Through the Ice and Rain

It was another cold day during the dead of winter in the town of Magnolia as snow continued to fall and line the streets. At the guild of Fairy Tail, everybody was in an uproar enjoying a good fight started by the usual suspects, Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster.

"Do you wanna go, Hot Head?" Gray challenged Natsu. There was no telling what had set them off this time. People simply accepted that days of peace between these two were few and far between.

"I already asked you that, Ice Princess!" Natsu retorted, getting all fired up.

"You can do it Gray-sama!" Juvia Lockser cheered on from one of the circular tables to the side. Gray inwardly scowled. He had been growing more and more annoyed with Juvia's constant clinginess and antics towards him.

"What're you looking at, charcoal breath?" Gray scowled.

"Oh nothing. It just amuses me how your relationship works with Juvia. I mean you got Juvia, a nice and caring girl who is also a powerful mage, and then we got you. You're just cold. Even when happiness is actively trying to win you over, you refuse to be happy." Natsu pointed out.

"Natsu, you idiot! There is no relationship and will never be a relationship!" Gray answered harshly. The entire guild fell silent. The only audible sound was rain falling and the muffled sounds of Juvia trying to hold back her tears.

"Juvia, wait!" Lucy shouted as she ran out the door after her.

"You freaking idiot!" Natsu yelled as he suplexed Gray. "She was your happiness and you drove her away!"

"A real man wouldn't hurt a girl like that." Elfman said with a low tone with his arms crossed glaring at Gray.

"You should get going, Gray. Run after her." Lisanna said. "She needs you right now."

"Yeah. I'll go after her." Gray replied rubbing the back of his neck. He grabbed his shirt and jacket and ran into the falling snow and rain outside. "Juvia!" He called out. No answer came. He kept running around Magnolia looking for her and calling her name. He checked her apartment and found her sitting outside on a bench in the rain. "Juvia." He said, somewhere between gladness and nervousness. He made an ice umbrella and sat down beside her. "Hey, Juvia." He said awkwardly.

"Hello, Gray." She said so quietly it was almost a whisper. "What brings you here?" She attempted a small smile.

"I came here to apologize. I came to apologize for the way I've always treated you. I'm sorry." He apologized.

"Why do you treat me like that? And are you going to continue to do so?" She asked, still nearly whispering.

"I promise I will never treat you harshly ever again. And..." He trailed off. "The reason I got angry today wasn't because I don't like you. I really like you, Juvia. I admire you. I admire your constant dedication to the guild and to me. I admire the way you are always cheerful. And I do so appreciate the way you are so persistent about the things you are interested in. The truth is, it's I who doesn't have a shot with you. I mean, look at all the mistakes I've made and-" Juvia suddenly slapped him across the face.

"What mistakes, Gray-sama? I tried to kill you and wipe out Fairy Tail! All you did was make everyone believe you had turned evil when all you really did was go undercover! How dare you think that you of all people aren't good enough for me! The one bad thing that you ever did was what you did today. Even before you came to apologize, I forgave you. Why would you ever think that I wouldn't want you?" She ranted. Gray noticed it stopped raining and began to chuckle under his breath and it built up all the way into loud laughter.

"Gray-sama, why are you laughing?" Juvia said beginning to laugh with him.

"I just realized something. I could have spent almost every day with someone who makes me really happy and cares about me so much if I had just realized all this. I'm a moron." He answered shaking his head. Juvia put her hand on his.

"Yeah you are, Gray-sama." She replied with a giggle.

"Come on. We should probably be getting back to the guild." Gray said as he intertwined his fingers with hers and they walked back to the guild together.

The End