Sorry it's a little late, everyone. I forgot about this until just now. I'm caught up to myself now, so here's where my updating frequency and reliability will be put to the test. Also, this chapter is a little short, sorry. It's mostly just some fluff, but there's some angst and stuff mixed in. Enjoy!

We are weighed down, every moment, by the conception and sensation of Time. And there are but two means of escaping and forgetting this nightmare: pleasure and work. Pleasure consumes us. Work strengthens us. Let us choose.

The next morning, Juvia woke up early. It was the day of her date – 'job request' – with Gray, and she had to get ready. Jace snored on the other side of her bed. Juvia smiled down at his sleeping face. The worry from the day before had been wiped from his expression by sleep and he looked the way he had when they were kids, innocent and carefree.

Once she was ready, Juvia wrote a quick note telling Jace where she was going and that he should take the day to explore and left the apartment. She got to the guild at 7:45, expecting to wait for at least half an hour, and was surprised to see Gray was already there, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The morning was warm, and he wore a loose tank top and shorts. He was looking in the opposite direction of where Juvia stood, and so he was completely taken off-guard when she jumped at him, shrieking, "Gray-sama~!"

They tumbled to the ground, Gray on the bottom. "Ouch," he groaned, rubbing his elbow. He hadn't been able to get his hands out of his pockets in time and had to use his elbows to keep from hitting his head. "What the hell, Ju–"

The words dissolved on his tongue as he looked at her and saw what she was wearing. Unaware, she leaned forward with a cheerful smile. "Good morning, Gray-sama!"

"Yeah…" Gray mumbled, pushing her off gently and getting to his feet. He offered her a hand, which she took with alarming speed. She was wearing white wrist-length gloves. As she brushed herself off, Gray stared vacantly at her, not quite believing his eyes.

The dress was low-cut across the bust and tight in the waist and butt, displaying an hourglass figure Gray had always pointedly ignored. It was short, too, making it seem as though her slim legs went on for miles. Shades of blue faded from a navy so dark it looked almost black at the hem to a bluish-white at the neckline. The hem was loose and fluttered around her thighs, catching attention instantly. Her silky blue hair was tied into simple ponytail at the crown of her head, the tips brushing tantalizingly over her bare collarbone.

Well, even if he didn't feel anything romantic for Juvia, he was still a guy, after all.

"So what's the job, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, completely oblivious to Gray's inner thoughts.

"Oh, uh…" He dug the sheet out of his back pocket and held it up for her to read. "It's a request for someone to save a town from some monster. It's about an hour-long train ride from here, so we should get going."

"Right!" Juvia agreed, smiling happily. They started down the street, Gray struggling to keep his eyes on anything but her. It wasn't helping that she was walking a little bit in front of him, affording him an excellent view of her butt. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one staring at the oblivious water mage. On both sides of the street, men observed her with heavy desire burning in their eyes. Gray gritted his teeth. It couldn't be helped.

"Juvia," he said, stepping forward and slipped a hand around her elbow. "Slow down a little."

"Gray-sama?" Juvia gasped, her gaze jolting wildly from his skin on hers to his face, which was turned resolutely forward. "Gray-sama, is something wrong?" Gray shot a glare at one guy who nearly walked into a pole trying to get a better look at Juvia.

"No, nothing's wrong. Just…uh…" He realized suddenly that he was being oddly protective of Juvia. Well, no, it wasn't really that strange. She was his guild mate. They were practically family. Obviously he would want to keep her safe from strangers. That had to explain his urge to punch every last male being on that street in the face right then. "It's crowded, so…you know… I want to, um, make sure we don't get separated."

Magnolia wasn't a large town, and its residents preferred to go out in the afternoons and evenings. The majority of the people on the streets were tourists, and Magnolia didn't get that many of those. The street was anything but 'crowded'.

Juvia just beamed. "Gray-sama," she murmured, snuggling close to him and pressing her cheek against his shoulder. "Thank you for coming with Juvia today."

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. Sure." Gray was understandably distracted by Juvia's small hand in his. When had she… He sighed. Juvia would be Juvia. "But I'm glad to see you're back to normal," he said thoughtlessly. "You had me worried."

"Juvia…didn't want Gray-sama to worry about her," Juvia mumbled under her breath, squeezing Gray's hand tightly as they stepped into the station. "Juvia is sorry."

"Huh?" Gray said, leaning down closer to her. A train had passed by, drowning out her words. Juvia smiled and took the opportunity to plant a kiss on the soft skin between his ear and jaw.

"Juvia loves you, Gray-sama," she shouted into the roar of a new train pulling into the station. "Juvia will always love you."

Gray turned away, his hand slipping out of Juvia's as they boarded the train. Juvia stared at her gloved fingers sadly as she followed the ice mage to a seat in the back of the car. Without his warmth, the air felt cold, even though it was summer.

They sat in silence across from each other. The quiet filled the air between them like molasses, slow and thick and heavy. It was suffocating. Juvia closed her eyes.

"So, uh, did you always wear gloves?" Gray asked abruptly, cutting a narrow hole in the silence. Juvia blinked slowly.

"No… Juvia thought she would try it. Does it look good?"

"Yeah, it suits you, I guess," he said, scratching his head. His eyes stared out the window so he didn't have to meet her dark blue gaze. "But aren't you hot? It's pretty hot today, even in shorts."

"Juvia is naturally cool, so she is fine with the heat." She looked down at her lap. "Gray-sama, Juvia–"

"Sorry, Juvia," Gray said. "I didn't get that much sleep last night, so do you mind if I sleep now? I'm exhausted."

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Juvia is so sorry! If you want, you may use Juvia's lap as a pillow!"

He grimaced. "I'm good, thanks." The hole in the silence closed, and once again Juvia struggled to breathe through the oppressive atmosphere. Her secret pressed on her, clogging her lungs. It was screaming, deafening in the soundlessness between them. She wanted the words out of her head. She wanted to tell him.

Juvia's lips parted just as Gray snored softly. She smiled faintly and clasped her hands in her lap. He must have been really tired to fall asleep that quickly. A burning sting on her thigh tore her attention from Gray's face. A beam of sunlight shot through the window, stabbing her bare thigh. Juvia scooted over, but it was worse the farther from the window she got. Pressing herself to the wall didn't work either. She stared longingly at Gray's seat, enshrouded in cool shade. Would he be angry if she just…?

Gray awoke with a jolt when the train came to a stop. "Fir Station, Fir Station," a monotone voice called over the speakers. Gray sighed and leaned back in the seat, rolling his neck. Their station was the next stop. He glanced at where Juvia had been sitting and realized the seat was empty. "Juvia?" he called, looking around. Where had she disappeared to while he was asleep? Gray tried to stand, only to realize that his lap was extraordinarily heavy.

A small blue head rested on his thigh, eyes closed. Her lips were pinched shut, and as he watched, she frowned. "Juvia?"' Gray repeated, tapping her shoulder carefully. She shifted slightly, but she showed no signs of waking. A tiny sound escaped her lips that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. "Juvia." Hesitantly, Gray reached out to touch her hair. "It's okay," he murmured vaguely, not really sure what to do. "I'm here."

"It's too bright," Juvia breathed. "It's hot." White teeth appeared and gnawed on her lip anxiously.

Nervous, Gray nudged her shoulder again, harder than before. "Juvia, wake up." She jerked awake and off his lap with a gasp.

"Gray…sama?" Wide dark eyes stared into his, flooded with unreadable secrets and impossible fears.

"Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Juvia dropped her gaze to her feet. "Juvia did see a ghost," she whispered.

"What?" Gray leaned forward. "Seriously, what happened? What were you dreaming about?" She shook her head vehemently.

"Juvia won't say it. Juvia won't say it," she repeated feverishly. "Juvia can't say it." Gray grabbed her gloved hand and squeezed. It was so light and small in his, it almost seemed weightless. Juvia's shoulders trembled. "Gray-sama can't know. Not ever, ever."

Gray wanted to shout. He wanted to roar. What was so wrong with him? Was he such a bad friend that she couldn't even tell him what her dream was about? Jace's arm around her shoulders slipped into his head, taunting him. On her tiptoes, her mouth to his ear. She trusts him with her secrets.

He settled for shaking Juvia's fragile body. She felt like a rag doll, loose and breakable. "Cut the bullshit, Juvia! What the hell is this big secret of yours? Spit it the hell out already!"

The shattered glass in her eyes sliced deep into his skin, opening him up and letting the silence in. It spread through his veins, chilling his blood into a hard sort of cold nothing, moving sluggishly, words iced over in the back of his throat, falling to the tips of his fingers where they hung, weighing him down.

"White Pine Station, White Pine," the voice over the speakers droned. The train slowed to a screechy halt in the station and the doors opened. Wordlessly, Juvia took Gray's hand and pulled him off the train.

"What are you–"

"We'll be late. Let's just go." She didn't once look back as they left the train station and entered the small town of White Pine. "Please, Gray-sama?"

"Yeah." He was so wrapped up in her dream, he didn't even notice her words.

We.

Again, sorry for the short chapter. Oh, before I forget, I should mention something I said in last week's update. A few people spotted one of the clues, but no one got the other one. Apparently, it wasn't as obvious as I thought, which makes sense, since I wrote it in and everything. But I guess I'll tell you, since it's less of a clue and more of a character-building thing.

She wasn't listening. The world narrowed to a single point as she skidded haphazardly into the street and threw herself forward into the arms of a tall guy standing near the guild. "I missed you," she breathed into his collarbone, closing her eyes contentedly.

He chuckled, his chest vibrating against her cheek. "I missed you too, Juvia. Have you been okay?" The air left her body in one huge sigh, her body going limp against his. His warmth soaked through her skin, heating the hidden corners of her body that couldn't seem to get warm lately.

"Mm," she mumbled in assent. "I'm glad you came."

Does anyone see it? She's not talking in third person.

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