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Inform the Rain Woman, Gray-sama!
A Gruvia One-Shot
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Gray Fullbuster opened his apartment. Upon opening the door, he quickly pulled out his key from the door hole and placed it on a wooden table located near the door.
The ice mage had never thought of coming home to a clean apartment. He was used to his apartment with scattered things around. However, ever since the presence of a certain water mage in his household, it remained spic and span, just like hers.
His eyes roamed around the common room, looking for a sign of the rain woman. He was so sure that the woman would be waiting for him, just like before.
"Juvia," he called her name as he treaded his way to the kitchen. Lingering in silence, he called out her name once again. "Juvia."
He looked for her in the room near his kitchen. It used to be his garbage room wherein he shoved everything uneaten and unnecessary. When he opened the door, it was a utility room with well-maintained wooden cupboards filled with his booze and cooking ingredients. He could not help but create a small smile on his lips. It was Juvia's idea to clean the room and turn into such a useful space.
There was no presence of the water mage inside the utility room. He closed the door and shifted his gaze towards the only room remaining – his bedroom.
"Oi, Juvia," he called again. He slowly walked to the only room left. He opened the door and saw strips of clothes.
In just one look, he knew the owner of the clothes upon entering the room. Dark blue dress, Russian hat, black stockings – he was so sure that they were Juvia's. Piece by piece of her clothes led to the door of the bathroom. He closed the door behind him.
He could hear the water from the other room. Before he could even approach the door, it swung open.
From the opening, the rain woman came out with a towel wrapped around her slender body. Her blue hair, wet from the shower.
She stuttered in surprise, covering her lips with both hands, "Gray-sama!"
"I've been calling your name," he sighed as he sat on the bed.
"Juvia feels sorry," she answered as she pulled another towel from the drawer near the bathroom door and placed on her hair, "Juvia did not hear you from the bathroom."
Gray asked, "enjoying my bath tub? Shouldn't you wait for me?"
The rain woman remained silent as she gracefully tiptoed her way to a chair located near the ice mage's bed and sat in a princess-like manner. She started patting her hair with the towel.
Gray frowned. He was expecting an immediate reply from the water mage. He had already proven how attentive and responsive Juvia is yet the current situation failed to conform to his previous experiences.
"Juvia?"
Juvia remained silent. It was as if she was not hearing anything. She continued to dry her hair with the towel.
"Weird woman," Gray immediately lost his patience. He stood up and removed his white coat. He hung it on a hook behind the door of the bedroom. He also removed his turtle-neck shirt and pants, leaving him with his underwear.
He watched the water mage's reaction with his peripheral vision. He was so sure that this would get the woman's attention. It was also a proven tactic of the ice mage to get the water mage's attention: stripping. However, it was also proven ineffective for the current situation as Juvia did not even give a glance at him. The rain woman folded the used towel and placed it carefully in a clothesbasket nearby.
The ice mage scratched his head in confusion and murmured to himself, "this is weird."
He continued to watch the fairy mage as the latter let go of her towel, dropping it on the floor, and started wearing her undergarments.
Gray found himself mesmerized by the woman's slender body. For him, her body was like of a goddess's. He could not help but thank whoever taught the water mage to wear unflattering thick clothes during quests. The clothes definitely gave justice on hiding her beautiful physique. It gave the ice mage a certain safety net that Juvia would not be noticed by Jason of Weekly Sorcerer. He could feel a constriction around his heart every time he would imagine the water mage wearing skimpy clothes and posing for a magazine.
"You may now stop staring at Juvia, Gray-sama," Juvia answered stoically as she started buttoning up her dress fresh from the drawer.
"I am not staring at you," Gray muttered, shifting his gaze towards the floor and started changing clothes as well. He changed the topic by asking, "what is for dinner?"
It had been a custom that every time he would come home from a quest, she would cook something for dinner – usually his favorites.
"Juvia was not able to cook something for Gray-sama," she answered seriously, "since Juvia will go outside."
"At this time?" Gray looked outside the window. It was already pitch dark. He had already changed into something comfortable – a shirt and a pair of shorts. "It's already evening."
"Quest," Juvia answered as she pulled out the piece of paper from her pocket and showed it to the ice mage. It was a quest with 50,000 Jewels as reward, "Juvia will catch the last train to Acalypha."
She walked right past him. This made the ice mage pissed off. Before the water mage could even open the door, he placed his hand on door, stopping her from opening it.
He blurted out, "what is the matter with you, woman?"
"Remove your hand on the door, Gray-sama," the water mage threatened. Something in her voice reminded Gray of the Juvia back in her Phantom Lord days, "kudasai."
"Then, tell me," Gray murmured near her ear, "why are you avoiding me?"
Without answering the ice mage's question, Juvia transformed her left hand to whip-shaped water and then attempted to attack the fellow guild mate. Gray felt the sudden transformation of the water mage's hand and quickly made a big leap backwards, dodging her attack.
"What the hell, Juvia!" Gray shouted, "are you trying to kill me?"
"Not really, Gray-sama," she answered, facing him. Her deep dark blue eyes elicited the same piercing gaze that she had when in a serious context. "Juvia only wants Gray-sama to remove his hand on the door."
"I was just asking why you're going out this late," Gray defensively stated, "you don't usually leave this late."
"Water Slicer!" Juvia muttered seriously as she summoned sharp streaks of water towards the ice mage. The latter was able to dodge the attacks; however the headboard of the bed did not survive the attack. It was cut into three unequal parts.
"Well," Gray smirked, "at least you'll no longer complain on how every time we do it, your head always hit the headboard."
"Not funny, Gray-sama," Juvia said as her eyes widened.
"Oi, Juvia," Gray was already pissed off as well. He unconsciously removed his shirt, "you're leaving me with no choice."
Juvia smirked upon hearing Gray's pissed off voice.
"Ice Make: Lance!" He summoned spear-like ice towards the water mage. Juvia had only let out a "ha" before the icicles went through her water-like body. Gray's attack went straight to the door, leaving holes.
"Did Gray-sama forget?" She recalled, "Juvia is water. Shin shin to."
"Kuso," Gray cursed, "I defeated you before; I can easily defeat you again."
"Is Gray-sama losing his patience?"
"I have no idea why you are so into me in this aggressive way, Juvia," Gray answered in confusion, "but I prefer the other aggressive way."
"Gray-sama hentai," Juvia muttered, creating another round of water slicer towards the ice mage. The freeze maker dodged the attacks by tumbling his way towards the back of the water mage. Juvia's attack went straight to the bed, wrecking the bed in half.
"Juvia," he called her name from behind, "you always leave your back defenseless."
He wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his nose under her dark blue wavy hair. Her hair whiffed up a sensation inside the ice mage's nose – a combination of bergamot, mint and fresh water.
"You have no idea how excruciatingly difficult the one-week quest was," he murmured. Juvia's eyes softened upon hearing his voice. She lowered her head and murmured back, "Gray-sama."
"Is this how you will welcome me?" Gray asked, "I've been away for a week."
"That is the problem, Gray-sama," Juvia faced him. Her body was an inch close to his. Her gaze went straight to his dark blue eyes, "you went on a one-week quest."
Gray swallowed then Juvia continued, "without telling Juvia."
"It was a spur of the moment," Gray apologetically said, "The reward is 350,000 Jewels and I never thought that it would last for a week."
"Gray-sama did not even think that Juvia would feel worried," she answered back, "Cana told Juvia that the next time Juvia sees Gray-sama, she should punish him."
"That card bitch," Gray cursed, rolling his eyes on one side.
"Cana told Juvia to give Gray-sama a silent treatment," Juvia continued. She swallowed before adding, "and to make Gray-sama feel the wrath of a water mage."
"Why do you keep on accepting advices from that old hag," Gray placed his hand around her waist and pulled her closer, "she really should get a man of her own."
"Like Laxus-sama?" Juvia asked, looking at him with her moist dark blue eyes.
He asked, frowning again, "and when did you start calling Laxus with such honorific?"
Juvia made a small opening with her lips, trying to muster sentences to defend herself from the ice mage yet she failed to produce a sound with her mouth.
"That honorific term is for me," Gray, obviously annoyed, said, "and solely for me."
He pulled her head closer to his chest. Juvia could hear the beat of his heart. There was different with the thumping of his heart – it was rhythmically fast like the pitter-patter of the rain during monsoon.
"I'm sorry if I made you worry," he murmured then kissed the crown of her head, "all my life, I've never done such a thing – informing someone about my activities."
"Gray-sama," Juvia started, "you need a shower."
"I haven't taken a bath for a week!" He laughed as the water mage pushed him away. "I camped outside the forest, waiting for the bandits. I never thought that it would last for a week."
Juvia walked towards the drawer and pulled out a towel. She threw it to the ice mage. The latter caught it mid-air.
Gray pulled Juvia towards the bathroom door while he said, "maybe you should accompany me."
Juvia yanked her arm from Gray's grasp and answered, "oh no, Juvia will not accompany Gray-sama."
"What the," Gray was surprised to hear the rain woman's refusal, "and I thought we already made up with each other."
"Oh, Juvia will still push through with her quest." Juvia giggled evilly as she paved her way through the icicle-riddled door, "Juvia is punishing Gray-sama for not informing her. This would teach Gray-sama a lesson."
"Kuso," Gray cursed under his breath.
"Gray-sama," the rain woman added, her head peering through the opening, "Juvia will clean this room right when she gets back from the quest."
The water mage closed the door and then Gray looked around. The room was definitely a mess. The door had holes. Splashes of water and piles of clothes were scattered on the floor. His bed was definitely something that can no longer be used.
"I guess, I have no choice but to sleep on the couch for tonight," he sighed as he scratched his head and entered the bathroom.
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FIN
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