"You're not angry?"
"Nope."
"Mad?"
"Nah."
"Upset?"
"Nada."
"Disappointed?"
"Only in myself." Natsu patiently replied as he scooped Mirajane up and tucked her into a hospital cot, having finally finished applying the barmaid's bandages.
From the other side of the guild's clinic, Erza sat atop her own cot with knees pulled to her chest, a pillow stuffed in her grip.
Mirajane pipped squeakily, "How can you not be cross with us?"
Resisting the urge to cringe at the eye watering sterile scent that clung to the clinic's porous walls, Natsu offered a gentle smile as he leaned down to peck the Mirajane's forehead before standing.
"Don't get me wrong, what you two did was stupid." he reminded gently, strolling over to the space between each of their beds.
"You endangered innocent folk and forced Gray into a sucky situation where he either had to take a beating or hurt two people he loves very much." Natsu elaborated, scarred arms folding over his chest.
Wincing as his scratchy raw throat throbbed, he finished, "However, I understand why you did it. So I ain't knockin' ya, you did exactly what I would've done in your shoes."
Natsu grabbed a spare chair and sat in it backwards, leaning forward against its back board.
"I'm proud of you two, really, you knew he was stronger but you didn't let that stop you. Besides, you gave snowflake a helluva fight from what I could tell. You reminded me of why I looked up to you as a kid, and while I still do." Natsu added encouragingly.
Despite his praise, shame still remained deep within them, not only for their actions just minutes ago, but because of the haunting reality that had loomed over their collective consciousness ever since Natsu had returned.
For once, they were the ones who had been put into a clinic.
They were the ones licking their wounds and cradling their bruised pride.
They had challenged a superior opponent and had gotten trounced.
They were finally experiencing the same humiliation and embarrassment they had inflicted on the very man who had just treated their injuries countless times before.
Natsu eyed their downtrodden expressions before asking, "Do you ladies wanna know how you can fix all this?"
Both women nodded fervently.
Coal pupils grew more intent as he leaned forward, hands drumming against the back of the chair dramatically.
"Apologize to Gray."
At that, both women blinked like a pair of befuddled owls, grimaces smearing their faces upon remembering the third party that had been involved in this fiasco.
"You two already know you forced him into a pretty crappy situation, so I don't need to lecture you on why he deserves an apology. If it helps, I hafta' apologize to the snowflake too."
Mirajane gave a honest nod, followed by Erza, who stiffly murmured, "We'll find a way to make it up to him."
"If it helps, he isn't gonna be angry with you. The only thing Gray cares about is whether he held back enough."
Erza, voice stone serious, demanded, "How much?"
Natsu's brows drew together in confusion.
"How much was he holding back?" her voice quivered as her battered pride drew emotions out she wasn't ready to handle.
The dragon slayer desperately wanted to spare them the truth, but he knew that wasn't the right thing to do.
Natsu blew a puff of air from his nose, stating grimly, "There was no way you two could've won."
Both women didn't provide much in the way of reactions.
Mirajane gulped nervously but said nothing, while Erza's tensed fists lost their vigor.
Both women shivered at the memory of the ice devil looming over them with absolute control, overwhelming them with the strength he had built, strength they had no hopes of matching.
"You aren't weak by any means, either of you. Gray is just… made oddly."
"Look, just tell him that your alright, you two know fussy Gray can get when he wants to be." he said, trying to ease tension. "He's almost as bad as me."
Said tension instantly broke Mirajane from her haze as letting out a soft giggle that made the dim fire in Natsu's chest burn just a little brighter.
"His middle name is also Maurice." she guffawed to herself, giving Natsu incentive enough to let out an arid snort of amusement.
Erza made no such attempt to display anything other than sullen sadness, a meaningless stare cast at the wall as she hugged the pillow in her arms tighter.
Unlike her former rival, Erza could not be cheered up so easily.
Mirajane motioned to Erza with her chin, clearing her throat at Natsu to get the message across.
The wooden legs of Natsu's chair screeched as they scraped against the dull beige tile floors, Natsu himself getting up and pushing it aside.
Erza felt his presence tilt the mattress she lay on as he plopped down next to her.
Somber understanding wet his words, "Erza, I know what's going through your head."
"You almost ruined your relationship with your best friend over us." she remarked bitterly.
"I have more than one best friend Erza-"
"I don't want to hear it." Erza stated, visage contorted in such a way it appeared she was disgusted with her own existence.
It was a look Natsu knew all too well, having seen it in a mirror almost every day of his adult life.
Erza went on to explained, sniffling, "The fact a pact had to be made in the first place, a pact that specifically detailed not treating us like we did you, tells me something. I was… I am a bully."
"Bullshit."
Both women flinched at the sternness behind Natsu's curse. Ever since Wendy had joined the guild, he seldom swore, at least not with that level of vitrol.
Nudging her chin up to meet his fierce gaze, he spoke with authority that neither S-class mage knew he was capable of.
"Remember what I told you when we first talked?" he reminded with a stern rumble, far more stern than he had been up to this point, "What I said about how you talk about yourself?"
Erza gave a shaky nod, and found herself unable to meet his eyes.
Soft, yet firm, Natsu continued,
"You made bad decisions, so what? You're speaking to the master of failure, and let me tell you, everyone is always learning new lessons." he told her, jabbing a thumb at himself.
"If you two wanna get stronger, go for it, but you can't build your path to power outta regret, trust me, it won't end well."
For a moment, they digested what he said, obviously not fully understanding what Natsu meant. However, the dragon slayer received another round of resolute nods nonetheless. Erza's was few seconds after Mira's.
"Natsu, I-i haven't had the chance to ask yet. Are you doing any better?" Mirajane pipped in, the mother hen attitude she was well known for out on full display.
Under their curious yet concerned gazes, Natsu thought for a moment, "Well, Juvia's been taking me to school about practicing what I preach." he revealed carefully.
"Look, I can feel that your about to unload a bunch of apologies about stuff you did when we we're kids, so just don't bother." Natsu cut in the moment Erza and Mirajane opened their mouths, chuckling,
"I promise both of you, I'm going to be just fine. It's nothing more than a little rut, I'll get past it, I always do."
Mirajane seemed thoroughly reassured by the steady smile and determined words, easing into her pillow, "I don't know how you do it Natsu."
"Do what?"
"Keep moving."
He shrugged, "I dunno, its kinda natural I guess, just like how you guys are naturally good at fighting."
"We just got dismantled, if we we're 'good', that wouldn't have happened." Erza scoffed, her pout deepening.
Natsu looked around before he confessed, almost sheepish, "Look, snowflake can hang well enough with me and Gajeel hand to hand, don't feel too bad, and don't tell him I said this."
Mirajane giggled yet again. Even after all this time Natsu struggled to say nice things about Gray.
Erza said nothing, chewing at the inside of her cheek as she huffed a weary sigh and rested her chin on her knees. She felt like a punished child.
Stifling a frown, Natsu didn't push any issues any further as he stood up, "Just rest up, both of you, and think about what I said, okay?"
Natsu left them both with one last glance, one swimming with an irregular combination of concern and affection, before slipping out of the room shortly after.
"Hehe, Maurice." Mirajane giggled incessantly to herself, obviously tickled by this new nugget of knowledge as settled into the sheets for a nap, yawning out,
"It's like being named Keith."
"What's that?"
"Hydrogen Peroxide. It'll disinfect the wound. You are a grown man darling, how do you not know this?"
"W-will...will it hurt?"
Juvia groaned in mild frustration, the only reason for a lack of facepalm being a rectangular purple bottle in one hand and a cloth in the other.
Gray sat on a stool right outside the bleak grey clinic doors, bandages applied mostly at his sides and forearms, textbook defensive wounds.
One particular scuff on his left palm that had come from him sliding across dirty concrete required extra attention, attention Gray wasn't keen on receiving.
Natsu had most likely come to that conclusion that Gray could have comfortably handled that fight, no transformation needed.
But Juvia knew better, and quite frankly so should've Natsu. If he did, maybe that argument wouldn't have ridden the cliff's edge of breaking out into yet another fight.
Barely anyone had been training since the war ended.
Keeping themselves in shape? Preventing combat rust? Sure, but other than Elfman and Romeo, the war had left everyone taking it easy.
Including Gray.
Natsu already knew this, but he expected nothing less than the best from his rivals, reasonably or otherwise.
In an up close engagement, Erza and Mirajane reasonably had more than enough ability between them to force Gray to ascend in spite of his superior hand to hand ability, they were still monstrously strong S-class mages after all.
Mirajane was a fiercely formidable close quarters fighter, and Erza was no slouch either.
While Asuka watched on a stool of her own nearby, humming merrily as she slurped down a juice box, Juvia refocused on that task at hand.
The noise coming from the first floor of the guild hall below certainly wasn't making this endeavor any easier.
"No." Juvia told him, snapping back to the present.
Gray breathed out and finally produced his open palm, letting Juvia cup the back of his larger hand whilst tipping the bottle's nozzle directly over the scrape.
At the last second before liquid dribbled down, Juvia added with a wince, "Okay, maybe just like a little bit."
The fizzling concoction made contact.
"Huh, feels kind of cold." he commented before going silent.
"..."
Gray's eyes flew open in conjunction to let out a silent indecipherable banshee scream, his entire body trembling as his breath was greedily snatched from his lungs.
Before Gray could even begin to form a string of swear words, his attention flickered to the spectating Asuka, who giggled freely at his expression.
He opted make 'ounga bunga' caveman noises to convey his pain instead.
Juvia laughed and handed him a roll of bandages, her audience being stolen when she felt a tug on the pant leg of her long skirt.
Juvia looked down to see one Asuka, holding her arms up expectantly.
"You want upsies?"
At the eager nod she received in answer, Juvia couldn't help but swoon and scoop Asuka up, holding her against her hip.
While Asuka was close to outgrowing this, no one except her mother had mustered up enough courage to dissuade her of this habit.
Besides, Juvia knew if said no, the little girl would just clamber up her legs regardless. Spending all that time with Natsu meant his stubbornness would become contagious.
"Are they gonna be okay?" Asuka pipped as she made herself cozy against Juvia's chest, pointing to the clinic doors with a stubby finger.
"Erza and Mira are gonna be fine, they're tough as nails. They've handled worse kiddo, besides, I promise in an hour they are going to walk out that door and give you a big ole' hug." Gray reassured after catching his breath, voice still raspy as he wrapped up his hand.
Asuka let her chubby cheeks puff as she pouted, burying her head under Juvia's chin, "But you n' Uncle Natsu got for reals mad at each other!"
Gray chuffed and massaged his palm, "Best friends argue like that sometimes. It just happens."
"We got mad, yeah, but it ain't nothin' more than a misunderstanding. One tinsy argument ain't gonna stop me and flame brain from being buds. Although if he continues with this 'holier-than-thou' attitude I'm decking him."
Asuka's youthful expression curled with worry, "Promise?"
"Promise." Gray managed a laugh and reached up to pull the leather brim of her small cowboy hat down over her eyes.
Asuka squirmed and snickered, letting Juvia readjust her head wear as tiny eyes darted every direction at random.
She was far too smart for her age, and it was impossible to tell what stew of naive yet cunning thoughts hid behind that button nose and dimpled smile.
Eventually Asuka relaxed against Juvia's chest, tiny fingers anxiously playing with her long soft blue locks.
Gray stared at the sight longer than he would like to admit.
"And Uncle Natsu, he's been gone a long, long time. What's wrong with him?"
This time, neither Gray nor Juvia had a soft reply for that.
Their eyes could only swim with the same nervousness and concern her words were soaked with.
Gray leaned forward in his stool, resting an elbow across his thigh, "We're not sure hon. It's probably just a little bump in the road, he'll be back to normal in no time."
"Is that what you and Papa Gildarts were talking about earlier?
He nodded, "I need a big favor sharpshooter, when he comes out, would you mind keeping him company for the rest of the day?"
Nodding determinedly, Asuka mustered a faux salute, "Yes sir!" she squeaked.
The sound of the door opening nearby triggered Gray to stand as out came a solemn Natsu.
Juvia and Gray shared a quick nod before Gray approached slowly, starting a quick exchange that Juvia decided not to tune into.
That was between them, whatever sorry's and remorse they were to exchange was for each other's ears only.
She had been nosy enough, now it was time to give Natsu space.
"Aunt Juvy?"
"What is it sweetie?" Juvia hummed softly, removing Asuka's cowboy hat to attend to her disheveled hair, all the while swaying ever so slightly.
"Why does everybody say they hate each other? Daddy said fighting is what brothers do, just like Uncle Gray said, right?"
"I'm not sure sweetie, people only pay attention to the things they wish to pay attention to." she replied simply, "They do fight, and I doubt they will ever stop, but that's just how boys are."
"Boys are dumb." Asuka concluded, her squeak muffled by Juvia's chest as she snatched back her cowboy hat.
Juvia snickered at the rather dry remark, "Yes they are, aren't they?" she looked down to meet Asuka's gaze, leaning down to share an eskimo kiss, "But we're stuck with them, so we'll just have to put up with their antics, okay?"
Asuka her nuzzled back against Juvia's nose, her reply riding on a coltish giggle, "That's what Mama says all the time when Daddy isn't around."
"Well, those two, Natsu and Gray, they do love each other. Don't forget that."
Juvia looked back at the conversing 'rivals', finishing, "It just took them a while to mature enough to finally admit it."
When Natsu looked past Gray to Asuka, Juvia took that as her cue to let the young girl loose.
Juvia crouched down, "Remember your assignment?" she sang softly, making sure Asuka's cowboy hat fit snug atop her head.
"Yeppers!" Asuka chirped eagerly.
Juvia playfully booped the young girl's tiny nose with a finger,
"Go get em'."
With a less than girly snort, the giddy Asuka gave Juvia a quick hug before she scampered off towards Natsu, the keening soundtrack of her soul leaving behind a trail of audible bliss.
"Uncle Natsu, Uncle Natsu!"
The grin that forced Natsu's lips wide was a smile that used to come to him so naturally.
Now, it required an immense effort on Juvia's part just to see a fleeting glimpse of anything similar to that expression.
Natsu scooped her up only to gently toss her into the air, letting her soft squeal of euphoria ring out before he caught Asuka against his chest and spun her around.
Asuka cooed happily as she snuggled into his scarred cheek, chirping just how much she missed him.
Before she could listen in to their inevitably adorable interaction, Gray slunk back to her side, lips still despite a smile of his own warming his eyes.
Shoving his hands into pockets, Gray grunted, "Well, having her with him will keep the guild off his back for the time being."
"When are her parents supposed to be back?" Juvia asked in turn.
Both of their gazes followed Natsu as he whisked Asuka away, off to do whatever she wanted, the young girl furiously waving at them from over his shoulder as he descended the nearby stairs.
Unfortunately, she took any joy the mood had stored with her, and the second floor walk way over the stage was suddenly left a very dour place. Devoid of little girl giggles or Gray's dramatic displays to elicit them.
Gray's half shrug was sluggish, "Bout an hour or two."
"When they get, she'll have quite the story for them. Probably the last time I get to babysit."
Gray leaned against the railing, peering over his shoulder at the first floor of the guild hall with a typical steady gaze.
His fellow guild members were still chittering amongst themselves about both Natsu's arrival and his own fight with the two S-class women.
"Everyone knows he is here now. Funny thing is, I'm not sure most of them knew flame brain wasn't here to begin with." Gray scratched his eyebrow as he muttered, "It's only a matter of time before word reaches Wendy or Lucy."
Juvia, unease pulling at her skin as if she had been caught in a barbed cattle fence, rubbed her arms through her heavy coat.
She had many things to say, countless topics to pour from his lips like a waterfall.
Being frustrated with her beloved was difficult enough, but with how easily he had been losing his cool as of late, with his spats with Gajeel, and that show he put on with Natsu, Juvia had just enough reason to speak curtly.
Now was not the time for his usual unreadable expressions and even if dry comments.
Gray might have just permanently altered an almost decade long power dynamic, one that she may not approve of, but one she was well aware the importance of.
Something in Fairy Tail had changed. Truly changed.
Gray was no longer just 'Gray' anymore.
"Always trying to be so discreet, until it comes to saying no to avoid a fight you don't want." Juvia snipped.
Gray accepted the serrated edge of her tone without complaint.
"I know. It was stupid, but if I tell them no, they'll just go to Gajeel. That's a fight he's just waiting for them to start."
"Regardless, Natsu would have punched your teeth in for bringing in Wendy. And I still have half a mind to do that myself."
"And I wouldn't blame you."
"Seriously? Wendy?"
"Yes, it was a crummy thing to do."
Juvia focused on tidying up the medical supplies she had used to tend to her beloved's injuries, anything to keep herself from glaring at him.
Oh how she wanted to glare at him. Whether it was fair to Gray or not, it didn't matter, memories of Wendy were buzzing in Juvia's head and she couldn't get them to stop.
Wendy was the reason she was still alive.
When Juvia came to during the war after her debacle with Gray, she found the little dragon slayer hovering over her, healing magic covering her tiny trembling hands and fat tear droplets tumbling down her cheeks.
As soon as Wendy sealed the wound and ensured Juvia's survival, her bleeding heart had her clinging to the older bluenette, hiccuping and blubbering at the fact Juvia had been at death's door.
Juvia didn't see much of Wendy these days, she was either out on her typical volunteer work or stuck with Gajeel, who was irritatingly tight lipped about her condition other than 'my squirt is tired, she don't need no hassling'.
Still, all this left her moments away from giving into the urge to just chuck the stool before her over the railing and let it land where it may.
"I'll apologize when I see her next. Promise." Gray spoke, offering a brief respite from the taut silence.
It didn't last long, and in a few seconds they were back to their sharp stillness.
No Asuka, no comfortable silences.
Juvia wasn't sure if she was truly angry with Gray, beyond Wendy obviously, or if she was angry at herself for being angry.
Gray stood up for himself. He shouldn't have to roll over and throw the fight just because Fairy Tail saw Erza and Mirajane as untouchable goddesses.
If anything, Gray saved those two from an even worse fate, because as he pointed out, if he told them no they'd merely go to Gajeel.
Gajeel would have picked them apart in brutal fashion.
Of all the parties involved, he was the least guilty. Yet the anger lingered, and showed no intentions of going away.
Maybe it was the Wendy comment, maybe it was how fast he lost his cool, maybe it was because she knew her darling Gray and how he knew so much more than he ever let on.
"Did you know he has been having nightmares? Bad ones?" Juvia turned to skewer him to his place with a stare, heart broken by last night's events in ways she could not properly describe.
Gray answered her question with silence.
He knew. Of course he did.
He was no longer the least guilty party, he was now the party that she wanted to have a rough meeting with the palm of her hand.
"How long?" Juvia may as well have been hissing steam as she fought hard to keep her temper from flooding the valleys surrounding Magnolia with thrashing seas.
Gray did that stupid handsome unreadable expression, the one where he had the answer you wanted but refused to say it aloud.
Eventually, he ducked away from her gaze. A rare sight.
Gray knew that her dark opal pools he loved to drown himself when she wasn't looking wouldn't be the same.
He knew that if craned his neck up to meet her, he'd find those gorgeous oceans boiling.
In the end, Gray didn't need to see, her voice painted that picture vividly.
"G-gray, how long?" Juvia pleaded and demanded all at once, her tone wavering like her head was being held underwater.
Gray exhaled, rubbing the lower half of his face, whispering, "Eclipse Gate."
Before, Juvia hadn't tried to fend off her emotions, not before Natsu.
But now, they wouldn't help, all her sorrow would do was send the townsfolk of Magnolia scrambling to get indoors to avoid being drenched.
So naive.
So naive to think that this was all as simple as the war being the straw to break the camel's back. That everything had been fine with Natsu beforehand.
So naive, because deep down in the darkest trenches of her mind, she knew better.
"Y-you knew?" Juvia was unsure whether to speak with a warble or a snarl.
"I don't know anything Lisanna already doesn't." instead of a simple 'yes', Gray replied with a dose of reasoning.
Unwelcome reasoning.
All those knowing shared gazes between two rivals, two brothers, what had been the point if he had known? If he had known Natsu had been in pain and done nothing?
"You knew." the precipice of betrayal soaked Juvia's twisted face as she turned to stomp towards him, considering a hook or cross over a slap.
Gray's gaze snapped up to meet her, to freeze her scald with a statement as cold as it was true.
"We all knew."
Juvia stopped in her tracks as her righteous tsnuami turned to a meek pond ripple.
Gray pushed himself off the railing, gently pulling Juvia by the forearm back against the wall to avoid the chance of their argument getting spotted.
It may run the risk of the volatile Juvia knocking him on his butt with something more direct than a cuff upside the head, but Gray decided there had been enough trouble in the guild for one day.
Juvia trembled under his grip, out of fury or sorrow he wasn't sure, but when her head dipped he was quick to nudge her chin up so he could see the grieving storm flailing behind her gorgeous features.
"We all knew. That night his father died. We all knew." Gray said softy, letting Juvia briskly swipe off his hand from her being, "We all knew and we did nothing because we had just been through hell and we needed him to be... him."
"That's why you chased him down, because deep down you knew too, and you were strong enough to not make that same mistake." he explained, his cold yet solid logic frustrating for Juvia's ears. "You're special like that Juvia, that's why I didn't try to stop you from going after him. I knew you could help."
He was right.
Because even as he pointed it out, Juvia's mind refused to let herself be dragged back to that night with Tartaros.
She could ponder the consequences of that battle, of how it had wounded Fairy Tail in ways no battle before had.
But the night itself?
Juvia just couldn't bring herself to revisit it. Nobody could.
No matter how much it put everything with Natsu into perspective, no matter that Acnologia was gone, no matter that it made that story about Igneel seem not too far-fetched.
To think that was just one night.
Gray flexed his bandaged hand as he stated, "Look, we can play the blame game another day, I knew and I did nothing because like I said, I wasn't aware of anything Lisanna already wasn't."
"What's the point?" Juvia seethed and sniffled, shaking her head at her beloved in disbelief, "What's the point of those stares, of the silence with him, of that lightning fast make up you just had with him, if you never did anything to help?"
There was no accusation in the question, she just needed to know.
"Because I know him. I know how flame brain's head works, I know I'm not Lisanna, I know there isn't much I could do other than let him keep being what we needed." Gray leaned in close, scoffing a laugh. It wasn't a nice sound-only dry and bitter enough to make Juvia purse her lips.
"It took me months, with your help, to get over my father, a father I barely knew," she was amazed how he didn't choke on emotion, Gray's reply clear and concise, "Natsu watched a father he idolized get his chest blown open, disappeared for a year, and came back like nothing ever happened."
"When he thought Lisanna died, he dumped Happy on me and split for a week. I still don't know where he went or what he did." Juvia could stitch the puzzle pieces together into something understandable with that.
Too bad she hated the picture that those pieces created.
"A-and now? What now? There is no war, no danger, Natsu made sure of that. So is doing nothing really helpful to anyone? To him?" Juvia brushed off the placating had her beloved tried to nestle on her shoulder, hardening her stare at the lack of immediate answer so much she hoped it made Gray's head spin.
"Juv, look, you help-"
"Don't 'Juv' me, answer the question." it hurt to talk to the man of her dreams this way, but it hurt far more lot more remembering Natsu kneeling and trembling in the middle of nowhere woodlands.
Gray's jaw tensed, and he quickly worked it with a hand to keep already frayed nerves in check, "You helped him. Helped him all you could. But the ball isn't in our court anymore."
She cocked a hip, "Why? Why is it okay to sit by and let him hurt? Because he's a man? Because we rely on him?" Juvia felt her left hand send a reminder to her brain a slap to Gray's stupid handsome face was an option, "Help me. Help me understand. Because if it was one of us in pain he wouldn't stop until we were better."
"Because he's Natsu." Gray said simply, having no other way to put it.
Juvia's eyes went thin as she breathed out scalding vapor, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"He's..." Gray drew off, his gaze limply falling to the side as he shook his head, the downstairs clamor practically silent to them now, "Simple."
Juvia took in a deep breath as if brewing a hurricane in her lungs.
"10 seconds."
Gray's eyes darted back to her, lost, "What?"
"You have 10 seconds to rephrase that before I finally decide whether I want to slap or punch you." she warned, eyes telling Gray she could drown Fiore without an ounce of dread, "He is not some stupid stray dog you and everyone else are saints for keeping him aroun-"
"I never said he was stupid." Gray interrupted evenly, not putting up a guard.
After the Wendy comment, Gray wouldn't protest if someone wanted to take a swing at him. He could be sure to expect another spat with Gajeel as soon as he heard about all this.
"I said he was simple. Because he is." he clarified carefully, now sounding as if there was a stone lodged in his throat, "He's Natsu. He loves to fight and have fun and he trained his ass off harder than we could possibly imagine to protect us. That's it."
Gray knew Juvia was every bit as smart as he was, and as that ferocious typhoon she had bottled up inside her slowly died down, he could see her mind start to follow the reason.
He was thankful.
Every single one of her movements were usually so dainty, overflowing with effortless feminine grace even during battle, but Juvia had picked up Gajeel's right cross, a right cross that could have him meeting Ur again.
Gray began to understood why Natsu and Juvia had gotten along so well, beyond his natural protectiveness which apparently girls found comforting.
Both had hearts as strong as they were soft, both could alter the very world around them with something as simple as their emotions.
Her sorrow could darken skies and his rage could scorch the earth.
"Juv, h-he, he doesn't-" finally, something rough rose up from his chest to strangle Gray's throat for but a second before he squeezed out the words, "He doesn't know Juvia."
"Know what?"
"Know what he's thinking." Gray was already back to being as steady as an iceberg on still water, understanding that without Lisanna here, he was left to do the explaining, "Don't you get it? You wanna go diggin' for answers flame brain just doesn't have."
"His dad, the war, Zeref, all this demon junk, I bet he's just as confused as we are."
Gray rubbed his scalp, pressing down his unkempt hair with his eyes elsewhere, "And what he does know, I'm sure he's got pretty good reasons to keep it to himself."
"Natsu doesn't understand this, h-he... he can't, and whether he's ready to admit it or not, he's too f'ing exhausted to figure out how."
"I-it's..." Juvia hiccuped, her head bowed, her face seeking shelter behind her curtains of hair, "it's n-not fair."
It wasn't.
Natsu was in pain, and he didn't even get to understand it, to comprehend why he was hurting.
There was nothing they could do to help. Telling anyone did nothing to solve that... that cruelty.
"I don't know what t-to do." Juvia whimpered, slumping back down into the stool, the dormant tempests of emotion spilling from her with all the grace and energy of tipped water pail.
It was too late, wasn't it?
Too little, too late.
"Give him time." Gray's steady voice brought her out of her reverie, the familiar texture of his hand cupping her cheek to brush away her tears, "That's just how guys work. Lisanna will be back with Happy soon enough, and we let her take it from there."
"I promise you, you helped him. I don't need to know what you told flame brain, I know you well enough to have faith that he's walking away feeling a bit better than before." his reason, his touch, all reminders of why Juvia's heart was moments away from beating it's way out her chest and right into his palms.
Gray watched as she composed herself in just seconds, steeling her delicate features to her usual tranquil stillness, that of a modest pond waiting for something to cause ripples.
As strong as the onrush of emotion that came from Juvia's heart can be, she had a will, a 'fire' for the lack of a better word to know when to reign it in.
Juvia was as demure as the babble of a brook one moment, instilled the rage of a thousand hurricanes the next, all controlled with surgical precision she had grown to acquire since she joined Fairy Tail.
How could he not fall in love with that?
Juvia nudged away his hand, the motion far gentler this time, her cheeks burning from how hard she blushed into his palm.
With one last sniffle, she tucked away her sorrow for another day.
She would welcome the tears if they wanted to come back, but right now, Juvia was content with letting Asuka and Natsu enjoy a sunny day, no clouds in sight.
"Could you…" Gray drawled off, giving Juvia time to dry her damp lashes on her sleeves, "Could you still, ya know, talk with him?"
Juvia's lips pursed at the question.
She decided the multiple conversations she and Natsu had were their's, and their's only.
If Lisanna came prodding, Juvia would oblige, she had no right to keep things about Natsu from her, but she constructed her reply carefully.
Propping her heels against one of the stool's vertical rungs, Juvia tucked an errant strand of hair back past the rim of her hat, "He was... quiet. We talked, but I always had to start the conversation."
Juvia wiped her runny nose, continuing thoughtfully, "He didn't brood, but every time we goofed off, every time, I had to instigate it."
"You?" Gray's eyebrow popped, "Goofing off?"
She flushed, puffing her cheeks as she defended herself snippily, "I did whatever it took to make him smile. Natsu deserved it, he was s-so... so sweet, a-and I knew he would protect me if a dire situation ever arose."
Juvia could let down her pride as a Fairy Tail mage for a minute and listen to her instincts.
It was a wonderful feeling knowing Natsu was around to watch your back, that you were the precious gold pile in the cave's belly that the fire dragon guarded.
She didn't need protection, there was nothing serious enough in those jobs to warrant her needing any help, and Natsu knew that.
That didn't stop him from giving her a big hug every single he spotted a dark cloud sputtering about the sky.
Even after informing Natsu that not every single stormy cloud was a result of her sorrow, he still made it clear hugs were still on the table whenever she wanted.
"Oh yeah, go ahead, seeing how cuddly he is with Wendy seems all great until you wake up with flame brain draped all over you." Gray pretended something else had caught his attention, looking elsewhere as he muttered.
"He knows how to make a girl feel safe darling, nothing more noble than that." Juvia reasoned with a dreamy smile, "There is no need to feel jealous, you're the only man for me darling."
Gray's expression flattened, "We cannot be having this conversation right now."
"Although you could learn a thing or two from him about giving hugs." she hummed quietly.
Gray's coming caustic remark died before take off when Juvia's face fell, slender fingers fidgeting in her lap.
"As sweet as he was, he barely reacted to anything that wasn't me. Even the one time we had to take a train, he didn't let his motion sickness show."
Gray pushed himself off the stenciled railing in surprise, "Seriously?"
"So does it not affect him anymore?"
Juvia shook her head, "He said it still hurts, it's just that he is okay with pain."
Gray's head bowed, "He is already not too happy about how this has affected Erza and Mira, I don't he doesn't need us adding more guilt to the pile."
Sliding from the stool, Juvia eased her way to her beloved's side, joining him in playing spectator to the mess of chatting guild members below, "You were right, the best we can do is just wait."
It wasn't easy to do, to move on so quickly, but if Natsu could do it time and time again, then in order to do right by him Juvia would too.
Juvia rested her head on Gray's shoulder, immediately noticing the difference in reaction between Gray and Natsu.
She had taken for granted how generous Natsu was with his warm hugs, as doing the same with him would most definitely earn her one.
But Gray merely fidgeted uncomfortably, attempting to seem as casual as possible putting an arm around her back.
A small smile tugged Juvia's lips for a brief second, her mind wanting so desperately to squeal in excitement, as they stood in silence.
Despite popular belief, despite hounding from just about everyone in the guild, Gray in fact had given her an answer in response to her advances.
Not yet.
It was an answer Juvia could understand, an answer she could respect.
But, as she nuzzled the bend of his neck and hummed softly, she kept dreaming about the day Gray finally switched from a 'not yet' to a 'I'm ready.
She would wait as long as she needed to.
"How was your mission?" Gray rubbed her arm in response despite the tips of his ears burning.
"Well, he basically held my hand the entire time considering this was a job he could do within 10 minutes if it struck his fancy."
Gray said, "I meant beyond that, you were trying to overthrow some government, right? How did it turn out?"
Juvia stifled a yawn, humming, "Things went pretty smoothly until Natsu ended up having to pull two tectonic plates back together."
"I see- Wha?"
"What?"
"Don't 'what' me! How does that have to do with performing a coup?!" Gray demanded.
At Gray's perturbment, Juvia merely giggled, "You know how much Natsu hates taxes."
"That doesn't explain anything!"
She brushed him off with enough finality for Gray to realize this would be the second time he would be denied crucial context in the same day. Asuka still hadn't told him when Natsu and Lucy had supposedly kissed.
Juvia let out a light laugh, "You just had to be there darling."