Series: Fairy Tail
Pairing: Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser
Title: Flying on Ice
Prompt: Doing Something Together (Ice Skating)
Rating: T for Teen
Word Count: 3894
AN: To the anon who requested this for today's prompt, I'm so happy you did! I've been very much looking forward to writing it. I actually cannot ice skate myself (I have no balance…) so I watched and read some starter tutorials in preparation for this. I hope everyone enjoys it!
A groggy Gray Fullbuster sat in Juvia's apartment early in the morning. He found himself in her kitchen, sitting at her dining table, at half past 6. He knew why he was at her address, but he didn't know why it had to be at such an untimely hour. But when he opened his tired eyes to see her girlfriend standing at her stove in a frilly white apron, over top her pale pink nightgown, he decided he didn't mind so much after all.
Juvia peered back at him, and flashed him a smile, before speaking up. "Juvia is very glad Gray came so early, as Juvia wished." She, flipped whatever she had in her frying pan with a black plastic spatula, "But Juvia does wish that Gray had worn some clothes on the way here. Juvia does not like other women ogling her Gray." She turned and scolded him, waving the spatula in his face.
"Wha?" Gray asked, his mind still in a fog. He looked down upon himself to find he was wearing nothing but a gray and white striped pair of boxers. He leapt up from his seat and looked back and forth around his feet.
"There is no point searching. Gray entered Juvia's apartment like that. It surprises Juvia that the matron even allowed Gray in." She informed him, and clicked off the stove.
Gray sat back down with a sigh. "I would have sworn I was fully dressed when I left this morning…" He thought about how his clothes must have been scattered outside in the cold now.
"Juvia supposes we must go shopping today." She said with a giggle.
"I don't suppose that's all you have planned for the day, Juvia?" Gray asked, resting his chin in his hand and smiling at the shining young woman.
"Nope. Juvia has many, many wishes for today." She finally turned around to Gray with a plate in hand. Upon it was a rice omelet, the egg folded over so that the rice was barely visible, and scribbled on top with ketchup, was a crude drawing of Juvia's own face. On the side were a couple of sausages cut to look like octopi. She placed the plate down in front of Gray, before coming around the table and sitting down beside him. Juvia scooted her chair as close to Gray as possible, and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"This looks delicious, Juvia. Thank you." He blessed her, and kissed her forehead, before picking up the fork next to his plate.
"Anything for Gray." She said softly, with flushed cheeks. "Happy One Year Anniversary, Gray."
Juvia was ecstatic about celebrating the first year since the couple began dating. Gray had seen her filling a pink notebook full of ideas only 5 or 6 months into the year. Now that the day had finally come, Gray was not sure if all of her plans would fit into the one day, so it wasn't surprising she had wanted to start so early.
While Gray ate, Juvia left to change into her outfit for the day. She promised she had eaten enough just preparing his breakfast.
Gray was washing his hands in the kitchen sink when the young woman reemerged in her new ensemble. Today, Juvia wore a short black dress, which fell just short of her knees, and was decorated with white lace around the edges. Underneath, she wore a thick pair of black tights, and around her waist was a white belt with a gold buckle. Over the young lady's shoulders was a white shawl with gold trim, and atop her wavy hair was a short, black, fur hat. She pulled a white shoulder bag around her left arm as she stared upon Gray with a smile.
"How does Juvia look?" She asked coyly, her head tilted away from him but her eyes locked on.
"Gorgeous, of course." Gray said, and stepped close. He wrapped his hands around her waist and leaned in towards her.
"That's what Gray always says." Juvia's dreamy eyes did not match her supposedly scornful words, and she leaned toward the man in front of her.
"That's because you're always gorge—" Gray's words were cut off as Juvia quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and yanked his mouth down onto hers. She felt him chuckle into the kiss, before taking over and backing the young woman up against the kitchen wall.
His hands wandered down Juvia's back, one hand pulled her closer, while the other travelled lower and grasped her butt. Juvia gave a gasp as he groped her ass, and he took to nibbling her bottom lip. Gray's kisses began travelling lower, down her cheeks, up her jaw, and over to her earlobe, which he nipped at softly.
"Gray… Juvia has a lot of things she wanted to do today." She reminded him breathlessly.
"God, Juvia. You started this. " He grunted in her ear with a hungry passion.
"Juvia knows." The water mage said apologetically, and allowed her hand to wander down his chest before slowly pushing the man off of her. He gave no dispute; he always wanted her but he never forced her. Juvia's finger began to trace circles on Gray's chest.
"Juvia will make it up to Gray tonight." She promised, and stared up at him with half-lidded eyes.
Gray felt a rush of blood in his face, and he grinned mercilessly—though from Juvia's teasing stare, she probably enjoyed such a gaze—and then he wrapped his arm around the young lady's waist and ran for the door with her in tow. "Let's get going then!"
Juvia let out a squealing giggle as they embarked without any more hesitation.
Some half hour or so later, Gray and Juvia found themselves at one of Magnolia's many street markets. Gray had managed to find his pants on the way out of Juvia's apartment complex, and now was only being stared at because he was shirtless in the 7 degree Fahrenheit weather. This weather was much different than it was one full year ago. From what he remembered, it was warm. Yes, warm and damp.
It had rained all day, and he stood outside without an umbrella, soaking wet, held Juvia's hands and asked her to forgive him; for ignoring her; for taking her for granted; for dying. And for ever believing she couldn't live without him. It had become clear to him, when Juvia's life was in danger, it was he who couldn't live without her. And he asked her to stay with him. Forever.
"Gray, how about this one?" Juvia's voice ripped Gray from his memories, and he found her standing in front of him, holding a clothes hanger with a dark blue sweater on it. "It is made of wool. Is Gray allergic to wool?" She asked him, staring curiously into his eyes.
Gray's muddled mind took a moment to process the question, and then he shook his head. "No. It looks great, Juvia."
"Juvia will take it then!" The water mage sang, and spun around to the sales man to pay her due. When she turned back around, she pulled the sweater right on over Gray's head. The young man popped his head out of the top hole and slipped his arm through the sleeves, before comfortably pulling it around his waist.
"This is nice." He said, "Really soft too."
Juvia smiled at him, "Juvia is glad Gray likes it." She then waved a finger in his face, "Try not to lose it before the day is over."
Gray snickered, "I'll try my best."
"Good!" Juvia flashed her pearly-whites at him, "Now let us find Gray some shoes too!"
Gray watched Juvia begin to skip ahead. "Hey, Juvia." He called out, the young woman stopped in her tracks and turned around to him before he decided to continue. "I know I'm the half naked one here, but this is our day, right? Isn't there anything that you want?"
Juvia stared back at him, and her cheeks turned rosy. She clasped her hands behind her back and nodded. "There is but… Gray has to help Juvia with it."
Gray tilted his head curiously at the young woman, "Well, yeah. I'll help all I can, but what is it?"
Juvia winked at him before spinning around and skipping off again. "Gray will find out soon!"
The young man raised an eyebrow, and then shook his head with a laugh. "Alright, then. We'll leave it for now." He sighed, and followed the Juvia down the dirt path.
Gray watched Juvia pass quite a few shoe selling stands. He would have been alright with any old pair of boots. He lost shoes all the time, they were often the second garment to go after his shirt. Speaking of which, he had already twice caught himself trying to pull the sweater off over his head and managed to stop.
But Juvia seemed to be on a mission. She wasn't just looking for shoes, that was for sure. So he continued following her without argument, until he saw a twinkle in her eye, and she leapt over to a stand being held down by a middle ages woman with icy white hair and a white trench coat.
"You have them!" Juvia chirped.
Gray couldn't quite see past Juvia's excitable thrashing to see what they were. But he heard the other woman chuckle.
"Yes. If you're looking to buy a pair for yourself, you should try them on first. It's very important that they fit comfortably or you won't have any balance." The older woman explained.
"Juvia understands." The water mage said and clenched her first, before swinging her hand back, and pointing at Gray, behind her. "Gray also needs a pair!" She informed the clerk, and then leaned in, and said in a not-so-quiet whisper, "He also needs a regular pair of shoes. Gray loses his shoes all the time."
Gray couldn't deny her words, but he still felt very confused by the current predicament.
"I see." The white haired woman said with a chuckle, "Well, we have some snow boots too if that will do." Juvia nodded excitedly. The saleswoman gave her a winning smile, "Alright then, come around the stall and try on some skates."
"Skates?" Gray questioned, as Juvia excitedly ran around the stand as instructed. As she did, she revealed what she had been fussing over: a pair of snow white ice skates, with light blue laces. "So that's what this is all about…"
Once behind the stand with Juvia, Gray sat down beside the young woman trying on skate after skate.
"These are too tight." Juvia told the clerk, who was working very patiently with the girl. She nodded and went to fetch the next size up for her.
"So, this is what you need my help with? Ice skating?" Gray asked the giddy young lady.
"Yes!" Juvia said excitedly, but then her face turned to a worried visage. What is someone important had taught Gray to skate? What is it meant something special to him? What if she shouldn't have even known that he knew how? "Juvia means um, only is Gray would like to teach her." She struggled out the words.
"I don't mind." He said, and rubbed her head softly. Her worries disappeared and she leaned into his touch. "I just don't know how you knew I could in the first place."
The water mage leaned in against Gray's side. "Juvia saw Gray, a long time ago." She said, her eyes seemed to cloud over as she drifted into her memories. "On some cold winter morning, when Juvia was new to Fairy Tail, Juvia ventured out early and got lost. It started to snow, and when Juvia thought she might cry, she head Gray laughing. And right there, on a frozen pond, Gray was spinning and gliding across the ice like an angel, on ice skates." Her eyes flashed back to the present and she looked him in the eye, "Actual ice skates! Gray made them with his magic!" Juvia explained excitedly.
Gray laughed, "Yes, I know. I remember that. I didn't know you were there, though."
Juvia grinned mischievously. "Juvia has always been very good at following Gray without him knowing."
Gray felt a chill run up his spine. Sometimes he had to remind himself: He was dating his stalker.
"How about this pair then?" The white haired clerk's voice cut into their conversation and Juvia turned her attention to her.
"Ah! These are very cute!" She cheered, and took a pair of gold skates from the woman, "And they match Juvia's outfit!"
The woman smiled at her, and then turned to Gray with a pair of black skates and a pair of brown fur-lined boots. "And these are for you to try on, sir." She told him.
Gray thanked her, and went ahead with trying on the skates. Since Juvia was excited about this, he decided buying a pair of skated instead of making a temporary ones from ice would be a good idea after all.
Gray got his skates on without much trouble, and turned to Juvia to tie her laces correctly. "Are they comfortable?" He asked her.
"Yes! Juvia is ready!" The young woman jumped to her feet, and instantly began to stumble.
"Hey! Don't try to stand in them!" Gray shouted, and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down into a seated position. He sighed in sync with her, and rubbed her arms softly. "Be careful. If you think skating in them will be hard, don't even try to walk in them." He instructed. "Take them off for now. We'll put them on once we find somewhere to practice."
"Yes, Gray." Juvia obeyed, and untied her skates again.
Gray pulled off his skates and tried on the boots he was brought. They were warm, a bit too warm for his taste, but he knew Juvia didn't want him walking around barefoot, so he decided he could deal with it for her.
Juvia stood up from his side and went to the saleswoman, paying for the three pairs of footwear. She was given a sturdy paper bag, which she walked back with and put both pairs of skates in, before putting her own shoes back on and offering Gray a hand up.
The young man gladly took it, and brought himself to his feet with a yank from Juvia. The both thanked the clerk for her time, and then marched out of the stand with their purchases.
"Do you know where you would like to go to skate?" Gray asked her.
Juvia's lips curled into a smile. "Juvia has… an idea."
"If you wanted to come here, you should have just told me." Gray said, as he marched through frozen blades of browned grass towards an icy lake.
Juvia followed behind him with a sigh. "Juvia just thought that, since she was lost when she found Gray, if Gray and Juvia got lost, they would find this lake again." She spoke what sounded more like a riddle than an explanation to Gray.
He slowed down so she was next to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, before pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.
"That doesn't make sense because I know where it is, so I wouldn't be lost." He chuckled.
"Yes… Juvia did not think of that." She admitted.
"Well, whatever." He smiled at her until she smiled back at him. "Here we are."
They stood at the opening of a small lake no more than 30 feet across. Snow from the night before was swept along the sides and corners, and brown cat tail weeds and grass stalks hung over the edges of the body of ice.
"I'm going to make sure it's safe for skating first." He told her, and kneeled down. He placed his palms down on the ice and summoned some ice make magic. Juvia watched as an extra sheet of white ice stretch from his hands and across the lake. Once the work was done, he stood up with a smirk. "There, definitely perfect now."
"Can Juvia put her skates on now?" Juvia asked excitedly.
He snickered in her direction and nodded. "Yeah sure, but don't stand up until I'm here to help you."
Juvia nodded, and then pulled her skates out of the paper bag. She then handed the bag to Gray as so he could equip his own shoes. The young man was suited with his ice skates far before Juvia, but she insisted she get them on without help, so he began to glide around the ice on his new skates, bringing back his memories and techniques.
"Juvia is ready!" She called out for him. Gray slid in her direction, and then skidded to a stop in front of her, spraying some ice flakes to his side as he did.
"Alright, take my hands." He told her, and bent down with his hands out to her.
Juvia gladly took his hands, but as he helped her to her feet, she quickly lost her enthusiasm.
Juvia leaned towards Gray and wobbled about. "Whaaa! Gray! Gray what is happening to Juvia?" She squealed in disorientation.
"It's okay, just try to stand a little straighter. If you keep leaning forward you'll fall." He told her.
Juvia tried to lean back, but her legs began to slide in opposite directions and the woman began to whine again.
"It's okay, it's okay." He promised her, "Try lining your feet up with mine."
Juvia held tight to Gray's fingers, and slowly forced her feet back together, until there were only about a foot and a half apart. She stood up straight and looked at him with a worried countenance.
"You're doing great, Juvia." He promised again, "Now bend your knees. Just a little."
Juvia followed his instructions, and felt herself begin to steady. As her wobbling came to an end, she looked up at him in excitement, and he answered her smile with his own.
"I told you so." He said proudly.
Juvia wanted to jump with joy, but she was sure she would fall right back down on her butt, so she held the urge within her.
"Okay, now, try flicking your heel back and kicking off with your toe." Gray told her.
Juvia tried to follow these instructions a couple times. The first time she just slipped to her knee, though Gray kept a hold on her arms so that she didn't fall and hurt herself. The next time she just managed to spin herself in a circle by accident, which made her queasy; Gray held her still until she was ready for another go.
Finally, the third time she put her weight on her left leg and kicked off with her right, and glided herself right into Gray's chest, pushing the man back onto the ice.
Juvia seemed shocked at first, and then looked up at him ecstatically. "Did Juvia do it?" She asked.
Gray just gleamed and nodded.
"Juvia did it!" She shouted, and then repeated the action on the opposite foot, pushing Gray back again. She kept up this pattern, as Gray kept track of steering, to make sure she didn't drive them off the lake and into the weeds around it.
Gray admired Juvia's excited features, as she pushed him around the ice, her eyes on her feet as she memorized the needed movements. She looked like a kid in a candy store; the only time he had seen her more excited was the first time he invited her into his house—though that was for different reasons.
Juvia looked up at him and she brought her feet back together, bringing them to a stop. "Juvia wants to try on her own!" The water mage chimed.
Gray inhaled sharply, "Are you sure? It's a lot harder when you don't have someone to lean on." He told her.
"Yes! Juvia is ready!" She clenched her fist, and bent her knees again.
"Alright…" Gray gave in, and let go of her arms. He slowly skated backwards until he was near the edge of the pond. He watched the young woman stand still, in the position he had taught her, and waited to watch her begin to glide across the ice. He began to worry, though, as he saw her begin to shake.
"Juvia? Are you alright?" He asked. He was about to start skating back towards her, when she shifted her weight, kicked off with her right foot and…
landed face first on the ice.
"Juvia!" Gray shrieked, and flew in her direction.
The young woman pushed herself up from the ice and sat on her knees. "Juvia was not ready!" She sobbed, and looked down at the blood dripping from her nose. "Juvia is going to ruin her shawl!"
Gray skidded up next to her and landed on his knees. He quickly undid the clasp on her shawl and pulled it from the young lady's shoulders, since her fashion did seem to be the first thing on her mind.
"Juvia is sorry!" She cried, and held onto him.
"It's okay. Don't be sorry. I'm sorry." He told her, and wiped her nose with his sleeve.
"Gray's new sweater!" She whined.
"It's alright, it'll wash out." He ran his hands through her hair, trying to calm the young woman. She wrapped her arms around him tight and buried her embarrassment in his chest. He continued to pet her hair until she had calmed down completely, and he could hear her sniffling against him.
"I haven't skated in a really long time, Juvia." He told her, thought she still hid her face. "I was really happy when you said you wanted to try. So don't push yourself. We can try again tomorrow if you want."
Juvia peered up from her hiding place to look him in the eye. "Really?"
"Sure. We'll come back every day until it gets warm again." He promised her, "By this time next year, you'll be a genius."
Juvia leaned back and rubbed her eyes, giggling. "Juvia supposes it was silly to think she could master it in one day." She admitted.
"A little." Gray laughed.
"Gray just looked so angelic that day…" Juvia peered into her memories again, "Juvia thought it would be easy, but Gray just made it look that way." She playfully punched his arm.
"Well, I taught myself when I was a kid. I've had a lot of practice." He confessed.
"Gray taught himself?" Juvia repeated, shocked by this news.
"Yeah, with ice-make skates." He said, "It turns out it's a lot easier when you use real ones." He chuckled.
Juvia giggled along with him and leaned against his chest again. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the nape of his neck, pulling herself up to his face.
"Maybe we should head home." She said, and then bent in and whispered against his lips. "Juvia believes she may have made Gray a promise this morning."
Gray felt his blood boil as a grin smeared across his face and his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Maybe we can take care of it right here." He gave a breathy growl.
"Oh, no Gray…" Juvia scolded him, "You'll melt the ice."
End