Type: Regular FT World

Theme: Theme prompt; itch.

Pairings: Gruvia

Gray walked into the guild with a murderous look on his face. As soon as Natsu saw him, he gulped and turned away to go sit with Lucy, shooting a wide-eyed look Gray's way, which the Ice Mage chose to ignore. He sat down at the bar and Juvia, who was at a nearby table watching him, noticed that his eyebrow twitched slightly as he ordered a drink from Mira.

Cautiously, Juvia walked over and sat two stools away from him. Ever since losing in the naval battle during the Grand Magic Games, Juvia had realized she was being way too clingy and took a few steps back, so she wasn't always focused on Gray and didn't obsess over him every second of every day. She had also slowly been working on talking in first person, since Lucy thought it would boost her confidence.

Gray gritted his teeth as he took a sip of his drink, and Juvia cleared her throat, rehearsing what she was going to say. "Gray-sa-" she stopped herself before finishing the -sama, and took a deep breath. "Gray, are you okay?" She silently gave herself a pat on the back for both using first person and not adding -sama to his name.

"I'm fine," Gray ground out, his shoulders tense as he knocked back his drink in one gulp, standing. "But I really must be going."

"But you just-" Gray stormed out of the guild, his eyes stormy and hackles raised. "Got here," Juvia finished lamely, sighing. Mira stuck her head over the bar, drying off a glass. "You should follow him," the whitenette encouraged, smiling. "I'm sure he'll tell you what's wrong."

Juvia frowned. "Juvia isn't- I'm not sure if Gray wants me to follow him."

Mira shook her head. "I'm sure he does! Go after him."

Juvia bit her lip, but eventually gave in. "Okay, Mira-san. Wish me luck!"

Mira waved and shouted encouragements as Juvia stood and jogged out of the guild, taking the nearest shortcut to Gray's apartment. As she knocked on the door, Juvia had to clasp her hands behind her back to avoid fixing her hair or straightening her dress. After a moment Gray answered, looking annoyed, holding a long metal spatula in one hand.

"What is it?" he snapped, making Juvia flinch. Gray tugged his free hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry, Juvia. Come in."

The Water Mage nodded and stepped past him, glancing around as Gray closed the door. He walked back towards the kitchen and gestured for Juvia to take a seat at the kitchen table. She obliged, watching him as he set the spatula down, looking like it was a dear family member who he had to say goodbye to. "I'll make some tea."

When he had finished, Gray set two blue mugs down on the table, and slid one across to Juvia, who took it hesitantly and sniffed. It smelled like peppermint, and she took a small sip. It was hot, but not too hot, and Juvia felt shivers travel through her as it warmed her whole body. She shivered with pleasure and took another sip, her mind completely off Gray for a moment, surprised by the goodness of the simple tea.

The two Mages sat in awkward silence for a while, Gray seeming to go more and more rigid each second. Finally, with a guttural yell that made Juvia jump, he flipped over the table and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! There's this terrible itch on my back, and I can't reach it, and it WON'T GO AWAY! PLEASE HELP ME, JUVIA!"

Juvia blinked at him. "That's why Gra- you've been acting strange all day?"

Gray nodded, his eyes pleading with her. "Plleeeeasseeee, I'm begggginnnnggg you! Scratch my back!"

"Um, sure," Juvia answered, a ray of happiness shining inside her that her Gray-sama wanted her to scratch his back. She shook it off. This was a normal friend thing. Friends asked each other to scratch their backs all the time. A sudden flash of inspiration hit Juvia, and she smiled as Gray tugged off his shirt. "I'll scratch your back," she said, smiling. "But only if you scratch mine, too."

"Of course!" Gray replied immediately, his tone turning pleading as he added, "Anything you want! Just, please God, scratch my back!"

Juvia giggled and raised her arms, running her nails up and down his back. "Ahhhhh," Gray moaned, in utter bliss as the unscratchable itch was finally scratched. "Oh, oh; more to the left. Yes. YES! Right there! Harder! OH MY GOD, RIGHT THERE! UGGGGHHHH!"

Outside, Lucy and Erza stood, mortified, Lucy's fist half raised to knock on the door.

"Yes. YES! Right there! Harder! OH MY GOD, RIGHT THERE! UGGGGHHHH!" they heard, making their faces redden even more.

"Maybe we should come back later," Lucy said meekly, her cheeks flaming as red as Erza's hair. The Requip Mage nodded wordlessly, and the two girls turned and scurried off, making a beeline for the guild so they could fill in Mira on this newest... development.

Needless to say, Gray and Juvia got lots of... questions the next day.