Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima
A/N: Cliches everywhere. Everywhere. And there's nothing mutual so keep your sexiness expectations low.
He could hear her through the wall. Sheets rustling, laboured breathing, whimpering.
Juvia must be having a bad dream.
It made him uncomfortable. She was so close, but there was nothing he could do to help. It's just a dream. She'll be fine in the morning. I wonder what it's about though... maybe I should wake her up. But that could mean crossing a line that Gray did not want to cross. He'd comforted her before, sure, but only when she was right there. Actually going into her private space was another matter. He'd be purposely letting himself into her heart instead of just being invited. He couldn't pretend to be passively accepting her advances if he made a step like this.
This is stupid. If a friend's in trouble, you help them whether they ask you to or not.
Gray checked his state of undress, congratulating himself for remembering that detail. Boxers. Not ideal but acceptable. Better than buck-naked. He had a feeling that Juvia's reaction to being awoken by a naked Gray-sama would be kind of hilarious, but mostly terrifying. He left his room and took the two steps to stand outside Juvia's. He knocked on the door. Softly. "Juvia," he hissed. He was answered by a low moan. This sounds like one hell of a nightmare. He gently pushed the door open and all the blood in his body rushed to his face. Well, most of it anyway. He couldn't help but notice that some of it was occupied elsewhere.
Because there, sprawled on the bed, was Juvia. And she was not having a bad dream.
The sheets were twisted around her legs, unveiling creamy skin reflecting the moonlight that filtered through the window to highlight her curves with shimmer and shadow. Her hair cascaded like a broad brook over the pillow above her. Eyes squeezed tight, cheeks flush, mouth slack, chin tilted back, back arched, one palm kneaded her right breast, clutching it to her, covering just enough of her voluptuous globe to allow her to tease a taut nipple through her fingertips. And what she was doing with the other hand...
Shit. She's gorgeous.
For a second he was sure she'd noticed him. Why didn't she stop? "Mmm, Gray-sama..." Was that an invitation? He clenched his jaw and lifted his right foot but didn't know whether to step forwards or back. She was saying his name, but she wasn't looking at him. Hadn't once turned her head his way. And then he realised.
Of course. Juvia was in that place where love-triangles abounded, where he left her for other women, where they had fifteen children. Completely oblivious to the outside world. He shut the door quietly. She never has to know I was here. She never will. I'll just pretend that I didn't... that I didn't see... Dammit.
He'd been so careful that she never caught him, couldn't she extend him the same courtesy? All those nights of waiting with itching palm and twitching cock until he was sure that she was sound asleep. All the imprints on his knuckles and lower lip from trying so hard to be quiet so she didn't hear and get uncomfortable or worse, ideas. All the torture she already put him through and now she goes and does this. He'd been sure Juvia didn't do that. Girls didn't do that. Well, maybe some girls. But not Juvia.
He could still hear her.
Should... should I go back? Can I? I can. She was saying my name, she must want me to... no. Not now.
He was trying so hard to be a good man. He couldn't make her any promises yet and sex with her would be one hell of a promise. The ultimate promise. He couldn't give that to her, to himself, if he couldn't guarantee that they'd get to keep it.
And while he was sure she wouldn't say no to him "helping her out," he was also sure it wouldn't be how she wanted the first time to go down. Juvia was a romantic, after all.
He could still see her.
It just isn't fair.
More than her clavicle slick with sweat from training, more than that daydream of her cooking his dinner wearing only her apron, more than the entire day she'd spent wearing shorts as short and tight as any Lucy owned, this burned him. Knowing this... the fantasies come true, waiting to come true...
Well, two could play at that game.
He slid his back down the wall separating him from the naked and writhing Juvia, using her muffled pleasure sounds to conjure a sweet fantasy. Having a live soundtrack made it easier to pretend it was her velvet friction caressing his turgid length.
And this time, he did not try to be quiet.
Her dampened cry of "Ah-aaaahn G-gray-samaaaa!" pushed him over the edge and he bit out a corresponding "Juvia!"
Through the shockwaves of his orgasm, he was sure he heard a startled gasp and could perfectly imagine Juvia's eyes snapping open.
The next morning, Juvia was decidedly dazed at breakfast. Gray smirked as she poked her fork at her plate, a good three inches away from any food, and brought it up to her mouth oblivious to her failure to actually spear anything.
"Oi, Juvia." She jumped, blinking and looked left and right before realising the the query came from directly across the table. "Something up? You seem a little... out of it." He had to stifle a laugh.
Her cheeks flushed. "N-no Gray-sama. Juvia just had a very vivid... dream. Yes, a very vivid dream last night would you like some more eggs?"
The best course of action was clear. He handed over his plate and acted as if he had no idea Juvia was lying. Of course she'd assumed his voice had just been an extremely realistic figment of her imagination. After all, she had them all the time. The only thing that could tip her off was Gray's behaviour. This way, he didn't have to lie, exactly. Just pretend. Nothing's weird here. Gray's actions and words must reflect normalcy. And he played his role well. By the time she was washing up -something she did after every meal, much to Gray's bewilderment- Gray had her laughing and joking as usual, fully engrossed in the present.
It was only when he headed towards the door, planning to get a head-start on the day's training while Juvia changed into her workout clothes, that a crack appeared in the plan.
"Gray-sama, why are your underpants outside of Juvia's room?"
But as he floundered for a good excuse, she finished her thought.
"Hasn't Juvia told you not to leave your clothes lying around?"
