Battle Scars -A Gruvia Fanfic-

-2-

*Next day*

Rain was comforting to Juvia.

The soft drops washed away the evidence, washed away the tears and blood. The sounds of dripping were a soothing lullaby, calming Juvia's nerves.

Drip, drip, drop.

The rain was Juvia's only friend.

During class, she gazed out the window at the coming storm, blocking everything out but its sounds. When she turned back, she found him staring at her. He looked at her with a mild curiosity, and when she caught his odd look, he turned away. Juvia couldn't tell what he was up to. It took her a while before she realized: he was the only person who hadn't found some way to make it into her notebook. He was the only exception.

Juvia made up her mind. She was going to talk to him. Today.

Hours passed, and Juvia still had no idea how she was going to talk to him. She caught him staring several times that day, which was odd. Normally he would just stare down at his lap or out the window. But it seemed his mind was focused on her.

Stop thinking like that. You're not that special, Juvia reminded herself. The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Kids ran from their seats, tripping over each other to get out the door. But Juvia stayed a little longer. She found the odd boy was the only other person in the classroom with her. Making up her resolve, she squared her shoulders and marched over.

She would prove that she wasn't afraid.

The boy was staring at the desk in front of him, lost in thought. That girl noticed he had been watching her. Did she know he was there yesterday? Shaking his head, he found that class was already over. He was looking around, dazed, when a shadow fell over him. Turning, he looked up at her. 

She looked cold on the inside, but he could see hesitation in her eyes. And then she spoke.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Her voice was smooth, like water.

So she didn't know about yesterday? "Are you depressed?"

That was not supposed to come out. He was not supposed to say that. Apparently, she realized that too, and the slap was quick and sharp.

"Don't assume things!" Her face was red. He thought it was from anger, but she was shaking. Was she scared of him? She was the one who hit him! 

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "What's your name?" He was struggling to keep up his cold facade.

"Juvia. What's your name?" He was going to break.

"My name is, uh, Gray." He stuck his hand out awkwardly. 

She ignored it an stomped away, soft blue curls fluttering around her. "What an idiot," she muttered under her breath. He was so weird! Still, she could not stop the pounding of her heart. Or the way her hands trembled when he asked if she was depressed. 

How could he tell? She gasped. Did he watch her before? Juvia wanted to confront him, but she was nervous. The only difference was that it wasn't from fear.

It had been a while since she had felt anything like this. 

She was just so drawn to him: the way he cocked his head ever so slightly, trying to figure her out, the way he cleared his throat shyly as if he were embarrassed, and when he stuck his hand out for her to shake she found it hilarious. 

Was he aware of what decade it was?

When she got home, her mother was snoring away. She quietly slipped into her room, locking the door. She picked up a mirror to check if her blush was still there. But when Juvia looked at her reflection, she almost dropped the glass.

Unsteady, she reached up to touch her face, to see if it was real. 

She was smiling.

Her lips were slightly pulled up at the edges, making her cheeks slightly rounder. Her eyes glittered in the fading sunlight glowing through her shades.

It should be impossible. Juvia didn't have anything to smile about. But the guy from earlier... she found him quite entertaining. 

Was he making her smile?

She should definitely stay away from him.

She didn't deserve to smile.

Sighing, Juvia curled up into a ball on her bed, not caring that she hadn't cleaned up or changed out of her school clothes. She fell asleep like a tiny kitten in a small patch of sunlight, trying to escape the darkness of the world. 

And even in her dreams, she continued to smile.

\(*^*)/ Hope you like enjoy this story! Comment any suggestions! \(^.^)/