In The End - A Gruvia Fanfiction

V: The Exposé

Her nails dug into her fists and she thought her palms were going to bleed. To hell with it, what was the harm in asking? Isn't that Gajeel's motto each time he hesitated? Was he like this with Levy?

On impulse, she sat herself upright and stare right at Gray with a dead serious look.

"What if I said that I like you?"

When the question left her mouth, Juvia cringed internally. She said it. She really said it. She could not have found a better time, better place, not when there was Lyon asleep in the same room. Not when the movie was at the scene where Ariel and Eric both had just fallen into the water, her timing was just impeccable.

Her eyes dare not lift to see her best friend in front of her, instead, she looked at the blanket draped over her. All of a sudden, the sleepiness she had had left her and how she wished she just went to sleep rather than what she had done.

It's for the best Juvia. When he answers, you'll be able to make the decision. If he does not like you, surgery is always an option, isn't it? Isn't that right? She debated in her mind.

However, there was only silence from the man and Juvia cursed inwardly. Had she just destroyed their many years of friendship like this? All because she developed feelings and was ruining herself with those feelings.

Picking up whatever courage she had left, her face flushed in embarrassment, she brought her eyes to meet Gray's, only to have her shoulders slouch as she sees him hold a hand over his mouth, his eyes crinkled in the way she knew he was laughing.

He was shaking so badly and Juvia knew he wanted to burst out laughing. Did he think this was a joke? With an inaudible sigh and somewhat relief, she turn her head to see Lyon, who seemed to still be deeply asleep.

She reached over to Gray and gave him a slap on the arm, "You saw through it?"

Juvia played along, ignoring the squeeze at the heart as she pretended to be playing a prank on him. A strangled noise left Gray's lips and he held his hands even tighter against his mouth, trying to muffle the laughter threatening to leave his entire being so he did not wake his elder brother.

The raven-haired clueless man nodded, absolutely losing his marbles over Juvia's 'prank'. "That was good though, you got me for a good second." He shook his head and stood up, "I'm going to grab a drink to cool down," he chuckled, "Want some?"

Juvia responded silently with a shake of her head, a smile plastered over her lips. She looked for a reason to leave, pulling out her phone to check the time. "I should head back home. I still have to prepare for a test next week."

The Fullbuster nodded, "Are you driving back to the dorms tomorrow? We could go back earlier, drop off our stuff and go to a cafe where you can study all day. It has been a while since we hung out at Rae's. I have a quiz the week after as well."

Rae's was a cafe located near town, a few kilometers away from where their University was. It had become one of the best friends' favourite place to study until Gray started dating Claire and their study sessions were commonly in Juvia's shared dorm. It was easier for them to meet and better to accommodate to both their schedules, especially when Gray's greatly depended on his brunette partner.

Biting her lower lip, she shook her head. "I actually have plans with Lisanna." It was a lie, but she needed some time away from him. "Another time perhaps," the same smile she put on earlier creeped onto her lips naturally. Learning how to smile when you're unhappy was something Juvia picked up gradually over the years.

Without giving Gray more time to persuade her, she crossed over to the front door with smooth strides.

When Juvia got home, her brother and father were both in their rooms, she thanked god because she did not want them to see her face filled with disappointment and how her eyes were tearing up.