I Dance In the Rain

Ame

Gray was surprised to find a ball of fluff rumbling on his stomach when he woke up the next morning. He had stayed the night at Juvia's after the rainfall and slept on the couch and apparently Juvia's cat found his abs to be the perfect resting spot.

He didn't even know that Juvia had a cat.

"Aw. It looks like Ame likes you," Juvia cooed when she found him in the living room with the cat on his belly. She pet the feline affectionately, and Gray watched as it yawned wide and stretched its limbs, but didn't move. He let out a sigh.

"He's cute and all, but I wanna get up."

Juvia giggled. "Don't worry. I'll make us some breakfast, and when I pour his food into his bowl, he'll leave you. For now, just enjoy his charming presence."

Juvia spent a few more minutes gushing over Ame with stars in her eyes before going to make breakfast.

Gray eyed the animal with eyes still droopy with sleep, then felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as an eerie vibe traveled through him; he had the feeling that he and Ame sported the exact same expression. It was even more uncanny that Gray had always felt like he was a cat personality.

As if Juvia could sense the hint of uneasiness in him from the kitchen, she called out, "He doesn't bite, you know. Stop being weird and pet him."

Gray watched Ame's stomach fall and rise, fall and rise with every breath. It was sort of nice to watch such a fragile thing as a life, especially when that life was covered snout to tail in really soft blue-grey fur. He supposed it couldn't hurt to pet the cat while he waited for it to move.

Ame purred gratefully under Gray's hand, shifting ever so slightly so that Gray pet him in what could be assumed as just the right place. Despite himself, Gray smiled. He'd never had a pet before, though he'd wanted one. Ame was nice and soft and perfect for comfort, half of the reason why he'd wanted a furry companion. Gray wondered if the feline would play.

But from the way things looked, the cat was old. He blinked sluggishly if at all, and his whiskers were very long and very few. He was well-fed too, but his shoulders showed through his fur even more brazenly than what was usual for a cat. He was unresponsive to Gray's attempts at having some fun.

"Hey, how old is Ame?" he asked out of curiosity when Juvia joined him in the living room and shook the bag of cat food to entice the cat to eat. Gray found himself frowning at the loss of warmth and comfortable weight Ame provided.

"He's in his twenties, like me. I've had him my whole life."

Gray watched Juvia pet the old cat and direct him towards the food by wiggling her fingers. A small smile made its way back to his visage, a warm feeling melting his heart as he witnessed a softer-- dare he say adorable-- side to Juvia as she fawned over her aged pet. Not that he hadn't found her to be kind before, but now it was almost motherly how she cared for her friend. Inexplicably, Gray felt immensely lucky in that moment.

Perhaps it was because he knew, deep down, that Juvia was a better friend than he deserved.