My Tropetember 2023 contribution for the prompt : Rockstar / Actor / Model / Famous AU.
I'm sorry for the mistakes, English is not my native language. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer : Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.
Your Melody In My Heart
Juvia put her phone on the table and a huge smile lit up her face. She had managed to buy the last tickets for the concert of the band Fairy Tail. If she was not in a public place, she would have jumped for joy.
It had been a little over a year since she had discovered this idol group made up of four boys. Natsu, Laxus, Jellal and especially Gray. Gray-sama, Juvia thought with dreamy eyes. At that time, Juvia was going through a difficult time where she thought she would never get out of it. She was in her senior year of high school. Her boyfriend had broken up with her and the students in her class harassed her. They found her too gloomy, too strange and they did not like her way of speaking in the third person. She felt like it was constantly raining on her heart and that the rain would never stop.
One day, she had seen on television the band Fairy Tail who had been invited to a variety show to present their new song. It was then that she first saw Gray and heard his voice. By listening to him, the rain had stopped for the first time in a long time. The sun was reappearing in her life.
Since then, she never missed any broadcast show in which the band was invited, she followed them on social networks, she collected all the goodies in their image, she even sewed a plush toy with the effigy of Gray and she hoped to be able to offer it to him at the concert.
It would be the first time she would see him in person. She could not help imagining their meeting. She would meet him by chance before the concert. Their gaze would meet and it would be love at first sight. She would give him the plush toy and he would take her in his arms to thank her. During the concert, he would sing for her, never taking his eyes off her, and he would dedicate a song to her. This would be the start of their love story.
She came back to earth when she received a text message from Gajeel telling her that he would be here soon. She was in a cafe where she was waiting for her best friend. Both had spent their childhood in the same orphanage. They were lonely and had difficulty in bonding with others. They had become friends when girls from school were annoying Juvia and Gajeel had defended her. That day, Gajeel had become much more than her friend. He was her family. She smiled when she saw him enter the cafe. She waved her hand to signal her presence. Gajeel went to sit at her table.
"Weren't you supposed to come with a friend ?" Julia asked.
"He won't be long."
A friend of him was in town for some time and Gajeel had insisted for Juvia to meet him. When she asked him why, he only replied with a big smile :
"I'm sure you'll be very happy to meet him."
A few minutes later, the cafe door opened once again and a young man entered. Juvia frowned. He was tall and slender, but she could not see his face because of his cap, his sunglasses and the mask he wore.
"He looks like an idol trying to hide," she commented.
"You don't know how right you are."
Juvia gave him a questioning look. Gajeel waved for the man to approach their table.
"Good to see you again," Gajeel said.
"You could have chosen a more private place."
"Sorry, I hadn't thought about it."
But Gajeel was anything but sorry. The boy sat down and Juvia had a strange feeling. As if she had seen him somewhere before, but she could not remember where.
"G this is Juvia. Juvia, this is G."
G looked at her. Juvia could not help blushing. His gestures, his voice, everything about him was familiar. She chatted with him and laughed. She felt comfortable and it was the first time she felt like this with a stranger. Yet something inside her told her that she knew him and she could not help staring at him. She blushed and looked away when G, feeling observed, looked at her. After a while, G received a text message from his work and had to leave.
"Your friend is really nice," Juvia said.
Gajeel laughed lightly. She wondered why he was reacting like this.
"I can't believe you didn't recognize him."
Juvia frowned. It was true that he was familiar to her and it annoyed her not to know where she had seen him. If only he were not wearing his sunglasses, she thought.
"Was he at the orphanage ?"
"No, I met him when I was playing hockey in middle school."
"You know that Juvia didn't know your hockey friends."
Gajeel smirked.
"You listen to him every day, him and his three friends. You have pictures of him in your room. You have a whole collection of goodies on him. You even sewed a plush toy that looks like him."
Juvia opened her eyes wide and she put her hands to her mouth. Her heart was beating faster and faster, realizing what had just happened. She had just met :
"Gray-sama !"
It had nothing to do with the first meeting she had imagined. Suddenly, everything went black.
~00~
Two days had passed since Juvia's meeting with Gray. All she hoped was that she had not made a fool of herself in front of him. She arrived at Gajeel's apartment. His girlfriend's birthday, Levy, was approaching and Juvia had promised her friend to help him find a present. She loved Levy and it was out of the question for her and Gajeel to break up because of an ill-chosen gift from the young man. Juvia opened the apartment door. She spent so much time at his place that Gajeel had given her a key.
"Gajeel, are you there ?" she called, closing the door behind her.
"He went to do some shopping. It shouldn't take long."
Juvia jumped, not expecting anyone else to be in the apartment. She thought she was fainting when she turned to face the person.
"Gray-sama !"
She blushed and looked away.
"You're in your underwear."
Gray looked at himself and gasped in surprise.
"Oh no," he muttered. "I did it again."
Juvia heard him get dressed and had to restrain herself with all her might not to look. She remembered she had read somewhere that Gray had a tendency to unconsciously undress. He had spent much of his childhood in the mountains and the cold did not bother him.
"You can watch."
Juvia looked at him. He was now wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She was almost disappointed that he got dressed so quickly. She shook her head violently, telling herself she had to stop daydreaming.
"Is everything alright ?" Gray asked.
She nodded shyly. The images of their first meeting came back to her mind and she felt embarrassed.
"Ju…Juvia is sorry if she did or said anything embarrassing last time."
Gray shook his head negatively.
"Quite the opposite. It made me happy to be able to speak and act normally in front of someone who didn't know who I was."
Juvia realized that Gray's life must be very different from what she imagined. He was a celebrity scrutinized by everyone and the slightest misstep could end his career. The door opened abruptly and Gajeel entered.
~00~
Juvia turned over on the other side of the bed, clutching the Gray plush she had sewn. She could not sleep and stared at Gray's poster. They had seen each other several times, usually at Gajeel's. When they were outside, he always wore his cap, his sunglasses and a mask so he could not to be recognized.
It had been two weeks since the band traveled to the north of the country for a series of concerts which introduced the start of their tour. Gray was supposed to be back in town in three days. During the time he was away, Juvia had plenty of time to think about how she felt. She had gotten to know him and she had learned to make the distinction between Gray Fullbuster and Gray the idol.
The more time passed, the more she loved the real Gray. She loved him when he was happy or grumpy. When he got angry when Gajeel laughed at him. When he smiled at her when he heard her humming one of his songs. She liked his qualities and his faults. She had never felt this way for anyone and since he left, she missed him. She wondered if he felt the same. Probably not, she thought sadly. For him, she was just Gajeel's friend and one of his fan.
~00~
"Calm down," Gajeel said. "You will end up tearing it by dint of tighten it like that."
Juvia slightly loosened the bag containing the Gray plush she was holding against her and took a deep breath to calm herself. The band Fairy Tail was in town to give their concert. Thanks to Gray, Juvia and Gajeel had been able to go behind the scenes. Juvia had brought the Gray plush with her and she hoped she could give it to him.
She was both eager and anxious to see him again. Thousands of questions and possibilities raced through her head. How would their reunion be going on ? Had he thought of her ? Did he miss her as much as she missed him ? Her heart was beating faster as they approached the dressing rooms.
Juvia opened her eyes wide in wonder. Everything was as she had imagined. The band was here with the musicians and the staff. Some concentrated, others warmed up their voices or had their makeup done. Among all these people, Juvia saw Gray. He was at the back of the room, seated on a chair and concentrating on a score. He looked up and smiled when he saw Juvia and Gajeel. She waved at him and he waved back.
"Everyone, hurry up, it's time to go," the band manager shouted.
The room gradually emptied and Juvia told Gajeel that she would join him in the concert hall. He smiled at her, wishing her good luck. He sincerely hoped that Gray would accept Juvia's plush and feelings. He knew they could be happy together. Juvia shyly approached Gray. He smiled blushing, and lightly scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
"I'm glad to see you again," he said.
"Juvia too."
She felt the fear she had for this reunion vanish. She had the courage to give him the plush.
"Juvia wanted to give you this."
She handed him the bag, which he accepted. He took the plush out of it and opened his eyes wide. He had not expected to see a plush that looked like him and on closer inspection, he saw that it was handmade. It would have embarrassed him if someone else had given him this gift. Seeing all these goodies bearing the image of him embarrassed him. But coming from Juvia, it made him happy. He looked up at her. He restrained himself from laughing, seeing her face. She was both happy to give him his gift and anxious waiting for his reaction.
"I love it."
A huge smile lit up Juvia's face. Gray was about to tell her something else when his manager arrived.
"Gray !" he exclaimed. "What are you still doing here? Hurry up !"
He left as quickly as he had arrived.
"Juvia is going to meet Gajeel."
She was about to leave, but Gray grabbed her hand.
"Wait, I want to talk to you."
He took a deep breath to give himself courage. He was not one to easily talk about his feelings, but for Juvia, he was willing to open up to her.
"This time spent away from you got me thinking. I missed you. A lot. It's the first time I've felt this. It's as if you are in my heart and in my head and you refuse to leave. What I mean is..."
He nervously ran his hand through his hair.
"I love you."
Juvia threw herself into his arms. She kissed him and Gray kissed her back with as much enthusiasm. Nothing mattered anymore but Juvia's lips on his and her body pressed against his. He felt like he was in another world and he did not want to leave.
"Gray !" His manager yelled.
Juvia and Gray moved away. Gray rolled his eyes and Juvia laughed lightly.
"I'll meet you after the concert," he said as he kissed her knuckle.
Juvia nodded and Gray walked away as the manager screamed once again. When Juvia was sure she was alone, she jumped up and exploded with joy. Gray loved her. He had just confessed to her that he was in love with her and they had kissed. It was a dream come true and she could not be happier. She heard the first song start in the distance. She rushed to the concert hall to find Gajeel, where Gray was going to sing just for her.
The end
