~She was going to get him to fall in love with her one way or another.~

The Romantic Process

The day Juvia met Gray, which had also been the day she'd vowed to make him fall in love with her, she'd known that the journey would be a long one.

It wasn't that Gray wasn't caring or loving in his own rather cold way, but he could be a little… difficult. Especially when it came to anything involving her and anything involving romance.

She wasn't surprised that he didn't fall head-over-heels in love with her at first sight like she had him. He didn't seem like the type to go after girls, rather waiting for them to come to him. And so, her long and rather daunting task of getting the notoriously frigid Gray Fullbuster to fall in love with her began.

She wasn't sure how long it would take, but she'd see it through to the end. She'd take his praise with his insults and the days when he seemed as if he might finally confess with the days when it seemed she was perhaps his least favorite person on the face of the planet. He was wishy-washy, at least in her mind, and she found that cute.

Others however, didn't see him as "wishy-washy". They were upfront with her and her delusions when it came to Gray, some sugar-coating it more than others. While Lucy would lightly suggest that perhaps she should go out on a date with someone else for a change, just to keep her options open, others such as Gajeel were straight to the point. They said things like 'He's a waste of time' and 'He doesn't love you. Get it through your head. Give up'.

And it was those times when she'd find herself smiling the most, shaking her head and telling them that she'd never give up, and that they were wrong about how he felt.

It was the little things Gray did, when no one was watching, that gave her the hope to continue on with her quest. She was positive that somewhere deep down he loved her, and she was bound and determined to bring that part of him straight up to the surface.

And every time she'd say something along those lines aloud, she found that the opposition of others seemed to fade away. Lucy wouldn't suggest she go out on dates anymore, rather inviting her over for more "girl's nights" instead, so she'd have some company. And Gajeel would just roll his eyes, gritting his teeth but keeping his comments to himself. And she was grateful, in a way, for that.

But it also exasperated her… that no one ever cheered her on. Well, she supposed the girls did, in their own way, whenever they'd have those "girl's nights". They'd talk about crushes and then the next day when she saw Gray in the guild she'd get an elbow nudge and a few suggestive eyebrow wiggles from either Lucy or Levy. It was their own way of cheering her on, she guessed.

But sometimes she wondered if they truly knew how hard the journey was. She, of course, saw it as worthwhile and necessary, and she would have as much patience as it took, but in all reality… It was a damn hard job getting Gray to fall in love with her. Sometimes she thought she deserved much more credit than she got.

Because he was stubborn, hard-headed, standoffish, and so against the idea of falling in love with her that it was downright frustrating. Of course, she'd put the task on herself of courting him, and she could stop at any moment –however, everyone knew that moment would never come.

And with a different kind of smile on her face, she'd nod to herself. Yes, she, Juvia Lockser was taking on what could possibly the project of the century, but when it worked out? Oh, she would have more than enough reward to compensate for the late nights spent baking things for him, or the immense exhaustion she'd felt every day following him around, keeping eyes on his every move.

Because yes, she was taking on a job that seemed impossible to some, but absolutely probable to her. She wouldn't deny that it wasn't hard, and she definitely wouldn't deny that she probably deserved some sort of reward when it worked out.

And when she'd feel those smiles on her face she'd take a step back, sigh, and shake her head. Because she'd be damned if she didn't impress herself every single time she thought of all she'd done for Gray. She was one hell of a woman to stick with it for this long; and to still be this determined, she was positive had to be a mark of fate. And in the end, it all boiled down to the same thing, seemingly impossible task in front of her or not: She was going to get him to fall in love with her one way or another, whether he liked it or not.

The Sinnoh League Challenge - Route 201 part 5 - write about a journey - the journey is a spiritual one as opposed to a physical one

It's never shown whether or not Juvia is ever proud of herself but I feel like she would be sometimes. She's quite humble but I feel like every once in a while she'd just sit there like "damn I'm good". Especially when she makes those culinary masterpieces with his face on them lol!

~Foxtail-chan