Author's Note: Sorry for the crazy-late updates, I just started university and well...I'll say no more xD
Anyway, this one is based on the Gruvia strip poker art that Mashima blessed us all with yesterday!
iv.
Rain pouring down outside, empty mugs of hot chocolate on the nearby table, and a deck of cards split between the two of them — it started out as any other quiet night in their small home until Gray suggested they play poker.
"Give up yet?" High off the victory of having won the last three games in a row, Gray crossed both arms behind his head, smirking triumphantly at Juvia who looked up from her shuffling to shoot him a pointed glare.
"Juvia will not lose to Gray-sama in the next round."
"Oh, yeah?" He grinned. "What makes you so sure you'll beat me?"
"Because," she said with a shrewd smile, "Juvia used the first few games to study her opponent very closely…"
Hearing that, he laughed, sitting up properly, keeping his eyes locked on hers. This game of poker had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
"So, you think you've got me all figured out from a couple of games? Come on, Juvia. Don't give me that."
"Juvia will prove herself," she declared, confident. "She'll give it her all and will win."
But he was confident too—confident in his ability and in his years of experience. Hell, there had even been a time where Gray had beaten Cana, Fairy Tail's very best whether drunk or sober. Playing Juvia, on the other hand, should be a breeze compared to what that game had been.
Yet, the determined glint in her eyes had him rising to the challenge with excitement. He'd seen that look many times before. It reminded him of the time he'd been up against her in the Grand Magic Games starter, 'Hidden'.
'Juvia will not hold back, Gray-sama.'
And he had known that she sure as hell wouldn't.
Nowadays, living with her, he'd come across that same expression often enough — every time he'd catch her by surprise in training, moments where she'd fight back in a game of magical Pictionary, all the times they'd take trips to the beach and race each other to the shoreline — that look made an appearance whenever they found themselves in a challenge with one another.
There was something very enticing about being up against her. It always made his heart beat a little faster in his chest, and this time was no different.
"I'd like to see you try," he told her, a playful gleam in his eyes as he took the cards from her, shuffling expertly.
"Juvia will try. 100%!"
Gray chuckled under his breath. "If anything, you'll 100% lose."
"Gray-sama, you shouldn't underestimate your opponent," Juvia huffed, taking the cards back. "You are too confident."
"You really think you can beat me after losing the last three in a row?" he asked in disbelief. "'Cause if that's the case, why don't we make it more interesting then?"
Smirking to himself, Gray leaned closer to her, both arms outstretched on either side and face inches away from hers. He watched as her eyes widened in surprise, her fingers frozen mid-shuffle, though she made no move to lean away.
One thing he knew when it came to battles was that he wasn't the type to go easy on his opponents, regardless of who they were. Another thing—Juvia was no exception to that rule.
"What do you say to a game of strip poker?"
"Eh?!" Juvia's face immediately erupted in a blush, and in all her fluster, she bumped heads with him, the cards slipping from her fingers to land in a heap on the floor. "S-strip poker—?" she squeaked.
"That's what I said. Why? Somethin' the matter?" he asked, looking down as he picked up the cards so she wouldn't catch the smile working on his lips.
Sometimes, teasing her was just too easy.
"If you're so sure you'll win, what's the problem?" Gray said, glancing in her direction only to find her eyeing the cards warily. "You're not backing out now, are you, Juvia?"
And sometimes, it was just the exact opposite of easy.
Fifteen minutes later, Gray had somehow found himself sat in his boxers opposite a half-dressed Juvia, red in the face and unsure as to whether he even wanted to win this game or not anymore.
To hell with winning, he wasn't even sure where to friggin' look.
Strip poker — he'd passed it off as an empty challenge, an offhand suggestion, a way to make her accept defeat once and for all. He was certain there wasn't a chance in hell she'd actually agree to playing against him.
Yet, there they were, battling it out, more clothes on the floor than there were on their bodies. His shirt, her shirt, his shoes, her shoes, his pants, her bra—things were scarily even.
What's worse, she'd gotten better at the game. Whether this was a result of beginner's luck or his brain blowing a fuse, he didn't know. What he did know was that his eyes kept travelling back to her without permission, and then moments later, he'd realise he was staring and the heat would rush to his face before he'd jerk his head away, back to his cards which he couldn't even make sense of anymore. They were just meaningless shapes and numbers at this point.
"Gray-sama," Juvia said quietly, her eyes flicking up to his before falling back to her card.
"Hm?"
"It's…it's your turn."
"Oh, yeah…" he muttered, keeping his eyes locked on the deck of cards in front instead of wandering up to Juvia, who had lost everything asides from the skirt around her waist and that friggin' hat on top of her head.
How in the hell the hat wasn't the first thing to be stripped off, he had no idea, but if she'd forgotten about it, that meant the next thing to leave her body would be the skirt, and Gray wasn't mentally prepared for that to happen yet.
Straining his eyes away from her, he glared at the card in his hands, the diamonds beginning to blur into blotches of red.
It wasn't like they hadn't stripped in front of each other before, damn it. It had been a month since Juvia had picked up his stripping habit during training, and after embarrassed squeals, lots of blushing followed by Gray reaching down to give her something of his to wear—only to realise he had nothing to give—they'd begun to grow used to fighting side by side half-dressed.
Heck, Juvia had even started bringing extra outfits for herself along to missions.
But there was a difference between stripping during professional situations, like training or during missions, and stripping in the middle of their living room, alone with no other distractions to keep his mind at bay. One situation would lead to a win on the battlefield, the other would lead to thoughts that Gray couldn't afford to explore right now, not when he was trying to keep his focus on the game and not her. Otherwise, he'd give himself away completely.
"Ah, Juvia's turn…"
It was the deciding card.
Sneaking a peek, Gray waited for what was like the slowest ten seconds of his life as Juvia leaned forward, one arm outstretched to pick a card from the pile, the other plastered to her chest to keep herself from coming undone in front of him.
Gray averted his gaze, his face on fire.
It had started off as any other quiet night in their small home, but took one hell of a turn. If he'd learnt anything from this, it was not to underestimate Juvia's nerve, because he was definitely paying for it now.
"Gray-sama? What card did you get?" Juvia's voice cut into his thoughts, and Gray's heart was doing laps in his chest.
Not trusting himself to look up or to say anything else, Gray simply replied with, "What card did you get?"
"Ah…" She paused. "Shall we reveal them at the same time?"
He took a ragged breath, passing a hand through his hair. "Sure…ready when you are."
It wasn't in his nature to let someone else win, and it sure as hell wasn't in his nature to take joy in losing, but when he saw that Juvia's card was higher than his six of diamonds, he had never been so ready to strip.
Gray dropped his cards on the floor, sighing in relief.
Forget manly pride; it was better this way…before all blood rushed south.
"Glad that's over," he muttered to himself, getting to his feet and dipping his fingers under the hem of his boxers, ready to do what he did best: strip. "Looks like you got me there, Juvia."
Juvia beamed at him, proud of her victory. "Juvia is in shock! She can't believe she won!"
"Me neither," Gray said, pointing to her. "And you did it with that friggin' hat still on your head too."
"Eh? Juvia's hat…?"
And before he even had the chance to process what she was about to do next, she reached up to take her hat off, her hands far away from her naked chest which was very much in Gray's line of vision.
Her win and his loss? It had all been for nothing in the end.
iv. strip poker
