This is the story of Lyon, who's head-over-heels for Juvia, who's pining after Gray, who's had a secret crush on Erza (basically since forever), but she's completely oblivious because she's totally in love with Jellal. Of Freed, who feels conflicted over his feelings for Mirajane who's ignoring him because she's not over Laxus who still misses what they used to have (even though he's mostly, completely over it). Of Loke who won't give up even though he knows that he has zero chance with Lucy, even though she's sick and tired of clueless, bone-headed Natsu who doesn't understand why there's a problem.

This is the Mazeverse series, a post-Tenrou AU with pairings galore. Gruvia, Lyvia, Grayza, Jerza, Nalu, Nali, Lolu, Graylu, Bixanna, Gale, ElfEver, Miraxus, Laxana, MiraFreed as well as a handful of crackships and rare-pairs as we try to pair the spares. This is the Mazeverse. No ship is safe ;)

Happy Friday! This chapter is dedicated to anyone who's been waiting patiently for Gray and Juvia to have their moment... :)

Long-time Mazeverse readers will know that I've been teasing a moment for these two for a few stories (basically since I left them hanging at the end of Anniversary). I'm really excited to get to finally get to share this one. :) This is probably March-ish in the Mazeverse timeline, so it's been about 2 months since Anniversary and maybe 3 weeks since Snowbound. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, that's okay. You don't need to have read those stories to understand this one.

Guest: Thank you so much! I love it when guys pay attention to the little things. And I'm glad you like Mazeverse-Mira. I hope this week's story entertains as much as last week's did. I appreciate the continued support!

- K. Chandler

It was the picture that caught Juvia's eye: a cheerful blue bowl filled with a rich-looking stew—or maybe it was a chowder. The vibrant colors made the dish seem to push its way off the cover.

Juvia could practically smell the savory goodness, the warmth within her spreading as she imagined sampling this tasty stew. The very thought made her mouth water.

Juvia's fingers skimmed the glossy surface as she glanced at the title. The Warmth of Isvan: 32 Classic Recipes from Fiore's Icy East. Juvia smiled to herself. Isvan… that was where Gray grew up.

She wondered if her darling Gray liked stew. Isvan was such a cold place. As a child, Gray probably would have had this stew often.

Juvia could imagine Gray's mother, making a pot of stew, like the one in the picture. And maybe his master, Ur, might have served it after a long day of training in the snowy mountains.

Pint-sized Gray would have been a precious little thing, cherubic cheeks pulled into a broad grin, stubby arms reaching for the bowl. He'd probably be squabbling over who got to have seconds, exchanging verbal jabs with Lyon, who would be adorably bug-eyed at this awkward age.

Once she learned how to cook, Juvia could make the same thing for Gray after he returned from missions. He would come home, dropping his pack in the middle of the living room floor.

"Something smells good," he would say with that crooked half-smile that made her heart skip.

"Here, darling," she would say. "I've made your favorite!"

"Oh, Juvia, sweetheart!" Gray would sigh. "You are such an amazing cook! I am so lucky to have found someone as talented as you!"

"Oh, stop it!" she would giggle, shoulders shrugging in embarrassment. "You're embarrassing me! Now, hurry up and dig in before it gets cold."

Juvia forced herself to put the book down. She shook her head, banishing her fantasy. She wasn't doing this for Gray. She was doing this for herself.

Living in Fairy Hills meant that Juvia had no need for domestic skills, but she had wanted to learn how to cook for a while. In all honesty, the fact that Gray had been impressed by the cookies she'd made him may have played into it a little.

Secretly, she had always been a little jealous of Mirajane and Lisanna, both of whom were naturals in the kitchen. They seemed to have so much fun, and when they cooked for the other girls in the dorm, it always brought smiles to everyone's faces. Juvia wished she could brighten someone's day so easily. It would be a nice change from the gloomy rain that used to follow her around.

And it was with that thought that Juvia popped into one of the quaint little bookstores in Clover Town's trendy shopping district. There was quite the selection of books to choose from, and Juvia found herself struggling to pick just one.

Juvia flipped through the crowded shelves, eying up pictures of decadent layer cakes, whimsical party snacks and homey comfort food. There were cookbooks around every meal and one for every type of cuisine in Fiore. There were even cookbooks focused on a single ingredient. Juvia could hardly believe how many different ways one could prepare turnips.

After a few of hours of marveling over the delicious-looking photos, Juvia settled on three volumes. A hardy-looking tome entitled 205 Essential Recipes for New Cooks, a glossy paperback called Four & Under: Easiest Recipes with Four Ingredients or Less and the most appropriate: Just Add Water!—Hearty Meals, No Stove Required.

Even without adding Warmth of Isvan to her basket, Juvia had plenty of recipes to get started with. With one final glance at the enticing chowder, Juvia made up her mind. Recipes from Isvan would have to wait.

With her purchases paid for and put away, Juvia stepped out onto the sidewalk, the bell over the door tinkling as she exited the store.

It had been a long morning and all of those scrumptious looking pictures had Juvia feeling hungry. It was probably time for lunch. Juvia left the bustle of the shopping district behind, deciding to cut through the park. It was a little less crowded and it would be faster than taking the main streets.

There was a new restaurant a couple of blocks away that Juvia had wanted to try. Levy had dragged Gajee there a few weeks ago, and he had said that it was 'passible.' While most would avoid restaurants that their friends only deemed 'passible,' Gajee was unspeakably picky. A 'passible' from him was the equivalent of a five-star rating. Juvia considered this to be the highest of recommendations.

"Juvia! Juvia of the Deep! Is that you?"

Juvia froze, turning around slowly. She could hardly believe who had greeted her. In Clover Town, no less!

The man was tall and thin, his dark hair slicked to the side. An insincere grin pulled the corners of his mouth wide. A purple cloak draped heavily over his shoulders.

"Bora?" Juvia took an involuntary step backwards, her hands suddenly cold. What was he doing here?

"It is you! You haven't aged a day, Juvia!" he exclaimed, his low voice silky.

Juvia knew that Bora was just being his usual sleazy self, but she supposed that was true. One of the upsides to being stuck on Tenrou Island was that when she was fifty, she'd look closer to forty. It wasn't much consolation for having missed seven years of her friends' lives, but at least Gray and Gajee had been with her.

"What have you been up to these days?" Bora asked smoothly. His eyes were trained on her face.

"Oh, Juvia's just doing jobs and that sort of thing. Nothing special." Juvia fought the urge to flee, planting her feet. This was just Bora. She wasn't afraid of him.

"I'd forgotten… You joined another guild after Phantom Lord split. What was it again? Oh, that's right. Fairy Tail."

"Yes." Juvia clenched her jaw, ignoring the unpleasant churning in her stomach. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look at him. "You're still with Titan Nose?"

"…We've parted ways. I'm actually a member of Raven Tail now," he bragged, leaning toward her.

Wasn't that the band of thieves that Master Makarov's son was leading? Juvia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "How… nice," she choked.

"It is, isn't it?" Bora reached out, filthy fingers brushing across her cheek. "You're prettier than ever, you know. Makes me wonder why we broke up back in the day," he mumbled, his voice low and husky.

Juvia slapped his hand away, glaring at him venomously. His touch made her skin crawl.

"Stop it, Bora," she hissed.

"Oh, come on. What's the big deal?" Bora slipped an arm around her shoulders. "We used to be an item, didn't we?"

Thunder crashed, the sky darkening as clouds rolled in.

Juvia yanked out of his reach, her chest heaving with anger. "I said, cut it out!" she snapped, jets of water springing to her palms instinctively.

The first drops of rain were cold on her face.

Bora held out a hand catching the falling droplets. He eyes flitted skywards as he sneered. "I would have thought you'd have those gloomy rain powers under control by now. It's kind of depressing, really."

Juvia jolted, his words stinging like a slap. She heaved a furious breath. The rain did not follow her around anymore. Not usually.

"Don't make me hurt you," she ground out, water streaming down her hair and trailing off her nose. The rain had gone from a drizzle to a full-on downpour.

Anger was a vice, tightening around Juvia's ribs. She balled her shaking hands, clenching them into fists to keep from decking the filthy lowlife. She didn't want to do something she'd regret because her temper had gotten the best of her.

"As if you could hurt me," he crooned. Water dripped from his brow as his eyes narrowed judgmentally. "Don't make me laug—"

"I suggest you leave the lady alone."

Juvia's heart nearly stopped. The words couldn't have been louder if they had been a clap of thunder. Slowly, she turned to confirm the identity of her savior.

He pushed his sopping hair out of his face. His white button-down was soaked through, the guild mark on his chest easily visible under it.

"Gray…?" murmured Juvia, breathless.

Gray's eyes blazed as he stormed towards them, but his fury was directed toward Bora. "She asked you to stop," he growled.

"And who are you, exactly?" Bora asked, looking down his nose.

"I'm someone you don't want to mess with."

The rain started to relent, diminishing to a drizzle as Juvia felt her heart skip a beat. It really was dashing of her darling Gray to come to her aid this way.

"Your new boyfriend, Juvia? How sweet."

"Boyfriend?!" snarled Gray, his cheeks flushed. "Now, look here! I am not—"

"Darling, don't be shy," Juvia whispered, momentarily forgetting her resolution to stop overwhelming Gray with her feelings.

"You're not helping things any," Gray hissed back.

Bora laughed, the sound raucous and unpleasant. "Prominence Whip!"

Beams of fire arched towards them. Gray leapt out of the way, drawing the attack away from Juvia as the flames surged after him.

"Gray, be careful!" said Juvia, biting her lip nervously.

"Chill, okay?" said Gray, cavalier as always. His hands fluttered in practiced motions as he cast a wide shield in front of himself.

But Bora's fiery attacks were relentless, battering at the slab of ice unceasingly. With the sudden storm abating, what remained of the rain provided little assistance against Bora's fire magic.

Gray's shield shattered, sending shards of ice flying. The flames shot towards him, twining together. They fiery ropes coiled around him like purple pythons, tangling before merging into one. They shot skywards, the fire closing in furiously, swallowing him up in a purple blaze.

Gray! No…

Juvia opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She felt her throat tightening, leaving her unable to scream. Her lungs burned, as if she were being consumed by the flames, right along with him.

Determination rippled through her chest. She'd held back earlier, but nobody laid a finger on her darling. Nobody.

Juvia conjured a vortex of water, ready to slash through the conflagration to free him.

But before she could move, a sharp crackling cut across the roar of fire. A dome of ice had appeared in the place Gray had been standing. With surprising speed, the ice grew, shooting along the beams of fire, freezing them solid.

Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the icy dome erupted. Fragments of fractured ice torpedoed in all directions.

Bora's face twisted in surprise.

"You call those flames?" asked Gray, sounding unimpressed. He waved a hand, making the broken ice dissipate.

"Cheeky brat." Bora spread his arms wide, conjuring a daunting column of lavender flames. "Prominence Typhoon!" he roared.

Juvia's heart hammered as Gray brought his hands together in a cloud of frosty air. "Ice-Make: Saucer!"

A thick disc of ice sprang from his fingers, whirling through the air. It zigged and it zagged, cutting through Bora's spell like a hot knife through butter.

"Are we done here?" asked Gray, crossing his arms impatiently. "Or are we going to do this all day?"

Bora hissed, his hands briefly clenching.

"Anything you want to add, Juvia?" asked Gray, glancing at her over his shoulder.

Juvia blinked, startled. "W-what?" She hadn't been expecting Gray to ask for her input. He seemed to be managing fine on his own.

"Now or never," Gray urged. "If there's anything you want to say to this loser…"

Juvia gave a sharp nod, swallowing hard. The rain had stopped, but dark clouds still loomed above. The muscles in her back were painfully tight as anger pulsed through her.

This man was the reason. The reason she had found it so hard to trust. The reason she had found it so hard to love.

It had been years since she had dated him, but she still remembered his cruel words and entitled attitude. Her self-esteem had never been the strongest, but Bora had brought what little pride she had crashing down around her. He had taken advantage of her blind faith in him and her naïve dependence on his love. Even now, she was still rebuilding on the rubble that he had left behind.

Juvia marched over to meet Bora's snake-like gaze. "Juvia doesn't know what you think of her, and Juvia doesn't care. But if you think Juvia's stupid, you're wrong. Juvia wants nothing to do with you," she said in a low voice.

Bora gave a mocking sneer. "You can't be seri—"

Juvia snarled, her arm transforming into water. She swung, aiming for Bora's face. She stopped just short of hitting him, relishing the flash of fear that sparked in his eyes. He knew full well that she could hurt him, if she chose to.

"You do not mess with Juvia," she hissed. "You do not mess with Juvia's friends. Gray decided to fight you today, but Juvia refuses. You're not worth Juvia's time. But if you ever try this again, Juvia won't hold back," she added darkly.

Bora paled, Adam's apple bobbing as he gave a nervous swallow. He gave a flippant wave, even as he took a shaky step backwards. "Nice seeing you again, Juvia," he said muttered through a forced grin.

He snapped his fingers, a ring of lavender flames appearing at his feet. Rising, they stretched into a spiraling column that lifted Bora skyward.

Then Bora of Prominence vanished in a flourish of flame and smoke.

Juvia let out a shaky breath, shutting her eyes. The sudden relief made her knees feel weak.

"I hate jerks like that," Gray muttered. "You okay?"

Juvia gave a breathy laugh. "That felt kind of good, actually," she murmured, a faint smile pulling at her lips.

Clouds parted, letting the briefest bit of sunlight through.

"Juvia, that is, I… I should thank you," she said, regaining control of her emotions and her pronouns. "I appreciate your help back there."

"Eh, wasn't a big deal," said Gray with a shrug.

"What about you? He didn't hurt you, did he?" asked Juvia suddenly. She chewed on her lip, worried.

Gray huffed. "Would you relax? That guy couldn't touch me if he tried," he said. "I'm more worried about Gramps chewing me out for causing a ruckus. I mean, it could be worse. If Ash-for-Brains was here, there wouldn't even be a park anymore," shrugged Gray.

Juvia couldn't help laughing. "Where is the rest of your team? Natsu and the others?"

"It's just me."

"You didn't come after me, did you?"

"Um, not really?" said Gray. He was playing it cool, as usual. "I just finished a job and was about to head back."

"Then how did you know I was here?"

Gray arched an eyebrow at her. "Are you seriously asking me that?" He waited for Juvia to nod before continuing. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. I've only ever seen rain start up like that once before," he said gently.

Juvia cringed. "I didn't mean to do that… He just made me so angry. The things he said."

"Who was that guy, Juvia?" Gray was frowning.

Juvia wrung her hands. "…He was my boyfriend. Once. A long time ago." Panic rose in Juvia's chest. She didn't want Gray thinking she and Bora were still a thing. "But it's over between us," she blurted. "Like I said, it was a really long time ago, and he was a jerk, and—"

"Is that why you froze up like that?" interrupted Gray. His storm-colored eyes narrowed, surveying her carefully. "I know you coulda taken him without my help. He wasn't even that strong."

"Once it started raining, Juvia wasn't sure what to do," she said in a quiet voice, hands fisting the fabric of her skirt. She thought she had gotten over that ages ago. Her lack of self-control left a bitter tang in her mouth.

"Don't beat yourself up about that. Anyone would have lost their cool with that weasel around," said Gray reasonably.

Juvia sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Juvia—I… I suppose so. But then you came." She looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were receding, and patches of blue could be seen again. "You came and you made the rain stop. You always make the rain go away," she said, a smile pulling at her lips.

Gray jammed his hands in his pockets. "You did that on your own," he said, his voice neutral.

Juvia shook her head. "Before I met you, Gray, everything was cold and wet. Always raining. Always gloomy. But now?" Juvia gestured toward the clearing sky. "It's like you've brought the sun."

"Eh, Juvia…" Gray squirmed, embarrassed. He folded his arms over his chest. "The sun was always there. It's the rainclouds that get to decide where they want to be and if it's gonna rain or not."

"Still…" said Juvia. She wasn't sure if he was right, but she wasn't about to argue. Instead, she found herself smiling. "So, I was on my way to lunch," she said instead. "Would you like to come? With me? It's my treat," offered Juvia.

Gray looked hesitant, opening his mouth, then snapping it shut.

"It's the least I could do after you went up against Bora like that. I'd like to make it up to you," she said.

Gray shook his head. "You don't owe me anything," said Gray with a frown. "I was just doin' what any decent person would have."

"Then, you must be the only decent person in town," Juvia pointed out. "Consider it a thank you."

"What for?"

"…for being a good friend." Juvia wasn't sure why she had said that, but somehow the words felt right. The sentiment was casual, and it seemed to put him at ease.

"I guess I am hungry," said Gray.

"Great. Then let's go," said Juvia with a bright smile. She pointed, leading the way towards the restaurant she had been on the way to.

"But, Juvia?" said Gray, falling in step next to her. "Next time we go out, it'll be my turn to buy, okay?"

Was Gray hinting at a future date? Juvia hoped so.

"Yeah! Sounds good."

Maybe next time they could go to the movies or an amusement park or maybe even take a trip together. And then they could—

"Hey! What are ya spacing out for?" asked Gray. "Come on."

I love Juvia most when she's trying to be her own person. She really takes the high road here with Bora, and it shows just how strong she can be, even if she doesn't have it all figured out yet. She's grown so much since the start of Mazeverse, and I wanted to showcase that.

Her relationship with Gray has changed quite a bit too, though it still isn't quite sure what direction it needs to take yet. They've come a long way from Schemes, Dreams and Festive Treats (where Gray basically thinks she's crazy) and Wingman for Christmas (where Juvia discusses changing herself to catch Gray's eye). TBH, I like the changes she's made (did you catch what she did there towards the beginning?) because I think it's made her a stronger character and a more mature person; I just don't like where the motivation comes from. Changing yourself just for a guy doesn't make sense. There's no guarantee that he'd be into you, changes or not. (And if he liked you just because you changed yourself...you may want to question that.)

Think about it. (No, really! Actually think about it XD ) How many times have you said looked at someone you liked and then figured that they were probably into you? And how many times were they actually into you? (Let's use standard school grading and assume that if you're above 90% you've got an A and if you're below 60%, you've got an F.)

If you're track record's anything like mine, then making these sorts of assumptions is a bad idea. It's really hard to tell if they are actually into you (or better yet...want to be with you...these are two very different things, but that's a topic for another day). Unless you're psychic (and if you are, I'll concede the point), it is impossible to know for certain unless he says so and behaves accordingly. (Basically he has to show that he's not all talk. Talk is cheap). And if you have to guess, interpret or read into it...guess what you're doing? You're making assumptions. ;) As a reader, guessing is fun and drama is great. In real life, when it's my heart on the line, I'd rather not be hopeful; it's not worth the heartbreak. Is that just me or do you guys feel that way too?

But I'm rambling, lol. Point being, I am very much of the opinion that love scrambles people's brains, and we get a lot of that in Mazeverse.

Next week, we're going to watch Erza get her brain scrambled. XD Check out my profile next Friday for [Mazeverse] The Problem with Ranged Weapons, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.