every few days or so, i'll do a new one of these. this is an easy and fun way for me to write my favorite pairing and exercises my writing fingers. the first prompt was:

nightmare

... x

At night, she felt him fidget in his sleep.

Juvia would be jostled from her sleep by Gray's pained form, his hand gripping her waist as if to keep himself grounded in reality. She knew he had nightmares; it was hard not to with all the things he'd seen, all the dark corners in his mind. She just wished she could do something more for him than hold him steady as the storm passed.

They'd started doing real missions together, ones that would involve them being gone for days at a time. Juvia thought it made the dreams worse. She was afraid being together made taking high-risk jobs more stressful for him. It was definitely more stressful for her.

But on the night Juvia awoke with a start, hand pressed against her chest as her body jolted into a sitting position, it was something of a surprise. Her nightmares had been few and far between since she joined Fairy Tail, and she'd almost forgot the protocol for how to deal with them. Bad dreams had a way of depleting her magic in a way she didn't quite understand.

Juvia sighed when she was greeted by the dark, familiar room in Gray's small apartment. Her lover slept on his stomach beside her, arm slung lazily over the place where Juvia usually slept. She felt content at the sight, but quietly crept out of bed none the less, slowly dropping her clothes and taking soft steps in the direction of the bathroom.

This was how Juvia had learned to deal with the bad dreams that plagued her while she was still a part of Phantom Lord. She would peel off her pj's and slip into the shower, turning the water on it's coldest setting and letting it spray all down her back and shoulders. She would slowly creep the temperature up to go as far as it could go, letting her body liquidize as the scalding water warmed her from the inside out in an attempt to connect her magic with where she felt most comfortable. It was incredibly therapeutic to Juvia, being one with her element, and she'd spend hours there if she could.

When the hot water ran out and again ran cold within her body, Juvia would become solid again with her head cleared, her body feeling nourished, and her magic replenished. She took deep breaths, bracing herself for the cold air, pulling the shower door open and nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia screeched. Her arms automatically fell across her chest. Gray gave a sleepy smirk, causing a blush to fall across the water mage's face. "Juvia didn't hear Gray-sama come in..."

Gray shrugged in response. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, Juves," he chuckled, nodding at her flustered form. He offered his girlfriend a towel, which she took gratefully. "I ran it in the dryer for a little while so it would be warm."

Juvia smiled despite her embarrassment; Gray was always thinking about her like that, showing her love in tiny ways. Although her beloved wasn't one for public and obvious displays of affection, he still found subtle ways to assure her of his adoration and support. "Thank you, Gray-sama," she paused as she wrapped herself in the towel, before furrowing her eyebrows and looking up at the dark-haired man. "Did Juvia wake you?"

He shrugged again, his eyes trailing over her legs and across her shoulders. "You know I have trouble sleeping without you," he mumbled, rubbing his hand across his bare chest. "I can't make sure you're safe if you're not there with me."

Juvia blushed ever so slightly. She'd been working on keeping calm and trying not to freak out anytime Gray said sweet nothings, but no matter how calm she looked on the outside, her heart always sang quiet melodies at his perfect words.

"Juvia is sorry," she spoke. Gray shook his head, dismissing her apology. There was a beat of silence, before he sighed and rubbed his right eye.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" he didn't ask so much as stated a fact. Juvia nodded; Gray was always good at reading her. She found out long ago there was no use in trying to lie to him.

"It's okay," she assured. "Juvia is okay. She took a long shower and took care of herself."

Gray reached out for her waist and pulled her closer. He wrapped his arms around her, and Juvia blushed again as she felt every curve of her body press into him. He leaned in closer. "Wake me up next time," his voice was quiet, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke, causing chills to ripple down her neck and across her chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake. "I can shower with you and rub your back."

Juvia smiled slightly, feeling him slowly pull her towel away from her body and pressing them chest to chest. He was so warm. "Sorry," Juvia tucked her face into his neck. "Juvia was so used to dealing with them alone while she was in Phantom Lord."

Gray nodded, pressing the tiniest of kisses to her temple. "But you aren't alone anymore, Juves. I'm here. You'll never be alone again."

Her smile was breathtaking in that moment. Slowly, Gray peeled himself away from her, grabbing her t-shirt from the counter and slipping it over her head. "C'mon," he said. "Let's get back to bed."

Juvia nodded, before frowning. "How did Gray-sama know Juvia had a nightmare?"

Gray didn't answer her right away, pulling her by her hand back into his bedroom as he let out a long yawn. "Why else would you get out of bed?"