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Both the two wizards of Fairy Tail had realized early in their relationship that ice and water magic were seamlessly compatible (one of them took that initially with much deeper meaning than the other). Time and time again, they would combine their power in dire situations, and it proved this correct every time. Their magical compatibility only grew stronger as the two of them had grown closer over the years following her appearance in his life. The aloof, icy master of maker magic became a fearsome protector who held unmatched Devil Slayer power, while the former rain woman of Phantom Lord shed her lonely rainclouds to become a warm, loving water mistress whose strength came from her devotion for him and their friends.
They embodied in this way how ice and water, though compatible, held widely different properties. Ice was cold and harsh and Gray found it had an affinity to appear sinister, stiff, stubborn, and defensive - not necessarily bad characteristics of himself, but certainly a reflection of how he had kept even his closest friends at an arm’s length the majority of his life. Water flowed freely, it could adapt and change and, most importantly, it was instrumental in all life. That was just like her. Though it was quite a bit more obvious of his role as catalyst in Juvia’s blossoming transformation, Gray was painfully aware of how much she had changed him.
Ice and water were tangled together in the home that had certainly become so much more homey since Juvia forced her way in all those years ago, after Fairy Tail had temporarily disbanded (Gray could have resisted back then; he didn’t). Both were sprawled across the couch, habitually in their underwear with their arms wrapped around each other. It was only during moments like these that Gray was distracted enough not to think of the many things in this world that hurt him. One wound was deeper and fresher than the others, and it had to do with the elegant young woman currently residing in his arms.
He hated her scar. He hated that thing and the way it broke through her soft, snow-white skin similar to how a fire leaves a dark path of destruction across the earth. Nothing could ever make Juvia appear less beautiful in his eyes, but he hated that scar simply for the way that it tried. It was so ugly and every time he saw the scar it reminded him of how powerless he had been, how he had failed to protect Juvia when it mattered most. Gray wasn’t the one who saved her from death, either. She loved him so unconditionally and at the very least he should have been strong enough to fight back, and even if he couldn’t do that he should have had enough power to protect her from any harm; yet he had been unable to stand against Invel and resist his magic, had still been at the Winter General’s mercy when he trapped them and forced them to fight each other, and then as Juvia’s blood spilled into his hands. All because he had gotten distracted.
Gray remembered the fury, the hopeless despair he had felt when he looked, straining to observe what Invel had done and came face to face with the woman he had promised to give an answer to when their fight with the Alvarez Empire was over. But he had known already what that answer would be when he said those words to her the night before; he was going to say that he loved her. Overwhelmed and intoxicated by their victory, he was going to sweep Juvia off her feet and kiss her. Instead of pushing her away, for once in his life he’d resolved to stay close to her during the fight and make damn sure that not a single enemy wizard could harm her. He had never considered that was what would put her in the most danger.
How could Invel have known that the love of his life happened to be standing behind him when he and the others came to take back their guild? How had Invel deduced that he could orchestrate Juvia’s death and it would cause him to lose control of his Devil Slayer magic, thus turning him into the perfect weapon to kill Natsu? How had Invel, with Gray brutalizing him with every bit of strength and fury inside his body, simply stated Juvia’s life was but a sacrifice? How had he let it happen? How had he let Juvia die? Even though she was alive now, revived from the very edges of her life by Wendy’s healing magic, the wizards of Fairy Tail had ended victorious, and both he and Juvia were now counted amongst the most powerful wizards on the continent, Gray was still unable to reconcile with himself.
Juvia sat in his lap, with her legs hugged around his waist, blissfully distracting him from any more dark thoughts. Her lips pressed light kisses along his bare chest, worshipping every bit of him that she could as she usually did when they were alone together. Gray absentmindedly brushed his fingers along her body, a combination of being both lazy and somewhat shy in showing his affection. He was practically hypnotized by her actions and the dark lingerie that she wore, the way it contrasted with her heavenly light complexion was a sight to behold; though it was a ethereal scene that he would surely first kill another man for trying to see than let them see it. A moment like this was for his eyes and his alone. Gray couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his face as he watched her simply at just how beautiful she was, reminding himself that damn she was his and she was so in love with him that he would never have to worry about anyone stealing her. Juvia smelled of soft flowers and the faintest hint of the sea, surrounding him in a state of pure euphoria. And then he brought his calloused fingers over her bare waist, felt the object of his hatred, and his entire body stiffened.
“Gray…?” she hummed softly when his movement disturbed her, looking up from his skin and resting her chin between his pectoral muscles. She tilted her head, and her azure hair slipped slowly down her face as she squished her cheek against his guild tattoo. Juvia blinked up at him, dark blue eyes glazed over with desire and love. “My darling, what is it?”
“I just touched it again,” he gritted his teeth, subconsciously tightening his grip on where he held her now with his hands below the scar. “I touched the damn scar.”
Juvia gave a soft gasp. “My love, that was so long ago. Please stop tormenting yourself over that scar!”
“But you died,” he choked on his words. “You died in my arms because I couldn’t stop what Invel did to us. You saved me and I’ve done nothing for you to make up for that.”
“You love me,” she answered, her fingers reaching up slowly to caress his face, pull him back from his despair to where she could anchor him. “You return the love that I have felt for you for so long and that is more than I could ever ask for. I have told you before, my life will always belongs to you. I would do the same thing all over again a hundred times. A thousand times. Gray Fullbuster, I love you.”
At his silence, Juvia continued while tracing her fingers over the features of his face. “You were the only one who could fight Invel. I had to make sure you could break free. I would not have stood a chance against him, because you are much stronger than I am. Natsu and the others needed you more than they needed me, and in that moment, that was our only option. You know better than anyone that I willingly made that sacrifice.”
Her words gripped his heart even tighter than his hands held her body. Gray’s entire body shook as he buried his face into her shoulder, suddenly overcome with a maddening combination of anger, frustration, and sadness. A cold air settled around them in response to his negative emotions, and he felt goosebumps rise across Juvia’s skin. A reminder that she was tangible and real, still alive in his arms but only safe for now.
“What if something happens again?” his voice took on a bitter, cynical tone that she recognized from only situations that demanded all of Gray’s efforts to solve. His desire to protect Lucy and the rest of Fairy Tail from Phantom Lord when she had first met him, his anger toward Laxus’s effort in dividing their guild family, his strength in fighting Ultear and standing up for his mentor’s legacy on Tenrou Island, his defiance when facing Acnologia, his determination against the dragon horde in Crocus, the pain he endured when their fight with Tartaros forced him to face his father in a duel. She was flattered to truly realize how much she meant to him, but also became concerned her presence was causing her beloved Gray so much pain.
“What if I fail you again,” his face twisted up in fury as he continued, and he looked away from her. “And no one else is around to save you next time?”
Juvia shushed him, and forced his face back to meet her gaze. She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, as though she were trying to focus all her senses on him. He observed the details of her face; the soft flutter of her eyelashes, the roundness of her eyes, the curve of her cheek, the melancholic smile that played on her lips that made his heartbeat thunder through his entire chest cavity, the piece of her hair that hung over the side of her face and blew gently with each breath she took. Her beauty was unparalleled and it continued to take his breath away every time he looked at her. These details of Juvia had been burned into the back of his eyelids in the moments after she had died. If he thought too hard on her death, the harshly crimson hue of her blood as it contrasted against the snow beneath her body would begin to leak into the picture behind her delicate features.
Gray heaved an icy sigh, feeling the anger and frustration building inside him begin to melt away under her touch, like ice to water. Perhaps that explained why she was so adept at controlling his emotions, their spells were just so complimentary that their very beings had become just as compatible. That sort of unconscious connection scared him, but not Juvia. She wholeheartedly gave herself to that feeling, held so much faith in him, jumped into the unknown with no regrets. He used to wonder what he had done to deserve her unconditional love; now he often acknowledged that he really didn’t at all.
“I do not think about the chance that I am unable to help or protect you, my love,” she whispered, tenderly brushing her fingers through his dark hair as she pushed him from his sitting position to laying back against the couch, defined more now by her body on top of him. Her hair slid off her shoulders into a curtain around their faces, in more indication of the shift in position. “I only know that I have to do so. I think you should think the same way, otherwise you are going to drive yourself mad.”
His eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth as if he were going to protest, but Juvia shushed him once again. She smiled sweetly. “Promise me, Gray.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at her insistence. She had encouraged him and lifted his mood enough that Gray felt comfortable teasing her again. “What if I don’t make that promise?”
She puffed out her cheeks in a pout. “Then you are sleeping on the couch.”
“It’s my house, and therefore my bed. You can’t kick me out,” he smirked at her. “Besides, you couldn’t do it. Halfway through the night I’d wake up with you laying on top of me. You like to cuddle, Juvia. I know you cuddled with your dolls when you lived by yourself. And now that you live with the real deal you hang on to me for dear life. You couldn’t ever give me up.”
Not that he was complaining in the slightest, though. If there was one thing constant in his relationship with Juvia, it was that she never failed to stroke his ego.
She shrugged innocently. “If it is to help you, I could do it. And I would advise you not to test me.”
“Prove it. Let go of me and get up right now,” he dared, flicking his tongue over his teeth at her. A mischievous glint in his eye sparkled up at her.
Juvia squirmed for a moment, but did not unlock her arms from around his neck. She appeared conflicted for a moment, before sighing and sinking back down to lay on his chest. “I think that I will punish you later.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to do it. You like me too much,” his grin widened. “Is that a promise?”
He watched with satisfaction as his girlfriend realized what she had said, and slowly her entire face turned bright red. “You are very bad.”
He chuckled again, a deep hearty laugh that made her smile brighten. “All the more reason to do so, wouldn’t you agree?”
Gray didn’t give her a chance to answer as he stopped any protests on her tongue with another kiss, and once more the couple fell into a comfortable silence together. This time Gray was the one to worship her as he brought his lips to her skin. In response, Juvia closed her eyes and let out a soft, content sigh while they brushed over her neck. He kissed down the lines of her collarbone like he was on a mission, tracing the curves of her voluptuous body at the same time with his hands. A devilish grin alighted his face when she moaned, while a shiver rushed through her body under his cool fingertips.
Again, images of their past struggles filled his head, despite Gray’s conscious efforts to avoid touching the scar he hated so much that ran down her hip bone and ended at her pelvis. He remembered how Erza had dragged him out on to that balcony and confronted him about sending Juvia mixed signals in response to her romantic pursuits. Or how upon realizing Ultear’s sacrifice, his fear of losing anyone else he loved became so great that he pushed Juvia away for some time. The memories and guilt of fooling her, of leaving her when Erza asked him to infiltrate the Avatar cult, cut through his body like cold steel. Even knowing how strong Juvia was, he still had been too much of a coward to avoid breaking her heart.
Honestly, he was damn lucky she hadn’t slipped through his fingers by now.
But something fiery burst through his chest, a determination he had never considered before. Perhaps Juvia’s words had finally gotten through to him. He did have Juvia. He was in love and he had accepted it. He was an idiot for ever trying to keep her away. Despite what had happened during the fight with Invel, the best way for him to make sure that she didn’t die like his parents, like Ur, like Ultear… was still to keep her as close to him as he could.
“You are my whole world now, you know?” Gray mumbled as he tilted his face in line with her neck, letting out a rough breath against her. “I swear I’ll do anything for you, Juvia. I won’t ever let you die for me again, because I’d rather die protecting you.”
“It’s about more than just protecting me, my darling,” she gently pulled back from him, and got back into a sitting position. “It’s about more than me doing so, either. We won the fight and our lives can go back to normal. We can be members of Fairy Tail like it used to be, before everything on Tenrou Island happened. Now it’s about your will to live for me, our will to live for each other. Live for me, and for your friends, and for…” she trailed off and paused, eyes widening as though she hadn’t meant to keep talking. Juvia swallowed hard, as if contemplating whether or not she should continue with what she was about to say.
“Juvia?” he raised an eyebrow.
Her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders, and Gray felt distinctly as though she was trying to make sure he wasn’t going to suddenly run away. Finally she brought her shy gaze back up to his concerned expression. Juvia’s lips moved slowly, as though she were thinking out each word. “Now… it’s about living our lives… as wizards… and… and as parents of our child.”
He was confused by her words at first, but it slowly dawned on Gray what she meant. His eyes immediately went to her abdomen, for once completely ignoring the scar there that he hated so much. As though it would suddenly give him a sign as evidence to her words, he examined her body. Gray could physically feel her start to heat up with embarrassment at his intense attention.
“You’re pregnant, Juvia?” He mumbled in disbelief, raising his gaze but finding her now avoiding him. For a terrifying moment, she thought he was displeased; angry even. But then Gray rested his cool hands on either side of her cheeks and pressed a light kiss to her lips. When she met his eyes, his expression was gentle and warm. It surprised her. “When were you going to tell me?”
“I was going to see Porlyusica this week,” she admitted shyly. “I wanted to wait to tell you until I was absolutely sure. But…” her eyes lit up with her sweet, embarrassed smile. “You are being even more stubborn than usual, and I am very sure we are having a baby.”
“Oh no, we’re going to see Porlyusica right now,” he tried to say seriously, but even ice-cold Gray couldn’t hide his grin. A baby, huh? He was going to be a father. What an odd concept, Gray thought, but he was much more happy than he was willing to admit over the news. Especially with Juvia being the mother. That was when it really hit him.
He was having a baby with Juvia.
Gray leaned over and gave her another kiss. She squeaked in surprise when her hero of ice scooped his hands under her and stood up from the couch, marching toward the door with his lady of water. Juvia gasped, squirming in his arms in protest.
“Gray!” She cackled. “Our clothes!”
“At this moment, that’s the last thing I care about.”
No, what he cared about most in the world right now was the state where water became ice.