A/N: Not sure where this came from… I really should be updating my other story. X'D Ah well, the more Gruvia the better right!?

Takes place right after the GMG and the whole thing with the dragons. Does contain spoilers for chapter 334 and 335!

Summary: He needed to tell her something. Back then, it wasn't the right time. But now, he chooses to show it instead. – Gray x Juvia – [Gruvia]

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His Answer

Sweat drips down many of the mage's bodies as they move heavy wood to the right places. It had been a few days since the defeat of the dragons, future Rogue, and destruction of the eclipse gate. Since then, the King begged for all guilds who participated in the games to help him and the Princess restore Crocus and the kingdom.

Thank goodness the city is almost completely back to normal.

"YOSH!" A man with pink hair pumps his fist in the air. "WE DID IT!"

"Phew… it took a couple days, but we really did!" Lucy says as she and Natsu exchange high fives.

"AYE SIR!" The blue cat exclaims happily as he flies through the air.

Gray and Erza watch the scene with grins plastered on their faces. The ice mage is about to say something, until a voice in the distance stops him.

"GAJEEL-KUN! What are you doing!?"

Hearing her voice, Gray's head quickly snaps around to find Juvia and Gajeel arguing over which piece of wood goes where.

"BAKA! It goes here! HERE!" The iron dragon slayer has history with the water mage. They get along 'well'; as expected.

"Juvia really doesn't think…"

"Exactly. You don't think," Gajeel smirks with his arms crossed, causing the blue haired woman to sweat drop.

"You didn't let Juvia finish, Gajeel-kun…" The two keep going back and forth, not knowing that a certain ice mage is watching from a few feet away.

He continues to stare at them. No, more specifically, at her. Gray and Juvia have gotten much closer over time since she joined Fairy Tail. They got so close that the duo was able to perform a unison raid rather easily, and combine their magic. It did help that their magic is extremely compatible though. That's another ironic thing. Is it just a coincidence that the girl who held feelings for him had magic that completely compliments his own? This gave them chemistry right off the bat.

Gray's action does not go unnoticed by Erza. She tilts her head and looks at him. "Have you made everything clear yet?"

His eyes go wide and a lump forms in his throat. What's wrong with him? Hadn't they had this conversation on the balcony already? Why is it that he can't seem to talk this time?

The scarlet haired woman smiles and her eyes become soft, understanding his silence. He doesn't look at her. His eyes stay glued on Juvia, who is laughing as Gajeel trips, drops a stack of wood, and falls to the floor.

Her smile is beautiful.

When Gray first met Juvia, they were enemies. She never smiled back then like she does now. Fairy Tail has truly become her home, and he is happy she joined. They've been through a lot. From the Tower of Heaven, to the Fighting Festival, to Tenrou Island, and all throughout the Grand Magic Games. And of course, everything that just happened regarding the dragons appearance.

Something happened during the war zone. At first, he couldn't recall the entire thing. All he had was a vision of himself dying, which was scary alone. Juvia, Lyon, and Meredy had seen it too. No one thought much of it after awhile, and simply passed it off as a simple dream. However, once the dragons were defeated and everyone was celebrating, another vision came to Gray. The cause of his 'death'.

He saw himself pushing Juvia out of the way and taking the blow for her.

That's when the raven haired man decided it couldn't have been just a simple vision or dream. It felt too real. With all the time traveling going on, he is convinced it did happen somehow. Although, he is definitely relieved to be alive.

Gray knew the truth. He saw the entire scene in his head; which included him going up to Juvia in the middle of battle because he needed to tell her something.

Ah yes. Attempting to make things clear caused him to die.

During their first encounter, Gray told Juvia that he would give his life for his nakama. Oddly enough, the woman he tried to defeat or even kill in the beginning… was the one he had died protecting in the end.

'Stupid…' He thinks to himself. Gray is not open with his feelings. In fact, he tries to deny them any chance he gets. This includes going on the love slide with Juvia, and holding her hand. In truth, he was just embarrassed to go on such a silly named slide. It's even more embarrassing showing affection in public. The idea of hugging her down a slide, and when he actually held her hand after the battle with Lyon and Chelia made his face turn red on both occasions. Instead of going with her on the slide, he yelled and said he wouldn't. Instead of continuing to hold her hand, he asked when she would let go, even though he could have let go at any time.

"Gray… you really need to be honest with yourself. And Juvia."

He finally tears his gaze from the water mage and glances at Erza next to him. It's as if she knows what he is thinking, and she's absolutely right. He's taking these moments for granted. After seeing what could have really happened, he knew he had to do something before he regretted it. He still can't bring himself to say even a word to the requip mage though. All he can do is listen.

"I understand that your past with loosing people is rough," she continues. "But don't you think that at some point, you deserve to be happy?"

"I am happy! Sure I still think about Ur and my parents and how much I miss them. But Fairy Tail is my home, and living with my comrades brings me happiness now!" This outburst makes Erza's eyes narrow to the ground.

"I understand that. What I meant was… actually letting someone you really care about in your life," she closes her eyes. "Well, I'm not one to talk. As I said last time, matters of love is just too strong for me."

"Oi… what are you-"

"I'm going to see the Master now. Think about what I said," Erza turns and starts to walk away. Before she leaves, she speaks one last line without turning around. "This is the last time I confront you about this. You're my friend, and I know you. I know how you really feel about her. Just… be happy."

Gray is once again left speechless. It doesn't feel right denying how he felt. He decides to leave it ambiguous, as per usual. The ice mage watches her walk away from him; her words clear in his head.

"THANK YOU EVERYONE! Kapou~!" The King had gathered all guilds and everyone else who helped restore Crocus after the dragons attacked.

"It's thanks to all of you who helped rebuild this beautiful city! And it's also thanks to all of you mages who helped save the future! I am eternally grateful!" He bows. "As an appreciation gift, and congratulatory celebration for Fairy Tail winning the Grand Magic Games, we will be throwing the real Dragon Festival right here in the heart of Crocus… tonight!"

Sounds of gasps are heard, along with many cheers, laughs, and smiles.

"Dragon Festival? Didn't we have enough of that already?" Lucy shivers.

"I'm sure that's not what the King means, Lucy-san," Wendy smiles at her.

"That is correct!" The King states, on cue. "This is an ordinary festival meant for celebration. There will be games, food, drinks, and a dance at the end of the night. Wear your kimonos, and get ready to have the most fun you've all had in a while!"

The entire crowd once again burst into cheers, and many started to scatter to their rooms to get ready for the festival. Of course, there are still certain mages that haven't left yet, still pondering about what's to come at night. This includes members from Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale.

"DRINKS? Oh, I am so ready for this." Cana laughs, as everyone else sweat drops.

"You better watch yourself, Cana… Hehe." Mirajane smiles nervously.

"Hmph. I won't lose to that idiot, Bacchus!" The brown haired woman states as she imagines the man engulfing a barrel of liquor.

"A dance, huh? Wonder what type it is…" Chelia says to Lyon, in hopes that she will be able to dance with him. The two are a few feet away from the members of Fairy Tail, talking among themselves.

"It's probably a couples dance. In that case…" The white haired man starts to glow. "Juvia-chan!" Poor Chelia sighs and looks down at the ground, hurt knowing what's about to happen.

Juvia turns her head to find Lyon rushing over to her. "Lyon-sama?" She says in a shocked voice. He had nearly knocked Gajeel and Levy over, who are standing next to her at the moment. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Cana, Mira, Lisanna, and Wendy are off on the sides, but are within hearing range.

"Juvia-chan. You know there's a dance at the end of the festival, right?"

"Er… yes?" She squeaks.

"So how about we dance together?" He asks, rather bluntly. "I care about you a lot, after all."

This causes Juvia's eyes to go wide, and all other members of Fairy Tail to become extremely interested in what was about to go down. In fact, they all awaited a certain black haired ice mage's reaction, who already started coughing. This specific ice mage is currently clenching his fists, and shaking with anger. The others can't help but grin or smirk.

"But… Juvia is… um…" She isn't quite sure how to answer. Juvia feels bad about turning Lyon down, because he really is a nice guy. However, she can't help who she loves.

Gray's bangs cover his eyes. Everyone around him seems to be gossiping about what Juvia will do, but he stays quiet. He can't stand the idea of another guy, especially Lyon, dancing with what's his.

That's right. Juvia is his.

He feels a slight nudge in his side. The ice mage turns to his right and sees Lucy giving him a knowing look, mouthing a "go". He rolls his eyes and continues to watch the scene play out.

"How about this… you give me your answer at the end of the night, before the dance starts. I'll let you think about it," Lyon says to her, and starts to walk back to his guild friends. "I'll be waiting for your answer. I hope it's a good one!" He gives a trademark smile and leaves Juvia to her own thoughts.

The water mage can only sigh. Levy decides to lighten up the mood a bit. "Ne, don't you think Lyon is a nice guy, Juvia?" The bookworm secretly hopes that Gray will hear their conversation and say something.

"Huh? Oh, Lyon-sama is very nice. But... Juvia... um…" Her feelings for Gray are no secret. Anyone with even half a brain can see them. She usually has no problem letting the world know of how she feels. Today is an exception. For some strange reason, something is preventing her from attaching herself to Gray right now. Perhaps it's his lack of reaction to Lyon's advances? Juvia would love to see Gray become jealous for once. At least that would show he cares. She wants something; any sign of concern from her beloved.

Unfortunately luck just isn't on her side, and it's making her depressed.

"Well you should at least have someone to dance with! It will be a lot of fun, right Gajeel?" Levy smiles at the iron dragon slayer, who in turn sweat drops.

"What do I have to do with this?"

"You… you don't want to dance with me?" The petite girl gives a sad expression as 'tears' start to develop in her eyes.

Panicking, Gajeel starts to wave his arms frantically. "Oi… OI! Dammit woman, fine!"

Seeing this, another dragon slayer feels the need to find a dance partner too. "LUCYYYYY!"

"….What?" The poor blond doesn't know what to expect.

"You're dancing with me tonight!" Natsu demands, as a huge smile appears on his face.

"EH!?" Lucy blushes about fifty shades of red. Before she can say anything else, the pink haired man grabs her wrist and drags her away from the group in order to 'prepare' for tonight. Whatever that means.

Juvia smiles as she watches the two 'couples'. However, her smile fades once she glances over at Gray, who also starts to walk away, not muttering a single word to anybody.

'Maybe… Gray-sama really doesn't care… Juvia wishes… she wishes that Gray-sama would dance with her. All Juvia wants is Gray-sama to notice her…'

Little does she know how Gray really feels.

Hours pass by and the festival is about to begin in Crocus. Everyone is dressed nicely from all guilds alike. Juvia is wearing a long, blue kimono. It's traditional, with the design being a pattern of light flowers. Her wavy hair reaches just passed her shoulders as it flows in the wind. She isn't wearing a hat, but needless to say, she looks gorgeous.

"Wow Juvia! You look amazing!" Lucy says as she smiles. The group of girls composed of Lucy, Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Lisanna, Cana, Evergreen, Levy, and Mirajane. They decided to meet before going to the festival together.

"T-thank you, Lucy!" The blue haired mage blushes, but is happy that her friend thinks she looks good. Over time, Juvia understood that Lucy really isn't a love rival.

"Yeah! You really do! No wonder Lyon-san likes you," Mira pipes in.

With that, Juvia's smile disappears. Or rather, is replaced by a fake one. "Juvia guesses so!"

Everyone knows who Juvia really wants to notice her. All but Juvia herself are fairly confident a certain ice mage will indeed notice. Or so they hope.

"Let's go! I got a drinking contest to win!"

"Cana-san sure is lively…hehe," Wendy laughs as she follows the brunette making her way to the festival. Carla is close behind.

The girls walk the streets of Crocus. They start seeing lights up ahead.

"Everyone! Look! It's up there!" Lisanna points.

The rest of them start dashing forward, laughing. All except for Erza and Juvia, who are still walking in the back.

"Hey. Don't be so down. This is the time we should be enjoying. We never know what will happen in the future," The scarlet haired mage puts a hand on Juvia's shoulder.

"You're right. Sorry… Juvia is just…" She looks to the floor.

"Don't worry," Erza gives her a soft smile. "I have a strong feeling you'll be happy tonight."

"Eh? What do you mean?" This has Juvia curious, as she turns to look at Erza, who is still smiling.

"You'll see."

"Juvia is confused…"

"Never mind. How about we catch up with the rest of them?"

"HAHAHA! I WIN, ICE PANTS!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, FLAME BRAIN?"

Gajeel and Panther Lily simple watch the two go at it with their arms crossed.

"Geez. They're really idiots," The black haired man states as he takes a bite out of iron. Lily and himself have been watching Natsu and Gray play the same game for about ten minutes already. Goldfish scooping is a popular festival game, and neither man wanted to lose.

"I said, I WIN."

"You only won that round. What happened to the last three where I kicked your ass!?"

"Why you bastard-"

"Natsu!"

All three men turn their heads to see Lucy, Juvia, and Levy standing front of them.

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu responds to her with a big grin, forgetting about his competition with Gray.

When Gray sees Juvia, heat instantly rises to his face. 'Woah…'

She definitely looks amazing. He himself however, looks fairly simple. Gray, like almost all the other Fairy Tail men, isn't one for kimonos. Thus, he wore a plain button up white shirt with his usual black pants.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia smiles at him. She appears to be her normal self again. At least, for the time being. "Lets get food together!" The water mage bounces in front of the blushing ice mage and grabs his hand. She starts to drag him away from the others and towards the mobs of people.

"W-wait a minute! Oi!" Gray tries to protest, but his body doesn't respond and lets her have her way with him as they disappear in the crowd.

The two remaining women can only grin, whilst the two remaining men look very confused.

"Here you go, miss!" The man at the cotton candy cart hands Juvia two sticks.

"Thank you very much!" She says as she takes the cotton candy from him and hands one to Gray. "Here, Gray-sama," The water mage is still smiling. She seems to be in a good mood.

"Oh, thanks…" Gray gladly accepts the cotton candy from her and takes a bite.

"Enjoy your date!" The man waves as Gray and Juvia start to walk away.

"A-ano! Juvia and Gray-sama aren't…" She stops in her tracks and puts her hands to her face, her imagination getting the best of her again. 'Ah… a date with Gray-sama would be the best thing ever!'

"Yeah, thanks."

Her dream world is interrupted. Did she just hear what she thinks she heard? Juvia's eyes go wide as she looks at him directly.

He sees her staring. "W-what!?" Gray turns his head away from her in order to hide his face, which is full of bashfulness.

She definitely heard right. Her Gray-sama really did just acknowledge this as a date.

"It's nothing…" Juvia narrows her eyes to the side as she takes a bite of cotton candy.

"Whatever then…" This woman is definitely strange.

They continue walking, simply chatting about life, what they just went through at the games, and with the dragons. Gray's hands are in his pockets, and Juvia's are linked behind her back. They are natural together, always keeping eye contact while speaking.

"We really kicked their asses huh? Those two didn't even see it coming!" Gray says to her with a grin pasted on his face.

"Yes! Like Gray-sama says, we work together better than them," Juvia responds with her own smile.

"Yeah. In fact, our magic is really compatible."

Juvia's heart skips a beat. She knows something important is coming, especially because they just stopped walking. The love of her life faces her, and stares in her eyes.

"Juvia… look… I-" Gray starts, a serious expression on his face.

Then, déjà vu hits her like a gust of wind. The black haired man can't even complete his sentence. "Why… why does this seem so familiar to Juvia?" She stares right through him. It's as if she isn't even looking at him, but into space.

Gray's eyes become wide like saucers as he recalls part of the 'vision'.

…

"Juvia… Juvia, I need to tell you something."

…

"Juvia is reminded of when the dragons attacked all of a sudden…" She puts a hand on her head, trying to remember, closing her eyes. "But… Juvia doesn't want to remember everything… Because she saw that vision of Gray-sama…" The water mage starts choking on her words.

"Hey, it's okay," The raven haired man says to her gently, passing a hand through his hair. "I'm alive." He didn't want to tell her about the full vision. Lord knows how guilty she would feel if she knew he died saving her.

She nods, wiping away a tear. They were so caught up in their conversation that the two didn't even realize the dance is about to start. The festival had been going on for three hours already! For at least 2 and a half out of those three hours were spent with each other, simply enjoying the others company. Juvia admits she enjoyed watching her Gray-sama attempt to play some games. She laughed when he lost many of them, as he groaned in agony. At one point, they sat at a table together as Juvia leaned her head on his shoulder in which she didn't even mind. He would ask her what she wanted to do next, and she would simply reply with a shrug. They always found something to do though.

Tonight really did feel like a date.

The fact that it's a festival meant for everyone to be celebrating together, yet Gray and Juvia mostly spent the entire time alone. It's everything she ever wanted. There's only one thing that could make the night even better.

'Juvia... you're my one and only.'

'Y-yes...'

Juvia snaps out of her little dream and back to reality when the duo hears the King over the loud speaker, urging all mages interested in dancing to go to the middle of the festival where the dance floor is set up.

As if on cue, a certain someone shows up and steps right in between Gray and Juvia.

"Juvia! The dance is about to start. Have you decided on your answer?" Lyon asks, standing in front of the water mage with a confident look.

"A-ano… Lyon-sama...!?"

"Bastard! Where did you come from?" Gray yells at him in anger. This guy has a habit of suddenly showing up and making a mess of everything. It's happened multiple times before this too.

…

"Gray-sama!"

The ice mage turns his head around to see Juvia standing happily in front of him.

"Juvia… why are you here?"

"Juvia is not the only one. We all came here to cheer for you!" She continues. "Well… what about having lunch with me… only you and me…"

"Mmmm… I feel kinda hungry now." It was his way of saying 'yes'. He didn't mind going for lunch with Juvia alone.

Unfortunately, their plans are ruined. "Well, there's a pretty good restaurant on this street." Lyon suddenly appears behind them out of nowhere, rather creepily.

"Lyon-sama!?"

The white haired ice mage puts an arm around her shoulders and starts to guide her away. "And we can have some fun in the aquarium…"

Juvia didn't really know how to react. "Um… er… wait…"

"YOU! STOP! DON'T TAKE AWAY MY MEMBER!"

…

"Gray-sama! Lets ride that love slide together!"

He sweat drops. "Why is it named that?"

"It's for people to slide while hugging each other, nfufu." Juvia blushes with her hands on her face.

"I'M NOT GOING!" He screams, embarrassed and blushing.

"Then I'll go with you," Lyon appears, holding Juvia in his arms.

"Lyon-sama!?" Juvia makes a horrified face.

"Where did you pop out of!?"

…

In both cases, Lyon completely ruined everything. He ended up at the restaurant with Gray and Juvia before the games. All three of them also ended up on the top of the love slide together too. What made matters worse is that he and Lyon fell down the slide together.

That was a memory he didn't want to recall.

'He won't win this time. I won't let him get in the way anymore.'

"Juvia?" Lyon asks again, wanting an answer.

Before she can speak, she feels a hand grab her wrist. Gray pulls her back towards his body and stands in front of her. His bangs cover his eyes as he speaks in a monotone voice. "You… really don't know when to give up, do you?"

"What did you say, bastard?"

Juvia lets out a small gasp. She's in shock; trying to configure what's really happening.

"Gray-sama… is telling Juvia to give up!? Lyon-sama is a love rival!?" Her hands cover her mouth as she mumbles about 'boys love'.

Both males almost fall over. She still has no idea what they're fighting for.

Gray grabs hold of her wrist once again, but this time he starts to lead her elsewhere. "Come on, Juvia. Let's go."

"OI!" Lyon is about to go after them, when he slips on… ice. How could he fail to notice his own magic being used against him? That asshole just planted an ice floor on purpose.

"GRAY! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" The white haired man gets up from the floor, smiling sadly. 'I… really may have lost this time.'

"Where are we going, Gray-sama!?" Juvia has been asking that same question over and over ever since they escaped from Lyon. "Gray-samaaaa!"

Finally, he stops walking and releases her wrist, not facing her. She's in back of him, very confused.

"Gray-sama?" She looks ahead and sees the dance floor, along with many other pairs already dancing. It's beautiful. The dance floor is lit up with many festive lights. Soft music is playing in the background, and everyone seems to be having fun.

Just then, a hand reaches out to her. She looks down at it, and then up to who it belongs to. Gray had turned his body towards her, but he still isn't facing her.

'Juvia must be dreaming…' She really can't believe what's happening right now. It needs to settle in.

When he finally looks at her, she can see the slight red on his face. "I'm not good at dancing,"

She stops his speech by taking his hand, understanding what he is really trying to say. "Juvia… is very happy, Gray-sama!"

He can't help but chuckle a bit as the 'couple' finds themselves on the dance floor. From across the way, many of their friends witness the scene, also happy for the two.

Gray and Juvia slowly dance to the music, like everyone else. Hands intertwined, with her head on his chest. Both start to get the hang of dancing, until her head shot up like a rocket. Juvia's eyes grow wide as she starts to tremble. This concerns Gray, thus stopping the dance between them and looking at her dead set in the eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Juvia remembers."

His face pales. "Remembers… what? What are you talking about, Juvia?"

"She knows why before felt like déjà vu… Because something like that… happened before!" Their hands are still together, although Juvia's head is now down.

…

"Juvia!"

"Meredy?" The water mage looks at the young girl.

"Have you seen Ul anywhere? We got separated."

"Can't say that I have…"

"LOOK OUT!" Her knight in shining armor appears.

"Don't lose your focus! This is a war zone!" Lyon calls out to them all.

"Sorry…" Meredy apologizes.

"Ahh… Gray-sama and my butt…" Juvia says, a hand over her mouth.

"Juvia… Juvia, I need to tell you something." He's serious. Is that a small blush on his right cheek?

"W-What is it!?"

"No… it's nothing important, but…"

"It could be important to Juvia!"

'Could this possibly be… a confession of love..!? What should I do..?'

"JUVIA!"

She hears Lyon call her name, and sees a beam fired by a dragon come straight at her. Juvia braces herself, expecting the pain to come.

But it never came.

Instead, she felt herself being shoved out of the way, and then witnessing the worst thing in her entire life.

The man she's in love with sacrificing himself for her. She watches helplessly… one, two, three, four, five… five dragons shoot their beams right through his body.

"Heh..?" Is all he can say before the final blow.

Tears stream down her face.

They got his head.

"GRAYYYYYYY!"

…

"It feels so real. How could it be just a vision or a dream?" Juvia says softly, as tears develop in her eyes. "Why would Gray-sama do that? Is Juvia going crazy?" Her tears finally start to hit the ground as she's still looking down.

The raven haired ice mage is stiff, bangs covering his eyes, unable to answer. He listens to her as she continues to talk.

"And then… Gray-sama wanted to tell Juvia something. If Juvia wasn't so distracted, Gray-sama wouldn't have…"

"Juvia."

She looks up with a tear stained face. When she does, her lips immediately made contact with his. The blue haired woman's eyes grew large when she realized what is actually happening.

He's kissing her.

'Gray-sama…' Her eyes slowly close as she returns his kiss. It's light, but both of them can feel the love that's in it. When they broke apart, Gray didn't take his eyes off her, despite knowing their fellow guild members were staring, smirking, and will probably give him hell for it later.

He doesn't even care anymore.

In this moment, he pushes aside any feelings of embarrassment. All his focus is on her, and only her.

Sure Gray was unable to answer her with words; unable to tell her what he needed to tell her. He was always an 'action' type of guy in almost everything. Showing her how he felt; giving her an answer through his actions is even more powerful than simply saying 'I love you'. Without support, they are empty words anyway.

"I had that vision too. The entire thing. And there was something I needed to tell you. But I hope this…" He leans down to kiss her again, in which she gladly accepts. "…gives you my answer."

"I love you, Gray-sama."

Oh Juvia. She is most definitely both words and actions. The water mage smiles and wraps her arms around his waist, smiling softly as she closes her eyes in bliss. When Juvia uses first person, you know she's serious.

"I know," He smirks and returns her embrace. The two stay like that for a few minutes, and then start to dance again.

As he looks at the beautiful girl close to him, the ice mage falls deeper and deeper for her. Erza was right all along. What's wrong with being happy? Everything about Juvia is perfect to him. She might be crazy, but she's his. Gray wants to live a life with his comrades, and the woman he loves, more than anything. But if him dying meant she would live, he would sacrifice himself without even thinking about it. He would give up anything in the world for her to be safe in a heartbeat. Through his actions, he would always show her how much she means to him.

Just like he already did.

…

…

…

A/N: Yeah… Like I said, not sure where that came from. I tried to be realistic with added romance. Hope they weren't too OOC. Please give me feedback!