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"I'll take you home..." Grays firm voice said as he stared at Juvia. She stared back still in shock, than noticed the essence of blush on his cheek. Her eyes widened and the silence stretched out longer. Finally she nods and watches him turn his face, blocking her view and start walking towards the way she was.

"... It's this way right?" He asks, back still to her "Your home?"

Juvia blushes and goes to his side as a yes. Lucy starts walking about a meter behind them but a tanned arm grabs the back of her uniform and pulls her back. She is face to face to Natsu, and forces herself to remain stoic.

"What are you doing?" He asks her, not letting go.

"My house is this way?" She points in the direction of the slowly moving couple.

"Shouldn't they go home on their own?" Natsu confirms.

Lucy stares at Juvia, her blushing face. The one that only appeared for Gray, the blonde looks down. Juvia is taking steps forward, she's not the one that hid behind her when someone said hi. This isn't the one that ran to her when she needed help with math. This Juvia has a new person to lean on, Licy lost some of her duties. But now she gained new ones, she could be the girl Juvia goes to for outfit help. Or the one she goes to to talk about Gray.

Lucy smiles sadly, this Juvia is so foreign. "Yeah... I'll go the longer route." She moves away from Natsu and walks down a separate path.

"Ah, I'll walk you home!" He starts walking towards her.

"Why?" Lucy deadpans as she stops and looks over her shoulder

"Cause it's a mans job!" He grins and the blonde turns away quickly. She only lets herself be flustered for second than walks faster.

"... I see..." The blonde whispers.

"Wait up!" Natsu catches up, and they walk in comfortable silence.

On the flip side, Juvia and Gray walk side by side. In silence, but awkward and unspoken silence. The blue haired girl who usually kept her eyes to the ground looked at Gray's profile and hides a smile.

"Gray-kun... Is sending me home... We're together, walking side by side..." Juvia averts her eyes as she heavily blushes "I'm so happy!"

As she continues to walk, the bluenette notices Gray is getting further and further behind. Soon she turns around he's almost ten feet behind. Juvia starts to walk and stops, turning around quickly to see him stopping. She turns back in disappointment.

"Are... Going home together and sending me home different?" Juvia sees the corner onto her street than pivots up against the wall, hiding herself from him vision. She stays there for a second and than Gray comes around the corner. They both blush and notice their close proximity, a foot away. They shuffle away from each other, and Juvia looks down in determination.

"If I walk slowly..."

She takes small and quiet steps and after a couple she peeks over her shoulder cutely and sees Gray unmoved and not watching her. If only she knew that when Juvia wasn't watching he stared at her with a gaze of protection. Now all she saw was Gray staring at the cement side walk with a heavy blush adorning his cheeks. Juvia goes back to walking and just listens for his foot steps.

"... I'm really happy..." She recalls his proclamation of sending her home and blushes "if I just turn around, I'll see Gray-kun. Right? Should I turn around and see? Just to make sure?"

Juvia slowly looks over her shoulder to see no sign of Gray. She feels her heart race, but it stops when a firm shoulder meets her docile one. She whips her head to the presence to see Gray staring in front of them, he looks cautious but at the same time dangerous. Juvia follows his gaze to see two boys standing in front of her, they looked at her with longing eyes. They lock contact with Gray and walk away.

Juvia hears them mutter behind her, and continues walking expecting Gray to slowly fall behind. But he doesn't and stays by her side.

"He's here.. Walking beside me..." Juvia eyes him than remembers her weeks of speech practice "ah! I have to say something!"

She turns to Gray to find him trailing behind once more. Juvia stares the distracted face than took robotic and careful steps backwards. The blue haired girl rams into Gray and his big hands catch her shoulders, both blushing from the contact. Juvia looks down and stares at his hands that haven't moved yet.

"L.. Lets... W-Wa..." Grays hands move away and she feels the pressure "lets walk next... Next to e-each other..." Her face burns scarlet "oth-er.."

To save herself the embarrassment, Juvia runs away like a dog with its tail between its legs. But a pair of feet, quickly catch up to the bluenette. Gray stayed beside her this time, and another prolong silence. Juvia's thoughts raced back to talking and conversations.

"Once... I turn that corner... I'll be home."

She was in a frenzy to say some meager words but the only ones she could think of were when she reached her house. "Something..." Gray stares at her, not getting the idea she wanted.

"Goodbye..." The raven haired boy starts to walk away and Juvia blushes.

Levy's voice echoed and she remembered the objective of this walk. To make him eat at the rooftop again. Her hands clenched her skirt and she took a deep breath.

"Gr... ay...-kun" her voice started strong but weakened quickly. It was enough to stop said man and make him turn around. "Roof... Top..."

Her voice was weaker this time, she was positive he didn't hear but Gray blushes. Juvia recalls his cold words of rejecting their lunchtime together. Her eyes go wide, and for that moment she felt small and stupid. "Thank you... For... Sending me... Home..."

"I can never say what I want to say... I'm aware of that." Hot tears threatened to roll down her face, all because she know she failed. He nodded and started to walk away.

She felt so useless and just stared at the ground, Gray did a small pivot towards her and blushes lightly.

"You, aren't going in yet?..." After a slience, both took a step towards each other.

"Next time," they say it in sync. Gray and Juvia stare at each other both blushing heavily.

The blue haired girl gestured for him to go, and he did the same. After a minute of this war, Juvia won and he looked down as he prepared for embarrassment.

"Next time, If I can... I'll take you home again." He looks at her and waits for a reaction. Which was masked happiness, and a lot of blushing.

"Next time... Let's go home... Together again..." Juvia doesn't look at him and remains looking at the sidewalk.

Than they realized what the agreed on. Gray gulped like a fish as he searched for words, but he was so flustered and frazzled about all the blood rushing to his face. He looked around in desperation, and finally bowed. "Than... See you!"

He ran away, and Juvia stared at his back. She broke her calm and reserved demeanor and walked into her house. Juvia sat at the entry as she took her shoes off and her mom walked in. The blue haired girl had a small smile and she did a breathy laugh.

"Eh, what?" She laughs with a smile and Gray laughed as he walked home.

"With Gray-kuns, goodbye promise. I'm really happy!"

Gray gets home out of breath, he ran the whole way with a smile but he walked in and rushed up the staircase. "Gray, dinner!?" His mom inquired but he shrugged her off, he goes up to his room and closes the door. Gray goes over to his closet and slides it open, on top of a cardboard box sat his bear mask from the festival he went to with Juvia. He picks it up and stares at it.

"Whatcha looking at?" A sudden voice caused Gray to close his closet in a flurry to be greeted by Natsu.

The pink haired boy laughs at his childhood friend and notices the closet door wasn't completely closed. He sees a bear mask blocking the door and silently laughs, Natsu already knows about the festival. Gray didn't know that, so this reaction was predictable. The pink haired boy sat on Gray's bed and watches, acting oblivious, him hide the mask.

"Gray got to take Hitode-chan home..." He sighs "how nice,"

"I only walked her to her house." The raven haired boy said sternly. "It's just because you weren't there."

"I was there." He grins "you were only looking at Hitode-chan though. It... Was like you two were in your own little world."

"What are you talking about?" Gray asks cautiously.

"I'll help you," Natsu jumps subjects.

"Huh?"

"You.." The pinkette falls back in his friends bed "obviously like Ju-Vi-A." His voice over annunciated her name a smirk spread across his complexion. A silence than Gray clears his throat.

"No I don't." He denies but this just added fuel to Natsu's fire.

"I know your shy, but at least be honest. You've been exposed!" He points to the raven haired boy and got no reaction "Gray?"

Said boy stares at the round table in his room and feels flustered for the umpteenth time today. Suddenly the door opened and Gray's mom walked in, looking at Natsu.

"Are you having dinner here, Natsu?" She says in cheerful voice.

"Ah, yeah!" He says happily.

"Mom!" He groans "at least knock!"

"Are you mad?" She pouts sadly

"It's because I'm talking to your son about something seriously!" Natsu says shrugging it off but Gray grabs him in a death lock.

"You! Go home!" He blushes and starts dragging him out the door.

"Are you sure, it's okay for her to be taken by another guy!?" He asks in desperation.

"Stop being such a loudmouth!" He opened his house's gate and threw him out.

"It's because we're friends, that I worry about you!" Natsu sits on the ground and sighs "I want Gray to be happy,"

"Stop trying to help me.." He says with his back him. "I'm bad with these kind of things,"

"Gray..." Natsu stands up and notices the line of blush has reached the ears.

"... I want to work hard by myself." Gray says with an edge not even Natsu had heard. Than a wide smile spread across his face.

"I see!" He grabs the metal gate with new enthusiasm and Gray turned towards him, shocked. "I see... I see! Okay! I got it! It'll be fine! Since Gray is super cool!"

"No I'm not..." He takes a step away, slightly disgusted.

"I see! I see..." Natsu laughs lightly.

"How many times are you going to say that?"

"I'm really happy!" Natsu grins "Gray, has finally talked to me about it. Good luck, Gray-kun."

After a couple seconds of silence, Gray leans up against the gate with his back. "Hey..."

"Hm?" Natsu smiles curiously

"Don't tell anyone about this..."

"Okay!"

"Also..." A long silence of suspense. "Is it really that obvious?"

"What are you talking about?" The pinkette frowns

"You just said it?!" Gray leans forward and blushes. After a moment, Natsu gets he's referring to him pointing out he likes Juvia.

"Yeah, I think it's really obvious." Natsu grins, while Gray goes pale.

"Does... Does Juvia also know about it?"

"Huh? Well I don't know?... She's kind of slow at these things."

"Okay.."

"But if your going to work hard, it shouldn't matter if she knows you like her." Natsu points out

"Not the point." He retorts

"Why, you like her?"

"Stop saying things as like, in front of someone's house." The front door opened and Gray's mom walked out

"Dinner's going to get cold, hurry up!" She sighs in worry.

"Mom! Your too sudden!" He blushes and turns towards her.

"No one knocks from the other side..." Natsu says with a breathy laugh.

"Why are so hormonal lately?"

"MOM!"

After Natsu left, and dinner was eaten. Gray took a shower and returns to his room, rustling his hair with a towel. He walks over to the closet and opens the door to be greeted by the bear, the raven haired boy picks it up and smiles slightly before laying it on his bed.

Juvia curls up in her bed, letting her blue braid fall over her neck. She stares at the heart mask and closes her eyes, a small smile faintly adorning in her face.

-_-Next Day-_-

Juvia closes her shoe locker, and slips on her indoor shoes. In the corner of her eyes, Gray stood next to her in his karate Gi. They both bowed formally and the boy starts walking back to the karate dojo.

"He said he'll walk me home, but when?" Juvia turns to him and blushes slightly, than Gray looks over his shoulder. They lock eyes and the raven haired turned to her.

"Next week... If it's Wednesday, I can take you home." He looks down "or rather, if it's Wednesday. I can do it every week." She stares at him with anxious and shocked eyes.

"I-... I'm fine if it's like that..." Juvia says shyly than pulls a chunk of hair behind her ear.

"Even though I end early, I'm afraid. Juvia, you'll have to wait like you did yesterday."

"I'll wait." She says instantly, catching Gray off guard. "Every week. I'll wait."

She blushes along with Gray, they lock eyes and he takes a small step.

"Than... Every Wednesday..."

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