AN: Heyy, I'm back with a FT fanfic, featuring Gajevy, but also Gruvia~

It's been a while that I wanted to write a story with Gajeel and Juvia's friendship, because there's so much potential which we don't see quite enough in the manga/anime. So here's my take on their friendship among with their love story^^ Also, as I wrote this, I realized just how much there was to explore with Fairy Tail mages' friendships since a lot have known each others for years. I mean, Natsu, Gray, Levy, Cana, the Strauss siblings, Erza, even Jet and Droy were in the guild since they're kids and unfortunately, we don't see much about it. Being childhood friends, they should have so much shared memories and inside jokes...Anyway, that was my two-cents on that, but I think I'd like to dive more into it, in the future!

For now, enjoy the romance fanfic of Gajevy & Gruvia! Hope you'll enjoy it~

This fanfic is set post-Grand Magic Games/Eclipse. (And as you probably guess, I do not own FT).

Chapter 1: Finally a Calm Mission (Right?)

Greeting Nab with a nod, Gray stood before the job board. After a quick scan of the requests, he groaned, disheartened. There was nothing that caught his eye, but he badly needed to find something.

The Ice-Make mage was looking for a solo-mission, being tired of giving up more than half his rewards on every mission. It was unfortunately the reality of being part of Team Natsu. As much as he enjoyed working with them, Lucy wasn't the only one that needed money to pay rent. The month was coming to an end and he did not have enough jewels to make ends meet. Annoyed, Gray swiftly threw aside his shirt. Surely, there was a decent job that would make him earn good dough without being incredibly dull.

"Nothing to your liking?" asked a crystal-clear voice beside him.

He sided-glanced and saw Mirajane smiling, holding a stack of sheets against her chest. Gray realized she was going to pin new requests and he decided to try his luck.

"At all. Anything that would fit an Ice mage? With a substantial reward?"

"Actually, there is! I was going to look for you," she beamed, before searching through the pile. Once she found the one she was looking for, the barmaid handed it over to him. "Here. Judging by the fact that Natsu and the others aren't looking with you, you're planning on going solo?"

He simply nodded, but before he could begin to read the job description, she added, "I still think you'll require a partner for this. There is another specific Magic Type they ask for, but I thought you should have a look at it, first. So, let me know if you're interested!"

The white-haired barmaid resumed her chore, lecturing incidentally Nab for standing all day long in front of the board without taking a job.

Gray returned his attention to the request, that read as followed:

Disappearances of couples from Shirotsume Town

The culprit seems to be a monster that lives beyond the icy mountain range of Mt. Hakone

[Mission better fit for an Ice Mage or a similar type of Magic]

All rescue missions: failed. Invisible barrier blocks the way after one-day expedition following lead

[Requires a Mage that can deal with runes]

All families demand continued search.

Before: 500 000 Jewels (now +450 000 J)

He rose his eyebrow, impressed. It must really have gotten out of hand if the town had doubled the reward. Obviously, the mission required an expedition through the snowy mountains, but for a mage of his caliber, it would be a walk in the park. As for monsters, it took more than that to make a Fairy Tail member hesitate. The one thing that stopped him was the rune barrier.

That magic was not up his alley. He knew only two people in the guild who used Magic that could deal with runes: Freed with his Letter Magic and Levy with her Solid-Script. He looked up and searched for them through the guildhall. Most members were there, eating or drinking up, enjoying the early afternoon, today being one of those lazy days when requests were yet to be put on display.

Natsu and Elfman were wrestling dangerously near of Erza. When Kinana brought her strawberry cake, the red-hair woman seemed to remember too well the last time she wanted to enjoy her break which had been cut short by a brawl and decided it was wiser to kick the two men outside. Lucy was chasing after Happy, surely after he said something that hit a nerve. Cana was loudly recalling an anecdote to her drinking crew which consisted of Macao, Wakaba, Lisanna, Alzack and Bisca. The hair of the latter caught his attention, but she wasn't the person he was looking for.

Gray continued to survey the hall, looking for another green-haired head. He then vaguely remembered that Laxus left with his Thunder Tribe for a S-Class mission. So, Freed was no longer an option. Even then, the Ice-Make Mage didn't mind as he knew very little of the man, as Freed always kept to himself and to his crew. It was not that he held a grudge against him or the other Rajinshuu for the Battle of Fairy Tail, he simply didn't interact often with them, but his absence made his choice obvious: Levy. With her knowledge and Light Pen, she could undo even Freed's runes. Besides, he knew her since he was a kid. The bluenette joined Fairy Tail almost at the same moment as him.

Recalling that detail made memories of their youth resurface. Originally, it was Cana, Levy and him, the kids slaloming between the tables in the guildhall. Then came Erza and, shortly after, Natsu. A couple of months after that, the Strauss siblings joined the merry group of children that composed Fairy Young (as they liked to call themselves). It took a bit of time for Mira to warm up, just like Erza, given her history, but quickly she joined their group of friends. Once the initial reluctance passed, the kids were always stuck together. When they weren't playing, they took simple jobs in Magnolia like pet-sitting or mowing the lawn (although the requests for that quickly stopped after Natsu started taking up those).

Gray grinned at the memory. It had been a while since he thought about good old times and even longer since he took a mission with his other friends of Fairy Young, besides Natsu and Erza.

Decidedly, he looked more closely for blue hair. His eyes caught sight of blue wavy hair peeping from behind a pillar near the bar. Without second-guessing, he knew who it was. Juvia looked his way with anticipation, her eyes full of stars. The Ice-Make Mage sighed, not having a clue why she was looking at him this way.

Nearby, Gajeel was sitting at the bar, visibly tense or annoyed, drinking with Lily. The blue-haired girl he was looking for was not with them, so he tried his luck with his second-best guess, looking for the two male members of Shadow Gear. Jet and Droy were in the middle of a card game against Warren and Max. Once again, Levy was nowhere in sight. Gray began to wonder if she was in the hall at all, when he spotted a giant book standing on a table, held by two feminine hands. The Ice-Make mage snorted. He should have figured that looking for a book in this sea of doofus was the quickest way of finding such a petite woman. Gray walked towards her, not sensing a sorrowful glance following his every step.

"Yo, Levy," he greeted, standing next to her table.

Seemingly too focused in her reading, she didn't acknowledge his presence. To get her attention, he tapped her shoulder. The blue-haired girl jumped slightly, startled by the contact.

"Oh, hi, Gray," she smiled apologetically, taking off her Gale-Force glasses. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

Gray brushed off her apology. "Don't sweat it."

"So, what's up?" Levy asked, putting down her book.

"I was wondering if you'd partner up with me for a mission."

Still standing, he handed her down the request. He briefly explained the mission's parameters. She nodded along, as she quickly read the request. Before letting her answer, he added, "Of course, we'd split half-half." Though he doubted she needed the precision. They worked that way before and there was no reason why it would be any different.

Levy's eyes shone and she jumped on her feet, as if she caught on something vital. She pointed at the title and exclaimed, "Oh my god, it's in Shirotsume Town! It has one of the two Books & Noble libraries in Fiore! I was looking for a reason to go there."

Judging by her squeal, Levy seemed to be on board for the mission, but Gray wanted to make sure that she understood the nature of their mission and wasn't jumping in on a whim, just because there was a rare library nearby. Although she was normally level-headed, the blue-haired girl seemed to lose some rationality when it came to books. A trait as engrained in her personality as his stripping habit. All Fairies had their quirks, but his didn't make him take dangerous missions without considering the implications.

"Yeah. Well, we wouldn't stay long in town. We'd have to cross through the mountains to get to the monster," Gray pointed out.

"Ah, yes," she agreed. "I'll have to take down the barrier so you and Team Natsu can beat the monster."

There it was. She already had her assumptions about how the mission would go. He needed to make it clear, because he didn't want to feel like he tricked her into coming. Though, he kind of needed her to come along, because he didn't really want to search for some stranger with magic that could undo the barrier. He'd much rather have someone he had fight alongside with, someone whom he trusted.

"Actually, it would be just you and me."

Among the regular ruckus of the guild, they failed to hear a loud gasp coming from behind them.

Levy's eyes widened. "Eh? How come?"

He told her his reasons for wanting to take a mission without his usual group. She nodded, an amused smile on her lips. Still, her frown showed she was still worried.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea just you and me?" she asked. She held her hands up, debunking a misunderstanding. "Not that I think you can't beat a monster, but I don't think that besides the barrier, I can be of much help if you need it."

Gray rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Levy. You were chosen for the S-Class Exam. Have more faith in your abilities."

"Yeah, no," she contradicted herself. "I do have faith. I just don't take combat missions. I'm better with solving problems type of requests, not the "beat a monster" ones."

"Okay, but your combat skills have improved a lot since Tenrou." He halted her before she could protest. "Sure, you don't destroy cities with one sword's swing, like-" He coughed, uneasy. "-some crazy knight we know. Still that doesn't make you weak. All Fairy Tail mages are strong, no?" He rose his eyebrow, challenging her to disagree with him.

Levy sighed, defeated, before smiling back to him. "Alright. You win. I'll go." She held up her index. "But, under one condition."

Gray snorted. "Yeah, yeah, the library. You'll get time to go. Anyway, I wanted to sight-see too. So, yeah, deal."

They playfully shook hands, ignoring the ominous vibe coming their way from two people who was overhearing their conversation. Gray was pleasantly surprised that despite the lack of time they spent together in the last months, their complicity came back naturally. Hell, if he didn't need so much money, he would ask Cana too if shewanted to tag along like old times.

Necessity required, he brought just one partner. But the bluenette was a good companion so going just with her was cool too. Levy was easy to be with. Not only wasn't she destructive or exuberant like Natsu, but she wasn't scary like Erza or so easily worked-up like Lucy. Cheery, but chill, mature, but fun, Levy knew how to make people feel at ease with her. She never forced a conversation or went overboard, as she seemed to understand people's limits, a trait a lot in the guild could learn from. As she needed her alone time, just as much as Gray, their companionship would make this mission a walk in the park. Yeah, he wouldn't come back from this mission, completely exhausted, for once.

"When are we leaving?" Levy asked, putting her things in her satchel, but taking out a pen and a paper sheet as to take notes. "And for how long?"

"Since it takes ten hours by train with one transfer mid-way, I think we should leave today. The next train leaves in two hours." She nodded, approving his suggestion. "Since we don't know how far in the mountain the monster lives, I'd guess at least five days?"

Gray hoped the length wouldn't be an obstacle, now, but he still wanted to be honest. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind. Thoughtful, Levy said, "So we'll need camping equipment…"

The bluenette started enumerating what they should bring since half their trip would be wilderness camping, taking in charge the organization. Having gone on camping trips in their childhood with their friends, they knew the ropes, but she considered the more dangerous nature of this trip. An equipment list slowly took form, as Levy pragmatically listed what they needed in case of certain obstacles they might face, confirming that he chose his partner well. They would pull off this mission easily.

Speaking of which. A sense of calmness took root in his mind. No nonsense for a week. No massive destruction. Just beating a monster in a remote place with no chance of collateral damages. Then, he could do some sight-seeing in the local attraction, like their famous Ice-sculpture museum. A well-deserved moment of peace.

Only when she addressed the tent problem, hers being completely torn, did he return to reality. Gray did have a tent. The answer seemed evident.

"I have one. Even for an individual size, we fit the two of us in it," Gray assured her.

Neither noticed the grinding of iron being crushed nor the yelp of pain that followed.

He added matter-of-factly, "Besides, it's better for not losing heat."

He wouldn't have suggested to a girl he had known for only a year or two, in fear of misunderstanding from both the girl and the rest of the guild, but knowing Levy for so long, he knew it wouldn't faze her. They had been asked once, as kids, if they liked each other (romantically), and they laughed it off. Through thick and thin, they grew up together, becoming closer than friends, but their trust laid in something more sibling-like. They both knew that neither could ever develop romantic feelings for the other. So, the suggestion of sharing like they did as kids only seem the most evident solution.

"Yeah, good idea," Levy agreed. "It will also save me the trip to the Hiking Shop. Here." She handed him the list she had made of the things to bring. She pointed the items that were circled and then the ones that were underlined. "These are the ones I have and will bring and those are the ones that you're in charge. Did I forget something?"

He quickly read and shook his head. With this kind of efficiency, they'll make it to the next train. It was perfect since he didn't want to lose time and, in the best-case scenario, they'd arrive in Shirotsume Town by tomorrow morning to begin the mission on the same day.

"Perfect. I'll notify Mira that we're taking this mission. Let's meet at the train station in one hour and a half. At the ticket booth."

"Okay! I'll just warn Jet and Droy before going home."

Gray nodded, but she was already running towards her teammates. Even if they gained seven years of age compared to the Tenrou group, their faces lit up like teenage boys when Levy went to their table to bid them farewell. Some things never changed, he thought with a nostalgic smile, wishing things could be as simple as before this whole business with the time gap that separated them from a world that evolved without them in it. He sighed and chased those dark thoughts and went on his way to where Mira was.

His mind was so one-side tracked on his game plan that he failed to notice a dark cloud forming at a table nearby where a moping Water Mage and an irked Iron Dragon Slayer sat.

Gray forgot that things rarely went as he planned or expected, as a plan without his knowledge was brewing under that dark cloud…

AN: Already wrote a couple of chapters beforehand (to not drag this story on many years like my previous one...). Next chapter will be posted on July 7th ;) Also a big thank you to my One True Friend (OTF) cathelerein for her help in writing Gray and Juvia (i'm more versed in Gajevy :3). Álthough I do the writing, we both brainstorm ideas and it makes it so much fun~

Reviews are my fuel, so don't hesitate!