AN: I hesitated to post it as another one-shot but then I thought it could be the second part of this one.

Warnings: Set after chapter 544 for the first part of this chapter and after chapter 545 for the second part. So it may content some spoilers. You're warned.

And smut in the second part! ;)

When the war is over

It was far in the night, the dawn was close but Magnolia was full of lives.

A drink in his hand, Gray watched his comrades laughing, cheering, dancing or simply talking.

They were all okay. Injured sure, and tired, but all alive.

Even Gramps who was still arguing with Porlyusica if he could or couldn't drink booze.

Despite the noise Wendy, Cheria and Asuka were sleeping in a corner covered with some blankets. Romeo was fighting to stay awake but Gray bet he would soon join the girls into Morpheus arms.

Earlier in the night Natsu had entered in a food contest with Sting and Rogue much to Lucy despair and now the boys were dying under the table with their distended bellies while the blond stellar mage was talking with her lookalike from the past – Gray didn't get exactly who this Anna was but he didn't care right now.

He had postponed all the night but he couldn't anymore.

She was not so far, seated with Levy and Gajeel who were both very close to each other: their shoulders brushed each time one of them moved a little.

Gray watched as she laughed at something the petite blunette said causing the dragon slayer to pout (Yeah Gajeel pouted! And Gray thought he had seen strange things today!).

She was radiant.

Well, her clothes were torn and she had some scratches on her skin, not to mention the wound on her stomach. But still. She was beautiful. And so strong. And caring and … okay stop there Gray, you sound too sentimental! Argh! Put it on the exhaustion!

He gulped down his drink to give him some courage and stood up, without noticing that his shirt was once again missing.

As he went towards them Gajeel narrowed his eyes and Levy gave him a knowing smile.

"Hey…" Juvia turned towards him and he met her beautiful eyes before looking away unsure of how to present this. "Can we… hum… talk a bit? In a quieter place I mean."

A light blush on her cheeks, she nodded and followed him in a small and quiet street.

They could still hear their friends celebrating but at least the darkness was hiding the redness on his cheeks.

He faced her and his blush deepened with their proximity. He took a breath, it was probably the hardest thing he had ever done.

"So…" Gray started. "About what happened today… I mean… all the stuff with Invel… I… I'm… I was…"

Angry with his inability to formulate his thoughts, he let out a groan and ran a hand through his hair.

He wasn't good at this. Talking about feelings. Nope. Not his thing.

But she deserved his apologies.

She deserved so much more but he couldn't give her that. He thought he could but he had overestimated himself. Maybe later. For now just apologies Gray!

"Listen… What I want to say is…"

"I'm sorry."

He stared at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Juvia is sorry."

He blinked but what she said didn't make sense.

"Okayyy? Sorry for what?" He asked.

"Juvia knew you would be sad and upset but she was selfish. She couldn't see you dying in front of her. Again. She couldn't let you die. I'm sorry you had to endure the pain."

For a moment he just stared at her. Then he passed a hand on his face and groan.

"I would never be able to understand how you think." He said and let himself fall to the ground, his back against a wall. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing. It should be me."

He clenched his teeth and hid his face into his arms wrapped around his knees.

"I thought you were dead. I couldn't breathe or think. It was a nightmare. I didn't want it to be real. I beg you to wake up, to open your eyes. I know I shouldn't have left you. I should have checked for a pulse or something. But I was so broken. And at the same time I wanted to destroy everything. I was so angry."

She approached him silently and sat beside him.

"I have never been so angry before. I was angry with everyone. I was angry with Invel for his fucking spell, I was angry with me to not be able to protect you. I was angry with Wendy to not being here to heal you. I was angry with E.N.D. With Alvarez. With Zeref. And…"

He stopped suddenly, his teeth sinking into his lips. Shame overwhelmed him with the memory. He can't say it. It would hurt her.

He felt her hand lingering on his neck and then she rubbed his back in soft circles.

"Say it out loud, Gray-sama. Don't hold it inside." She whispered.

"I was angry with you!" He shouted. "How dare you do this? Taking such place in my life, growing to nakama to close friend and then… You were not allowed to leave me!"

Beneath her fingers, Juvia felt him shaking.

"It was pure rage. I almost killed Invel, I was so close… He was on the ground, bleeding, I could end his life in one move but… I thought of you and I stopped. And then, he said this stuff and the rage came back. I couldn't think straight. I wanted to hurt Natsu. If Erza hadn't stopped us, I don't know… And when you said my name, standing with Wendy's help… I… I felt so relieved. I can't put it into words. And now, I'm so ashamed."

"Don't be. You did nothing wrong."

"If you knew what I have planned to stop Zeref…"

"Not now. You tired and you need to rest. We're both alive, Gray-sama, and the rest doesn't count."

He nodded slowly.

"Thank you. I don't know how you could be so comprehensive with me.

A silent lingered for a while.

"I have to apologies to Natsu too."

"You must be very tired, Gray-sama, if you want to apologize to Natsu-san."

He let out a sound between a laugh and a groan.

Finally, he straightened his back and dried his tears with the back of his hand.

"Look… I know I promised to give you an answer but I need time to…"

Juvia put her hand on his arm to interrupt him.

"It's okay Gray-sama. Juvia can wait a little more."

He relaxed and his face softened.

"Thank you."

"Whenever you want Gray-sama."

He chuckled and raised a hand to caress her cheek. She blushed with his gesture and he smiled.

"I can't give you a straight answer…" He murmured as he leaned a little. "But maybe, I can give you a taste of what it could be."

She closed her eyes as his lips met hers.

It was just a brush of lips but it held so much feelings. Hope. Tenderness. And some regret too.

But a soft warm enveloped them and Gray felt an awful weight lifted off his shoulders.

When they broke the kiss, he plunged his face into the crook of her neck.

"Can I stay like this for a moment?" He asked, his voice muffled against her skin. "I feel a bit sleepy."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair as he fell asleep.

She didn't know if their relationship would change when the morning would come, but she was happy just to be able to hold him in her arms.

###

"Your body… maybe it should be mine."

His somewhat confession was still in her mind as she lay down on his bed and with him on top of her, only in their underwear.

He kissed her eagerly while his hands caressed her sides, then her waist, her hips and then her thighs.

He drew back and knelled on the edge of the bed as his hands ran on her legs. Gently he raised one of her leg in the air. Eyes locked with hers, he smiled at her before letting a path of kisses on her ankle, her calf, her knee and ended on her inner thigh while his left hand still stroked the other leg. She moaned as he bit lightly her flesh and he grinned against her skin.

He glanced up at her with her pink cheeks, her bangs falling on her eyes and her mouth half-opened, panting softly. He leaned and kissed her navel, the scar on her belly, the valley between her breasts, her cleavage, her neck, her jaw and finally her lips.

"You should stop stripping in front of other men. Especially Gildarts and the two old men." He whispered an inch away of her lips.

She chuckled a bit. "If the result is to have Gray-sama on top of her, Juvia doesn't want to stop."

He grunted and kissed her greedily, letting her breathless.

"But Juvia is curious. Are you jealous?" She teased him between soft pants when he started to kiss her jaw.

He groaned and lifted his head to look at her in the eyes.

"Maybe." He admitted, a light red coloring the top of his cheeks.

Her heart melted with his gaze, bright and caring, but also with a deep desire inside. She grabbed the back of his head to pull him down and she kissed him hungrily. Then she pushed him gently on his back and straddled him without breaking the kiss.

She ran her fingers against his collarbone, his broad chest and his muscular abdomen, tracing lines with her nails sending shivers along his back. She kissed his chin, then his neck, sucking at his pulsing point until he moaned, and then she kissed down his torso and he buried his hand in her hair when she licked his nipple.

Her hand went down his stomach and slipped under the edge of his boxer. He gasped and bit his lower lip when she started to stroke him.

She went up again and kissed him. His hand went to her neck to press her mouth harder against his, deepening the kiss, pushing his tongue inside her mouth. His fingers brushed the crook of her neck, her shoulder, the smooth skin of her back and stopped to her bra. A second later, he had unhooked her bra and threw it away.

His hand followed the curve of her hips and the underline of her breast. He cupped the soft mound and teased the erect nipple with his thumb. She moaned and rested her head against his shoulder, her hand still active inside his boxer.

When he felt his limit approaching he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, pushing her back onto the mattress, her surprised cry immediately muffled by his mouth.

"My turn." He murmured against her lips.

He buried his face into her neck, tasting the sweet skin with the tip of his tongue while his hands massaged her breasts. She moaned louder and he went down to kiss her collarbone and then the top of one breast. He captured the nipple with his hot mouth, licking and sucking, eliciting low moans from the blunette mixed with the sound of his name.

His hands roamed her thighs and her ass, and then he parted her legs with his knee and stroked her inner thighs.

"Gray-sama…please." She pleaded him.

He took off her panties and she gasped in anticipation. With a smirk, he put his hand between her legs and touched her. She squirmed and she raised her hips to get more friction and he obliged her, dipping his fingers into her. He lifted his head and looked at her flushed face, eyes closed and mouth opened in ragged breaths.

Gods. The sight of her in this state was so addicting.

He pressed his thumb harder against her clit and her back arched as her moans became louder. His eyes were glued to her face, watching her whimpering and crying his name. Finally, her body tensed and she screamed as the pleasure consumed her.

He rested his weight on his elbow, his eyes still on her, licking his fingers clean. Opening her eyes, Juvia smiled at him and raised her hand to caress his abs again. He leaned and kissed her and she tasted a bit of herself on his tongue.

She ran her hands along his back, going up to his shoulders and then she put her palms against his chest. She felt it rising with each breath but she could also feel deep beats inside his chest.

"Your heart beats fast." She whispered when they broke the kiss to regain their breath.

He smiled and put his palm in cup under her left breast.

"Yours too."

"It has always beaten like this for you."

His eyes widened as his heart clenched and pounded hard in his chest.

That was too much. His limit had been reached, he couldn't hold it longer.

He rolled on the side of the bed, took off his boxer and grabbed a condom.

Some seconds later, he was again on top of her. He leaned again and kissed her fervently, making her moan.

He positioned himself at her entrance, and with another kiss he entered slowly.

They looked in each other eyes for a moment, savoring this instant, and then he started to move.

She whined beneath him, as she raised her hips to meet his trusts, grasping his back and pressing her naked chest against his.

He was still mesmerized by her face as she moaned his name, with her hair spilled against the pillow.

"Juvia." He murmured in a loving way and a whimper escaped her lips. "Look at me."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him. She met his intense gaze and the look in his eyes, dark with lust but also so loving, holding all the feelings he couldn't say, made her chest tightened. She raised a hand to his cheek, touching it gently. He grabbed her wrist and kissed her palm, before he intertwined their hands and pinned them above her head.

His pace increased, and her head fell back against the pillow, her mouth wide opened in a loud cry. He moaned as her nails scratched his back, the pain mixed with pleasure. He plunged his face into her neck and sucked avidly her skin.

She grasped the back of his hair and pulled him up to kiss him, nibbling his lower lip. He groaned into her mouth and his hand went down to cup her breast. He squeezed making her moan loudly, as the white heat inside her heightened. With a particularly angled trust, something exploded inside her and she was sent over the edge. She fell limp on the mattress, gasping for air.

"Gray…" She whispered while she rode the last waves of her pleasure.

The love in her voice echoed with something in his chest and he shuddered as he hit his release. He fell on her, capturing her mouth in a desperate kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as they tried to catch their breath. Then, he rolled on his side, his arms still around her.

He rested his forehead against hers, delicately brushing aside some blue hairs stuck on her skin and he looked her in the eyes.

She smiled tenderly and he leaned, brushing their lips in a sweet kiss.

With their mingled body pressed against each other, breaths mixed, arms interlaced and legs tangled, they fell peacefully asleep in each other arms.

She was his.

He was hers.

Right now they couldn't be happier.

END

AN: So my very first attempt to write a complete lemon. So I really hope it's fine.

Did you like it? Hate it? Let me know with a review! :)

Also, we don't really know if Gray and Juvia were together before chapter 545 or if it was Gray's answer and then they were in a relationship. Personally, I think they were seeing each other before this chapter and Gray was just saying he wanted to officialize their relationship. But well, Gruvia is canon ! :D Yeah!

And thank you to all who reviewed, followed or favorited the first chapter!