Hm...not sure how I feel about this one.
Well. Let me know what you think!
third person
He always thought it cute how she'd slip into old habits and talk in third person.
"Juvia's trying to sound more mature and more like a woman! Juvia isn't a child anymore. Kodomo janai!" she'd retort, flustered, making fists with both hands in some form of a ganbatte for herself—then a moment after, her eyes would widen and she'd flush a pretty pink, cover her mouth in embarrassment of the irony. "—Oh! Juvia messed up again!"
He would give her a teasing but reassuring smile, putting his arm around her shoulder before her into a light squeeze. His lips would come close to her forehead, just hover.
"Nonsense," he'd say. "You don't have to correct your speech. You're already woman enough."
She'd look up at him gratefully for his kind words—and if he was lucky she'd kiss him on the cheek—
"Okay, Toto-san," she'd say, but later that night while strolling down the hallway past her bedroom door, he'd overhear her rehearsing the same line again and again. She'd try to get it right.
"I'm Juvia Lockser. I'm pleased to meet you!"
Who was there to meet? Anyone could see that they were just happy the two of them, right? They were just happy the four of them as Elementals, as S-Class Mages, right? They were just happy all of them as Phantom Lord teammates, right? Nakama was all the needed—blood thicker than water, family warmer than soup, love sweeter than sugar.
She didn't need to be pleased to meet anyone if she didn't want to be. She didn't need to stop calling herself by name if that's how she's most comfortable.
...
He always been the first to notice when she did anything differently than usual.
"What's with the new look, Juvi-chan?" he'd ask.
"Juvia's trying to look more beautiful and more attractive. Juvia doesn't want to be cute anymore. Juvia isn't a child anymore. Kodomo janai!" she'd retort, flustered, concentrating intensely on the mirror in front of her, marking around her fluttering eyelid—then a moment after, her hand would slip over her eyebrow and she'd gasp. "—Oh! Juvia messed up again!"
He'd bend down to pick up the dropped pen of beauty and return it to her, let his fingers brush over hers for a second—but only a second, not any longer.
"Nonsense," he'd say. "You don't have to change how you look. You're already beautiful enough."
She'd look up at him gratefully for his kind words—and if he was lucky she'd give him a brilliant smile—
"Okay, Toto-san," she'd say, but early in the morning while strolling down the hallway past her bedroom door, he'd overhear her clucking her tongue as she tried to get every blue strand on her head perfect. She'd try to get it right.
Who was there to look pretty for? Anyone that looked at her in the eyes could see that she was full of kindness, grace, compassion that outrivaled anyone else's.
She didn't need to curl her hair, buy expensive hats, change her style—impress anyone that didn't already find her impressive. She didn't need to dress herself up like a doll when she was so much more than that.
...
He always comforted her when she came home late at night, tears pooled in her red-rimmed eyes.
"What's wrong?" he'd ask.
She'd shake her head no and wipe her eyes with frustration.
"Juvia is trying to be more mature. Juvia isn't going to cry. Juvia isn't a child anymore. Kodomo janai!" she'd retort, taking a tissue from her pocket, blowing her nose. She'd wipe at her eyes harshly and then become irritated at herself when she sees the mascara on the backs of her hands, having forgotten that she had made herself up earlier that day. "—Oh. I messed up. Again."
And damn those four words that she'd repeat to herself.
"Nonsense," he'd say. "It's okay to be upset. It's okay to cry."
She'd look up at him gratefully for his kind words—and if he was lucky she'd lean into him—
"Okay, Toto-san," she'd say, but every now and then while strolling down the hallway past her bedroom door, he'd overhear her sniffling to herself behind a closed and locked door. She'd keep it to herself.
Who was there to cry about? Anyone that dared to break the smile on her face was probably broken themselves.
She didn't need to be rejected anymore. She's already cried of loneliness and solitude in her past. No one likes to play out in the rain, after all.
Her voice brings him back to the present.
"This is Gray," she tells him.
He can tell by the passion, adoration, and excitement in her voice that this man is the one that brings color to her life.
Totomaru finally looks up from the floor. He meets the other man's icy eyes.
He's not sure if he wants to burn the man alive in flames of hate or finally suffocate his long unrequited flames of love.
"Who's he?" the other man asks.
"Oh, he's just a friend," she says, turning to him. "You don't mind if he comes along, do you?"
He isn't sure when he started becoming the third person.
He doesn't remember when she stopped calling him by name.
End Notes (more like a rant): This might read as an anti-Gray story, but I want to clarify that this is definitely not the message that I was trying to address in this piece. So I'll try to talk about it as briefly as I can, as the writer of this piece.
What happens in this story can definitely be interpreted in a number of different ways, and I leave it vague and up to you for good reason. However, the one thing that I do want to get across is that this story is much more about the societal pressures for women (I only address one cisgender here, yes. I know there's many other types of pressures.) to impress the man than it is about anti-Gray-ness. This story is written in Totomaru's POV, and he more or less pins the blame on Gray because Gray is the most obvious external factor for Juvia's development in this story.
I know there's a lot of dislike of Juvia running in the fandom because she's "Gray-centric." I'm not here to debate whether she does or doesn't because I don't think it's a straight yes or no, but I think in that context, it's worth thinking of how many other shows have female characters who pine and wait for men to accept them or return their feelings, or at least notice them—and that's all I'll expand on this.
I don't think I have much more to say than this. Like I said, I wrote this without much definition, so feel free to apply your thoughts to this! And I love to hear what you think either in the reviews or through PMs. Talk is good. :)
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