Gruvia Week 2023 - Day 2: Whisper
Faint moonlight cast a soft glow inside a small room of an old rickety inn as sounds of steady breathing coming from the silhouettes of two people sharing a single bed filled the silence of the night. Outside the old inn, everything was covered in white as powdery snow kept on falling from the dark sky. From time to time, the cold howling wind would blow giving the place an eerie vibe.
Such a scene was a normal occurrence up in the Northern Mountains of Fiore.
Back inside the small room, one of the two occupants was fast asleep while the other one was wide awake listening to nature’s creepy lullaby. Lying on their sides with their backs on each other, Juvia’s only indication that her ice mage companion was in slumber was his calm breathing. Unlike the unbothered man, the water mage couldn’t fall asleep.
Aside from the sound of the wind that didn’t really bother her that much, the fact that she was sharing a bed with the dark-haired man beside her was giving her heart an overdrive.
Earlier when they arrived looking for rooms to stay overnight, the cliché plot of not having enough available rooms occurred and left them with no choice.
They were on a mission to capture some rouge mages hiding in the snowy mountains and it was an easy job, but unfortunately, the weather hindered them from completing it on time.
Though the environment was to their advantage, risking being caught in a snowstorm was not part of their plan. Those fugitive mages they were tracking down won’t be able to leave the mountain anyway, so they decided to find a temporary shelter.
As the inn was the only lodging place they could find around the area, they didn’t have any options and it was Gray who decided that they would just share the room. It’s not like it was the first time they would be doing that.
It’s been a few months since the chaotic hundred years quest ended and Gray’s team returned. Within those months Juvia has gone on missions with the ice mage a few times.
The first one was her idea.
She noticed how Gray was no longer trying to pretend to avoid her or deflect her affections, so she tried her luck and asked him to go on a job together. He agreed, saying that would be a good way to catch up with each other after such a long time of not working together. That one time was followed by another and then some more until going on missions more than a few times in a month became a routine. Unless necessary, Gray rarely went on a mission with his team. Most of the time it was him asking her to go on those jobs together.
To say that the water mage was happy about the sudden change between them was an understatement.
In the past, it was always her initiating everything. She was the one asking Gray to go out with her, go on missions with her, and eat out with her. But recently it was him asking her to do things with him despite all the lame reasons he was giving every time that he did so.
Unable to force herself to sleep, Juvia opened her eyes and studied the empty wall of the room in front of her. Behind her, she could feel the slight rise and fall of Gray’s breathing.
When the battle is over, I’ll give you my answer…
Out of nowhere, those words echoed in her head as her hand clutched the edge of her pillow.
Juvia knew without a doubt how Gray feels about her.
It’s certain that she occupies a place in his heart and she’s glad that Gray was getting more comfortable when it comes to showing his emotions. It’s just that she can’t stop herself from thinking of how long they are going to keep their unclear understanding.
With that thought, a wistful smile tugged on the sides of her lips.
Of course, if Gray didn’t want to do anything about it, she won’t force him. But at the end of the day, she’s still just a human and she could not avoid having hopes and expectations.
Deep inside her, she knew she was yearning for that answer that he promised her.
There were things she wanted to do and say but cannot due to their current relationship as nakamas who obviously harbor romantic feelings for each other but without an actual romantic relationship.
Her thoughts were futile.
There’s no point in thinking about such things. She had long proclaimed what she feels, and she already did what she had to do about her feelings in excessive ways. It’s no longer up to her how her relationship with Gray would further develop. If worse comes to worst, she could just continue loving him in her own way and cast away her hopes.
With that in mind, Juvia told herself to sleep and rest because she’ll need her energy to complete their mission when morning comes. She sighed once more and tried to block her train of thoughts that kept on nagging her.
When the wind blew once more, she unconsciously tugged her blanket to ward off the cold, but somehow it got tangled up with one of Gray’s legs and she felt the man behind her shift along with the force of her movement. He rolled on his other side and he’s now facing her back. She bit down on her lip when she felt his breath at the back of her head.
Juvia’s body went rigid when she heard a low voice that seemed to be calling her name. Was Juvia dreaming already? She asked herself confusedly. Or maybe she was thinking too much and just hearing things?
But she was sure that it was Gray’s voice that she heard.
Was he sleep talking and calling out her name?
“Juvia,” there it goes again and this time it wasn’t just Gray’s voice that she could hear. She could also feel his hand on her side as his arm slowly moved around her waist. With a gentle tug, he pulled her closer to his chest and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Can’t sleep?” he asked in a sleepy voice, his hot breath tickling her sensitive skin.
Juvia’s own breathing halted as her heartbeat hammered inside her chest, her face flushed and her mind frozen.
What is Gray-sama doing?!
Since Gray’s face was on Juvia’s neck, she felt it when his mouth moved, and a smile formed on his lips. “G-Gray-s-sama?”
Juvia swallowed hard when she heard his sexy hum. She was certain it was still snowing outside, and the temperature was still freezing cold, but she could feel herself heating up.
She had shared a room and a bed with Gray before. More than a few times, she had embraced and tackled him. They also shared a few physical contacts before, but as far as Juvia could remember, Gray had never initiated such intimate physical interaction.
“Gray-sama,” she called out again and though she didn’t stutter, her voice was a little hoarse. “Wh-why are you holding Juvia like this?”
Instead of responding to her question, Gray only tightened his arm around her. With how close their bodies were, Juvia could feel that she was not the only one whose heart was beating fast. After a few minutes of silence with only their breathing filling the room, Gray finally said something. “Am I not allowed to hold you like this?”
How was she supposed to answer that?
Obviously, she won’t stop him from holding her like that. But there’s more to that question that made her unable to think properly.
Juvia was just thinking about so many things, but why is Juvia’s mind suddenly blank!? Juvia thought as she nibbled her lip.
The sudden turn of events was something she wasn’t expecting at all!
In the silence of the night Gray’s chuckle resonated within the room. “Don’t think too much about it,” he whispered. “I love you.”
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
amandla
turnnoffyourmind
romaincrisis
gracieabrams
pixelskylines
gamechangershow
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
