Say Those 3 Words (A GruVia Fanfic)

Epilogue

FINISHING A BOOK THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FINISHED 8094189 YEARS AGO LET'S GOOO

I'll just put the Author Note at the end btw

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~☔️1 Week later☔️~

~No One's P.O.V.~

"Natsu, Happy!!" Lucy's voice reverberated through the guild as she called for a certain Dragon Slayer and his Exceed partner.

"Are they not here yet?" Erza asked, walking over to stand beside the Celestial Mage.

"Coming, coming!" Natsu's voice called back, the salmon-colored boy sliding into view and sprinting his way towards the blonde, his blue partner flying right beside him. 

"Jeez, what took you so long?" Lucy huffed, crossing her arms.

"My bad, my bad!" Natsu gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, blame Natsu for taking so long to prepare!" Happy said.

"Ye--WAIT HEY!" Natsu turned to the blue cat with a glare, prompting Lucy to drop her scolding expression and let out a soft giggle. 

"Oi, you gonna leave without me?" Just as the four were about to head out, a certain person called out to them.

"Gray?" Lucy gasped, turning around to see the Ice Mage.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu glanced at him with a flabbergasted expression.

"What else Flamebrain? To go with you," he stood in front of the four and crossed his arms.

"Oi..are you sure you want to go..?" Natsu frowned.

"You do not have to push yourself if you are not up to it," Erza pitched in. Gray a soft smile to Erza and then immediately dropped it once he turned to Natsu.

"Is there something wrong with that? You don't want me to come?" Gray bonked the pinkette's head with annoyance.

"Ow--I didn't mean it like that!" The Dragon Slayer immediately blurted out, causing Gray to do something he hadn't done in quite a while: he smiled...

...or rather, he was smirking.

"Glad to see you care about me, Fire For Brains," the ravenhead said as he shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"Well yeah! AND HEY!" Natsu grinned but then yelled. Lucy giggled and Erza couldn't help but smile between the two's quarrel.

"Well, shall we get going?" Lucy beamed, happy to have Gray accompany them. Gray flashed a smile to the blonde and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go," he said, pivoting around and walking towards the exit n

"...Gray, your shirt." He abruptly stopped, however, when Erza spoke up. He quickly looked down and realized that he was half-naked

"Shit--where did it go?" Gray whipped his head back and forth, prompting the entirety of Team Natsu to laugh. Their Ice-Make Mage was definitely back. 

After a minute or so, Gray finally finds his shirt (which was thrown to him by Cana). "Oh yeah, do 'ya mind if I meet up with you guys at the train station?" he says abruptly as he puts on his shirt.

"Eh? Why?" Lucy tilted her head. Gray pursed his lips and rubbed the nape of his neck. "I gotta...do something first."

"What are you gonna--" Natsu started to ask but was cut off when Erza suddenly knocked him out.

"That's fine, Gray. Do what you must," Erza nodded in approval, holding on to the unconscious Dragon Slayer by his scarf. The Ice Mage sweatdropped at her act of violence, but he decided not to say anything, not if he wanted to be next.

"Ah..thanks, Erza," he said slowly as he began to turn around and head in the direction he needed to go. "Then, I'll see you there." 

"Yeah, see you there," Erza nodded.

"Yeah..." Lucy said slowly. Once he was out of sight, she turned to the redhead. "Where is he going?" she asked her.

"To give his respects," the mage muttered softly.

"What?"

"It's nothing; c'mon, we have to get going." She dragged Natsu, still out cold, out the door of the guild, a scared Happy and a sweatdropping Lucy following behind.

~☔️~

"...Hey Juvia," Gray murmured quietly, placing one knee down in front of the Water Mage's grave. The sun was high in the sky, its sunlight painting an immensely different mood than it had just a week ago. "I just, wanted to see you again before I head on a quest with Flamebrain and Lucy and everyone...." 

"..." He trailed off, multiple words that he wanted to say scrambled in his head, but none of them were forming a coherent sentence to him. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many words that he wanted to get off of his chest, but only 3 words needed to be said, he finally decided.

"I love you," Gray whispers, his voice barely audible. It was as if he wanted no one but the grave in front of him to hear his words. Those words were that special to him, had been special words that the Water Mage would have loved to hear if she was alive...

He opened his mouth to utter more words, believing that he should say all the words he no longer could, but he then clenched his fists and closed his lips. Those words...those 3 words....those words are the only words that needed to be said, he finally decided. So, with a soft pat on the top of the gravestone, Gray stood up and started to walk away, his gaze downwards as he shuffled his feet towards the train station, where his team was surely looking for him. 

"Juvia loves you too, Gray-sama." 

However, just a few seconds after having turned his back towards the grave, the Ice Mage's onyx-colored pupils dilated with surprise when he heard the abrupt but undeniable voice of Juvia Lockser. Immediately he flipped around to face the grave, and for but a moment he swore he saw a faded mirage of Juvia standing in front of her own grave, a broad, heartwarming smile curled on her lips as her long blue hair softly swayed with the light wind around them.

"Juvia--!" Gray's hand was outstretched to reach her as he lurched towards her but just as soon as she appeared, she was gone, just like that. He breathed heavily and frantically searched the grave and its surroundings but found no sign of the bluenette. "Was it just..my imagination...?" he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his raven hair as he stared at her grave. Shaking his head, he turned back around and continued to walk away towards the exit, though a small smile now graced his features.

It might have been late, but at least she got to hear him say it.

To say those 3 words.

~☔️THE END☔️~

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Aaaand that's the end of Say Those 3 Words!

Thank you everyone for sticking to the end of this super-dragged-out roller coaster!

Special thanks to HelplessRomantic_2 for being the one who gave me this idea in the first place! Please go check her out!!!

A second book you say?? ....Probably not ^^;; Sorry everyone! 

Well, thank you again minna-san!

Stand,

bow,

AYE!!