In Her Element
By Water Lock
The female mages of the Fairy Tail guild has a certain obsession with hot springs, so naturally they jumped at the opportunity to go whenever they could. Now Gray understood why, after so many battles and tensions. Besides, it was good for everyone to relax in the warm ponds that washed away the stress that weighted their bodies.
What Gray did not understand, however, was the desire to get drunk. It's not like the women were unaware of the consequences that alcohol brought, so why did they insist on falling under the temptation every time?! Not only did they say some questionable things, but having them in such a vulnerable state deprived the male members, themselves, falling into the arms of alcohol. After all, if the men didn't watch over the women, who would? Someone had to take care of those rowdy women.
So much to the Ice wielder's reluctance, he had spent most of the night "taking care" of a certain emotional water mage whose drunkenness had left her in a state of constant depression. She'd start crying for anything and everything, but despite Gray's annoyance with his companion's current state, he struggled to remain that way long, this much was shown when he stayed by her side, allowing her to soak his clothes with her tears. It was then that Gray decided that if there was anyone that would take care of drunken Juvia, it was him and him alone.
Many hours past with the girls in their current states: Juvia's constant cries, Erza's overbearing yells, Levy's uncontrollable laughter, and Lucy's seductive attitude. To say the least, the boys were stressed even more than before taking the relaxing baths.
Gray thanked infinitely when the blue-haired woman hugged his waist and finally rested her head on his chest, falling asleep. It wasn't until his ears were greeted with silence that he realized the others had fallen asleep as well. The ice mage had let out a sigh of relief when the room was filled only with the sound of the crickets outside and the girls' light snoring.
When Gray looked down at the woman who had her arms tightly around his waist, he couldn't help a smile that creeped onto his face. He couldn't help but notice the extensive smile on her lips that, until a few moments ago, were letting out uncontrollable sobs.
Gently, Gray rested his hand on her head and allowed his fingers to slide through the soft, bluish strands of the rain woman, the long waves disarming in his delicate caress. Taking advantage of the fact that the others were all occupied in their own worlds at the moment, with Juvia asleep and the silent reigning, Gray took the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the water mage without fear that she would tackle him with emotion.
Trying not to wake her up, the young man with black hair slowly laid back on the futon they were currently sitting on and settled into a laying position. Still asleep, the woman moved closer to him, pressing her face against his chest while Fullbuster wrapped his arms around her waist. Gray decided that, in the morning, he would deal with the hurricane that is Juvia Lockser when she found herself in such a close position with her beloved.
For the moment, though, he would take care of her in her drunkenness state.
With that last thought, the air was soon filled with both mage's soft breathing.
When Gray woke up it was still night. The light of the moon came through the large windows, bathing the room they were currently in, allowing Gray to see the silhouettes of his companions who were still asleep. However, what really caught his attention was the emptiness he felt in his chest when he looked down to no longer find the figure of the water user pressed against his body. He turned his head to both sides and sat down in his place, searching among the bodies scattered around the room for the girl with the azure blue hair.
She's not here He though with resignation, although concern for the water mage was creeping up on him too. He got up from his spot on the futon, and began looking for her to take her back to sleep.
He walked through the corridors of the inn, lifting his hand to scratch behind his head. His mind was still blanketed by sleep, and he cursed having to look for his partner at this time of night.
Why can't she stay still like the rest? He thought as he searched the lobby only to find it empy. He then tried the cafeteria but once again was met with nobody.
Don't tell me... His eyes fixed on the entrance to the bathrooms. I can't enter the women's bathroom!
If someone saw him there, he would have a serious problem. Not to mention, that there's the possibility that Juvia wouldn't even be in there. However, there's still the possibility that she could be in there. Before taking that first step into the bathroom, though, Gray remembered one more place where she could be, and it's one that wouldn't get him into any trouble.
He quickly changed course and started walking to the back of the inn where the property had an outdoor pool. It was surrounded by a cloak of neatly cut grass as well as a short wooden fence that separated it from the rest of the facilities. Small luminaries were directed to the center of the water, giving an image similar to that of a stage.
Immediately, Gray's eyes widened in surprise, his drowsiness from before almost completely gone. In the middle of the water reflecting the starry night sky, was the person he'd been looking for. He felt his mouth dry and forced himself to close his lips that had parted in surprise.
Juvia was lying on the water, floating on her back, surrounded by the element that identified her. Her bluish locks that framed her delicate face moved elegantly on the liquid surface resembling the sea waves while her pale skin sprinkled with drops that slid around her, reflecting the moonlight as well as a glow on her body. She moved slowly, delicately moving through the water, drawing her figure from the water. Gray was hypnotized by her, and although he could not express it openly, in his head only one word resounded: beautiful.
Without warning, she turned her body downwards and plunged into the depths of the pool, disappearing from his vision causing the boy to wake up from his trance and walk closer to the elegant woman. He could see her swimming below the surface with agility and grace, her curves accentuating when surrounded by the aquatic environment. Gray could see how she enjoyed being submerged, cloaked in the water, even the joy was beginning to affect himself who could not even stop watching her. Then, once again her body began its rise to the surface. Upon submerging from underneath, her hair, crushed by the liquid marking, made the perfect outline of her face, shoulders, and back. Moonlight bounced of her porcelain skin, glowing around her like a sacred halo. Her dark, blue eyes finally opened and aims their sights towards the sky, a delicate smile gracing her face.
"Gray-sama," Juvia's gentle voice came, "Do you want to accompany Juvia in the pool?" She asked although not in her normal voice. Despite the invitation being much like her normal self, her voice sounded sweeter, more serene, as if she was embracing him with words instead of actions. Gray couldn't stop himself from moving towards where she was, not really thinking whatsoever.
At some point along the way, though, he had removed his robe, leaving him only in his boxers. He lowered himself onto the edge of the pool, letting his feet sink into the liquid. Not a moment later, Juvia came towards him in gentle strides.
"The water is exquisite Gray-sama. Juvia would love for you to swim with her," Juvia said, her eyes asking the silent question.
Gray nodded in response and slid from his spot on the edge into the pool. His body was guided by her soft hands, which took him to the center of the liquid surface, floating delicately, being suspended in water.
His mind felt light, carefree. In other situations, Gray would have doubted her. He would not dare be carried away by the water mage, especially considering that she would most likely throw herself shamelessly towards him. But, for some reason, the intoxicating image of her sky-blue eyes along with her sweet voice left him defenseless against her.
Juvia smiled at him, her lips forming an almost picturesque gesture as she wrapped her thin arms around his neck. Gray hesitantly put his hands on her shoulders, a tiny part of him wanted to push her away, but instead, he left himself be carried away by this other side of him. The side that wanted to hold her tightly, so he did. He pulled her close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. He could feel the contact of their skin, softened by the liquid that covered them. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be flooded by the sensations that flowed through him.
Their bodies surrounded by water, the light of the moon bathing them from the sky, and the sound of the liquid rocking around them were the condiments that accompanied the proximity of both mages.
Gray wondered what he would do next to get away from her. He wondered how he could become distant and cold again when his own body asked him to return that intimate contact that they had. However, Gray quickly shoved those thoughts away, he would worry about it later. At the moment, though, he would just enjoy it, preventing his cowardly personality from moving away from her as he always did...
"Gray-sama," He heard her soft voice call out to him. He looked down to find her bright, blue eyes looking directing at him, not to mention her body that was leaning towards him, "A kiss...?" She asked, lifting her body slightly to bring her face to his.
Her tempting lips attempting to brush against his was the click that woke Gray up from his trance. He pushed her away quickly, his mask of rejection quickly returning to his face.
"Don't kid yourself, of course not!" he exclaimed while swimming to the edge of the pool.
"Gray-sama!" Came Juvia's sorrowful shout, "Don't leave!" She said as she began to sob, but Gray ignored her.
"Hurry up and get out," Gray said coldly, "We have to sleep,"
"But Juvia-," Juvia began but was cut off by Gray.
"But nothing. We have a long day of training tomorrow, you should be resting," He scolded her as he picked up his robe he'd discarded earlier and slung it over his shoulder. While all this was happening, though, Gray had his back turned to his partner, determined not to look at her.
He heard her come out of the pool and immediately resisted the thought of imagining her with the water sliding down her body covered only by the swimsuit, her loose hair wrapping around her figure and her eyes reflecting the night sky. He did not want that image in his head, or he would be tempted to touch her again.
The delicate footsteps he heard told him that she was already behind him, and without looking at her again, Gray started to head back to the room they shared with the rest of their companions.
"Water helps Juvia overcome the hangover," She informed him randomly, "That's why Juvia was swimming at this hour," Gray didn't respond, just nodded, "But...she's glad Gray-sama cared enough to go and search for her,"
"I wasn't," Gray responded, alarmed.
"Juvia was very happy in Gray-sama's arms," Juvia said brightly.
"Ugh," Gray responded, in a bored tone.
Without permission, Juvia takes him by the arm and clings to him tightly. Gray wanted to impose his face of displeasure that he had whenever she invaded his space, but for once he couldn't do it, allowing her to cling to him until they reached their room.
Thanks for Reading!
This is a translation of a fic that I wrote in Spanish and I wanted to share it with more GRUVIA fans. I hope you liked it!
I want to thank Ressa4043 who helped me with the corrections by making Beta Reader in this story, her advice greatly improved the development of the text.