A/N: Hey guys! MERRY CHRISTMAS. (Or Happy Holidays, if you don't celebrate) I wanted to get this chapter out a couple days ago, but this time of year is hectic! I converted a bunch of you guys to Stinerva fans with chapter 12. MWA HA HA HA. THAT WAS MY EVIL PLAN ALL ALONG. THIS STORY ISN'T EVEN ABOUT NALU. JK, it is. But I'm glad y'all like it. I love Stinerva, and I'm surprised how many of you liked it, too. Everyone I've come across is a hardcore StiYu fan, so I wasn't expecting so much support. It's appreciated, nonetheless. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and a huge shoutout to all of my reviewers. You rock my world.
The water called to her. Maybe it was because Juvia was a creature of the sea, but something about water resonated deep within her soul. Water was so adaptable. Scalding hot or freezing cold. Hard as rock or flowing through your fingers. Easy to see through or so dark that it's impossible to tell where the bottom is. Water was as ever changing as Juvia was. She belongs to the ocean- and it belongs to her.
When Juvia was five, her parents took her down to the coast for the first time. She remembers standing by the shoreline and stretching her arms out like Kate Winslet in Titanic. The crash of ocean waves and the fresh, saltwater breeze was her own personal siren song. And when she fully submerged herself in the water and felt her legs merge together and her skin morph into scales, she felt like she was finally in the body she was meant to be in.
Her parents had promised to take her back to the coast next summer, and she'd been thrilled. Of course, there was no way to know that promise would never be fulfilled. And there was no way to predict that, at the same time next year, she'd be huddled into a ball of emotional turmoil in her bathroom. No one could've foreseen the plane crash that left Juvia all alone. After her parents died, Juvia would spend hours in her tub with her head underwater, trying to see if she could make herself drown in it. Her gills prevented that from ever happening, but damn if the sorrow wasn't suffocating.
She bounced around the foster care system for a year before her mother's estranged sister came to get her. Aunt Aquarius had chosen to live in the ocean away from people, unlike her human-loving sister. Several months had passed before she finally heard of her sister's death. It took a few months more for Aquarius to get an apartment in Magnolia and a job stable and high-paying enough for the social workers to let her be Juvia's legal guardian. But just after the anniversary of her parents' death, Juvia was finally sent to live with the aunt she never knew.
Aquarius kept Juvia from going down a path of delinquency and violence (although Juvia had an unhealthy obsession with heavy metal for a while). But Juvia was still a lonely child. She never made friends in elementary school, everyone steering clear of the sad girl in the back of the class. And she spent middle school longing to join the swim team or choir, but knowing that she couldn't draw attention herself. No one could find out her secret, after all. While her limbs only transformed in saltwater, she was still an unnaturally fast swimmer. Much faster than what should be humanly possible. And as a siren, her reason for not singing for others was obvious. Her song could only hurt people, manipulating them into false emotions.
But FAEA was different. The people here were different, like her. Without the need to keep her peers at arm's length, Juvia had actually made friends. She was surrounded by others that cared about her and accepted her. She still couldn't sing like she desperately wanted to (it was too dangerous), but she could do other things without having to worry about her secret being revealed. Like swimming. Juvia loved swimming.
Most days after school, Juvia got the academy's enormous swimming pool to herself. Just the way she liked it. The feeling that bubbles in her chest when she glides through water is unparalleled. Well, almost unparalleled. There was a certain ice-wielding descendant of Frost that made her feel a euphoria more intense than nirvana when he looked in her eyes. But being surrounded by water was as close as she could get to feeling like she did by his side.
Lately, she'd been rather blue (no pun intended). Gray had been more distant than ever before, avoiding her like the plague. And finals were stressing her out beyond belief. And Aunt Aquarius had just broken the news that she would have to work on Christmas, leaving Juvia all by herself. It'd been a disappointing week, to say the least. So Juvia decided to cheer herself up beyond the typical dip in the pool.
It was surprisingly easy to sneak huge buckets of salt into the pool area. When the coast was clear, she locked the doors behind her. She took a deep breath before dumping the salt into the pool. Please don't let Juvia get in trouble for this. Of course, she would only get in trouble if she got caught.
Juvia took a long rod meant for cleaning and used it to swirl the salt around in the pool. When everything was sufficiently blended together, Juvia threw the rod to the side and grinned. She then proceeded to get naked. Transformation got messy when she was wearing anything on the lower half of her body; this was something Juvia had learned the hard way.
She folded her clothes up along with a towel, leaving them by the side of the pool. Completely naked aside from her bra, Juvia didn't hesitate to jump in. She felt the telltale tingle of her legs and sighed happily. Ivory skin morphed into aquamarine scales that glimmered under the low lighting, some patches shining silver. They felt smooth like glass beneath her touch, perfectly curved to fit the contours of her tail. And the fins at the bottom of her tail were translucent, flowing in the water like gossamer. She flicked them this way and that, watching her tail sparkle. This was the form that Juvia felt beautiful in.
She swam around the deep end, letting her mind go blank. No more worries or insecurities. No more forced smiles or obligations. It was just Juvia and the water, and everything was perfect. She couldn't remember how long it'd been since she'd gotten to swim in her siren form. Two years, maybe? She and Aquarius had spent the summer at sea when she was fifteen, just before her sophomore year. Just before she met Gray. It was before work took over her aunt's life and left no time for long days on a little boat in the middle of the ocean.
Juvia burst up from the water, craning her neck back and flipping her hair out of her eyes. She'd been under for at least ten minutes, and even though she'd couldn't drown it still felt weird to go so long without air. When she lowered her chin, she was shocked to see a two pairs of wide eyes staring at her. She squeaked and ducked back under water.
"Juvia," she heard a voice call, the sound distorted by the water. Even still, she could tell exactly who it was.
With caution, Juvia rose back up (although much less dramatically than before). She slicked her hair back with one hand as she met Gray's eyes. She bit the inside of her cheek, suddenly shy. Everyone knew that she was a siren, but nobody outside of her family had ever seen her true form. Much less Gray and this companion of his that she'd never seen before.
"Hi," Juvia breathed, not knowing what else to say. Gray's eyes raked over her figure.
"Hi? Why aren't you wearing any- Oh my God, do you have a tail?"
"Um," Juvia answered hesitantly. "Yes?"
"Why- I mean, how-"
"Juvia poured salt in the pool," she interrupted, like that explained everything. Gray gave her a dubious look.
"And that means?"
"Juvia's legs transform in saltwater. Because she's a siren."
"A goddess, more like," Gray's friend interjected. "I'm Lyon. And you're gorgeous."
"Easy," Gray growled, shoving Lyon off to the side. "You may be my cousin, but I will knock you out."
"I'd like to see you try," Lyon taunted, pushing Gray back.
They continued to egg each other on, shoving and hitting like fifth grade boys. Juvia's brows pulled together, and she thought that they didn't get along very much for cousins. Their fight continued, and the pool started to freeze as the two's emotions grew out of control. Juvia yelped at the icy chill, drawing their attention.
"Shit," Gray hissed, pulling her out of the water.
"J-Juvia is f-fine," she reassured, teeth chattering.
"Woah," Lyon breathed, sitting down beside them. "Your tail. Can I touch it?"
It was a strange question, one that made her pause a little. It wouldn't be much different than touching the scales of a fish, which everyone seems to think is gross. However, the thought of someone touching her tail didn't really bother her. Juvia nodded, still thinking that the request was rather peculiar. Lyon stretched his hand out, but Gray slapped it away with a scowl. Lyon hissed.
"The fuck was that for?"
"You don't get to touch her however you want," Gray bit out.
"And you do," Lyon hissed back.
Finally, Gray noticed that he still had Juvia cradled in his arms. His hands rested at the small of her back and the underside of her tail. Juvia was suddenly hyper aware of the warmth of his fingers. Gray drew his hands back like she was on fire (which she was, a little bit).
"Sorry," he muttered, looking away. Juvia shook her head.
"It's fine, really! Juvia doesn't mind," she reassured, getting a little bashful. "No one has ever touched Juvia's tail before."
"Really," he asked, surprised.
Juvia nodded. Hesitantly, Gray reached out to touch her tail. When he finally made contact, a weird sensation tingled throughout Juvia's body. Her scales didn't have nerve endings, so it didn't feel like he was touching her directly. The feeling was more akin to that of being touched through a thick layer of clothing. She could just barely make out the ghost of Gray's fingertips. But the touch jolted her all the same.
"Huh," Gray murmured, entranced. "So… Pretty."
Juvia flushed scarlet, her face rivaling Erza's hair. Gray didn't seem to notice, too caught up in the shimmer of Juvia's scales. He didn't seem to notice that he was ogling her until Lyon cleared his throat, elbowing Gray's side. Gray blushed even darker than Juvia, snatching his hand away.
"Well," Lyon said, breaking the awkward silence. "We were only here to see whose ice magic was better, but it appears that the pool is occupied. We'll leave you to your swimming, beautiful."
Juvia blushed at the nickname while Gray growled at Lyon. Lyon only laughed, hopping up to leave. But he'd been sitting too close to the pile of Juvia's clothes that sat at the pool's edge, accidentally kicking it over. He quickly apologized, crouching down to pick up the discarded materials. That was, until he found an object of interest.
"What are," he choked, skimpy black material dangling from his hand.
"That's," Juvia paused, almost too embarrassed to get the words out. "Juvia's underwear."
The next few events happened rapid fire. Lyon, still gripping Juvia's underwear, got a nosebleed. Like, an honest-to-God nosebleed. Gray slapped the underwear out of Lyon's hand and punched him. In the face. And then he threw him over his shoulder in a surprising burst of adrenaline.
"Excuse my dumbass cousin," Gray bit out, face averted. "And the water shouldn't be cold anymore, so, uh. Yeah. Enjoy your swim."
He left with Lyon still over his shoulder, not waiting around for Juvia's response. She giggled, not as disheartened by his sudden exit as usual. She tested the waters with her fins, and Gray was right about the temperature. Juvia sighed as she slipped back into the pool, the water feeling nice against her skin. As she swam, she couldn't help thinking that something amazing had happened that day. After all, she'd never seen her Gray-sama get so flustered because of her.
Natsu's kind-of-girlfriend was trying to kill him. It was the last day of the semester, and Grimoire Heart was having a huge rehearsal party to kick off winter break. The party was at Mirajane's place which, of course, meant everyone was going to be there. Except Gray, that is. Because there was a reason that he never went to Juvia's band practices. But Lucy would have none of it.
"You're going," she'd demanded. "Juvia needs someone to cheer for her. She's the real star of the band."
"I'm sure she'll have plenty of other people cheering for her if she's the star," Gray griped, refusing to move from his spot on the couch. Could he not get some peace and quiet in his own damned dorm? Natsu and Lucy had gotten even closer lately, if that was even possible, and it sometimes felt like he had a fourth roommate. Like Natsu and Happy alone weren't enough to handle.
"I'm sure you're right," Lucy sighed, looking somewhat resigned. "Meredy did say that Lyon would be at the rehearsal. She's been kinda jealous lately, saying that he goes on and on about how gorgeous Juvia is. He'll probably cheer for her. Maybe he'll even ask her out afterwards…"
And that was how Gray got baited into going to this damned rehearsal party. Fuck. Why is someone so crafty hanging around with Natsu all the time? Lucy was some sort of evil mastermind, and Gray was pretty sure his roommate had the IQ of a potato. Life's mysteries really did befuddle him sometimes.
All the girls at this party were way more dressed up than last time. looking ready to go clubbing or something. Natsu had just about had a heart attack when he saw Lucy wearing this tight black dress, and Gray had been a bit worried that the idiot was gonna jump her. He'd always thought it was stupid when guys lost their damned minds over a girls in short dresses. Gray was immune to skin and cleavage. He'd ascended to another level of being, you could say, and skimpily dressed girls didn't even phase- What in the hell was Juvia wearing?
All members of Grimoire Heart had gotten dolled up for the party, treating the rehearsal as a mini-concert. Mirajane was probably behind it all. (She always did have a flare for the dramatic.) But still, Gray hadn't expected Juvia to dress up (or down) as well. Jesus Christ, the girl looked like walking sex. She was wearing this halter top with a plunging neckline, and her jeans were so. Damned. Tight. Could she even bend over in those? No, don't think about Juvia bending over.
Juvia caught his eye from across the room, and he saw her fidget and bite her lip. Black lipstick. Why was that strangely hot? She fluttered her lashes the same way she always did, but it had Gray hypnotized like never before. Usually Gray didn't dig girls that wore so much eyeliner, but on Juvia… Lucy saw Gray's line of vision and smirked. No, Lucy, don't-
"Juvia," Lucy called, waving her over. Juvia made her way through the crowd, heeding Lucy's call like an obedient puppy. Or maybe it was just an excuse? Maybe she just wanted to come see Gray. Why did that thought please him a little?
"Hello," Juvia breathed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I love your outfit," Lucy gushed.
"Mirajane said Juvia needed more sex appeal," the siren glowered. "Juvia thinks such revealing clothing is distasteful."
"You look hot," Lucy reassured, smile bright.
"Um, thank you."
Juvia's eyes fluttered nervously over to Gray. Shit, was he supposed to say something? Lucy was definitely glaring at him like he was. Fuck! What do I say?
"You look good," Gray blurted out, immediately wanting to punch himself in the face.
"Really," Juvia breathed, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, Gray-sama!"
Gray heard Lucy snicker when Juvia tackled him. He grit his teeth. Blondie was really getting under his skin. She was obviously trying to assume the role of wingwoman (his or Juvia's, he wasn't sure). But her "help" was more mortifying than anything. This had to stop, and now. How could he distract her? Hmm…
"Oh," Gray murmured, trying to sound nonchalant. "Is that girl talking to Natsu? Weird, I've never seen her before…"
"What," Lucy hissed, whirling around to see Natsu making perfectly polite (and totally platonic) conversation with one of the band's groupies. "Oh, hell no. First Minerva, and now this skank?"
Gray raised an eyebrow as Lucy stomped over to intercept Natsu's conversation. She hooked her arm in Natsu's, probably not noticing him stare at her tits as they mashed up against his body. Lucy glared at the groupie, effectively scaring the young girl away. Possessive much? And what was that about Minerva? Gray thought she was hooking up with Sting…
"So," Juvia murmured, dragging him from his thoughts. "You came to see Juvia play? That's so sweet."
"It's not a big deal," Gray muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Lucy practically made me."
"Juvia still appreciates it," Juvia smiled, expression far more gentle than the sexy black makeup that framed her eyes and lips. "Juvia would love to stay and talk, but she has to help Mirajane set up the stage now."
"Sure," Gray nodded. "I'll talk to you after."
The smile she gave him was blindingly bright, and she flounced off to the stage with an extra spring in her step. He would never understand how every little thing he did could possibly make her so insanely happy. It made him feel kind of unworthy. Gray felt an arm wrap around his neck before he could delve too deeply into his thoughts, and the smell of whiskey made his companion known before he even set eyes on her.
"What do you want, Cana?"
"I want you to grow a pair and ask her out," Cana slurred, motioning over to Juvia with her cup still in hand. "You're clearly in love with her."
"I am not," Gray protested. "I'll never fall in love."
"Whatever you say kid," Cana singsonged, clearly not believing it. She clearly thought that Gray was claiming to be incapable of feeling the emotion, when that wasn't the case at all.
The problem was not that he wasn't able to fall in love. The problem was that Gray Fullbuster didn't know how to stop pushing people away. For God's sake, Natsu Fucking Dragneel was the closest thing he had in this world to a best friend, and the two got into fist fights on a daily basis. Maybe it was because he knew the consequences of being in love. Sure, it seemed great and all. But what happens afterwards? After you fall out of love? After someone leaves you?
Gray's parents were desperately in love. He remembers a time when he'd see them look at each other like they were looking at the stars. And he'd idly wish that he'd have that for himself one day. That was, until Gray's mom died. Mika's death had broken Gray's father, Silver, beyond repair. He was a different man, practically a walking corpse when compared to the boisterous ball of charisma he'd been before. Love, as it seemed, could destroy you as much as it could build you up. And that utter despair and desolation he'd watched his father go through had scared Gray off. Because nothing, not even love, could be worth the risk of breaking your own heart.
So, no. Gray wasn't open to loving Juvia. Because Juvia Lockser was not the kind of girl that could simply come and go into someone's life as she pleases. Well, not Gray's life at least. If he let her in and she left, she'd probably take a part of him with her. A big part. And he knows he'd never be the same.
"Testing," Mira's voice called out through the party's massive speakers. "Microphone check, one-two-three. Is everyone ready to go?"
The entire party screamed in response making Mira giggle and the other members of the band grin. Gray felt a bit of dread pool in his stomach as Mirajane took the mike. He watched Juvia's eyes trail over to the shapeshifter, expression bittersweet. This was why he never went to their rehearsals before. Seeing Juvia stare longingly at the microphone and wondering if she wishes she was singing made a bit of his heart ache for her. She'd told him once that if she were a Normal, she would've been a singer. But she was a siren, and the risk was just too high for that. It was kind of tragic, in a way.
Gray noticed Juvia's eyes light up all of the sudden. Mira saw it, too, and she laughed. Juvia grabbed a shiny Fender strat from the corner as Mirajane waved her over to the mike. What was going on?
"Before we get started, I'd like to welcome a new member to the band," Mira grinned. What? Juvia had been with the band since they started. Hadn't she?
"Juvia's new guitar," Mira called out, followed by laughter and hollers. "She's been saving up for it for a long time."
"This guitar is Juvia's pride and joy," Juvia announced, grabbing the microphone. "Juvia has decided to name it Silver, after her future father-in-law!"
The room erupted into cheers, and Gray's face burned. His dumbass dad got along with Juvia too damned well. He once caught them FaceTiming when he got back early from hockey practice. Ever since Gray and Juvia had done some stupid project at his house a couple months ago, Silver had taken a liking to her. Not a week went by without him asking when Gray would bring his cute, little girlfriend over. Fucking annoying old man.
"Isn't that your dad's name?"
Gray whirled around to see Natsu standing behind him, a confused frown on his face. Lucy was over talking to Cana, no longer glued to Natsu's side. She must've calmed down after the threat was eliminated, letting Natsu go off on his own. Suddenly, her eyes were scanning the room until they rested on Gray and Natsu. She gave a relieved sigh before resuming her conversation with Cana. Maybe scratch the 'calmed down' part.
"Yeah," Gray muttered. "Weird coincidence."
"You know, I think Juvia might have a crush on you," Natsu said, crossing his arms. Gray rolled his eyes.
"You're so perceptive, Natsu."
"Are wanting to fight, smart ass," Natsu hissed. Gray grinned.
"I mean, if you want me to beat your ass," he said arrogantly. Natsu grit his teeth.
"You're lucky Lucy's here, or else I'd crush you."
"You're so whipped," Gray snickered. "Let me know when Lucy gives you back your balls."
"Shut the fuck up," Natsu laughed, pushing Gray in a surprising show of good humor. "You're just jealous that I've shared a bed with the prettiest girl in the room."
Usually Gray and Natsu had the same taste in women, which was yet another thing to fight over. During middle school they'd frequently battled over pin-up posters from Playboy like pokémon cards. They were both obsessed with exaggerated hourglass figures and sexy, feminine allure. Big boobs, wide hips, long hair, and pretty eyes. But for the first time, Gray found himself disagreeing with Natsu's preference (of the female persuasion, at least). Lucy was pretty damned cute, the type of girlfriend Gray would've envied back when they were thirteen. But he found his eyes drifting to the stage as Grimoire Heart started their set. Lucy was devastatingly good looking, sure, but she definitely wasn't the prettiest girl there. The prettiest girls had to have blue hair and ivory skin and eyes that could peer into your soul. It was, like, a rule or something.
"Wait," Gray said, halting in his tracks. "Did you just say you've shared a bed? What exactly do you guys do over at her place?"
"Nothing that your virgin ears should hear about," Natsu snickered, thinking he was so damned clever.
"You were on that field trip, too," Gray grumbled. "And you're so full of shit."
"Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go find Lucy. You should shut up and listen to your future wife play. She's pretty damned good."
"Shut up," Gray muttered, diverting his attention back to the stage. The first thing he noticed was Mirajane's singing. She was known for having an amazing voice, and he certainly hadn't heard wrong. It was soft and melodious, and she had this natural stage presence that made it obvious why she was the band's frontman. Gray started to worry about Juvia again. She was just so soft-spoken and shy sometimes that he'd been surprised when he heard that she was even in a band. It definitely wouldn't be hard to feel outshined by someone like Mira. His eyes trailed over to Juvia only for Gray to be surprised by what he saw.
She looked at home, there on that stage. She seemed to completely forget about the way she looked, no longer fretting over her sexy outfit and excessive makeup. She was practically oozing confidence, and for good reason. Her playing was really fuckin' good. It kind of figured. Sirens' Dexterity was music, after all. Juvia probably played several instruments, and she was probably good at all of them. Her hands brought the guitar to life, and it was surreal when Gray realized that the instrument was really just a hunk of wood and metal with some strings and fancy knobs attached. She wielded it like Ultear would a wand, and as the set progressed she seemed to cast the audience under a spell. It wasn't magic, like her thrall, but it must've felt the way it would've to see a legend like Hendrix perform live.
Gray thought that he finally understood Juvia's ability, but he soon found out that he hadn't even scratched the surface. The last song, which everyone seemed to be holding their breaths for, was unbelievable. The vocals were flawless, the bass was loud and earth-shattering, and the drums were explosive. But Juvia's guitar part was far more subdued than it was during the earlier songs. Until they got to the solo, that is. That fucking guitar it possible for someone's hands to move so fast? Because Juvia was shredding the whole thing to fucking pieces.
Gray remembered Lucy's words from before. "She's the real star of the band." And, by God, Lucy had been right. Mirajane was beautiful and attention-grabbing, sure. But Juvia shined. It made Gray wonder how there'd ever been a time when he wasn't completely riveted by her.
Her tone was full and warm and slightly distorted in the best kind of way. The rest of the band seemed to fade away, and there was only Juvia. Gray couldn't even tell if the crowd was going crazy or if they'd been quieted in awe because any sound that wasn't the rich twang of her fingers plucking guitar strings was lost to him in those moments. He couldn't help but be riveted by her perspiration and wild hair and clenched eyes. Juvia had always been the type to let herself freefall, surrendering all of her being to her emotions. She'd always been able to just stop and let herself feel the experience, something that Gray had never been able to do. But now, he closed his eyes with her, letting the music run over him and awaken things that had been dormant in his chest for far too long.
The crowd was screaming when the band finished their set, every person in the room trying to grab a piece of Juvia's attention. But her eyes were trained directly at Gray, giving him her complete focus. And she smiled. Without delay, Juvia made her way through the crowd. Everyone was still going nuts, the crowd cheering and the band coming down from the highs their performance had given them. But the only thing Juvia cared about was being close to Gray. And then she was standing right in front of him.
Something welled up in Gray's lungs and branded his throat, trying to claw its way up and pour out of his mouth. Heartburn. He swallowed down words like bile. Phrases along the lines of, "You're fucking perfect" and "I want you more desperately than I've ever wanted anything" threaten make his tongue dance like ventriloquists would their puppets. He could feel their strings, pulling him in a million different directions and trying to force Gray to do their bidding. (It was a weird coincidence that all of these unseen forces were trying to make Gray pull her in closer.)
The rest of the evening followed the normal routine. Juvia's mind seemed to travel to a fantasy world (one that Gray sometimes wishes he could visit, too), and she attacked him several times with hugs tight enough to make him pop. Natsu and Lucy tried to pretend that there wasn't a shit ton of sexual tension between them, ignoring Mira and Levy's teasing observations. Elfman and Ever had a fight and broke up- which only lasted twenty minutes until someone found them in a coat closet together. Erza pulled Ultear and Meredy aside to talk in private. She wasn't fooling anyone. Even Natsu knew that she was asking them about her childhood friend that'd been shipped off to a detention center for juvenile delinquents. Nobody knows why Erza doesn't just go and visit the guy herself, but the question remains unasked. Some things are just too private to pry into.
The only rift in the routine was how unspeakably breathtaking Juvia looked to him now. It was like the universe had decided to shine a spotlight on her these past few days, screaming at Gray to notice her. To look at her. To be captivated by her. When he'd seen her burst up from the water a few days before, his heart had just about stopped. As a kid, he'd always had a strange fascination with mermaids. And when he met Juvia, he ignored the whispers from deep within his own subconscious that told him it was meant to be. But seeing her dripping with saltwater and covered in scales that glittered under the low lighting did something strange to a part of himself which he'd always denied the very existence of. The same part of him that clenched in yearning when he saw her perform.
Around midnight, when the party seemed to die down a bit, Juvia asked Gray if he would walk her home. Juvia had always been more of an introvert, preferring to leave the party earlier than others. Gray was an introvert, too. At least, that was his excuse for always being one of the first to go home. He never quite pinned it down to the fact that parties were always a little less fun without Juvia there. Or that he'd never once refused to walk her back to her place.
On the way back, Gray rubbed at his neck. It was exposed to the cold, and the weather had decided to take a turn for the worse in the past week. He noticed Juvia rubbing her hands to keep warm, trying to breathe hot puffs of air on her chilled fingertips. Her stupid pea coat was thick and woolen, keeping her arms and torso warm. The damned thing had about a million buttons, but it didn't have pockets. Why did women's clothing always omit simple, necessary things like pockets? Gray took one of her hands and weaved his fingers between hers, bringing their clasped hands to rest in one of his coat pockets.
"You should probably get some mittens," he murmured, frowning at the thought of Juvia's trembling fingers icing over. What did they always say? Cold hands, warm heart. However inconvenient it was, Gray supposed the expression was rather fitting in this case.
Juvia only nodded, cheeks the prettiest crimson. Gray could tell it wasn't just from the cold. He sighed, reminding himself that touching her always gave her ideas. At the same time, he couldn't ignore the small sense of pride that swelled in his chest. He tried to, really. But every time he managed to beat it back, Juvia would peak up at him from under her lashes or give him one of those unwittingly heartwarming smiles. When they finally reached her place, she leaned up and gave him a chaste brush of her lips on his cheek before heading inside. He just about exploded.
When Gray got home, he didn't even bother turning the lights on. The day had been even more emotionally exhausting than he'd been expecting, and all he could muster the will to do was stumble in the dark and collapse into his bed. He thanked whatever powers that be for his miraculous stripping habit, which somehow rid him of all his clothes between the entryway and his room. Gray burrowed beneath his covers, staring up at the mind-numbing white of his ceiling. He ran through the day's events in his mind, tying logic to every action and motivation to every word. It was how he coped when things got difficult. But there was one area of his life that only got more and more confusing as his analysis ran deeper.
Gray had spent way too much of his life staring at his bedroom ceiling, trying to figure out what Juvia Lockser was to him. That night, Gray finally narrowed it down to one of two options. Savior. Executioner. Juvia somehow teetered on the line between angelic and deadly. Though he'd never admit it, she was sometimes the only reason Gray got out of bed in the morning. She made his chest uncomfortably warm and his thoughts uncomfortable muddled. But she might very well be the death of him- something Gray would also never admit. Savior. Executioner. Opposite ends of the spectrum, side by side and divided a single border. And the line was only getting thinner.
I hope you guys enjoyed it! Gruvia is gonna be taking off in a couple of chapters, don't you worry. My editor-friend-person has been pestering me for more NaLu, so it's coming next. I think you'll like what I have in store...
XOXO, Mya~