Gray's dark blue eyes observe every movement of the girl in front of him, puzzling. He can tell that something is a bit...off...
Normally, Juvia would be all chirpy like a little bird, talking and asking about his day. She would smile brightly with a cute blush adorns her cheek, yet now...
Juvia has been quiet since he got here, too quiet to his liking. Although the bluenette welcomes him with a sweet smile, her odd behavior does not go unnoticed. He tries to start a conversation, hoping to know what's bothering her but she only responds to him with a soft nod, acknowledge his presence in the room.
Did I do something to make her mad?
Even now, when they're eating at the same table, she still hasn't opened her mouth to say a word.
"J-Juvia..."
She raises her head, wearing a complex expression on her face.
"D-did I do something that makes you mad?"
She nervously bites the bottom lips, averting her gaze. Meredy told her several things about the girl name Lucy:
· Lucy Hearfilia
· 2nd student
· Major in Language and Literature
· A member of the newspaper club
· Relationship status with Gray Fullbuster: it's c.o.m.p.l.i.c.a.t.e.d
Complicated...
Juvia doesn't know how to react when she heard that word. She doesn't want to believe that her beloved Gray-sama has his eyes on someone else, just think about it shatters all her hopes and dreams of one day that she can confess her love to him.
And then, there's Gajeel, who didn't give her a clear answer and instead, told her to ask Gray. She doesn't want to ask him, the thought of hearing the truth scares her, especially from him.
"I-if I've done something wrong, I'm sorry..."
She looks at him again, there's a glint of confusion in her eyes. Should she ask him about that girl? Or should she just stay silent and let it passes?
"Juvia?"
"S-she's sorry, Gray-sama." she sighs "Juvia doesn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, Juvia is just..." she stops herself for a moment before continues "Is it okay for Juvia to ask you about something?"
"Go on, what is it?" he responds immediately, and a bit eager, too.
"Uhm, s-she saw you sitting with your friends a few days ago and, uhm, you were..."
Gray stares at her, not quite sure if he gets what she's trying to ask and Juvia is very nervous that she's stumbling over her words.
"Is something wrong?"
"W-well, she wants to ask about, uhm, the b-blonde girl who sit n-next to you..."
The raven head blinks a few times, finally understands the context of Juvia's question. The bluenette seems to be interested in his friends, maybe it's a cue that it's time for him to introduce her to them? Juvia doesn't have a lot of friends and he sometimes spots her in the cafeteria, eating her homemade bento alone.
"You mean Lucy?"
"So her name is Lucy..." she smiles a bit but he picks up a weird signal from her "I-is Lucy-san your girlfriend?"
Gray chocks on his food after hearing this. He looks at her, no, he intensively stares at her, eyes open widely that Juvia thinks they may pop out of the sockets. The bluenette sweatdrops, giving him a glass of water as Gray grabs it and chugs the whole thing. He then grabs onto his shirt, panting and wiping the droplets of water off his chin.
"W-who gives you that thought, Juvia? Lucy and Natsu will kill me if they hear that..." he turns to her "No, Lucy is not my girlfriend. She's dating Natsu, another friend of mine."
Gray looks at her and catches a sigh of relief escape those pink lips, Juvia looks like she just lifts a weight off her shoulder. He finds her rare expression, although odd, is adorable. Juvia has never been shy from expressing her emotions and he enjoys this side of her.
"Oh, Juvia is ever so sorry." said Juvia with her fingers intertwine "She's sorry for making you feel uncomfortable."
"N-no, it's alright. I mean, you guys haven't met so..." Gray tries to reassure the bluenette in front of him "If you want to, I can...I mean..."
She tilts her head, not quite sure what her beloved is trying to say.
"I-if you want to, I-I'd like to introduce you to, uhm, to them..."
Blue orbs open widely as she looks at the young man, who is still struggling to regain his cool after the embarrassing talk. She can't believe it, Gray wants to introduce her to his friends? Joy engulfs her as she can feel her feet barely touch the ground. Her hopes soar, finally, she's one step closer to her beloved Gray.
In contrast to her excitement, the raven head freezes in his seat, anxiously waiting for her answer. Juvia's lack of verbal response worries him as Gray fears that his offer might have offended her and the thought makes his stomach turns. Gray never wants to upset Juvia, sure he sometimes makes Lucy and Erza angry but with Juvia, he doesn't want her to be sad because of him.
"I-if you don't want to, i-it's ok-?!"
"Juvia wants to!" she exclaims, her voice raises a bit "She wants to meet Gray-sama's friend!"
He looks at her, this time, notice the shades of pink on her cheek. Her lips curl into a smile as she is bursting with joy. Juvia's beaming face awakens something inside him, a warm and fuzzy feeling that Gray has not felt for quite a while.
And then, Gray remembers his conversation with Loke a few days ago, about how Juvia is living under the same roof with a lot of male students. Looking at Juvia again, he wonders how should he said this that doesn't make her feel uncomfortable. The raven head clears his voice, which catches her attention as she looks at him with a bright smile on her face.
Well, here goes nothing...
"Say Juvia..." Gray begins "You can tell me if you need help making meals. No one else, uhm, also if I'm not home and something happens to you..."
He stops himself for a moment and analyzes the situation. Just now, it was horrible and he sounded like a selfish person. Juvia looks utterly confused at his words, even tilts her head to the side as she tries to process his words to find the meaning behind them.
Shit...This is bad...
"Y-you know, they said it's dangerous for you to leave your room with other guys living under the same roof. I'm not like them though, t-that's why..."
"Juvia knows..." she covers her mouth to stop the giggling sound from escaping her lips "She knows that Gray-sama is not like them."
"O-oh, okay. I see..."
He unconsciously breathes out, like he has been holding his breath this whole time. But her answer leaves a question in his mind, is it just him that Juvia puts her trust in? If so, then he gladly and proudly accepts it. For a sweet girl like Juvia, he wouldn't mind going out of his way to make her happy.
"Would you like a cup of tea, Gray-sama?"
"Yeah, thank you." said Gray after he finishes washing the dishes.
Gray notices some changes in their relationship. When Juvia first offer to make dinner for both of them, he would finish the food then came back to his room right after he helped her with the dishes, he would never extend his visit for a cup of tea or for a slice of cake. The raven head wanted to keep it professional between the two, that they could only be friends and no more than that.
However, after several months, his body starts to betray his inner thoughts. Gray would stay back a little longer when she offers him a cup of tea or when she asks him to assist her with the math problems. He would stay to watch the news or some cooking shows on the TV, sometimes even enjoying a movie or two with her.
He admires Juvia's ability to express her feelings so freely like she doesn't even care if other people find her too sensitive. She would laugh at the lame jokes, cry at an emotional scene, pout when a character does something stupid or offended. She would also hug her plushy tightly then slam onto the back of his head whenever they watch a scary movie. Although she's always able to keep her emotions under control when they're on campus, Juvia is never shy to express how she feels when there are only two of them, which he finds her reactions adorable, to say the least.
As he is watching Juvia prepares her tea, Gray notices a picture frame above the console table and gets closer to take a look at it. He never really pays attention to the decors around her place but the photo piques his interest, it's a family picture. He can see a man and a woman, holding a smaller version of Juvia and a young boy standing close to the couple.
So this is Juvia when she was young...
He also notices a music box on the table, with the phrase "For my beautiful daughter, Juvia" carved in golden letters. It's a beautiful box and to his guess, it probably costs a fortune. For a university student like Juvia, to own a music box like this, her family has to be wealthy. Normally, Gray would never try to look into Juvia's private life but he can't help but wonder.
If she's born in a wealthy family, would it be better for her to stay with them than to rent and live in a small apartment like this?
But then, who is he to judge. Maybe her family wants her to be independent instead of relying on them, or maybe she just wants to move out and live alone, just like he is right now. Who knows...?
Gray chuckles, remembering how his little sister cried a river when he announced that he wanted to move out. Wendy was holding onto him tightly, refused to let go. His mother and older sister, Ur and Ultear, accepted his request, despite the pleading and wailing of Wendy. He felt bad for making the little one cried.
Despite growing up with his adopted family, Gray came from a rather wealthy household that is famous in the jewelry industry, the Fullbuster family. However, his parents met a tragic end, leaving him when he was only 10.
His mother, Mika, who was also Ur's sister, died from blood loss after giving birth to him. His father, Silver, was diagnosed with a fatal illness and passed away 10 years later, leaving Gray under the custody of the Milkovich family. The fortune that Gray will soon inherit is in Ur's hand as Silver wrote in his will that he only allows his son to have the money after he graduated university.
Although living under the care of the Milkovich family, he never once felt out of love as Ur, Ultear, and Wendy all love him dearly. He has friends and family who care deeply for him, which makes Gray shyly admitted that he is indeed a lucky man. Despite his family is famous in the jewelry industry, the raven head never once thinking of joining it. He wants a simpler life, like a teacher or an instructor at the local school or university, which is why he studies math so that he can become one.
Gray looks at the music box again and raises his hand, wanting to touch the beautiful thing when Juvia's voice stops him from his track.
"Isn't it pretty, Gray-sama?"
He turns around, only to see the bluenette right next to him with two mugs in her hands, smiling. Something doesn't sit right with him. He doesn't see happiness in her smile and those blue eyes are filled with hurt and sorrow. Why does she make that face?
"It's a birthday present Juvia got from her mother..." her voice is soft, almost like a whisper "The last present mother gave her before she left Juvia...forever..."
His breath hitched at Juvia's sad confession, he can see how she's trying to maintain her cool and stay calm, but those tears just won't stop falling. Juvia bites her bottom lips, trying to stop the sobs from escaping her lips. She doesn't want her beloved to see her like this and yet, whenever anyone mentions her mother, the bluenette just can't help it.
"Juvia..."
"Gray-sama, Juvia is sorry." she sobs, rubbing the tears away with one hand "She's just...she's just a bit emotional..."
"It's okay..."
The raven head tries to comfort her, rubbing her small back with one hand and leads her back to the couch. Instead of leaving a small space between them, Gray inches closer until his shoulder touches hers. The bluenette smiles, holding her teacup tightly in her hands and enjoying the warmth of it. She selfishly wants more, to lay her head on his shoulder, to hold his hand and to feel his arm around her.
But Juvia knows that it's too soon, that she should patiently wait.
All things come to those who wait
Gray has thought about it, of what he should do to comfort Juvia. He could try to hold her hand, he could let her cries on his shoulder, he could wrap his arm around her and hold her tightly.
But he can't...
He doesn't want to take the risk, to put his relationship with Juvia on the line. They only know each other for a few months and Gray understands that whatever he has in his mind will eventually hurt their friendship.
The raven head realizes that he has slowly opened up to Juvia, welcoming her into his life. Although there're still some awkward conversations between them, he feels like they have gotten closer and closer. Gray even got a chance to learn a decent amount of cooking skills from Juvia, the bluenette is very patient and always encourages him to try again if his dishes fail.
Not only did they grow closer, but he also notices a soft spot he has for Juvia. Unlike the other girls who Gray would brush off or actively ignore, he listens to the bluenette, offering her the assistance that she needs without any complaints. Wherever she wants to go, whatever she wants to do, he will comply without any questions. To Gray, he has soon realized that Juvia's smile is his top priority and he will do anything to protect it.