They got married that night.

Gray asked her quietly after he assured himself she was real. He wanted to be tied to her more than he'd wanted anything in his entire life, and he knew Juvia wanted the same after her traumatic experience. They decided a fancy reception could wait. So under the cover of night, with a small, private crowd of maybe ten guildmates, they sealed themselves together in the most magical way possible, exchanging quiet vows beneath the clear velvet sky. Juvia had his last name, and every bit of sorrow from the past month was temporarily forgotten as they shared their first kiss outside the cathedral as husband and wife.

Once all was said and done, Gray carried Juvia over the threshold of their apartment, holding her tight. He laid her down in their bed, and as much as they longed to be intimate with each other, they knew it would cause more harm than good with their fluctuating emotions and the damage done to Juvia's body. So instead Gray laid on his back, letting Juvia melt into his side with her head on his bare chest. A peace settled over them in the silence, relief hanging in the air and a quiet desire to never let each other go.

Gray didn't ask what happened to her, at least not right away. Erza told him very little, something very vague about a tiny dark guild with some very powerful wizards, but in the end, she, Natsu, and Lucy brought them down. Erza was firm in her standing that she would tell him nothing else; Juvia's story would come out when the time was ready.

He didn't sleep that night, but not because he couldn't. Juvia was so peaceful, so beautiful in her sweet sleep, and he didn't wanna close his eyes in fear of all this being a dream. He didn't wanna stop looking at her. He wanted to lay there and watch her back rise and fall with every safe breath he was afraid she'd be unable to take, and he held her greedily, daring someone to try and take her from him again. Gray ran his finger through her soft blue hair, vowing silently he would stop at nothing to keep her safe.

The next day was difficult; Juvia didn't wanna leave the house, despite the eager and anxious guild mates waiting to welcome her home. Gray knew the pressure of seeing all of her guildmates at once would be far too overwhelming for her. He also knew she wanted to see her friends. So he did something he'd never done: Gray opened his home to the guild. He beckoned them, two or three at a time, to come visit his wife and love to assure her absence had been a hard one, not only for him, but for the whole guild. By the time Team Natsu came over at sunset, Juvia was feeling fulfilled and loved, and that was all Gray had ever wanted. His being vulnerable in front of everyone was infinitely worth making her happy.

Erza and Lucy whisked Juvia away for a little while to the Fairy Tail hot spring, allowing Gray to fix something for all of them to eat once they got back. Natsu went out to give Master a status update on the water mage, and Wendy stayed behind to help Gray prepare dinner.

"Hey," Wendy's voice startled him slightly, before relaxing again as he cooked. "Are you okay?" she asked. Gray gave her a genuine smile, the first one in over a month, and Wendy couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm great," Gray told her, his eyes trailing over to where she was making tea beside him. There was a brief silence, before he spoke again. "Thank you for taking care of me," he said. "I know I didn't make it easy."

Wendy smiled at him, giving a tiny laugh. "You're welcome!" she told him. "But you don't have to thank me."

Gray sighed. "Still. I know you used a lot of magic every day to keep me together. It meant a lot to me. It isn't easy for me to be emotional like this."

She began pouring several cups of tea, one for everyone to go with dinner. "I just wanted to keep you in good health for when Juvia came home."

Gray gave a chuckle. "You never lost faith in her, did you?"

Wendy shrugged. "I didn't."

He nodded, hearing the front door open. "You're a really good kid, you know that?"

Wendy blushed ever so slightly as he reached over and ruffled her hair. "Gray-sama!" Juvia's voice made Gray's knees go weak, having to catch himself on the counter as she entered the kitchen with Erza and Lucy in tow. The sight of her damaged body made his stomach sink, but her small smile and pink cheeks, whether it was from the heat of the spring or seeing him, made all the pain in the world feel so small.

"Hello, my love," Gray spoke quietly as he welcomed her into his arms. That was the only nickname he'd ever given her besides Juves, and although it was one of their more private things, he found himself using it more since she'd come home, even in front of company. Gray was never one for public displays of affection, but for now at least, he wanted to show her all the love in the world. Watching Juvia blush when he said it made him happier than he could've ever imagined, pressing the smallest of kisses into her blue hair.

Natsu walked in moments later, and they all sat down in the kitchen to eat. It was the first time in a while Gray had a meal he could actually keep down, and it felt incredibly homely to surround himself with his team and his Juvia while they ate and talked and planned future missions. The best way for Juvia to return to normal was for everyone to act normal, and as hard as it was sometimes, her smile made it all worth it to Gray. He even managed to pick fights with Natsu, which somehow always seemed to make her laugh.

The team stayed for cleanup before leaving, bidding the couple goodbye and parting with assurances they'd see each other at the guild hall. Gray turned to Juvia, taking her hand and pushing her hair from her face.

"Juvia's going to go take a shower," her voice was suddenly quiet, an odd trait in the water mage. Gray nodded, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

"I'll lay out some clothes for you to sleep in," he said. "Do you need anything?"

Juvia took a deep breath. "Juvia just needs a bit of time to herself," she spoke in what was almost a whisper. "Some time to decompress. Is that okay?"

Gray nodded avidly. "Absolutely, my love," he spoke. "Just call if you need me."

With that, she turned, heading into their bathroom. He watched after her, concern bubbling into his chest.

Juvia's shower took a long while, though Gray wasn't sure if that was because he was so anxious about her change in mood or because it really did just take a little bit longer. When he finally heard the water stop he sat on the bed, waiting.

She emerged with her hair still wet and a towel wrapped around her torso. Gray looked over her bruised shoulders and wounded arms, all the way down to her cut up legs. Juvia blushed, and Gray watched her shift uncomfortably as he looked over the damage. He reached slowly, touching his hand to the towel. "May I?"

Juvia took a deep breath and nodded, dropping the towel. He took in a sudden breath; they'd hurt her so badly. A mixture of anger, guilt, and pain washed over the ice mage, his body nearly collapsing under the weight as he took in every one of her bruises, every purposeful cut. Her body was a mixture of black and blue and red and yellow and purple and Gray was shaking with how angry he was by the time he made his voice work.

"Juvia," Gray whispered. "Gods. What happened?"

... x

I'm actually having SO much fun writing this and I'm gonna write a part three so hold on to your jimmies m8 we're goin for it.