Author's Note: Dedicated to TK because this was written for your birthday (but I'm trash because it's so so so late), and super special thanks to Marie (Darkhope & rieriebee on tumbles) for helping me construct the outline to this plot :3 Something a little different with this drama genre, so I hope you like it!

Clarity

Summary: The reward was so huge for such an easy job, it'd be stupid to pass up. She couldn't be that mad that he took it anyway, right? [Gruvia] [one-shot]

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Juvia said no."

"What—why?"

Juvia snatched the job request from Gray's grasp, crumpling it in her hands before tossing it aside and crossing her arms over her chest. "Juvia doesn't want Gray-sama to go."

Gray narrowed his eyes, staring at his girlfriend of two years before retrieving the littered document. "You know that's not the way it works, Juvia. It's just a one-day mission, I'll be back in no time!"

"Juvia still doesn't want Gray-sama to go!" she huffed.

"Why not? You think it's something I can't handle?"

The girl fell silent, averting her gaze with a heavy frown.

Gray stepped in front of her and grasped her chin, forcing her eyes to his. "What's this really about, huh?"

Her eyes flickered to his before falling to the paper in his hand. It wasn't the danger of the mission she was against—Gray always thrived on borderline S-class missions, and despite her persistent worries, she knew her Gray-sama could handle it. No, what bothered her, what really bothered her were the mission's details.

It was a simple bodyguard request. Guard a princess during her coronation, ranked A-class due to allegations of an assassination attempt during the event. Straightforward, dangerous—just what Gray liked, but Juvia didn't. The princess was known to be exceptionally beautiful, seducing even the most honorable of men, and to properly guard her, Gray would have to accompany her as her escort. The idea of that woman and Gray—a man equally as captivating, even if he never realized it—together for hours, alone, while a future queen would be looking for a King?

Juvia briskly shook her head, directly meeting Gray's gaze. "Juvia wants to go with you."

The man blinked, his composure faltering for a moment before he quickly shook his head. "You can't do that."

Juvia frowned, lifting her nose defiantly in the air. "Why not? Juvia can help."

"Well, yeah, but—" Scratching the back of his head, Gray glanced to the job notice before holding it up. "It only asks for one person, see?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "Why can't Gray-sama take another job?"

"What's wrong with this one?"

"Juvia doesn't like it!"

"Why not? Why are you being so—"

"Juvia doesn't want you to go, Gray-sama! Take another job or don't go, end of discussion!"

She promptly turned on her heel, whipping her ponytail behind her as she stomped out of the room. Gray watched her go, raising an eyebrow before exhaling a sigh and waving it off.

Juvia was being unreasonable for whatever reason, but he didn't have time to worry about that. He had already accepted the mission request, and the departure date was tomorrow. The reward was so huge for such an easy job, it'd be stupid to pass up, so she couldn't be that mad that he took it, right?

Shrugging, Gray slipped his bag over his shoulder and walked out the door.

It'd all work itself out in the end, anyway.

Extra Extra! This just in! A Sorcerer's Weekly special!

Is ice-make wizard Gray Fullbuster, of Fiore's Fairy Tail, getting a little too acquainted with the former Princess—now Queen—Yuki? The two were seen pressed intimately together against an alleyway, and local bystanders heard the princess suggestively cry out the ice wizard's name! How scandalous!

Too outrageous to believe? Look at the photo in the bottom right hand corner! A picture does not lie, folks!

Water mage Juvia Lockser, Fullbuster's girlfriend of two years, had no comment to this appalling revelation.

Meanwhile, the newly crowned Queen is looking for her King! Perhaps she's found the one?!

Rain showered the streets in a heavy downpour. It was an unfortunate stroke of luck, arriving back to the city in such crappy weather, but Gray dismissed the thought to the back of his mind. It wasn't so bad with a large sum of jewels jingling in his pocket.

As he stepped inside the guild, dripping from head to toe, he noticed a few things. First, the guild grew eerily silent when he walked in; second, everyone was staring at him; and third, Juvia was nowhere to be seen. Huh, no Juvia, and a sudden, relentless rain shower… he could only imagine what he'd face when he returned home.

"Hey Mira," Gray greeted, taking a seat at the bar and wringing the rainwater out of his coat. "Give me the strongest thing ya got, will ya? I'm definitely gonna need it for the yelling when I get home—ow!"

He hissed at the sharp smack to his head, holding the swelling bump as he whipped his gaze to his attacker. He immediately stiffened upon finding it to be Erza, straightening promptly and tossing his wet bangs away from his eyes.

"Erza, what's—?"

"Idiot!" she chided, delivering another painful blow.

He grunted at the throbbing ache, holding his head and closing one eye in a wince. "Oi, what's the big idea?!"

"How could you, Gray?!" Lisanna suddenly cried, causing him to turn towards her with his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What—"

"I gotta say, kid, I'm a bit disappointed," Macao muttered, shaking his head with Wakaba at his side.

"The hell did I do?" Gray snapped, frowning heavily while continuing to rub the lump on his head.

Erza folded her arms sternly across her chest. "You allowed yourself to be—"

"Don't play coy, Gray," Evergreen chimed in, giving a sly wink. "You traded up because you were swayed by beauty and jewels, it's perfectly understandable—"

"Hey, that's not fair," Lucy cut in, lips tugged in a disapproving frown. "You all know Gray would never do that to anyone, especially to Juvia."

"Do what?" Gray demanded, but his question was ignored amongst all the whispered murmurs in the guild.

"You give him too much credit, Lucy—"

"We all saw the way he treated her when she first joined the guild, so it's not impossible—"

"Maybe he's just been with her all this time out of pity—"

"Oi!" Natsu barked, slamming his palm down on the table. "Shut it! Luce is right, droopy eyes would never do something like that! No way!"

Gray squinted, studying the scene. Even Natsu was joining in the fuss? Just what the hell was everyone talking about?

The commotion in the guild soon grew into an uproar as bickering opinions shouted back and forth. Furrowing his brow upon being ignored, Gray turned back to the bar counter, staring at the bottom of his glass.

"Mira," he said quietly, gradually lifting his gaze to the barmaid. "Do you know what the hell everyone's going on about?"

She tried to give him a sympathetic smile, but he could see the discomfort in her blue eyes and the way she forced her smile to her lips. "Um, well, you might want to talk to Juvia about that."

Glancing out the window, the rain seemed to pelt the glass even harder. Thunder clapped in the sky as the roar echoed against the dark clouds, showering the streets in an unyielding downpour.

"I'm in it pretty deep, huh?" Gray muttered, keeping his gaze trained out the window.

"Talk to her," Mira said gently, idly drying a glass in her hands. "You just really need to talk to her. I'm sure a simple explanation will clear everything up."

A dry chuckle escaped his throat. "Your sister already thinks I'm guilty," he mumbled, lifting his glass and taking a large swig. "And apparently she's not the only one."

The barmaid frowned, lowering her gaze and scrubbing attentively at the glass. "We all know how you feel about her, Gray. This has to be a misunderstanding."

He averted his gaze with narrowed eyes, his irritation beginning to boil. Why the hell was everyone treating him like he kicked a damn puppy? But even when he asked, no one was giving him a clear-cut answer. It seemed the only way he would get an answer was to go home and face the problem there, but he didn't understand—just what the hell did he do?

Lifting his glass, he downed the last contents in a final swallow before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Thanks for the drink," he muttered, slipping off the bar stool and giving a haphazard wave in the air. "Wish me luck."

By the time he arrived home, Juvia was sound asleep.

His shoulders slacked as he released a quiet breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. This was a good sign. She wasn't mad enough that it kept her from sleeping, and she'd probably be calmer in the morning anyway.

Easing the tension in his muscles, Gray paused for a moment, admiring Juvia's peaceful, sleeping countenance. Her hair was slipped a little over her face, falling daintily over her cheek and eyes. Lying on her side, the blanket hugged the curves of her body, following the rise and fall of her chest as she took slow, even breaths. The moonlight played off her features, bathing her ivory skin in a pale glow, and her eyebrows furrowed as she turned towards her pillow, exhaling a soft sigh.

The corner of his mouth flicked upward before he shrugged off his shirt and pants, slipping into bed beside her. One arm slipped habitually beneath her waist while the other rested against the swell of her hip, his fingers gently caressing her skin. She stirred a little and he grinned, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her shoulder before trailing kisses along her neck.

They always made love whenever they returned from missions, and given her relaxation to his touches, tonight didn't seem like an exception. His fingers glided along her soft thigh as he brushed his tongue along the column of her throat, slowly rousing her from her sleep. A small sound escaped her lips as her body shifted a little, arching when his hand slipped to her inner thigh. His kisses grew hungrier, nipping her neck and grazing her ear, and just when he thought she was finally going to reciprocate as she turned a little towards him, a searing heat struck his tongue.

"Fuck!" he hissed, immediately retracting his tongue and bringing his hand to his mouth. "Juvia, what the hell?!"

Her skin had become boiling hot, leaving a sting to his lips and a burn on his tongue. He scowled at her, silently demanding an explanation, but she simply lied her head back down and turned her back to him.

"Oi," he called, placing a hand on her shoulder, "don't—"

He cursed at the scorching temperature of her skin, shaking his sizzling hand.

"What the hell's the matter with you?!"

She finally turned towards him before sitting upright, her cheeks flushed and eyebrows knitted in a strikingly venomous glare. "Get out!"

"What?" he snapped, narrowing his eyes. "Are you crazy? It's my bed too—"

"Out!" she screamed, and he ducked from the jet of water she shot towards him. "Juvia wants Gray out!"

"What the—!" he shouted, dodging another water attack before quickly freezing the next. The bedsheets grew damp as the room began to flood, cracking his ice under her water boiling to searing temperatures.

He finally collapsed out of the bed, oblivious to the angry tears stinging the corner of her eyes. Grunting, he rubbed his sore back before laying an arm over the mattress, pushing himself up with a scowl.

"Juvia—"

"Leave me alone!" she screeched before he suddenly found himself shoved out their room from her water geyser, the bedroom door shutting in his face and the lock clicking into place.

He stared silently for a few moments, trying to understand what just happened. Juvia wasn't just upset, she was livid. He'd never seen her get like this, so hostile towards him that she burned him. He didn't even know Juvia—sweet, cheery, loving Juvia—could even become so furious, especially towards him.

But why was she so angry? It didn't make any sense. He had just gone on a mission, like he always did, except—except…

"You're not jealous because I was with another girl, are you?" he called through the door. "Come on, Juvia! The whole time I was with her I was thinking of you!"

He heard a sound from inside the room, something akin to a frustrated cry, and he roughly rattled the doorknob, only to click his tongue upon finding it solidly locked.

"Why are you being like this? I thought you stopped being jealous a long time ago!" He slammed his fist into the door, cursing under his breath before lowering his gaze. "Hasn't it been long enough? Why are you still being like this?!"

Silence was his answer, making him bare his teeth and snarl.

"Damn it, Juvia! Open the damn door! Answer me!"

"No!" she shouted. "Juvia doesn't owe anything to Gray-sama!"

He squinted, jostling the locked doorknob once more. "What the hell are you talking about—"

"Anyone could have accepted that mission!" she cried, and Gray flinched at the shrillness of her voice. "But Gray-sama had to accept it! Even when Juvia said no! Even when she told Gray-sama not to go! Gray-sama—Gray still went!"

"But," he began, furrowing his brow, "the reward was huge, Juvia—"

"Juvia doesn't care!" There was a loud crash, as though something was tossed across the room, and… was she crying? "N—No amount of jewels could justify what Gray-sama—Gray… did to Juvia!"

"Are you kidding me?!" he roared, banging his hand against the wall. "All this because I left on a mission that had to do with another girl? All this bullshit because I left without telling you? All this over something so fucking insignificant?!"

"Is that all Juvia is to you?! Insignificant?!"

"Don't go turning this on me! This is about you! Your damn insecurities!"

She whimpered, and his stomach clenched wretchedly in guilt. She wasn't bothering hiding it anymore—she was crying hard, her sobs choked in her throat, her sniffles coming every two seconds. The wrench in his gut only twisted further.

"Damn it!" he yelled, punching the wall before exhaling a sigh. "When are you going to get it…"

He turned around, making his way towards the couch until his ears caught her soft voice.

"Gray-sama…"

He paused, glancing towards the door. Maybe she was finally coming to her senses, he thought—but then he heard the thunder crash and the rainfall showering outside his window. The noise was deafening, booming in his ears, but he still heard her next words, voiced barely above a whisper.

"Juvia wishes she never met you."

The next morning, she was gone.

He woke up sore, the lumps in the couch definitely giving him hell on his back, and caught a glimpse of blue hair slipping out the front door. He didn't think much at the time, simply rolling on his side and dozing back to sleep. Being the early riser she was, Juvia normally went on morning runs, and though she tried to get him to join her, she finally understood that he was just impossible to get out of bed. However, she'd usually stroke his hair and kiss his cheek before leaving, but given the intensity of their argument last night, he understood why she left without so much as saying a single word.

But when she was gone for more than an hour, he started to get worried. Maybe she was just running some errands, or maybe she had met some of the guild members and got caught up in conversation. So she was an hour and a half late, it wasn't that big a deal.

Sitting upright from the sofa, he stretched his arms and twisted his body, working out the kinks in his shoulder from that god-awful couch. He dragged his feet into his bedroom, stripping off his boxers to hop into the shower, only to notice something—or rather, a lack of something.

Juvia's side was completely cleaned out. No butterfly hairclips, no jewelry, no dresses in their closet. No girly products in the bathroom, no perfume on the dresser, no undergarments in the drawers. Even his shirts that she usually slept in were left untouched, folded perfectly neat on their impeccably tidy bed.

The revelation slowly settled in, and he felt the gaping hole in his chest expand wider.

No wonder she was late. She wasn't coming home.

At his feet, a glinting shard caught his eye. Bending over, he retrieved the broken object, only to feel another rip in his chest. It was a picture of him and Juvia, her smiling radiantly with her arms around his neck from behind while he looked back at her with a trademark frown and faint blush on his cheeks.

So this was the crashing sound he'd heard last night. She'd thrown the picture frame across the room, crinkling the photo and shattering glass across the floor.

Sitting slowly against the edge of their bed, Gray stared at the frame with an empty gaze. He rubbed his face with his hand, suddenly feeling more exhausted than he had in years.

Juvia never ignored Gray. Whenever he walked into the guild, everyone within a five-mile radius could hear her cheery, "Gray-sama!" greeting before she latched herself onto his arm and glued to his side.

But for days, she had not only ignored him, she physically recoiled at any mention of his name.

When he walked into the guild the first day, some guild members had said their hello's to him, but his eyes were trained on the blue-haired girl sitting at the bar counter, accompanied by Gajeel, Levy and Mira. He saw the way she visibly tensed at his arrival, how she made a conscious effort to keep her face turned away from his and the grip on her glass tightening.

And fuck, did that hole in his chest ever stop widening.

For days, they didn't say a word to each other. He was vaguely aware of all the whispers around him. Some of the other guild members couldn't believe their eyes. Gray and Juvia, in a fight? What could have happened? They never thought it'd be possible, but there it was, Juvia not giving a single glance to Gray while Gray numbly ambled towards a table with Natsu, Lucy and Erza.

"Gray…" Lucy murmured, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder while her eyes softened in concern.

"The bags are even bigger under your droopy eyes," Natsu muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You haven't been sleeping," Erza noted.

"I can't sleep," Gray grumbled, bowing his head and passing a hand through his hair. "Not without… I'm used to…"

"She'll come around," Lucy said soothingly, rubbing his back in comfort. "This is a misunderstanding, that's all. She just needs some time."

"Time for what," Gray snapped, glancing to Juvia at the counter. "She's never been this mad at me before, and I can't even ask her what happened. This can't just be because I took that mission…"

The three exchanged silent glances with one another, the same pensive frown crossing each of their faces.

"Gray…" Lucy said gently, frowning deeper when his weary gaze lifted to hers. "Haven't you heard…?" He blinked at her, and she shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with her fingers. "About… you… and the princess…?"

"What does she have to do with any of this," he replied flatly, only to hear the scrape of a bar stool screeching behind him.

"You don't even have the balls to admit it," Gajeel snarled, leading Gray to glance over his shoulder and scowl in return.

"You know what," he countered, turning around and standing up from his seat, "you've been looking at me like you wanna fight for days now, so why don't you get the stick outta your ass already and do it."

"You fucking prick," Gajeel retorted, hardening his arm into an iron mallet while low growls seeped through his clenched teeth. He seized Gray's neck and lifted the ice mage off the ground, roaring, "You think you can just sit there and act like you did nothing wrong—?!"

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia cried, grabbing his arm before he swung his iron mallet towards Gray. Gray froze, his eyes immediately fixing to the face he'd missed for days as she looked up to Gajeel with pleading eyes. "Please, don't—"

Gajeel growled, clicking his tongue before releasing his choking grip. Gray landed on his feet and coughed, holding his neck as he lifted his gaze to Juvia.

"Go home, ameonna," Gajeel muttered to her, shrugging her grasp off his arm. "I can smell the rainclouds rolling in."

She frowned, lowering her gaze to the floor while her lower lip trembled. "…But—"

"Go," he ordered. "You're in no shape to be here."

"Juvia—" Gray called urgently, but she winced a damn wince like his voice had stricken her. She kept her gaze averted from his, hiding her face behind her hair as she dashed away. "Wait a second—!" he yelled, quickly rushing after her. She had stopped Gajeel, so she must have still cared, must have still loved—

Bam!

Gray felt a sharp pain in his jaw, sending him sliding back a couple feet. Holding his jawline, he grit his teeth, his eyes hardening as he looked towards Gajeel. "What the fuck?!"

"You stripping fucker," Gajeel snarled, snatching his shirt collar while Gray grabbed his wrist. "I gave you one rule: Don't make her cry."

His eyes widened, his stomach clenching painfully. "She's… been crying?"

"Every night, for three days," Gajeel growled.

"Why? Because of the mission?!" Gray shouted. "I only went for the reward!"

"And I bet you got your reward, ice prick—"

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?!"

"Everyone knows about you and the princess, jackass!"

"What the hell does she have to do with this?!"

"Are you that stupid!? Even I thought you weren't this low of a man, Fullbuster—"

"Gajeel," Lucy cut in, lips tugged in a frown, "I don't think Gray knows about it."

"About what?" Gray demanded. "Knows about what?"

"The Sorcerer Weekly article," she replied. "You're the main subject of this week's issue."

"Gossip?" Gray snarled, clenching a tight fist at his side. "You're telling me… all this is about fucking gossip?"

"It's not just—"

"There's proof, moron!"

"What?" he snapped, whipping his face to Gajeel. "What the hell are you—"

"Gray," Lucy interjected softly. "Look."

His gaze dropped to the item in her hand, finding the Sorcerer Weekly magazine folded open to the centerfold spread. There was a long batch of text on each page, but then there was a picture, a strikingly large picture that immediately drew his attention.

Him and the princess, his body pressing hers against the wall, his arms on either side of her head and their faces angled in a way that looked like they were—

Holy shit.

"What, can't admit the truth, bastard?" Gajeel sneered, jerking on his collar, but his voice sounded distant. "Too surprised to see you were caught?!"

Gray's stomach dropped. Everything clicked, everything made sense—she wasn't upset that he had left for the mission, or that the mission had involved another girl. She was upset and angry and crying because she thought that he—he—

"Get off of me," Gray said lowly, digging his fingers into Gajeel's wrist. "Get off!"

He yanked his grip away, pushing passed him and rushing towards the door. He vaguely heard the others' calling for him, but he ignored them, fully intent on one destination: Juvia's old room at Fairy Hills.

The front door slammed open, making the girl jump at the sudden crash as her eyes snapped to her sudden visitor.

"Gray-sa—"

"You think I cheated on you?!"

He stormed inside, his eyebrows furrowed with a heavy scowl on his face. Juvia's eyes widened, her body jolting off the couch and as she instinctively took a step back.

"G—Go away—"

"Answer me!" he demanded, snatching her wrist before she could turn and flee. "You think I cheated on you?! That I had an affair with the princess?!"

"Let go!" she cried, pulling on his grip in vain. "Juvia doesn't want to see you! She never wants to see you again!"

"Juvia—!"

"How could you?!" she screamed, and he froze at the tears welling in her eyes. "Juvia loved you—she loves you with all her heart, but Gray-sama doesn't care! He never cared, he—he only stayed with Juvia because he felt sorry for her, didn't he?! Because Juvia was foolish, a silly woman, believing Gray-sama could ever love her back—"

"Holy shit," he muttered quietly, weakly releasing her wrist. "You actually think I cheated on you."

"Juvia knows, Gray-sama! She—She didn't believe it at first, how could she? She thought maybe it was a test of Juvia's love, but—but then they showed Juvia the pictures, and then there was a recording and… and…" She sniffled, her tears streaming freely down the curves of her cheeks. "Juvia knows Gray-sama was unfaithful."

He stared at her, speechless. "You… really believe it. That I would hurt you like that."

Juvia averted her gaze, wiping her tears messily with her palms. "J—Juvia understands, Gray-sama. The p-princess is very beautiful, and wealthy—"

"You think I care about that?!" he shouted, and she stilled at the raw anger in his voice. "That I would throw away all this time with you, just for something as fleeting as beauty and wealth?!"

She flinched, turning away from his yells. "But, the man said—"

"They lied to you, Juvia! Don't you trust me?!"

"Of course! With all her heart! But—the pictures—"

"Were all taken out of context! Including whatever you heard!" He grabbed her arms and spun her towards him, locking her eyes with his. "Listen to me. Yes, that picture happened, but did they tell you a surprise enemy appeared and I was hiding her for her safety? The mission's order? And how even after she said my name like that, and tried to kiss me, I asked what the hell she was doing and backed off? Yeah, she wanted me, but I told her no because she isn't the woman I'm in love with!"

Juvia froze underneath his grasp, her eyes growing incredibly wide. Gray scowled heavily at her, tightening his grip on her arms.

"How could you think I would ever do that to you?! I haven't even looked at another woman since—since—" He cursed under his breath, whipping his face away from hers with his bangs falling over his eyes. "…Since you agreed to go out with me, idiot."

Her eyes watered once more, tears brimming the corners before slipping down her cheeks. "Gray… sama…"

"I don't blame you," he muttered, releasing her arms and maintaining his averted gaze. "I don't tell you this enough, I'm crap with this sentimental stuff… and you're so patient with me, I don't deserve it. I never told you what you leaving me would do to me, but—fuck, I know what it's like now, and I… I can't…"

He felt her arms wrap around his neck, bringing his face to her shoulder as she held him tight. She was shaking a little, soft sobs escaping her throat, but she only squeezed him tighter, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Juvia's so sorry," she whispered brokenly. "Believing Gray-sama would ever… when she knows he would never… and Juvia saw how upset you were at the guild, but she never…" Leaning back, she cupped his cheeks, brushing her thumbs underneath his dark, tired eyes. "Gray-sama hasn't been sleeping…"

He chuckled dryly at her, flashing a half grin. "I'm used to having someone next to me now, ya know?"

She gave him a watery smile before pressing her lips to his, locking her arms around his neck and kissing him firmly. He pulled her closer to him, holding the side of her face while his other arm slid around her waist.

"Gray-sama," she whispered when she pulled away, pressing chaste kisses to his mouth. "Juvia's"—kiss—"so"—kiss—"sorry—"

He held her cheek and captured her lips once more, eliciting a soft whimper when he pulled away. "The least I can do," he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers, "is tell you why I accepted that damn mission in the first place."

Juvia quickly shook her head, closing her eyes and burrowing her face in his neck. "Juvia doesn't care—"

"No, I think you will."

She blinked as he leaned off of her and glanced down, digging his hand around in his pocket before securing what he was looking for. Meeting her gaze, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a grin, an uneasy chuckle escaping his throat as he presented his palm to her.

"This isn't exactly the way I wanted to do this, but…"

Juvia tilted her head, blinking once more before lowering her gaze to the item in his hand. Her eyes immediately widened as a loud gasp escaped her lips, her hands flying to her mouth.

In his hand was a small velvet box, cracked open and revealing the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. The diamond was cut to the shape of an ice flower, smaller trimmed diamonds lining the petals and band of the ring. The design of the flower itself was intricate—the petals rose around the main diamond in the center, accentuating its lavish size while complimenting the sparkles glittering from the light's reflection in the room.

"I told you, for such a simple mission, the reward was huge," Gray explained as Juvia openly stared at the band. "I went to get this specialized at a place stationed near the mission, and the reward from it just about covered the cost. But I still had to fix some things, figures the idiots couldn't get my design right—"

"Yes!" Juvia squealed, nodding in unconcealed excitement. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Gray chuckled. "You're not even listening anymore, are you?"

"I do!" she cried, holding her hand out and barely containing her giddy squeals. "Juvia accepts becoming Gray-sama's bride!"

"I haven't even asked you yet," he muttered, his lips twitching in an amused grin as he took her hand and slid the engagement ring on her finger.

Lifting her hand to the light, Juvia cupped her cheek, taking a shuddering breath while her scream caught in her throat. "It's… it's…" She covered her mouth, vainly stifling her ecstatic screech.

Taking her hand, Gray lowered himself to one knee, locking his eyes on hers and somehow losing his shirt in the process. "Juvia… will you—"

"Yes!" she screamed before he could finish, throwing her arms around his neck and tackling him to the ground. She pressed her lips to his, popping her foot in the air and squealing against his mouth before breaking the kiss. Her face brightened with a radiant smile, her musical laughter filling the air as he looked at her fondly with a small smile of his own.

"So," he muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "am I forgiven?"

She beamed and kissed him once more, tilting her head and passing a hand through his hair. Leaning back, she took his hand and pulled him to his feet, dashing to her bedroom before shutting the door closed behind them.