I am terribly sorry for the long wait. School has been really busy and I have a terrible case of Writer's Block. Also, my final exams are coming up and I have been cramming like crazy.
But, enough of my problems, here is chapter 9 of Stuck Between Two Boys.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL
Chapter 9: The Rivalry
A week had passed since Lyon had realized his new feelings for Juvia. And since then, Lyon has barely seen Juvia, much to his pleasure. Now, don't get me wrong. Lyon loves Juvia and he wouldn't purposely avoid her. But, he is afraid that things between them could get awkward, now that he knows he loves her. The last he wants is to ruin their friendship by confessing too soon. He knows that Juvia isn't ready to be in a relationship so he will wait until it is the right time to confess. At the current moment, Lyon was making his way up to Gray's office. He had something to tell the man and he was going to take great pleasure in saying it.
Without so much as a knock, Lyon walked inside Gray's office. Gray looked up, startled, but soon enough his face went back to its usual expression when seeing Lyon. Complete and utter disdain.
''What do you want?'' he asked, his tone harsh and unfriendly. Lyon grinned and took a seat on one of the office chairs.
''How rude. Is that how you speak to an old friend?''
''I was under the impression that we weren't friends.'' Gray mumbled under his breath. Lyon, even though he heard Gray's comment, couldn't stop smiling.
''I guess you are entitled to your opinion. But moving on, I didn't come here to talk about our past friendship. I came here to talk about something else.'' Gray raised an eyebrow.
''And what might that something else be?'' he questioned, suspicion evident in his tone. Lyon's smile, if it were even possible, seemed to grow.
''Juvia.'' Lyon's one word answer immediately put Gray on edge. His eyes turned menacing and his scowl deepened.
''What about Juvia?''
''Well, it's not so much about her, but about my feelings towards her.''
''And what would those feelings be, exactly?'' Gray snarled, not liking the direction the conversation was taking.
''I have fallen in love with her.'' Lyon stated bluntly, catching Gray off guard with the frankness of his tone. He blinked once. Twice. Then, with a growl, he jolted up from his seat and grabbed Lyon by his collar. Eyes burning with so much fire that would have made even Natsu proud, he hissed,
''What did you just say?'' Lyon sighed and removed Gray's hand from his collar.
''You heard me. I have fallen in love with Juvia. And I thought that you would like to know so I came over here to tell you. After all, it is what you asked for the last time we spoke like this. And I am merely giving you what you wanted.''
''This is not what I wanted! Juvia is mine! And I'll be damned if I let you try and take her from me.'' Lyon held up his hands.
''I haven't taken her from you. She doesn't even know that I love her. And I'm not about to tell her either. She isn't ready for a relationship yet. And you know for a fact that I will not force her into anything. I will wait until she is ready, and then I will tell her my true feelings. So you don't have to worry about me stealing her away. At least, not yet.''
''Why the hell do you sound so fucking confident? There is no way that Juvia will choose you over me. Juvia and I have a history. And you? You just met her a few months ago. So don't go around thinking that you already have her. Because believe me when I say, Juvia is mine. And I'm about to lose her to someone like you.'' Grat spat out in disgust. Lyon glared at him.
''Someone like me? You make it sound like I'm the scum of the Earth. You make it sound like the possibility of Juvia choosing me over you will never happen as long as I live. But you know what Gray? That's not true. You don't know how much you've hurt Juvia over these past few months. You broke her heart, Gray. Do you remember that day where she caught you making out with that woman? Well, right after she witnessed that, she drove to a bar and got drunk off her ass.''
''Juvia... got drunk?'' Gray whispered, completely astonished. Not once, in their entire year of being together, had he even seen Juvia drunk. Not once. Juvia hated alcohol and refused to drink it. So the idea of her drunk was, well, unbelievable. Lyon nodded.
''Yeah, she got drunk. So drunk that she got kicked out of the bar. And do you want to know who she called after that? She called me. At twelve in the morning. I was sound asleep when she called. And although I was annoyed at having to be woken up at that hour, I still picked her up at the bar because I was worried for her safety. I was worried that she might do something stupid. So I picked her up. I wanted to take her home, but she refused. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to be alone. So I had to take her to my house. And you want know what happened when we got there? She broke down Gray. She was devastated by what you did to her. She sobbed into my chest, crying about how much pain you caused her. And she didn't stop. She continued to cry, telling me about how much she loved you and how betrayed she felt when did what you did to her. And I sat there, and I listened to her. She loved you Gray. She gave you her heart. And you took her love and destroyed it. You destroyed her. And, even after all that, you still act like she's yours. You act like you are a better man than me. But you're not. You weren't there Gray. You didn't see her. She was a mess. So don't you dare stand there and talk to me like I'm the garbage under your feet. I only came here out of courtesy. I thought that you might have wanted a heads up about how I felt so that you wouldn't go around barking about how I'm trying to steal your girlfriend. And now that I've said that, I'll be leaving now.'' Lyon stood and headed for the door.
''Lyon.'' Gray called. Lyon turned back around.
''What?'' Gray sighed.
''I'm sorry. I never knew that Juvia went through so much pain because of me. I knew I hurt her, but I never knew just how bad. But, that doesn't mean that my feelings for her have changed. You have feelings for her and I can respect that. Juvia is an amazing woman. You and I both know that. And, while you have been there for her when I wasn't, that doesn't mean that I will stop fighting for her. I am not about to just hand her over to you. I will fight tooth and nail just to get her back. And if that means going against you, than so be it. So you had better be prepared for a fight, Lyon. Because I'm not letting her go.'' Lyon smiled.
''I was expecting that response. And I will be ready for you, Gray. You aren't going to win this one so easily.'' Gray chuckled.
''Just like old times, eh? Except for this time, I won't lose.''
''We'll see about that.'' Lyon turned on his heel and left. Gray stared blankly at the closed door.
I'm not going to lose. Juvia means the world to me and I will not lose her. Not again. This is one battle that I cannot afford to lose.
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''Gajeel-kun! Juvia missed you!'' Juvia gave Gajeel a giant bear hug. Gajeel just groaned.
''Let go of me woman. You know I hate hugs.''
''But, Juvia hasn't seen you in so long.'' Juvia pouted. Gajeel scowled.
''The hell are talking about? I was gone for like, two weeks.''
Gajeel had been gone for two weeks on business. Or what he called business. Juvia knew that what he was doing was anything but business. Gajeel had this tradition of disappearing for weeks without letting anybody know. He said that he needed to just get away from everyone and everything. It was nothing personal, he just needed a break from everything. And Juvia could respect that. Hell, with everything going on in her life, she wished that she could just disappear for a few days. But, unfortunately, she could not.
''So, where did you go?'' she asked. Gajeel shook his head.
''Can't tell.'' he said. Gajeel also had this tradition of never mentioning where he disappeared to. Juvia found it annoying sometimes but she never questioned him about it. With a huff, she pulled away from him.
''Where is Levy-san?'' Juvia asked, looking around their condo. Gajeel shrugged.
''I dunno. At the office maybe? You know she's still working on that case for that asshole Gray. No matter how much I disagree.'' Gajeel mumbled the last part but Juvia still heard him. She frowned.
''Gajeel-kun, Gray-sama is not an asshole. And besides, Levy-san is his friend and lawyer. It's her job as his lawyer to defend should he get into any legal troubles. That's how she makes her money, rememer?''
''I know but, I just don't like it. Mainly because I don't like Gray. She won't even tell me what he did. Keeps sayin, 'it's confidental'. Confidental my ass.'' Gajeel growled. Juvia sighed.
''You are impossible.'' she muttered. Before Gajeel could respond, however, her phone went off. Juvia quickly answered it.
''Hello?''
''Ah, Juvia-chan! How are you?'' Lyon's voice could be heard from the other end. A small smile graced Juvia's face.
''Hi Lyon-san. Juvia is fine, thank you. How are you?''
''Just fine. Say, are you doing anything later?'' he asked. Juvia thought about it for a moment.
''No. Juvia doesn't have anything planned for today.'' she answered. She could practically see Lyon's smile when he replied,
''That's good. Would you mind going out to eat with me then? Say, 3:00?''
''Uh, sure, that'd be nice. Juvia will see you then.''
''Great! I'll see you later then. Bye Juvia-chan.''
''Bye Lyon-san.'' Juvia hung up the phone and looked up, only to see Gajeel staring at her.
''What?'' she asked. Gajeel simply shook his head.
''You are so stupid.'' he said. Juvia growled.
''Juvia is not stupid!'' she shouted indignantly. ''Why would you even say that?'' Once again, Gajeel shook his head.
''Because you are stupid. I mean, I'm no mathematician, but it doesn't take a genius to figure this one out. Your new friend obviously likes you.'' Juvia choked.
''W-W-What?'' she stuttered, her cheeks turning pink. ''Lyon-san does not like Juvia! H-How did you even come to such a conclusion?''
''It wasn't that hard to figure out, really. I may have never met the guy, but I know that he likes you. I bet that's the reason why he called just now. He asked you out on a date, didn't he?'' Juvia's cheeks went ablaze.
''W-What? No!''
''Don't lie to me, Juvia.''
''Juvia is not lying! Lyon-san did not ask her out on a date! He merely wanted to take her out as friends! We're just friends!''
''If you're just friends, than why are you getting so flustered, hmm?'' Gajeel asked, a grin slowly appearing on his face. Juvia viciously shook her head.
''Juvia is not flustered. Gajee-kun must be out of his mind.''
''No, I'm perfectly sane. But you, on the other hand, I don't know. You acted the same way when me and Merudy confronted you about this guy when you went on a date with him the last time.''
''It wasn't a date!'' Juvia screamed. Gajeel took a step back, but he didn't relent in his interrogation.
''Oh yeah? Then what was it then, hmm?''
''Juvia simply wanted to repay Lyon-san for helping her! That's it! It was not a date! And Juvia is tired of everyone thinking that it was! Now, if you will excuse her, Juvia is leaving! She doesn't like to be interrogated about her friendships!'' Juvia stormed past Gajeel and headed to the door. Hand on the doorknob, she almost walked out, but the sound of Gajeel's deep baritone stopped her.
''You know I'm right Juvia. And you can deny it all you want, but it won't change the fact that I'm right. That Lyon guy likes you. And I'm starting to think that you like him too.''
Without waiting for Gajeel to speak again, Juvia walked out and slammed the door. She hurried down the hallway, nearly crashing into Levy, who stared after her in confusion. Juvia didn't slow her pace until she reached her car. She got in, slammed the door, and put on her seatbelt, but she made no attempt to drive out of the parking lot. Instead, she just sat there, contemplating Gajeel's words. She sighed heavily.
Gajeel-kun can't be right. Juvia has no feelings for Lyon-san other than friendship. Gajeel-kun is wrong. He has to be. Juvia doesn't have feelings for Lyon-san. But, if that's true, than why does her heart beat so fast when she sees him?
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Juvia arrived at the restaurant, to find Lyon already sitting down at a table, waiting for her. She quietly sat down across form him. Although her argument with Gajeel happened almost four hours prior, she still couldn't get what he said out of her head.
That Lyon guy likes you. And I'm starting to think that you like him too.
Juvia shook her head. That wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. Lyon doesn't like her and she definately doesn't like him, so why is this still bothering her?
''Juvia-chan? What's wrong?'' Lyon asked, trying to get her attention. Juvia snapped her eyes up and looked at Lyon for the first time. She smiled.
Enough. Juvia shouldn't let one stupid argument with Gajeel-kun ruin her time with Lyon-san.
''Nothing is wrong Lyon-san. Juvia is sorry if she made you worry.''
''It's quiet alright. It just seems to me that you're kinda lost in your thoughts. Did something happen? Do you want to leave?'' he asked. Juvia shook her head.
''No! Juvia just had an argument with her friend, that's all. But Juvia isn't going to let that ruin our time together. Juvia doesn't want Lyon-san to think that he has done something wrong.'' Juvia said and Lyon smiled. Juvia couldn't help but stare a little.
When Lyon smiled, it was like his entire face lit up. It made his face look brighter and happier. Come to think of it, Juvia liked Lyon's face. She liked how strong his jaw looked, how perfect his nose was, even the distance from his eyes were perfect. And his lips. It looked so soft from here. Juvia couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to place her lips on it. Juvia, realizing her own thoughts, made a small noise. Lyon glanced at her but she paid his no mind.
No! Juvia has to stop thinking like that! Lyon-san is Juvia's friend. She shouldn't be thinking about kissing him! But, how could she not? Lyon-san is a very handsome man, who wouldn't want to kiss him? His face is just so perfect. And his hair. It reminds Juvia of newly fallen snow. Silvery white with just a hint of gray. And just like the snow, it's so beautiful to look at. He is so beautiful to look at. Hair the color of snow, face the epitome of perfection and eyes the color of coal. Really, how is he still single? His ex must be a real idiot to let him go. I mean, Lyon-san is one of the few good guys left in this world. Any woman would dumb to let-
''Juvia? Is something the matter? Why do you keep staring at me like that?'' Lyon asked, snapping Juvia out of her reverie. Juvia blushed deeply. Lyon raised an eyebrow.
''What is wrong? Why were you staring at me? And why is your face all red?'' Lyon asked again. Juvia blushed even harder.
''Juvia has to use the bathroom!'' Juvia announced and made a beeline for the bathroom. Lyon laughed, very amused by her antics. It was one of the reasons why he loved her.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Juvia was having a hard time getting her face back to normal. She didn't know why she was acting like this. She had never once thought of kissing Lyon until her argument with Gajeel. Nor had she ever thought that his hair looked like newly fallen snow. So, where were these thoughts coming from? Juvia sighed.
Something is definately wrong with me. Why am I acting like this? Stupid Gajeel. Putting ideas in Juvia's head, making her think about things she never thought about before. Making her think that she likes Lyon-san when she clearly doesn't. Stupid, stupid Gajeel. He couldn't be more wrong! Right? Right?!
Juvia sighed once again. Clearly something was wrong with her. And it would be wrong of her to continue on with this lunch when she was distracted. She needed to go home and think. She walked out of the bathroom and slowly approached their table. Lyon looked at her.
''Are you feeling better now?'' he asked. Juvia bit her lip.
''Actually no. Juvia has a lot on her mind at the moment. And it's unfair to Lyon-san to continue this lunch when she clearly isn't focused on it. Juvia is sorry Lyon-san, but she has to go home and think for a bit.'' Lyon's face fell.
''Oh. I guess that's alright.'' Although he tried to sound okay with it, it was obvious that he was disappointed. Juvia instantly felt bad.
''But, it has nothing to do with you, Lyon-san. Juvia is just disatracted, that's all.'' Juvia said, refusing to say that he was the one causing her distraction. He didn't need to know that. Not until she sorted out her own feelings. Lyon stood up.
''Well, I guess I can understand that. But, can I at least walk you to your car?'' Lyon said. Juvia smiled.
''Yeah.''
Together they walked out of the restaurant. Lyon walked Juvia to her car and watched her get in.
''Well, I guess I'll see you some other time then. Bye Juvia-chan.'' Lyon waved and walked in the direction of his own car. Juvia watched him go. She didn't leave until she saw him pull out of the parking lot. Juvia banged her head against the steering wheel, causing the horn to honk. After minutes of having her head down, Juvia finally put the car in drive and headed home.
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The next day, Juvia got a call from Gray. Wondering what he could want, she answered it.
''Gray-sama? What do you want?''
''Besides you, nothing. But my trail is ending today and I want you to be there. You will be there, right?'' Juvia smiled.
''Of course Juvia will be there. She wants to support Gray-sama. What time does it start?''
'' In an hour. I'll see you there.''
''Okay.'' Juvia hung up and headed to her bathroom. She wanted to support Gray. So there was no way she was going to miss his trial. As quickly as she could, she got dressed and made her way to the courthouse.
Gray was already there, waiting for her.
''Levy's already inside. Let's go.'' he said. He turned on his heel and walked inside. Juvia quickly followed after him. They reached the courtroom and Gray opened the door. Levy was inside, along with Becca and her lawyer, and a few others. Juvia glanced at Gray. Just by looking at his face, she could tell that he was nervous. She reached out and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
''Everything's going to be alright. So don't worry.'' she whispered. Gray smiled and squeezed her hand back.
''Thank you.'' he whispered back. He let go of her hand and stood next to Levy. The judge walked in a moment later.
''Alright.'' she said, sitting down. She quickly shuffled some papers. She looked up and stared at Gray and Becca.
''Now, after a week of thinking about it, I have finally come to a decision. I find Gray Fullbuster innocent. All charges are to be dropped immediately. That is my final ruling.''
Gray and Levy breathed a sigh of relief. Becca's lawyer, Mr. Danes, rushed over to Judge Park and tried to get her to change her ruling. Judge Park brought her gavel down, which silenced Mr. Danes.
''My ruling is final.'' she repeated, giving him a scathing glare. Mr. Danes sighed in defeat and walked away. Juvia ran up to Gray and gave him a giant hug.
''Juvia is so happy for you, Gray-sama!'' she shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear her. Gray smiled and hugged her back.
''I'm happy too. I couldn't have won without you.'' he said. Someone cleared their throat from behind him.
''And Levy.'' Gray added. Levy nodded.
''Damn straight.'' she said. She gathered her things and stood up.
''Well, I'll let you two celebrate however you like. I have to get home before Gajeel and make dinner.'' Juvia laughed at this because she knew that Gajeel couldn't cook to save his life. Levy waved goodbye before leaving. As soon as she left, Becca approached them. Juvia glared at her.
''What do you want?'' she spat. Becca smiled at her. Then she turned to Gray.
''Well it looks like you won. Congratulations.'' She held out her hand. Gray ignored it and stepped up.
''I don't need your fake congratulations, you bitch. You nearly ruined me because you wanted a fucking raise. So don't you dare say that you're happy for me.'' Gray scoffed and shook his head. ''I can't even stand to look at you. So you know what? You're fired.'' Becca's eyes widened.
''What? You can't do that!'' She looked at Judge Park. ''He can't do that!''
''Actually, he can. Now if you'll excuse me.'' Judge Park stood up and left. Becca growled.
''What? What?! This cannot be happening! You can't do this to me!'' she screamed. Gray smirked.
''I can and I just did. C'mon Juvia.''
Gray and Juvia left, leaving Becca to have her temper tantrum alone.
''So, how do you want to celebrate my victory?'' Gray asked when they got outside. Juvia thought about it for a moment.
''Oh, how about we go out to eat? Juvia knows this great place.''
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Juvia and Gray ended up going to the same restaurant that Juvia and Lyon had been at only a day before. The duo walked in, unbeknownst to the fact that Lyon was already there, eating by himself. Juvia spotted Lyon first. She froze. She didn't think he would be here. Gray noticed her stop and turned to see what the problem was. He groaned.
''Let's just say hi.'' Juvia said, tugging on Gray's arm. Gray followed her reluctantly. Lyon looked up when he saw them.
''Oh, hello.'' he said. Juvia smiled.
''Hi. Juvia is still very sorry for yesterday.''
''It's alright, I don't care anymore. I'm more curoius as to why you two are here. And together at that.''
''Oh, well Juvia and Gray-sama just came from the courthouse. As luck would have it, Gray-sama's legal problems are over.''
''I'm glad to hear it.'' Lyon said, glancing at Gray. Juvia, not realizing the tension, sat down next to Lyon.
''Why don't we eat with you?'' she asked. ''It would definately be better than sitting by ourselves.''
Lyon very much wanted to say no, but he couldn't when Juvia was looking at him like that. He sighed.
''I guess there's no harm in that.'' he said. Juvia grinned.
''Yay! Gray-sama, come sit down.'' Juvia pointed to the seat across from her. Gray, not wanting to upset her, sat down.
He looked up and locked eyes with Lyon. Lyon stared right back. Juvia stared at them. Their eyes burned with such fire. It was like an old rivalry was reborn. And Juvia couldn't help but think that she was the cause of it.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
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Done! Now, I might not update again until final exams are done. We'll just have to wait and see.
I'll see you all next chapter.