Drip-drip-drop.
That was the only sound she could hear as she stood thunderstruck, gawking at the sight before her. Drip-drip-drop.
Juvia can still remember, even to this day, the cool peppermint scent of Gray Fullbuster's cologne. The way his eyes sparkled with what Juvia supposed was joy when she agreed to accompany him to his house at the beginning of the year. That house... The place where it all began.
-x-FLASHBACK-x-
Gray had held her hands, his large hands enveloping her smaller, delicate ones. He had said, in a tone as serious as Juvia had ever heard, "Juvia. Do you know what friends with benefits are?" Juvia had felt a cold shock travel down her spine. "No, Gray-sama. Juvia does not know, although Juvia has heard the men at the guild speak of it. Please, Gray-sama, please tell Juvia!"
"All it is, is two friends who love each other enough to share a bed. They relieve their sexual desires through each other. See? Friends... With benefits. I want you to be my friend with benefits, Juvia." Gray explained in that serious tone, though his eyes sparkled. Juvia thought about what Gray had said, and raised her objections. "But Gray-sama, a relationship based on sex is hardly a relationship..."
Gray snorted and chuckled a little, before saying, "No, Juvia. You misunderstand. Not in a relationship - just friends who have sex when they want to. No strings attached. Don't overthink this, Juvia. I want to make love to you. Don't you want to make love to me, too?" He caressed Juvia's face and kissed her gently on the lips. "This is the only kind of relationship I can see myself having. Be my friend with benefits, Juvia. Be the hero who can ease the pain brought on by lust. Who knows, perhaps in time, I will be able to fall in love with you."
That cinched the deal for Juvia. The chance at having Gray-sama fall in love with her was not one that she would risk losing, even if it meant he would use her for her body until that time. She leaned forward and kissed him. He pulled her upwards and trailed kisses down her neck, untying the ribbons that held her dress together.
"In the hopes that Gray-sama will love Juvia, Juvia will do this."
-x-END FLASHBACK-x-
They had continued on that way for over 7 months. 7 long months of Juvia being called on at any hour to satisfy Gray's desires. Juvia did not mind this - it gave her an excuse to hold Gray-sama, an excuse to kiss him and an excuse to think of him as 'hers'. 'Friends with benefits' was a difficult concept for Juvia to grasp. She couldn't understand why she wasn't enough for Gray-sama - why he still went on countless dates with other girls, bringing them to his bed. He never kept these girls for longer than a week.
Juvia recalled the time she had drunk too much and kissed Natsu by mistake. The icy fury in Gray-sama's eyes was enough to sober Juvia and make her regret ever starting a conversation with Cana. He'd pulled her roughly by the arm into a dark, secluded corner and hissed, "What do you think you're doing? You're MINE." Blinded by the ecstasy of belonging to Gray-sama, Juvia ignored his double standards and hypocrisy, choosing instead to focus on the feel of his hard body against hers.
Juvia can see Gray-sama's cruel actions clearly. Glancing around with horrified eyes, Juvia notes the discarded underwear and the tell-tale stench of sex in the air. Reclining lazily on the bed is Gray-sama with Lucy clasped against his chest. Chest heaving wildly, head spinning, Juvia stammers out, "Why, Gray-sama? Why is Juvia not good enough?" Gray-sama's eyes lock onto Juvia, seeing her evident emotional turmoil. "Because I love her." At that, Juvia shrieks and collapses onto the floor, sobbing as if her heart had broken.
She looks up and sees Gray kissing Lucy on the forehead before extracting himself from the jumble of blankets on the bed. He stands before her and holds his hand out. Juvia deperately wants to grab it - wants to hug Gray-sama close and never let go, wants to kiss him, wants to call him hers - but she knows she will only get hurt if she does. She forces herself to stand up, leaning shakily on the door frame and looking at the hard wooden floor. "Juvia does not believe we can be friends with benefits any longer, Gray-sama. Juvia only said yes to get Gray-sama to love her, but Juvia sees now that it will never happen."
Juvia says these words and feels her heart break at every syllable she chokes out, but she knows it is for the best. Perhaps, in time, Juvia will find a man who loves her uinconditionally.