvia-chan."

His heart almost stopped with his father's words. "What do you mean? Is she alright? Was that the reason she wasn't home?"

"Of course you went there first." Silver chuckled lightly. "She is fine, physically."

"Physically?"

"Sit down." Silver told his son and he returned to his seat in front of the fire and pointed the other seat to Gray, who did what he was told. "What are really your intentions with Juvia-chan, son?"

"What?" Gray was confused for a second: his father sort of knew his intentions, Gray had told him not to accept any marriage proposals, that he was taken, and Silver seemed to really love Juvia, making her call 'Father' when it was only them. "Dad…"

"Answer the question, Gray." Silver was completely serious, and it threw Gray off for a moment, he clearly meant business and was using his Chief voice and glare.

"I…" He cleared his throat. "I want to marry her. Soon. I got her betrothal gift months ago."

"Good." Silver sighed in relief. "That's good." Then, he stopped. "Why haven't you proposed if you had a gift all this time?"

"I was worried she'd think I was doing to try to make her forgive me faster about me leaving for six months." Gray told his father. "But what happened? Why all these questions?"

"There is a rumor going around about how you snuck into her house in a very odd hour and snuck out at the break of dawn a few times." Silver told his son, who paled. "I know life at the Edge made you two closer and I knew you snuck out to meet her, but I always thought you were being careful."

"I was!" Gray passed a hand through his hair but then, froze, cheeks reddening. "You knew?"

Silver rolled his eyes. "Of course I knew, Gray. Your room is right above mine and I'm a light sleeper after years of dragon raids. Besides, you are young, of course you'd go out and see her whenever you could and now, pretty much the whole town knows."

"Shit, this is not good." Gray groaned. "We were so careful."

"Sometimes it's not enough." Silver told him. "Are you very sure you want to marry her?"

"Yes!"

Silver looked extremely uncomfortable with his next question: "Was she… Were you… Were you her first?"

"Dad!" Gray could feel even his ears get red with the question.

"Hey, I don't care but if I need to make an argument in front of the counsel about her, I need to tell him you were the one who… took her virtue." The Chief looked as uncomfortable as Gray felt.

"Yes. We were each other's… only ones." He finally muttered. "I don't get it, though. Why does it matter if there's a rumor?"

"Even though it's not against the law for a woman to share her bed with whomever she wants to, the stigma of it, stays and we are Vikings, we have a lot of those and we are stubborn with change." Silver told Gray. "Juvia has been selling her bake goods for a while but ever since the rumor came out, no one is buying from her. I've noticed a couple of days ago and I thought she might be low on money after two weeks of people ignoring her stand at the marked and I couldn't let that happen, that's why I bought everything she had today."

"Hence all the food." Gray waved around. "Thorsdammit, baking is her trade! If no one buys it…" He stopped, the weight of his father's words finally sinking in. Without her sales, she wouldn't have enough money to buy her necessities. "Shit, dad. Winter is coming soon and if she doesn't have money…"

"Yes, son: shit." Silver agreed. "If I were you, I'd propose to her soon to quiet the town and let me tell you, now it's going to take a while to convince the counsel about the marriage. She doesn't have a family, lands, she's even foreigner and now with this rumor that turned out to be true…"

"What? The counsel can't decide-"

"Oh, they can and they do, son." Silver told him. "You need their approval to marry anyone."

"Well, you can tell the counsel to shove it." Gray got up from his seat, feeling angry suddenly. "Tell them if I don't marry her, I will marry no one and the Fullbuster won't have any legitimate children and I don't even care." Gray was feeling angry at the town and the close-minded people. "I will be Chief but I will not leave Juvia so good luck with the counsel deciding which of my cousins will be the Chief after me, which can possibly start a civil war."

"I won't abandon Berk, I know my duties, but I am not abandoning Juvia either. She'll be my wife in everything but legally if that's what they want."

Silver looked at his son with pride. "Good, son. When I discuss this with the counsel, I'll bring you with me so you can tell it to their faces. You should propose to her first, though."

Gray stopped on his tracks. "Oh, great. Now she's gonna think I will propose because we were caught." He groaned in frustration. "Gods, will ever be a good time?"

"Yes, tomorrow after you have a good night's sleep." Silver said. "Explain to her, that girl has been in love with you since day one. It shouldn't be hard."

"I hope so." Gray sighed. "But she's a Viking and you know how stubborn we are."

"Oh yes, it took me three tries with your mother before she said yes."

"Great, dad, thanks. As if I wasn't freaking out enough."

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AN: Next chapter is the proposal and of course, that means more Gruvia in the chapter, I promise! Yes, a fourth unplanned chapter. Sorry!

Thanks to: janestripes, fyriagita, hotrodren, Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi, earthstar001, CoeurDePluie, TheUniqueFangirl, Guest, Waffels, KassfromVenus, xxValkyriexx, Amimonmona, ILoveSxS, Snavej and figmentofimagen! You rock!

04/18/2018 ~ BonneyQ