A heart to heart

"Hey Grey! Guess who I found!" Said Natsu, coming back to the clearing.

Grey, still in obedient mode, took it as an order. "Probably Juvia. She's always following me around."

Natsu laughed. "Hahaha, you're exactly right! Come here, Juvia."

Juvia stepped out from between the trees, standing behind Natsu. "Juvia doesn't think she can do this." She whispered into his ear while tugging at the only piece of clothing he still had on: his white scarf.

"Why not? I thought you agreed that you wanted it."

"It's not that Juvia doesn't want it... it's just that she doesn't think Grey-Sama wants her." She said with a sad look in her face.

"Wait, really? I thought you believed he loved you! That you were destined for one another!"

"Yes, but... Juvia has been rejected by Grey-Sama too many times. Juvia tries to stay positive, thinking that if she tries hard enough, if she loves him deeply enough, he will eventually fall in love with her. But right now..."

"Well, we can find out for sure." He said, remembering that he had used the pet trigger. "Hey, Grey, I want you to answer honestly to all the questions we ask you. Say what's on your heart, got that?"

"Yes." Simply replied Grey.

"Just like that?" Juvia asked.

"Yup! Trust me, he'll be 100% sincere. Okay then, what do you think of Juvia?" Asked Natsu, going straight to the point.

"What? You're going straight for that?" Complained Juvia. "At least start with simpler questions and let Juvia prepare herself..."

Grey proceeded to answer, as instructed. "She can be very annoying. She won't leave me alone, to the point that it gets creepy. She even followed us here. If I try to be even a bit friendly she takes it as a sign of interest, which makes her go crazy and she doesn't listen to a word I say. She says that it's enough for her that I'm talking to her, no matter what I'm saying, but if I'm saying it is because it matters to me, so I'd like to at least be listened. When in missions, she can focus when the situation calls for it, we even make a good team, but in any other situation it's hell for me to try to approach her..."

"Juvia knew it." She said, as tears started dropping from her eyes. "Grey-Sama hates Juvia!"

"...But I'm in love with her." He finished. He seemed surprised by his own words, as he himself wasn't aware of that, but Natsu's honesty command **** that fact to the surface.

"What?!" Said Juvia. She was shocked, but also happy, and sad, and even angry. "But Grey-Sama said... And Grey-Sama always rejects Juvia... Why? Why would you reject Juvia if you're in love with her?"

"It's because you are obsessed with me" He replied. "It's like you're under some sort of Charm spell, it would feel wrong, as if I'm taking advantage of you. You worship the ground I step on. Your love is unhealthy, and I can't love you back like that. You don't even seem to want to be my friend."

"J-Juvia can be Grey-Sama's friend..."

"All my friends just call me Grey." He interrupted "You've just watched me defile myself while Natsu and I sucked each other's dicks, but even right now you keep calling me Grey-Sama, even as I'm calling you out for putting me in a pedestal. You have an idealized view of me, and that makes me feel like I will never be as good as you think I am. The Grey you love only exists in your head, and I can't live up to him. You're obsessed with him, and with me being him. I can't get closer you, no matter how much I try, and like a fool when I keep trying again and again because I'm in love with you. But your actions keep pushing me away. You overreact if I try to get closer to you. You don't treat me like a person, but some sort of unapproachable deity, and thus you won't allow either of us to really approach and talk to each other. You don't think yourself worthy of being with me. How are we supposed to have a normal relationship like that?"

"So it was always Juvia's fault that Grey-Sa... That Grey rejected her?"

"It is also my fault." Once again, the trigger was surfacing feelings he didn't even know he had." I could have stopped you, I could have told you all of this before. But I didn't. Your behavior is annoying, but sometimes it also feels good knowing that the person you love thinks you're perfect in every way no matter what. Hollow as it is, it is still unconditional love, and I didn't want to risk loosing that. But I am fixing that. Now. Juvia Lockser, will you be willing to start a relationship with me?"

"Of course!" She responded, the tears of sadness in her face now being mixed with the new ones of joy. "Of course Juvia wants to be with Grey-S..."

"As equals?" He interrupted "I can't be with someone if we can't view each other as equals. I am sorry if this is selfish, but I am gonna need you to compromise on that."

"Yes." She replied, in a more calmed tone. "Juvia will happily do that, Grey."

Juvia walked up to Grey, and their lips locked in a deep, loving kiss, where they tasted the mix of feelings in the saltiness of each other's tears.