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Snow. Darkness. Cold. Someone was screaming his name. Darkness again. Gray’s fading in and out of consciousness. He’s face first in a snowbank, his back up towards the sky. Where was he? What happened? His memories blur around his mind unable to provide a clear answer.
The voice, the one so familiar, can faintly be heard. The person, Gray’s sure he knows them, is getting further away from him. He tries to call out but only blood leaves his parted lips. Spitting out the rest, Gray attempts to sit up. His limbs don’t respond.
Opening his eyes again, he wasn’t aware of when they closed, all he sees is white. There’s snow as far as the eye can see. The only visible color is the bright red of the blood beneath his eyeline. Again, he tries moving. Only his fingers twitch in the snow. An ache pools in his stomach and flows to his limbs. Something’s wrong but Gray can’t remember what.
“Gray!” The voice, female he thinks, calls for him again.
He knows her. He can feel it in his soul. Even now, with his mind scrambled and his thoughts scattered, her voice keeps him anchored to consciousness. Gray needs to get back to her or find her. Protect her?
She’s the only thing he can focus on. Even as everything fades in and out, she’s the main focus of his attention. Gray needs to answer her. Call out to her. Hold her in his arms? Something along those lines. All Gray knows is she’s important. Maybe even the most important person in his life.
“Ju...?” His voice is muffled by the snow. His eyes close and his consciousness drifts away.
*****
Blue is the first thought on Gray’s mind when he regains consciousness. Specifically, the vibrant shade of her eyes. Or the bright waves of her hair rolling down her back. The dark blue of her outfits. The glow of her smile and the gleam in her eyes.
His second thought is numb. The loss of feeling in his fingers and toes. The chill of the snow surrounding his body. The fresh coat that’s layered on his back. The cool taste of snow in his mouth. Flecks of ice stuck to his tongue.
“Gray!” She’s closer this time, but he’s less visible now.
“...via…” He responds but it’s lost to the snowbank.
“Gray please! I need you!” She sounds more desperate now.
‘I need you too’ he thinks. She’s the only reason he’s held on this long this long. He tries to sit up again. His vision blurs, his body aches but his arms hold him up a bit. He can see the wide red puddle that was beneath him.
He sits up and looks for her. She should stand out among the snow in all her blueness. Gray ignores the black spots dancing around in his eyes. She’s out there. She needs him just as much as he needs her.
“Juvia?” His voice is weak and shaky.
“Gray?” She sounds closer but Gray still can’t see her.
“Ju… via?” The world spins but Gray fights to stay awake.
“Gray!” He turns towards her voice and finds himself pulled into her arms. Into Juvia’s arms.
“Juvia.” There’s a smile on his face as he stares at her. Juvia, his radiant angel.
Tightly she hugs him. It’s safe and warm. Weakly, he pulls her closer too. He hugs like his life depends on it. At the rate of cloudiness swarming his mind, Gray might be onto something. Gray can feel the warmth splash of her tears siding down his neck.
He lets out a content sigh as he buries himself in Juvia’s neck. He can feel her erratic heartbeat pulsing in her next. It makes him feel alive. Gray realizes the irony since he’s probably dying. Juvia is his lifeline, his anchor to salvation and if he survives this, he just might tell her.
-Gray bleeding out alone desperately trying to live
*****
“Gray? Oh, you’re still alive. Thank Mavis you’re still alive!” Juvia cries as she flings herself into bed with Gray.
He’s in Fairy Tail’s infirmary, at least he thinks he is. Most hospitals all look the same to Gray and right now all his attention is focused on Juvia. He still can’t remember why they were there or where ‘there’ was. Or how he got hurt in the first place or how Juvia was separated in the first place.
“Hi.” He mumbles, his throat dry.
“Hi.” She whispers back as she hands him a glass of water. He downs the whole thing in one go.
“You lost a lot of blood when that dark mage stabbed you. And one of them created a snowstorm which divided us. But I found you and you’re okay!”
“And you? You’re, okay?” He asks.
She looks at him like he’s crazy for worrying about her instead of himself. He looks at her like Juvia’s the only person left in the world. Like Juvia is the center of the universe. Oh, he really can’t imagine life without her just as she cannot imagine one without him.
“I’m fine. You’re the only one who got hurt.” She gently caresses his hand. Gray wasn’t sure when they started holding hands, but he wasn’t complaining.
“I love you.” He blurts out like a fool.
He feels his face drop. That isn’t how he wanted to confess. This isn’t how he should confess. Juvia deserves something better like some big grand romantic gesture. ‘Why did I say that?’ plays over and over in his mind. Why did he say that? That wasn’t what he meant to say. He can’t actually remember what he wanted to say in the first place.
“You love me?” She smiles as she asks and Gray feels like a fool for even waiting this long.
“Yes.”
The kiss they share will be the first of many. For now, they sit closely intertwined together. Smiling and laughing as two survivors should. For the first time in a while, they both take a step towards happiness.