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Leaving Hurts,
Hate Burns,
Love Heals

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So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'

To keep you by my side

To keep you from walkin' out the door

...

I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding

If that'll make it right

'Cause there'll be no sunlight

If I lose you, baby

There'll be no clear skies

If I lose you, baby

Just like the clouds

My eyes will do the same, if you walk away

Everyday it'll rain, rain,

ra-a-a-ain

-Bruno Mars - It will rain

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Chapter 15: Couch

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Walking home with a light drizzle of rain, it hitting the floor creating puddles, didn't make Gray feel all too great.

Rain was what he had stopped for Juvia, and this particular rain shower was belonging to said person. Her water glistened, but was gloomy. Ran down your skin like it was running for the nearest puddle to join. This rain was Juvia's, no doubt about it. Which this made Gray feel all the more bad - if it was raining, and it was Juvia's....then that meant she was crying. It seemed there were fewer tears with how little the drizzle was, so that meant Gray wasn't making her cry that much, so that's a plus.

Speaking of Juvia....Gray had just barely left the guild after getting told Juvia had left 30 minutes prior without being noticed. It was Erza who told it, after finding out from Mirajane.

Erza had went up to Mira to see if the barmaid had seen Juvia - Erza wanted to talk with Juvia, and try a little bit to make Juvia understand more the situation, just to make it easier for Gray once he talked with Juvia again so he didn't get yelled at once more - but the pregnant woman at the bar just boar the news that the girl had left long before. So, Erza had told Gray to go home and at least try to work it out with his wife. Gray complied.

So that's where he was headed now; home.

Was he nervous? Yes. Would he chicken out? Probably not. Would he at least try and make a better understanding without having Juvia get upset? Hell yes. He was ready for any beatings, even ones from members at the guild who had been giving him glares all throughout the day. He wanted his wife back in his arms, and he would stop at nothing to do just that.

Once reaching the door to his house, Gray grabbed hold of the knob to turn it, and luckily, the door want locked like Gray half expected. Juvia was beautifully smart, knowing Gray would most definetley come home, so Gray thought if she was that mad she'd lock him out of his own home - keeping him from coming in.

He stepped inside, shutting the door after him. The house was dim, but one glance up the stairs he saw a light.

He took his shoes off, setting them by the door neatly, then going for the stairs to climb them upstairs. He walked to Storm's room, seeing if the little boy was asleep by opening the door and peeking inside. Gray looked in towards his bed, indeed seeing the little boy tucked safely in, in a blissful sleep.

Gray shut the door quietly, so not to make a noise. And then- anxiety came. One look at the bedroom he hadn't been in for forever, and he was suddenly scared of the outcome of him talking with Juvia. Would she yell again? Throw stuff at him? Attack if with Water Nebula? The possibilities were endless.

He took one step closer, finding the source of the light was the light from inside the room. The glow slipping through the crack in the door, which was propped open just enough to peak inside. He took another step, and then another, catching his breath every step he took.

Step. Closer. Step. Even closer to the room. Step. Almost there. Step. Step. And then Gray made it. He took a breath in, and then out. Taking his hand, he placed it flat against the door to push it open more, and then he took another step and he was inside seeing Juvia. The blue haired woman was at her vanity, brushing her hair while in her pajamas with snowflakes. Her eyes were closed, little tears slipping past the closed lids as she enjoyed the brush brushing up against her scalp in a satisfying way. She looked- beautiful. Looked....at peace. Gray loved when she looked like this, except for the tears. He just had to smile.

But that peace soon changed once Juvia opened her eyes upon hearing Gray's leg hit the door on accident, Gray not noticing he had done it. She set her brush down aggressively, turning her head away whilst folding her arms and closing her eyes, eyebrows furrowing. "Out." she says stern-fully, her voice in demand.

"But-" Gray tried to say, excusing what she had said.

"Out." she said in the same voice.

"Please, Juvia. I just want to talk without any yelling." seeing as Juvia stayed in the same position without saying anything with her eyes opened staring at him, Gray continued. "I know what I did was wrong, and I am truly sorry." he started walking for the bed to sit down, thinking Juvia was calm and ready to listen. "Just tell me what I can do to make it up to you-" he sits down right before Juvia interrupts him.

"Get off the bed. I. said. out." she stands, turning to face where Gray was with fists clenched to her sides. She walks over to the bed, passing him as he arose. She reached for a pillow, picking it up as she turns back to Gray, shoving it into his chest. "Go sleep somewhere else. Anywhere but here."

"Please Juvia, just talk with me. Lets figure this out- for us-"

"Enough! I've heard enough! Get out or I leave myself." she threatens, her hands placed sassily on her hips.

Gray sighs, throwing the pillow back to its rightful spot. "No. I am not leaving until you talk with me."

"Fine." she says, raising Gray's hopes with the word, but when she turns and grabs the same pillow he threw back, he knew what she meant. She didn't want to talk. "I'll go, and you stay here because your that selfish." she brushes past him, walking towards the door and leaving out of it.

"Juvia," Gray whines "come back." he says as he follows behind her. She was heading for the stairs and he just had to stop her. So with a few steps closer to her, he grabbed a hold of Juvia's wrist. Ironically, it was in front of Storm's room. "Just talk with me."

"No!" she screams at him, whipping around as tears start streaming down her eyes, but they still seemed to hold furry. "I don't want to talk, not ever!" she rips her hand out of his grasp as she speed walks to the stairs, running down them with the pillow hugged to her chest. Gray followed, again.

She threw the pillow on the couch once downstairs - her chosen spot to sleep. Gray, of course being stubborn and not going to stop, walked up to said couch before Juvia could sit and rest her head on the fluffy white cushion, taking the pillow back. "Just-"

"No! Give it back, Gray! Now!" she walks around the couch to him, reaching for the pillow which Gray pulls back.

Gray keeps pulling it away from her as she tries to grab it, them acting like kids fighting over a toy.

"Give. It. BACK!" she says one more time, stopping from trying to grab it to just glare at Gray.

"And then what? Let you sleep on the couch? I don't think so!" Gray argues, walking for the stairs.

Juvia chases for him, grabbing hold of the pillow while trying to rip it out of his hands.

What was trying to get something away from the other, now was a game of tug-o-war. Juvia trying to take the pillow from Gray like it was a bag of money, and Gray not giving up a fight. As of now, tears were furiously falling from Juvia's eyes as she sobbed. Her voice sounding as if she were to break, although it pained Gray to hear her cry like this, he wasn't going to give in to Juvia. He knew he would just end up giving up if he let her win.

"Please- let go! I want to sleep, Gray! I want to SLEEP!" she sobs, trying desperately to pull the pillow away from him.

"I'm not going t-"

"M-mommy? D-d-d-daddy?" another voice came, it sounding as if about to cry.

The fighting couple turned their attention to the stairs to see Storm, him in his to-die-for cute pajamas, with a fist held to his eye as he tries not to cry.

The sight the poor little boy was seeing was not one he wanted in his brain. He had never witnessed them fighting over something, sure he saw them fighting earlier, but it wasn't like this.

Juvia, being overwhelmed, stared at her son and then back to Gray with more tears coming from her eyes. She lets go of the pillow as she sobs her way to the kitchen, her feet walking fast.

Gray's eyes followed her as she left his sight, him dropping the pillow to the ground as he looks to it laying there. What was he doing, a few seconds ago, acting like a child? You could say he was desperate to get his wife back, but to him, he had no control.

Sure, he was desperate. So desperate his body takes over and does stuff he can't control. Like, take for instance, changing his tone and then yelling at Juvia.

He oh so wanted to make her happy again, but now it was just the question of how.

Gray looks back up to his son who was now crying, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears as they spilled from his eyes down his cheeks.

Something changed in Gray's heart, then. He was crying because he didn't know what to do....it wasn't everyday that he caught them fighting with Storm's all time favorite woman in the world crying. Gray needed to get Juvia back before they both broke Storm - his little heart was and is fragile. No matter what Gray did; get yelled at, get objects thrown at him, or even get attacked by Juvia's Water Nebula, he needed to talk to Juvia not just for his sake, but Storm's too.

"Buddy.." Gray says soothingly, walking to his little boy who, in surprise to Gray, stepped back a step. Gray's eyes showed question to why the boy had stepped back. "Lets get you back to bed, how about that?" Storm nods steadily and carefully, turning around and charging up the stairs, Gray following behind.

Once in Storm's room, Storm laid back down in his bed while Gray re-tucked him back in. Gray's eyes were soft, staring at his son with such affection.

"Daddy?" Storm asks.

"Yes?" Gray responds.

"Were you....hurting Mommy?" he asks innocently, his eyes looking in question with tears threatening to fall just in case it was a yes.

Gray's heart hurt with the question, was that what the boy was thinking? "N-no...why, buddy?"

"No reason." Storm turned his back to his father, bringing his blanket up to his face. "Goodnight, Daddy."

Gray decided not to question it any further, so he just told a 'Goodnight' back to his little boy before leaving the room.

Gray closed his door, and took a breath in and out. He looked towards the stairs, leading to where Juvia was, and then back to his room. He debated which way to go - talk with Juvia, or get rest. He knew if he chose one way he'd get yelled at and would get even badder feelings towards the matter. So, he chose to go to sleep and think about how he'd approach Juvia to, hopefully, get her to understand.

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I am so sorry for all the sadness........I'm even crying, guys!!!!! But just hold on, k? I swear it gets better.

By that, I mean Juvia leaves Gray, causing Gray to feel sad. And then, you'll never believe it....Storm runs away never to be seen again! Oh! And you'll never believe this, either!! Thanos comes and joins the fic and blasts everyone into oblivion and they all have a party and then they all DIE!

The end :)

Jk. I'd never do that to you guys. But, just you wait, Just you wait~ (Hamilton reference)

Byeeeeeee~

(P.S) Expect a chapter soon! I am so excited for the next one, I already started writing it!!!