Fairy Tails

The Monster (Gruvia)

Spoilers for recent chapters of the Fairy Tail manga! If you haven't read it then don't read this because the little you understand will ruin your life and the manga forever.

Dedicated to chello_8893 because her perfect Gruvia fanfiction recently finished and I love all her writing!

 

The Monster

Juvia was a monster.

Juvia…killed Father. Gray-sama’s father.

He had been a good man, she knew he had. She could tell by the way he spoke to her, how he was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his son, and everyone else.

And Juvia had killed him.

“Gray…-sama.” Her voice was hoarse and she coughed, trying to dislodge whatever it was that had become stuck in her throat. Juvia scrubbed at her cheeks and eyes as she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling on her bad leg, and began to move. She had to find him; she had to find Gray.

Even though Juvia was a monster, and she was sure that Gray wouldn’t want to see her once he knew what she had done…she had to apologise. She had to tell him she was sorry, that she wouldn’t have done it if there were any other way…and that she knew their feelings, their bond was strong enough to transcend even death.

She just wasn’t sure he’d want to hear it.

“Juvia!” The woman looked up to see Gajeel hurrying over to her, ducking under her arm to support her. “Are you alright?”

“Gajeel-” Juvia shook her head and her hair, thick with sweat and grime, moved with her, falling in her eyes. She was too tired to move it and instead let it sit. “Please don’t- Juvia must find Gray-sama.”

Gajeel scowled. Juvia knew full well that he worried about her devotion to Gray, but he couldn’t deny her this.

“Fine. Let me help you.”

“No. Juvia has to do this herself…and there are others who need Gajeel more.” She paused. “Please.” Her words carried weight and reluctantly the dragonslayer let go of his friend, only moving away once he was sure she could stand herself without falling.

“Come and find me after...you know.”

Juvia nodded, though she didn’t know how much truth was in the action. Gajeel didn’t know what she had done. Would she even be able to return to Fairy Tail after this? The guild was her family but...

Wiping away the tears that she couldn’t seem to stop, Juvia moved as fast as her leg would allow her, stumbling until finally, finally...he was there. Up until now all she had felt was guilt, but now as she saw him, standing there alive, a weight was lifted off her heart that she didn’t even know was there.

He was safe.

“Gray!” In her moment of jubilation she forgot the honorific, and decided she liked the way it sounded.

He was alive. His heart was beating and he might be hurting but he would live and Juvia was glad; she was so so glad. Whether she was there to see it or not, knowing that he was safe made her happy.

He turned around at the sound of her voice. Juvia saw the tearstains on his cheeks and her heart ached as she unconsciously reached out for him, her leg finally giving way under her and she fell-

But he caught her.

He was holding her tightly, his arms holding her up even though she could feel him shaking, and together they collapsed.

Juvia lay on the ground, Gray’s face buried in her hair and his arms around her, the wetness on her scalp and his erratic breathing showing her his pain and she realised simultaneously that the reason she didn’t want to leave was exactly the reason she should...and she would.

Because he would hate her; the monster that ripped his father away from him for a second time.

She was worse than Deliora, worse than any demon or mage they had ever defeated. She was a bad person. She wasn’t just evil or cruel, she had hurt him because she thought she hadn’t had any other choice.

“Gray.” She whispered. Her skin was alive at his touch, her heart racing, but she forced herself to calm down, leaning away a little so she could see his face.

It hurt her to see him cry.

“Gray...forgive me.” She whispered, a lump in her throat suddenly preventing her from speaking. She swallowed, her eyes closing as she sobbed, and continued. “I-it was- me, it was all my f-fault and I’m-”

Between hiccups and tears she told him what she did, the horrible, terrible, awful thing and he listened through his own tears. When she was done she had sat up and pushed herself away from him and buried her face in her hands so that when he left, because he would, she didn’t have to watch it happen.

But it didn’t happen.

“Juvia.” His voice was as soft as he could make it, his throat rubbed raw from crying.

Juvia didn’t look up for a moment, unsure of why he was still speaking to her. He was supposed to leave, right?

“Juvia.” Juvia looked up as a hand reached around the back of her head, the other taking her hand and pulling her into a hard chest, and a warm embrace. “I understand.”

For a moment she froze. He...understood? Then he didn’t hate her?

Crumbling in her relief, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, her tears pouring out as he spoke three words, sweeter than honey to her broken heart.

“I forgive you.”