Requested by @theapanduuuh7 .

Hey, mate... I'm bad at making things sad so I gave it my best shot...

I really hope you like it...

Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Locksar

One-Shot 9

Gray sat on a park bench, head in his hands.

He knew it was too late.

There was no use crying about it now that things had been said and done.

He let out a breath at the pain in his chest.

Who knew that it would hurt this much?

He had anticipated some level of pain but had never expected it to be as real as he felt it...

A week before where he sat now, Gray had received a letter announcing that he would be given a chance to enter the Grand Maker Magic Competition, as one among a hundered other maker-magic using individuals.

The pride had gone to his head. There was no other explanation for how he had treated his girl.

The winner would take home anything he wanted.

When the first thought about the prize invoked thoughts on what Juvia, his girlfriend, would like, Gray knew.

He knew that he had slowly and badly fallen for the pretty and sweet water mage.

At first, his love for her had been small. He adored the way she spoke and her kind nature. There was also the matter of her being crazy in love with him.

But as time went by, Gray caught himself thinking of her more and more and the time he spent with her became what he thought about at night, keeping him up.

He had begun to imagine Juvia and him creating a family and growing old side by side, holding each other's hand every moment of the way.

His feelings had grown and he had decided that he would tell her how he felt.

He knew that she liked him.

Juvia loved him with the same intensity and she would be beyond happy to say 'yes'.

He knew that.

But something had stopped him from falling to one knee.

Gray cursed.

That had been his first mistake, the second being that he had given his name in to enter the stupid competition.

The competition that would keep him outside of Magnolia for the next few months.

Maybe it was his pride? Had he felt like he had Juvia on a leash? That she would nod to everything he said even if it meant sacrificing what she wanted? Had he really become that conceited?

The ice-mage had planned everything perfectly for that day.

A few hours before then, he had called for Juvia to join him for a walk. The girl had obliged with a bright, happy smile.

They had entered the park and under the shade of the beautiful cherry blossom trees, Gray had knelt on one knee to propose to the girl of his dreams.

Juvia had almost fainted in joy as she accepted the cold, wonderfully sculpted ring that was slid onto her finger.

Gray had felt only a small joy in his heart, knowing full well that she would have said 'yes' anyway.

Now, looking back, Gray wished he could freeze life at that moment and feel all the joy that the pain he had would have been.

After wiping away Juvia's happy tears, Gray decided to casually slip in news about the competition and how it would take him away for several months, maybe a year.

He kicked himself now for the insensitive way he had brushed away all her questions about marriage and a family.

He had just assumed that she would wait without him by her side.

He hadn't thought to ask.

How could he be so mindless?

Juvia had only been sad and concerned throughout their conversation, that was, until Gray, filled with a pride he hated himself for now, snapped at the pretty girl to stop with the pestering questions.

The shock and the hurt in her eyes seemed to slap him across the face even then as he sat on the park bench, pain surging through his heart as he remembered her vulnerable expression.

What she had done next could not be her blame in any way.

The girl who had waited for him to love her and stayed by his side in every one of his moments of loss or victory had slipped his ring off her finger and let it drop to the ground before turning away.

Even now, it hurt him.

That single action was all that had been needed for his world to come crashing down.

Everything lay at his feet in shambles, pieces he would never be able to fix without her.

He had lost everything in just a moment.

Something very precious to him had been lost and as a strange cold settled into his heart, he realized that even if things resulted in Juvia coming back for him, he would never want to risk hurting her again.

Gray would never trust himself to deserve the lovely girl that had shifted his universe.

He would never risk hurting her the way he had then.

That was goodbye.

A/N: I really hope you liked it!! This is my first time trying to write up something sad without being a troll and I really enjoyed doing this!

Thank you so much for requesting, mate!!

Ciao!