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i.
The forest was still smoking when the last of the monsters dissolved into ash. Gray exhaled, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. His knuckles were scraped, his shirt was half‑destroyed and his shoulders were heavy from magic exhaustion.
Juvia jogged toward him, her boots splashing through puddles left by her own magic. Her hair was damp and cheeks flushed a pretty pink from the fight. She looked tired, but her smile was bright enough to warm the air around him.
“Gray! Thank goodness you’re safe.”
He opened his mouth to say something back but the words died when she reached up and brushed her thumb across his cheek.
“You have dirt here,” she murmured. Her touch was feather‑light against his skin as she mindfully rubbed away the residual dirt. Gray froze. He didn’t know why he always did that around her, like his body was waiting for something he didn’t have the courage to act on or think about.
Juvia’s hand lingered just a second too long. Her eyes lifted to his, soft and warm and full of something he wasn’t ready to look at directly.
They were close. So close. Close enough that he could feel her breath against his lips, warm and uneven from the fight. Close enough that if he leaned in just a little—
“Let’s go eat, I’m starved!”
Natsu’s voice exploded through the clearing like a bomb.
Gray jerked back so fast he nearly tripped over a fallen branch. Juvia blinked, startled, her hand dropping from his cheek. They stared at each other wide-eyed for a couple of seconds before Natsu bounded over with Lucy and Happy tow.
“C’mon, I’m starving! Gray, you owe me ramen after you froze my leg!” Natsu playfully punched him in the arm as he passed the pair, unaware of what he had just interrupted.
Gray muttered something incoherent and turned away, ears burning. He didn’t dare look at Juvia, because he knew, he knew, she’d be blushing with her waterbody boiling, and that sight alone would make his brain short‑circuit.
But as they walked back toward the road into the nearby town, he felt her naturally fall into step beside him so that their shoulders brushed with every step.
He didn’t move away.
ii.
The river outside Magnolia was calm that afternoon, sunlight glinting off the surface like scattered diamonds. Gray sat on the grassy bank, arms draped over his knees, letting the breeze cool the last traces of heat from training.
He heard her before he saw her, the soft scuffle of her boots on the gravel, the gentle hum she always carried with her. Juvia approached with a small smile, her hair swaying in the wind.
“Hello, darling,” she greeted, settling beside him without hesitation. “I thought you might be here.”
He didn’t ask how she knew, she just always knew.
They sat in comfortable silence, the kind that only existed between people who had grown used to each other’s presence. Juvia dipped her fingers into the water, tracing little circles that rippled outward.
“It’s so peaceful today,” she said softly.
“Yeah, it’s a nice change.” Gray nodded.
Juvia turned her head to look at him, her expression gentle. “You seem… calmer lately.”
He shrugged, but the truth was he was calmer around her specifically, he just didn’t say that out loud.
A breeze swept past, carrying the scent of water and grass. Juvia’s hair fluttered across her face, and she tucked a strand behind her ear. Gray watched the motion without meaning to, admiring the carefulness of her fingers and her content smile as she looked at him.
“Is something wrong?” She noticed his intense gaze on her and tilted her head.
“No,” he said quickly, too quickly, and flicked his head back to look at the river.
She leaned in a little, concern flickering in her eyes. “Are you sure? I can listen if - ”
He turned toward her at the same moment she leaned closer and their faces nearly collided with the motion
Her nose brushed his and her breath audibly caught in her throat.
For a suspended moment, neither of them moved. Gray’s world narrowed to the warmth of her breath, the closeness of her lips, the way her eyes widened just slightly in surprise.
Gray’s throat went dry with nerves.
Juvia’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Gray…”
Suddenly, the usual boat that patrolled the river sounded their horn for the crossing bridge to be lifted and that was enough to snap him out of it. He jerked back with his heart racing from the sudden blaring noise and from their closeness.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Didn’t, uh, see you turning.”
“It’s alright,” Juvia’s cheeks were pink, but her smile was soft.
They sat in silence again, but it wasn’t the same as before. The air felt charged, like something had shifted between them, instead of sitting in a comfortable silence it was awkward and he was hyper aware of how close she was sitting beside him.
Gray didn’t move away, because he didn’t know how to move closer to her.
iii.
Gray sat on the edge of the inn bed, jaw clenched, trying very hard not to hiss in pain as Juvia dabbed antiseptic onto the gash across his shoulder. The mission had been rougher than expected, a pack of corrupted beasts, a collapsing ruin, and one very sharp piece of debris that had impaled itself into his shoulder.
Juvia stood beside him, her brows drawn in concentration, lips pressed together in a worried line. Her hands were steady, but he could feel the tension in her shoulders.
“You should have dodged it,” she murmured, voice soft but scolding.
“I did dodge,” Gray muttered. “Just… not enough obviously.”
She shot him a look, the kind that said she wasn’t buying it for a second, and dipped the cloth into the antiseptic again. Her fingers brushed his skin, feather‑light, and he felt her water magic seep into the wound to sooth the sting from the alcohol.
He watched her work on the wound. There was something so calming about the way she focused, the way she poured her whole heart into even the smallest task. Her hair fell forward, framing her face, and she tucked a strand behind her ear with the back of her wrist so she wouldn’t get the medical supplies in her hair.
“You’re too reckless,” she whispered, almost to herself.
“I’m fine,” Gray swallowed.
“I know,” she said, voice gentler now. “But I still worry about you.”
Her fingers slowed, lingering a moment longer than necessary on his shoulder causing Gray’s breath to hitch. He wasn’t sure if it was from the pain or from the way she was looking at him.
She leaned in to inspect the wound more closely, her face inches from his. He could feel her breath on his collarbone, soft and warm. His heart thudded in his chest, loud enough he was sure she could hear it, and shuddered at the delicate contact between them.
“Hold still,” she murmured, frustrated.
“I am,” he said, though his voice came out lower than he intended.
She looked up at him then, really looked, and the world seemed to narrow to just the space between them. Her eyes flicked to his lips for the briefest second.
Her hand slid from his shoulder to rest lightly on his chest, steadying herself. Gray’s breath caught, the past two times they’d been caught like this it had been him leaning into kiss her. He hadn’t prepared for her to take a shot at it.
She was close enough that he could see every shade of blue in her half closed eyes, if he leaned forward just a little to meet her halfway–
A knock rattled the door.
“Gray? Juvia? Are you two okay?” Wendy’s voice chirped from the hallway.
Juvia jerked back like she’d been burned and blinked rapidly, cheeks flushing pink as she quickly withdrew her hand from his body.
“W‑We’re fine!” Juvia called, voice a little too high.
Gray cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Just patching up.”
“Okay, let me know if you need more bandages!” Wendy replied cheerfully before her footsteps faded.
Silence settled between them again, the new awkward silence they had been trying to get passed.
Juvia slowly resumed bandaging his shoulder, but her hands now trembled as she worked and she touched him less. Gray didn’t comment on the change.
When she finished, she tied the bandage neatly and stood back. “There. All done.”
“Thanks.” Gray nodded, avoiding her eyes.
But when she turned to leave, he reached out without thinking and caught her wrist.
“Juvia—”
She turned, hopeful, her eyes glittering and a pink blush dusting her cheeks.
He opened his mouth… and nothing came out.
He let her wrist go.
“Thanks,” he repeated, softer this time.
Juvia smiled brightly and that made his chest ache in the way it always did when she was close.
“Anytime.”
She slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with the echo of her touch on his shoulder and the realization that he’d almost kissed her.
Again.
iv.
The guild hall was freezing.
The broken heating pipes had turned the place into a giant icebox, and even the rowdiest members were huddled in coats and blankets. Gray didn’t feel it much, he rarely did, but he noticed the cold biting at everyone else.
Especially her.
Juvia sat at a table near the window, shoulders hunched, fingers curled around a mug that had long since stopped steaming. Her breath came out in puffs of little clouds. She tried to hide her shiver, but Gray saw it from across the room.
He walked over without thinking, hands shoved in his pockets. “You look like you’re about to turn into an icicle.”
“Juvia is fine. Just a little cold today,” she smiled sheepishly.
“Yeah, no kidding.”
He sat beside her, closer than he needed to. She blinked at him, confused, until he reached out and gently took her hands in his.
Her breath hitched with the contact.
“Gray…?”
“Your hands are freezing,” he muttered, rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles. “You should’ve said something.”
Juvia’s cheeks flushed pink, obviously not from the cold this time. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
“You don’t bother me,” he said quickly and felt her fingers twitch in his, like she wasn’t sure whether to hold on tighter or pull away. He tightened his grip just a little to ground her.
Her hands were small in his, icy and trembling. He cupped them gently between his palms and let a controlled pulse of warmth seep through his skin to focus his magic energy away from his hands and up his arms to make them warm. Juvia exhaled softly, her shoulders relaxing as the heat spread.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much better. You’re so warm,” she nodded, eyes half‑lidded and voice slightly slurred.
He cleared his throat, ears turning red. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?” she asked innocently.
He couldn’t bring himself to answer when she was looking at him like that, her face close, her breath cold against his cheek. Her fingers curled in his palm, holding on now, not just accepting warmth but seeking him.
She leaned in a little closer and he didn’t move away.
Her nose brushed his and his breath caught. Once again the softness of her lips just inches away, a feeling he was growing fond of and his want for her pulsed through his body.
“Gray…” she whispered.
“Juvia…” He whispered back, wanting her to know he shared the same intense feeling as he knew she did.
Someone across the guild shouted, “HEY, THE PIPES ARE FIXED!”
They both jerked back like they’d been doused with cold water, or boiling water to contrast the cold air of the guildhall. Juvia blinked, startled, her hands slipping slightly from his although he didn’t let go right away.
The moment was once again shattered, but the warmth between them lingered.
“Thank you… for warming me up,” Juvia smiled shyly.
Gray looked away, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, anytime.”
He was so ready to kiss her and he was getting closer to being able to go through with it, the constant interruptions were starting to get on his last nerve.
v.
The inn was old. Charming if you liked creaky floors, drafty windows, and a heating system that apparently hadn’t worked since the last century.
Gray didn’t care much, he had slept in worse conditions.
Juvia, however, was curled on the edge of the bed like a shivering kitten, wrapped in a blanket that was definitely too thin for the weather.
Gray sighed loudly.
“I’m fine,” she insisted, though her teeth chattered through her words.
“Yeah, you’re really convincing me.”
He grabbed the blanket from the foot of his bed, the only other one in the room, and sat on the edge of hers. The mattress dipped under his weight and she blinked up at him, wide‑eyed.
“Gray, what are you - ”
“Move over,” he muttered.
She scooted an inch.
“More.”
Another inch.
He rolled his eyes and hooked an arm around her waist to move her to the other side of the twin bed then pulled her gently against his chest when he lay beside her. She let out a tiny squeak, which he pretended not to hear.
He draped the extra blanket over both of them, tucking it around her shoulders. He could feel her entire body pressed up against his, her soft legs naturally rested over his thighs and her head was level with his bare chest making her hair tickle his jaw.
Juvia’s voice was barely a whisper. “So warm…”
“Don’t start,” he warned, though his voice came out softer than he intended.
She smiled, he could feel it against the skin on his shoulder. The room was quiet except for the wind rattling the window and the steady rhythm of their breathing. Slowly, Juvia relaxed and perfectly tucked herself against him to steal the warmth of his body heat.
Gray’s arm tightened around her without him thinking about it.
“Is this okay?” she asked, shy but hopeful.
“Yeah, this is fine.” He swallowed.
It was more than fine.
The warmth between them grew, not just from body heat but from something deeper, something that made Gray’s heart thud a little too hard. Juvia shifted slightly, turning her face up toward him about to speak.
He froze.
She froze.
The air thickened, warm and electric. Her breath brushed his mouth, soft and sweet. His hand slid from where he was holding her shoulders down to her back, pulling her just a little bit closer.
He leaned in instinctively, drawn to her like the other times they had been in this exact situation.
A sharp knock shattered the moment.
“Firewood delivery!” the innkeeper called cheerfully from the hallway.
Gray gasped and jerked back so fast the blanket slipped off his shoulder. Juvia blinked, cheeks flaming, hands clutching the fabric around her like a lifeline.
The innkeeper bustled in, dropped a bundle of wood by the fireplace, and left without noticing the tension between the two.
Silence.
Juvia peeked up at him. “I’m sorry for-”
“Don’t,” he said quickly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She smiled brightly and nestled back against him. Gray didn’t hesitate before wrapping the extra blanket around them again ready to fall asleep with her in his arms.
+1
Gray pushed the doors open so hard they slammed against the walls on the outside of the building, the Fairy Tail sign rattling above. Juvia scrambled to follow close behind, her steps light but quick, as the tension radiated off him like heat. He could hear the murmurs about his sudden exit before the doors naturally closed behind them. He didn’t look back or apologize.
Not after Gajeel had barged in right when Gray had finally gotten Juvia alone for the first time that day.
“Gray…?” she tried softly.
He didn’t answer but clenched his jaw at her voice.
“Did I do something wrong?” She tried again, gentler.
He stopped walking so abruptly she nearly bumped into him.
“No,” he said, voice low and tight. “You didn’t.”
Juvia waited, patient and steady, like she always did with him.
Gray dragged a hand through his hair, pacing a few steps away before turning to look at her. “I swear, if one more person interrupts us -”
He cut himself off, jaw clenching.
“You’re upset about… Gajeel coming over to us?” Juvia tilted her head.
Gray let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Gajeel. Natsu. Wendy. That innkeeper. The damn pipes getting fixed. Take your pick.”
Juvia blinked at the list, like she hadn’t realized he’d been keeping track of it.
Gray continued, his voice rising with every word.
“Even that damn boat at the river. Every single time I get close to you, someone jumps in like it’s a big cosmic joke.”
Juvia’s cheeks warmed, but she didn’t look surprised. She simply stepped closer, keeping her voice gentle.
“You have been trying very hard.”
He huffed out a humorless laugh.
“Yeah and failing. I can’t get two seconds alone with you without one of those idiots sticking their noses in,” he huffed out and rolled his eyes.
“I know.” Juvia nodded softly.
Gray stopped pacing. “Of course you know. You were right there, every time.”
“I was trying too.” She nodded again, calm and steady.
That hit him harder than he expected and his breath caught in sheer, pent‑up frustration.
“Exactly,” he said, voice rough. “We’ve both been trying and every time we get close, someone barges in. I’m sick of only almost getting to kiss you, I want to actually kiss you.”
Juvia reached out and took his hand.
“Well,” she murmured, “look around.”
He did. They were in an empty street. Alone with no guildmates to interrupt them and no doors to be knocked.
Just the two of them.
“We’re alone now,” Juvia whispered.
Gray stared at her, the realization hit him like a punch in the gut.
“Yeah, we are,” his voice dropped to a low, rough murmur.
Juvia stepped closer, her free hand resting lightly on his chest. “So, if you still want to kiss me…”
Gray’s breath hitched. “I do.”
He cupped her face, his frustration melting away at the simple contact.
“And I’m not letting anything get in the way this time.”
“No one will,” she promised.
He leaned in quickly to place his lips on hers, not giving so much as half a second for the universe to interrupt him this time.
Everything he’d been holding back poured into that moment, all the longing, all the almost‑moments finally breaking open as he gently moved his lips in time with hers.
Juvia leaned into him, her hands sliding up to his shoulders to pull him closer like she’d been waiting for this exact moment. He brushed his thumbs against her cheekbones, relishing in the feeling of having her so close to him.
When they broke apart, Juvia rested her forehead against his while keeping her hands firmly on his chest.
“See?” she murmured. “No interruptions.”
“Yeah, finally,” Gray let out a shaky laugh, wrapping his arms around her.