A/N: Okay so this is entry number one for the Gruvia Fluff Fest, based (loosely) on the cook prompt. I'm actually super nervous because I haven't written a story in about seven years so please be nice?

Anyways this is dedicated to RandomTeenager a.k.a. Funkytown on Tumblr. She unintentionally inspired this mess by reminding me of a head cannon I had.

Please note this story takes place about six months after the Tartaros arc and while I've tried to be vague there are hints at spoilers so you've been warned.

Title: Much ado about pancakes

Rating: K+ (I think)

Description: Who would have thought that snowflake shaped, mint flavored pancakes could cause so much drama?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of the characters in this story. I will not be making any money from this story.

Gray Fullbuster was the kind of person who very rarely got sick, but when he did it was bad. Not just in terms of severity, but also in terms of moodiness. He was never the most friendly of people, but once sickness took hold he quickly became petulant, and demanding towards those around him. Yes, when Gray got sick he reverted back to the behaviour of a five year old child.

So it came as quite a surprise when, after getting off the train coughing and sniffling, Erza had told him to head home and that she would stop by later with some things to help him feel better. A small voice in the back of Gray's head told him that he should be worried, but he brushed it aside, too tired and sore to care. Instead he thanked her half-heartedly and headed home to sleep, fully expecting the requip mage to forget her offer of help.

Of course he quickly figured out what she was up to when, two hours later, he groggily opened the door to find Erza standing on his doorstep, arms loaded with groceries, and the guild's resident water mage standing timidly behind her. The scarlet haired woman simply shoved past Gray and marched into the kitchen to deposit her bags on the counter. Juvia, on the other hand, remained firmly planted in the doorway. Her eyes darted up to meet his gaze before fixing themselves back on the ground, while her fingers fiddled with the hem of the summer dress she was wearing. Gray simply studied her in return, not trusting himself to say anything. He'd need to have a very long talk with Erza once the girl was out of earshot.

"Aren't you going to let her in Gray?" Erza's voice called from behind him. He could hear the underlying edge to her voice and, despite his irritation at her meddling, Gray knew better than to piss her off. Instead he stepped aside allowing the bluenette to slink past him, quietly removing her shoes, before moving into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight Gray shot Erza the meanest glare he could muster.

"I thought you said you were bringing things to help?" He hissed. Erza merely met his glare with a frown of her own then shrugged.

"She spent the last week nursing the girls at Fairy Hills back to health. Chances are you caught this from one of us so I figured it would only be polite to offer you some help. She volunteered." Erza explained.

"Yeah, probably because she didn't know what she was signing up for. I think it was you who called me 'the most ungrateful, intolerant, demanding prick I've ever met' the last time I was sick. Some how I doubt you warned her." Gray countered, attempting to mimic the woman before him as he quoted her previous complaint.

"Oh please. If anyone can handle you when you're sick, it's Juvia. She's been dealing with your mood swings for a while now and has managed just fine." She dismissed him with a huff. "Besides, after everything she's been through I think it would help if she felt like she could be of use to you."

Guilt bubbled in the pit of Gray's stomach. It was a bit of a low blow for Erza to bring that up, but when he peered into the kitchen and saw the water mage diligently preparing food, a part of him couldn't help but agree. The bluenette seemed at peace, a small smile playing on her lips and a faint blush covered her cheeks. He turned back to his dearest friend with a sigh of defeat. She smiled knowingly.

"Tch. Fine."

The redhead immediately swung around and sauntered into the kitchen with Gray in tow.

"Well he's all yours Juvia. Be sure to let me know if you need us to pick up any more supplies. I'm sure you'll be too busy trying to look after his needs to have time to run to the store." The grin that formed at Juvia's reaction told Gray that those words had been chosen deliberately. The bluenette just gaped at the older woman, her whole face stained crimson. Gray could feel his own cheeks flush as well and prayed the younger woman would dismiss it as a fever.

Having thoroughly embarrassed the two of them, Erza said her goodbyes and quickly exited the small house.

It took a few moments for the water mage to recover. Finally she glanced over at Gray, only to panic at the sight of him. Instantly the back of her hand met his forehead, pausing momentarily before her palm cupped his still reddening cheeks.

"Gray-sama is burning up! He shouldn't be out of bed like this!" She chastised. The ice mage breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the girl proceeded to drag him in the direction of the bedroom. Sometimes he was grateful for small miracles.

Said gratitude was short lived, as they crossed the threshold into his bedroom, where Juvia froze almost instantly. Whether from the sudden realization that she was in his bedroom or from shock at the piles of clothes littering the floor he couldn't say. Gray had the decency to feel at least a little embarrassed at the mess. Slipping past the girl, he immediately started to collect the discarded laundry.

"Gray-sama stop, you need rest! Juvia can clean this up!" She pleaded frantically, grabbing onto his arm. Gray simply tore himself from her grip, and continued to clean.

"Gray-sama." It was a tone Gray had only heard directed at him once before; not angry, just firm, but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. It was weird how she could do that, but Juvia so rarely expressed disapproval towards him that he couldn't help but listen when she did.

"Please let Juvia help Gray-sama." She murmured, and any remaining stubbornness melted away. He dropped the clothes with a huff and proceeded to crawl into bed. Once he seemed settled she nodded and exited the room, returning a moment later with a small bowl of water and a cloth.

Perching on the side of his bed she leaned over and draped the wet fabric across his forehead before returning to the task he had started. She worked quietly, no fangirling or silly outbursts, and Gray's heart stung a little at the loss. He wasn't about to admit it, but he missed the way things were. Six months later and she still wasn't back to being his Juvia, not entirely. It scared him to think she may never truly return to the girl she once had been.

"Gray-sama should get some rest. Juvia will make some soup." She announced from the door, an overflowing basket of laundry tucked under her arm. Gray simply nodded, still caught up in his thoughts.

As it turns out, Erza was right. If there was one person who could tolerate Gray while he was sick it was Juvia. She made him soup, cleaned his house, and catered to his every demand. If she was ever offended by his mood, she never showed it, and she never once asked for thanks. That's right, not once in forty-eight hours had she complained.

But that wasn't the only thing Erza had been right about. The water mage had slowly started to come back out of her shell as well. She had fawned over him ridiculously at the height of his illness and had continued to do so even after the fever had broken. And for once Gray wasn't annoyed by it. In fact, he'd been indulging her almost as much as she indulged him.

Which would be why he'd agreed to her making them breakfast, even though he was feeling better and could surely manage to look after himself at this point.

However he immediately regretted this particular indulgence the second she placed the plate of pancakes in front of him. A lump instantly formed in the back of his throat as he stared down at them, shaped intricately into snowflakes, the smell of mint drifting up from the pile.

For a moment Juvia wasn't Juvia, but sweet white haired woman. The house was large, the table bigger, and a dark haired man sat across from him, smiling at Gray. Eat up sweetie. I made your favorite. His mother's voice echoed in his head, even as he came back to reality.

"Does Gray-sama not want pancakes? Juvia can make something else!" She insisted. The girl had always been good at reading him, but he was sure that his discomfort was written all over his face. Not waiting for a response she reached down and plucked the plate off the table, fully prepared to make him another meal.

"No!" He cried out, his hand was clutching her wrist before he could even register his own thoughts. Breathe. The thought resonated in his head and Gray inhaled deeply before letting out a shaky breath. To her credit Juvia didn't move, nor did she react to his sudden outburst.

"No." he repeated, softer this time. He still clung to her wrist as he tried to find the words to explain himself. "I-It's not that... I…."

Gray drew another breath and forced himself to look at the woman before him. His eyes met hers and he could see the concern written across her face. Still, she stood patiently, waiting for him to collect himself. The thought that she was too patient with him sprang to mind, but he quickly discarded it. It was true, but that didn't mean he couldn't do something about it.

"Sorry. I don't want something else, it just brought back memories… of my mom. She use to make me pancakes just like that. Well, actually hers weren't as detailed, but they were still snowflakes. You even added the mint flavoring…." His words were soft, but he could feel her arm tensing in response.

"Juvia's so sorry, she didn't know…." She whispered, averting her eyes from his. Gray frowned and cut off any further apology.

"Don't be." His words were gentle but firm, and were offered with a small smile. "It's a good memory. Of both of them actually."

The plate clattered back on to the table, and instantly her wrist was free from his grasp, a thin layer of water lined his palm in it's place. It was like he had just burned her, and she stood a few steps away now, arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

"Juvia is sorry, she should really be going." She had turned and was headed towards the door as Gray's mind scrambled to figure out what had set her off. Gone was the adoring woman, and back in her place was that same timid girl, all in the blink of an eye. Gray was terrified, and the only thing he could think about was that if she walked out the door right now he may never get her back.

"STOP!" He demanded. And she did, following his command by instinct. Her internal conflict was written on her face, fighting a battle of obey or flee. Thankfully he only needed that moment's hesitation to figure out where the conversation had gone wrong.

"Juvia…." He called to her softly. Slowly he began inching towards her, closing the gap between them. To his relief she let him. He wrapped his arms around her tenderly, trying to convey his gratitude.

"Hey, it's okay. It's a good thing, really." He murmured into her hair. She was shaking slightly and he began to stroke the soft blue locks to soothe her. "I've spent so many years focusing on all the bad memories, it's nice to finally be able to remember the good ones. It just caught me off guard, that's all... You're always catching me off guard."

Gray was glad his face was buried in her hair because he was certain he was blushing by the last sentence. He felt her shift, before feeling her arms snake around his waist and the ice mage fought the need to withdraw from her. It was still unnatural to him; holding someone like this. Specifically Juvia, but he knew she needed it. Instead he continued to stroke her hair, for once offering her the same patience she always offered him.

"Gray-sama's mother really use to make Gray-sama mint pancakes?" She asked after a few moments, finally removing herself from his arms so that she could meet his gaze. She still seemed a bit nervous, and Gray felt his own heart flutter anxiously at the question. He never really talked about his parents to anyone.

"Mhmm. My dad insisted on them, he said it was like eating a winter wonderland. She was the one who decided to shape them like snowflakes though. She was always doing creative things like that, anything to make me and my dad smile." Gray watched as the water mage flinched at the mentions of his father, but continued to recount the memories of his parents with a smile on his face. It was a risk; bringing his father up. Gray had to wonder if Juvia would ever truly forgive herself for what happened, but even if she couldn't he wanted her to move forward. He wanted her to see that he was okay.

"Gray-sama's mother sounds wonderful. She must have loved Gray-sama very much." Juvia declared, a soft smile playing on her lips, and relief washed over the ice mage. He was glad he hadn't set her off again, glad that she was fighting to stay by his side, despite the pain and uncertainty she felt.

"Yeah well... you're a lot like her, you know. It's a bit weird, but it's also kinda nice. It helps me remember what she was like." Gray confessed, feeling the heat creep up his neck and spread across his cheeks. He couldn't even look at her once the words were out, but he could feel those deep blue orbs riveted on him. Then suddenly he realised what he might just have implied.

"Not that I think of you as my mother!" He blurted out hastily. Their eyes met and Juvia blinked at him in shock. Her hand flew up to her mouth as a small giggle escaped her lips, and a moment later Gray was laughing with her. And for the first time in six months Gray knew that she was going to be okay. It would take time, and he'd need to make the effort, but they would move past this.