Hello readers! I've been keeping up with Fairy Tail for about a year now, and let me just tell you how much I love these two! Anyways, here's my first attempt at a Gruvia fic, and I hope you guys enjoy it! Just know I don't have anyone to proofread it, so I'm sure they're some mistakes in this, but hopefully it's not too terrible!

Chapter 1: Chintzy Trollop

Gray twisted his lips into an ugly frown, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He had agreed to meet up with his older stepbrother, Lyon, and there wasn't enough booze in the world to prepare him for this encounter.

He shoved both hands into his pockets as he walked into Fairy Tail, one of his favorite bars.

It had several tables available for when they had karaoke night, or for when one just wanted to hang out with a group of friends. The bar was located in the far back along with a couple of pool tables that Gray had actually purchased himself, and given to the owner, Master Makarov, as a gift.

It was a place he was fond of, and appreciated when he was in need of comfort

He made his way towards the bar, and sat on a stool as his eyes glazed over the bounteous amount of liquor bottles that were neatly organized against the shelves. He felt at ease when he quickly recognized the familiar scent of cinnamon, mixed with a faint cigarette scent from when the patrons would occasionally smoke.

Which reminds him…

Gray's fingers trailed through his pockets, trying to locate his own pack of cigarettes, when he was startled with an innocent question.

"Do you see anything you like?"

His dark eyes flickered towards the questioning voice. He expected to see his friend Mirajane, who normally work around this time, but instead was replaced by an unfamiliar, blue-hair beauty.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "That's a loaded question," he answered, his lips curling into a semi-smirk.

She released a small chuckle. "Fair enough. Let Juvia rephrase that: What can Juvia get you to drink?" she inquired in a sugary tone.

Hearing her speak in third-person raised his other eyebrow, and made his smirk shift into a rare smile. "Just a scotch on the rocks," but as quickly as the smile appeared, it just as quickly disappeared.

The girl he assumed named Juvia, nodded, turning away to search for the wanted scotch.

Gray took a moment to study the unfamiliar bluenette. The first thing that caught his attention were her eyes. They were a distinctive, beautiful shade of blue that reminded him of a midnight's blue sky during a cool, winter's breeze. Her milky skin was pale like fine porcelain, and he let himself wonder if it was as soft as it seemed.

"Okay, here it is!" she said to herself, though loud enough to break Gray's reverie. "Oh wait…this is whiskey."

"That's fine, I'll take whiskey," he told her, trying to make things easier for her. "You new?"

A small blush graced her cheeks. "Did Juvia make herself seem that obvious?" she asked sheepishly.

Gray found himself chuckling. "Well that, and I normally see Mira or Cana bartending. I didn't expect a new face," he explained to her.

"Mirajane-san isn't working as much anymore. Juvia isn't sure if you've heard, but she's opening up a boutique with her sister. Love and Lace, I believe it is called," she settled his drink in front of him.

"I think she might have mentioned it."

Mirajane was once a renowned model who held the title of "Miss Fiore", but went into early retirement after the disappearance of her younger sister, Lisanna. Thankfully, Lisanna was found, and the two sisters had been inseparable ever since. It was Lisanna who gave Mirajane the idea of opening a boutique together.

"Cana-san should be here soon," she told him with a smile.

Gray blinked. He didn't want her to get the wrong impression.

"Cana, Mira, and I go way back," he blurted out, unsure why he felt the need to explain this to her. "In fact, we all have the same group of friends."

"Juvia is beginning to see that," she tilted her head, placing a finger over her lips. He must have given her a confused look because she then said, "Juvia met Cana-san through, Lucy-san…In fact, Lucy-san is the reason why Juvia has this job."

"You know Lucy?"

She nodded, "Juvia took French with Lucy-san, and has even tutored her."

Gray frowned, finding it strange that he had not met her beforehand. "So you attend Magnolia University?"

"Yes, Juvia gradates this spring semester. Do you go there?"

"I did. I actually just graduated last May."

"Oi Juvia!" yelled another costumer.

Juvia gave him an apologetic smile. "I'll be right back."

Gray watched her walk to the other side of the bar, noticing her attire was pretty modest. She donned a fitting, dark-blue, sweater dress that was accompanied with black tights and dark brown thigh boots. Her boots seemed to accent her long legs that traveled nicely all the way to her-

But Gray's thoughts were interrupted as a white napkin blurred his vision.

"Want a napkin for that drool?"

His face scrunched up into a scowl as he whipped his head around to find that his friend Cana, had just arrived, wearing a smug smirk on her face.

"You're the worst, you know that?" he told her contemptuously, feeling his cheeks rise in embarrassment.

The brunette placed a hand over her chest. "Oh, you wound me, Gray!" she tittered mockingly. She laughed more openly when he threw her a dirty look. "What's up? Did I kill your boner or something?"

Gray scoffed, muttering a screw you in her direction. Fucking Cana. Where did he even begin with her? He had a lot of chick friends to say the least, but Cana was different. She was pretty laid-back for the most part, but was known to be crude with a loud mouth, and insatiable for booze. In his eyes, she was just one penis short from being a dude.

Flustered, he gazed down and was extremely grateful when he spotted his forgotten whiskey that Juvia had given him.

"She's a sweet girl, I like her," she told him, taking a quick glance towards Juvia's direction. "She's friends with Lucy," She took off her signature blue purse, and placed it away in one of the bottom shelves of the bar counter.

"Yeah, she mentioned it."

Her ears perked up. "Oh yeah? You guys talked?"

"Well this whiskey didn't pour itself, Cana."

"Cute. But don't play dumb with me, Gray."

He groaned as he propped his elbow onto the counter, pinching the bridge of his nose. When opportunity came knocking, Cana always seized the chance to set him up with any cute girl she'd managed to befriend. Not that he didn't appreciate it, after all, he was a man with needs, but he wasn't looking for anything serious. Not after his last ex.

"Can you not? I know where this is going, and I'm not in the mood for it."

She rolled her eyes as she pulled a wine bottle from the wine cellar, and began to open it.

"But you don't even-"

"I don't care. I'm not interested, and the answer is no."

She flashed him a wicked smile. "Oh yeah, then why do you keep looking over there? I know it's definitely not because of the guy she's talking too."

"Will ya knock it off, Cana!" Gray barked, and even though he didn't exactly shout at her, his voice held enough venom to make her slightly flinch.

For a second, he thought she was going to yell back, but didn't. Instead, she pressed the rim of her wine bottle to her lips, and gave it a good chug.

She then paused to take a deep breath, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I know being a dick is second nature to you, but why are you being more of a dick than usual?"

Gray finished what was left of his golden drink, as his dark eyes began to brew with a hatred malice.

"I'm meeting Lyon today," he told her bitterly as he stared down at his empty glass, holding it with both hands.

Cana's brows shot up in the air as she stopped mid-way from drinking her wine.

"Oh," she gawped, coming to the realization on why he was so peeved. "Well, that explains your vexing mood. I'm guessing you're still pretty salty that he slept with your ex."

Gray threw her a scathing glare.

Since their early teens, the two stepbrothers had shared an unspoken rivalry, much to their older stepsister, Ultear, amusement. From who could boast about getting better grades in school, to who could gain the most trophies in sports. The competition had been fairly amiable. However, in the past few years, the build up had became painfully strained, and it wasn't long before their silent quarrel had turned into a bitter clash.

Things only took a turn for the worse, when Lyon had drunkingly slept with Gray's then, ex-girlfriend.

"Oh, don't look at me that way," the brunette retorted, crossing both arms over her chest. "I understand he broke the rules of bro-code or whatever, but you have to admit it wasn't entirely all his fault. She slept with him too, knowing quite well about the consequences that came with it. Besides… didn't all this happened when you two were broken up?"

"Why are you trying to piss me off?"

"Because you managed to forgive her, but not Lyon."

"Jeez, I didn't think you cared about him so much. And for the record, I didn't forgive either of them."

Cana narrowed her violet eyes. "I care about you, you idiot. And we both know that, that girl didn't mean shit to you. You're just finding an excuse to not talk to Lyon because of your bruised ego."

Gray said nothing as his eyes gazed straight over towards the mirrors that were hidden behind the bottles of liquor. He took a glimpse of his own reflection as he let her words sink in his brain. It didn't register to him that he could have possibly held a grudge for Lyon because of their stupid rivalry, and not because of his physical actions with his ex.

Cana sighed and refilled his glass with generous amount of whiskey.

"Look, whether that girl meant anything to you or not, what he did wasn't right either. What if it was someone you cared about? But you can't hold on to that fear, or whatever it is that you're feeling," she told him, taking another swing from her bottle. "You need to learn to forgive him. You can't always live in a world in black and white, it'll emotionally drain you and eventually kill you."

His gaze fell on her as he lifted his right brow.

"When in the hell did you become so wise?"

"Drinking, and watching you idiots fight all the time," she grinned. She then told him she'd be right back after helping out another costumer.

Gray's pursed his lips into a hard line, knowing that there was surprisingly some truth to all of Cana's reasoning. He didn't realize he was a black and white thinker, but he supposed it made some sort of sense. But how could an answer just be "kinda right" or "kinda wrong"? It left him to ponder whether he should question his own actions, and that kind of thinking led to self-reflection, and how the hell could he do that, when he couldn't even be comfortable with his own feelings.

But he should try…for this mother's sake.

He finished the rest of his whiskey with ease, savoring the stinging aftertaste that lingered on his taste buds.

Cana joined his side once more.

"Well, don't overthink about what I just said. Besides…you've been through a lot lately…" her voice trailed off.

And by that, she meant the death of his mother.

Gray threw her a sharp look. "Don't even start. You've already turned this into a therapy session."

"Good! I hope you reimburse me, by paying for this bottle of merlot. It isn't going to pay for itself, ya know?" she grinned, shaking the bottle over towards his direction.

"It didn't drink itself away, either."

"Yeah? Well, when dealing with asshole Gray, you gotta drink."

"You find any excuses to drink."

Cana ignored him. "On a serious note though, just let go. Let go, and move on with your life."

His expression soured. "I swear, if you don't stop talking, I'm going to walk right outta here."

She rolled her eyes, taking another heavy swing from her bottle.

"Fine, just stop being so melodramatic," she snorted, dropping the subject at matter, knowing quite well the conversation was over with. "Let's take a shot, and hope that it'll lax your crabby mood."

Gray was about to decline her offer, when he saw her turn and shout towards Juvia's direction.

"OI JUVIA!"

Gray released an annoyed huff as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, mentally preparing himself for the impact. He wasn't as stupid as Cana deemed him to be. He'd known her long enough to know when she was up to no good, and by the wicked gleam in her eyes, he knew he was in trouble.

He watched Juvia give her goodbyes to the guy she was talking to, and feels himself automatically straighten his posture as she walked over towards them.

"Hello Cana-san," she smiles sweetly at her, then acknowledges him with another smile.

Cana, who had the fridge open, pulls out three cold shot glasses.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's just Cana," she nudges Juvia on her shoulder with her own. "You met Gray, right?"

Gray scoffed internally, trying to remain nonchalant. 'Very subtle, Cana'. "We already met, but haven't introduced ourselves," he said, and somehow the annoyance that was brewing inside his chest, begins to subdue. "I'm Gray," he faced Juvia, extending a hand out.

"Juvia," she gave him a shy smile, taking his hand. He immediately noted that her skin was indeed as soft as he imagined, if not smoother. "Nice to meet you, Gray-sama."

He knitted his eyebrows together at the honorific, but was distracted when Cana shoved a shot in his hand.

"Okay, here you go!" Cana exclaimed, handing Juvia her shot. "Hope you like tequila!"

"Um, Juvia isn't sure…" she answered hesitantly, eyeing her drink skeptically. "Are Cana, and Juvia even allowed to drink?"

"Course we are! Just as long as we pay for our drinks, which by the way, our good friend Gray has already offered," she claimed, throwing him a wink.

"Oh, Juvia doesn't mean to be a bother."

"You're no bother at all, right Gray?"

Gray clenched his jaw, feeling his eye twitch. I'm going to kill this woman. "Can we go ahead and get on with it?" raising his glass up in the air.

"Okay! To you, Juvia," Cana exclaimed, making her blush in the process. "To new friends!"

The trio clinked their glasses together, and guzzled down the pungent drink.

Gray swigged his drink with ease, and smiled amusingly when he saw Juvia's face twist into a rancid expression.

She places a hand on her chest. "That was awful, Juvia rarely drinks," she croaked, as Cana patted her on the back.

"You did great! Care for one more?"

Juvia shook her head furiously. "No! One more, and Juvia will start singing karaoke!"

"We have a karaoke machine."

Juvia laughed as she grabbed her navy trench coat, putting it on. "Perhaps another time. Juvia has to get going. Juvia thinks she actually found an apartment that's not too far from here and school," she said, excitingly.

"That's great! Call me, and let me know how it goes, and we can help you move out!" Cana tells her, and Gray is pretty sure he somehow got volunteered into helping out too.

"Thank you! Juvia will let you know," giving her a hug in the processes. She then turns to face Gray. "It was very nice meeting you, Gray-sama," she smiles at him, and leaves when he replies with a faint smile.

Once Juvia got out within earshot, Cana gave him a light shove on the shoulder. "Aww, Gray-sama! Is that a blush I see?" she mocks him with a roguish smile.

"Just shut your mouth," he muttered furiously, wishing he had another tequila shot in his hands. "Seriously, who is this chick?"

"Just another person, who is also trying to move on with her life."

"Did she also get cheated on?"

"Mhh… a little bit worse than that."

"Oh, so now you're playing coy?"

"Thought you weren't interested."

Gray threw her a glare. It was just like Cana to play mind games with him. "I'm not," he argued, or at least that's what he thought.

She no longer said anything on the matter and began to help out other costumers, leaving Gray alone to ponder with his own thoughts. Stupid Cana, and her fucking mind games. He pursed his lips as he suddenly felt himself become more intrigued by the bluenette than he would care to admit.

Gray's thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone sit besides him, knowing quite well who it was.

"Hello, baby brother."

Gray turned to face him, and his mouth couldn't help but curl into an ugly sneer. His silver hair, which had a hint of blue hue in it, was still styled the same way. However, he saw that his cheeks were a bit more hallow than usual, and that he had noticeable darker bags under his stormy eyes.

"You look like shit."

"So do you."

Lyon was probably right. After all, it had only been a month after their mother's death, and to say that Gray had been fine, would have been a downright lie.

Gray narrowed his onyx orbs, but said nothing as he placed both arms over the bar counter, hoping Cana would hurry up with a refill.

"It's been too long," Lyon told him, trying to make painful small talk.

Gray held back a scoff. "Has it?"

The corner of Lyon's lips molded into a smirk. "Still broody, I see."

"And you still look like an asshole."

Cana's timing couldn't have been better. "Oh look, it's the man of the hour," she stated, giving him a small smile. "What are you having?"

"Hello, Cana," he said, giving her a warm smile. "I'll have a scotch neat, if you please."

Gray felt a sense of nostalgia suddenly strike him. He had forgot the reason why he liked scotch to begin with. It was a drink his brother had introduced to him to, and when they weren't fighting over frivolous matters, they would visit scotch distilleries together.

Within seconds Cana brought him his drink, and refilled Gray's. "Play nice boys, and try not to wreck the place," she gave them both a winked, and walked off.

"It may not appear like it, but I really do appreciate you meeting me. I didn't actually think that you would," he confessed, taking a sip of his drink.

"You can thank Ur."

"I-I wish I could."

The way his voice trembled, made Gray's chest wash over with guilt. Even though Fairy Tail was beginning to fill up with rowdy costumers, the bar itself felt unbearably silent.

Lyon went ahead and continued.

"I know a single apology will never atone for the actions that I've done, but please believe me when I say that I regret what I did that day," he told him, and Gray could hear the sincerity and remorse in his voice. "That was the day, I finally decided to tell Sherry that I was in love with her, that I was willing to give us a try, only to find out she had already moved on. I got drunk and desperate…I didn't realize the grave mistake I had made until I woke up that morning."

Gray look straight ahead as he bit the inside of his cheek, and took a swing of his drink.

"Everyone I knew was either angry, or disappointed in me. You, Ultear…Ur. I couldn't tell what felt worse: the guilt I had for you, or Ur's disappointment," he stared down at the counter as his finger subconsciously traced some scratches that were left on the counter.

"I had a rough couple of months. I almost didn't graduate last December, but both Ultear and Ur literally slapped some since into me. When I did graduate, Ur hired me to work with the family company, though part of me thinks it was just to keep an eye on me," he gives a slight scoff.

Gray rolled his eyes, and snorted. "Don't be stupid, we both know she wouldn't do that. She hired you because she knew you were good."

Lyon seemed pleasantly surprised with his outburst. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said with a small grin.

Lyon's face became more somber, as he finally took a sip of his own drink. "Well then, as you know, Ur's health began to deteriorate. I was surprise when she appointed me as one of board members along with Ultear. Then, not too long after that…" but he couldn't finish his sentence, as his dark eyes began to water. He then chugged the rest of his drink, and Gray joined him.

About nine months after their feud, Ur had given them the dreadful news that she was diagnosed with bone cancer, which unfortunately was spreading quick. Despite going to the best known doctors in the world, Ur eventually lost her right leg, and allowed her daughter, Ultear, to take over her company. Not long after that, Ur passed away.

"I didn't see you at the funeral," Gray finally said, his eyes staring questionably at Lyon's.

"I didn't feel like I deserved to be there."

He felt his stomach drop, as the taste of bile formed in the back of his throat. Yeah, he was pissed off at his brother, but he should have been there. However, Lyon had purposely missed the funeral for his sake, over something so trivial.

"She wasn't just my mom, Lyon. Ur was your mom too. She was our mother."

He released a deep sighed. "I know. I did visit her grave after you all left, so no need to feel guilty, Gray," he told him, giving him a bleak smile. "I saw her right before she passed, as well. She kept asking me if we had put our differences aside, and when I gave her my answer, she would slap me in the back of the head, and call me an idiot."

Gray shared a chuckled with him. "She did the exact same thing, quoting 'you know better, than to let some chintzy trollop get between the two of you', he told him, with a genuine smile on his face. "She also said if we didn't make up after she died, she was going to come haunt my dreams which is why we're here today."

After sharing another open laugh, the paired stayed silent.

Gray took a deep breath for what he was about to say. "Look, I'm sorry Lyon. I shouldn't have overreacted the way that I did… we were already broken up. You did not have miss Ur's funeral for it," and he saw the guilt, that began to form in Lyon's eyes. "I'm sorry about that as well, and I just hope we can put this behind us."

Lyon paused for a moment, but Gray could see his eyes that were once dull, shine bright as his lips turned into a broad smile. "I agree, and perhaps we could seal this with a hug?"

Gray blanched, immediately scooting away. "No way, I'm not ready for that."

"Oh come on Gray, give your big brother a hug."

"I swear, I will chuck this glass over your head!"

"Aw, look who made up," cooed Cana as she came over to refill their drinks. "Keep playing nice boys."

The two stayed the rest of the evening drinking, and reminiscing of much simpler times. Times with their mother playfully scowling them, and their biggest worry was their older sister beating them up for ruining her things while they were amidst of fighting.

"Okay, we already toasted for Ur," Lyon slightly slurred, after having his fifth shot. "Last shot, what do we toast for?"

Gray shrugged, feeling just as buzzed. "I don't know... We've pretty much done everything we could think of. How about to not letting any chintzy trollops come between us?"

Lyon snorted, but agreed nonetheless. "Okay, no more chintzy trollops," he stated, clinking his glass with Gray's.

They both drank to that promise, not knowing how soon it would be before they would break it once again.

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Drop a review and let me know!

P.S I'm also looking for a beta, let me know if anyone is interested.

-blueberrrykisses.