Author's Note: Because all I really have time for is putting these two in silly, everyday situations, what can I say.

title: take my breath away
rating: T
summary: He took her breath away. Literally.

For Gray, hiccups were a pain in the ass.

They were a weird congestion of air that made an unmanly sound when released—unmanly? Huh, he was definitely hanging around Elfman too much—and they were always unpredictable. Sometimes they lasted a minute, sometimes they lasted an hour, all Gray knew was that they were annoying and stupid and unnecessary when they happened.

Especially when they happened to someone else, like Juvia.

"Hic," she hopped, placing a hand before her mouth. "Hic… hic—"

"Juvia," Gray grumbled, setting his pencil down and glancing at her. The two were sitting on his bed, notebooks and textbooks scattered around them. "I told you to hold your breath."

"Sorry—hic. Juvia did try—hic—but it didn't work, Gray-sa—hic—"

The girl blushed, quickly ducking her head away.

"Well try it again," he commanded.

She nodded and promptly obeyed, sucking in a deep breath and puffing out her cheeks. Her hands balled into little fists on her lap as she waited, and Gray quietly watched her for a few moments, amused at how cute she looked. She couldn't hold his gaze for long, claiming he always made her breathless, which he learned was true as she met his eyes and suddenly expelled all the breath from her in one big puff, flushing red in embarrassment.

They both blinked, waiting in suspenseful silence. So far so good… not a sound from her—

"Hic!"

Damn it.

"Juvia's sorry, Gray-sama!" she cried, flailing her arms around her. "Juvia tried again, but it still didn't work—"

"You didn't hold your breath for nearly long enough," Gray replied with a small frown. "You're supposed to hold it for at least a minute, or long enough where your lungs start to burn and feel like they're going to explode. You barely held yours for fifteen seconds."

"Eh?" she blinked. "For that long? Okay, Gray-sama!" Her eyes blazed in newfound determination. "Juvia will not fail you again!"

"Right," he mumbled, gathering his pencil once more. "So hold it for at least one minute, okay?"

Juvia zealously nodded, already in the process of holding her breath. Gray returned to his notes, reveling in the temporary silence that had fallen between them. Maybe now he could finally focus and get some studying done—

He heard her make a muffled squealing sound before the girl exhaled her breath once more, cupping her blushing cheeks and rubbing her knees together.

"Juvia," Gray said flatly, sending her a pointed look, "I said for one minute."

"Waah, Juvia's sorry! S—She was just—hic—thinking of… um…"

She squealed again, squeezing her eyes shut and squirming while Gray passed a hand through his hair. At this rate, he'd never be able to concentrate with her constant hiccups. It wasn't like he could make her hold her breath—

His face suddenly lit up, illuminated with an idea. She said he made her breathless, right? So if he used that against her…

"Juvia," he said, and she peeped at his commanding tone as he set his pencil down and leaned toward her. "Close your eyes."

Her gaze flickered to his, only for her face to flush dark at his close proximity.

"E-E-Eh?" she stammered, and he could hear her breath hitch when he reached over and tucked a loose strand behind her ear.

The plan seemed to be working; he just had to push it a little further…

"Are you disobeying me?" he asked quietly, his voice leveled as he locked his eyes on hers. She seemed to have a thing for dom and sub roles—or definitely had a thing for them when her pupils dilated in excitement.

"N-No…" she stuttered softly, her voice trembling in anticipation.

"Then close them," he ordered, trailing his fingers along her jaw while she stiffened. She squeaked and quickly obeyed, squeezing her eyes shut with her fists clenched tight in her lap.

Leaning forward, he brushed his mouth against hers, catching her soft gasp as her breath stilled in her throat and her lips slightly parted. Then he sealed the distance between them, capturing her lips and slanting his mouth over hers.

She made a small whimper against him, clutching the front of his shirt and tilting her head. He held her closer to him as he kissed her harder, nipping her lower lip before sliding his tongue inside her mouth. He could tell she was getting flustered as her hand gripped his shirt tighter and her cheek warmed underneath his palm, so he continued kissing her, gliding his lips over hers and stifling her breaths while she tilted her head to the side.

Slowly pulling away, he licked his lips, admiring the deep flush to her cheeks. Juvia steadily caught her breath, panting softly while her half-lidded eyes rose to his.

He smirked at her, a satisfied glint gleaming in his eye. "You hear that?"

The girl shook her head, reverting to her bashfulness as she tucked her chin to her chest and bit her lip.

"Exactly. No more hiccups," he stated proudly. "That's how you hold your breath for a minute."

She blinked, heat rising to her cheeks before she clung to his arm. "Ahh! Gray-sama is amazing!"

He chuckled at her, spinning his pencil between his fingers before returning his attention to his textbook. Juvia snuggled against his arm, a happy smile crossing her lips until she looked up at him and pouted.

She knew he had to study, but she just wanted one more kiss…

"Gray-sama…" she purred, sitting upright and pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek.

"Not now, Juvia," he murmured, lightly shrugging her off.

She pouted once more, gently brushing his hair back before nibbling his ear.

"Juvia—" he grunted, leaning his head away with a scowl. "Save it for later, alright?"

"But Juvia just wants—"

"I know what you want, and you'll get it later, okay? Just—let me focus for five minutes."

Her shoulders fell as she nodded in understanding, hanging her head low while his eyes scanned over the notes. Silence settled between them for a few minutes, only the sound of turning pages filling the air.

She didn't understand, he had been so keen to kiss her before. But why then? Because she had hiccups—?

She paused mid-thought, the idea striking her mind and sending an enlightened smile across her face. Of course! If she just faked one teeny tiny hiccup…

Clearing her throat, she readied her voice, closing her eyes before releasing a small—

"Hic—"

She beamed proudly to herself. That came out so perfectly! Now to wait for her beloved Gray-sama to turn his head and shift his gorgeous dark eyes to hers—

She nearly swooned upon finding his gaze already on her, his brow furrowed and the corner of his mouth tugged down in a frown.

Mustering up the cutest face she could make, she held a hand before her mouth, innocent glistening sparkles twinkling around her. "Oh," she said, "it seems Juvia has the hiccups again~"

She promptly closed her eyes and pursed her lips, trying her best not to faint when she felt Gray's hand slip against the side of her face.

This was it, he was going to give her the second kiss she wanted—

She heard his chair creak, and her hands balled into little fists at the building anticipation. But instead of leaning towards her mouth, he leaned towards her ear, warm tickling her skin as he whispered, "Nice try."

Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his knowing smirk as he leaned back and poked her forehead. She instantly deflated at her foiled plan, pouting and plopping her forehead on his shoulder while Gray resumed studying. Rolling her face on her cheek, she idly glimpsed the textbook before him, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She would just have to be patient, then…

Several more minutes passed, and whether Juvia was aware of it or not, she was mumbling under her breath. Her hand toyed with his resting against his thigh, her fingers dancing along his palm before sliding down his wrist and toying with the thin bracelet adorning it. Occasionally he would curl his fingers around her own, sweeping his thumb over her knuckles to appease her absentminded fidgeting, but that hardly placated her for more than a few moments, her hand eventually slipping from his only to play with his bracelet once more.

The corner of his mouth quirked in a small grin. She wanted his attention that badly, huh? Maybe Natsu was right, maybe he did have a soft spot for her. Even with his exam coming up—one he wasn't too worried about anyway, but it never hurt to study—she stole his focus, distracting him with thoughts of all the things he could do to her to wipe that pout off her face.

If it kept her from frowning, it couldn't hurt to take one more break…

"Hey," he called, casually rolling his shoulder. She stirred from her own thoughts, quickly lifting her head from his arm and blinking the haze out of her eyes.

"Y-Yes?" she stammered before ducking her head and pouting self-consciously. "Is Juvia disrupting Gray-sama's studying?"

He simply smirked before leaning forward and captured her lips, stifling her gasp as his mouth slanted over hers. She flushed under the hunger of his kiss, her face burning when he took her jaw and angled her lips against his. Her hands, frozen in front of her, eagerly clutched the collar of his shirt, and a small squeak escaped her upon finding herself pushed on her back, his body shifting over hers while his hand ran down her side.

He tilted his head and kissed her deeper, eliciting a soft moan from the girl as his tongue slid across her lower lip. His hand reached her hip and squeezed, and she raised her hips to his kneading palm, whimpering when he took her wrists and pinned them above her head.

"Gray-sa—hm—"

Her eyes rolled close as he captured her lips once more, making her toes curl at his ravenous kiss. She parted her lips for his demanding tongue, his teeth scraping her lower lip while his mouth moved against hers. Heat pooled in her stomach when he grunted against her, slanting his mouth and wetly sucking her lower lip before slowly pulling away.

She whimpered when he released her lips, his body shifting back and his face hovering over hers. The girl panted breathlessly underneath him, a heavy blush reigning on her cheeks while a thin strand of saliva connected their lips. Flashing a smirk that made her knees weak, he leisurely swiped his thumb against the corner of her mouth, severing the strand with a widened grin.

"We'll finish this later," he murmured, giving her a final searing kiss before nonchalantly pushing off of her and returning to his notes.

Juvia stared dazedly at the ceiling, her face burning and eyes spinning while her body functioned on sensory overload. Gray chuckled at her disoriented state, sliding his hand along her thigh and casually squeezing.

She was quiet for the rest of his studying time, too flustered to utter another word. As soon as Gray finished his studying, idly gliding his hand along her thigh while he studied, he leaned over her and kissed her, fully intent on satisfying his word.