Chapter 11: Some like it hot

She was an idiot.

She kept repeating that since Lucy's party.

Gray had been about to kiss her and she had pushed him. What an idiot!

But she was making progress, right? Gray was starting to have more feelings than friendship. Juvia was sure he wanted to kiss her that night. He was drunk but… it should mean something, right? If he wasn't feeling something deep inside, he wouldn't have tried to kiss her, even drunk. It could not be just lust, right? Gods, she hoped it wasn't just lust and drunkenness.

She sighed. Did she really do the right thing when she pushed him? Sometimes, like right now, she regretted. If she had giving in, she would have finally kiss Gray, and maybe more. It would be a dream come true.

But the next morning, surely, he would have been angry and their relationship would have taken many steps back.

Yes, she did the right thing.

She turned on her bed and muffled her frustration in her pillow. She did the right thing but it was hard.

The last weeks before summer had been a little awkward. She didn't avoid Gray but they lost a bit of that balance they had. It was not something too out of normal, just weird glances and topics of conversation staying neutral, and Juvia was sure the others didn't notice the mood around them. They were all too concerned by exam results and departure for summer break. Before the first days of July, most of her friends had gone to their family or to holiday destinations.

Beside Juvia, the only ones remaining were Natsu, because his brother was currently travelling for business, and Erza. Juvia did not inquire the red-haired for the reasons, but the only time she dared to ask about Erza's mother, she figured out it was a complicated relationship.

Jellal had also stayed but was busy with his traineeship at the astronomical observatory as junior, and he didn't have so much free time. But his little sister had come a few days ago and with her kind heart, Erza proposed to take Wendy with them to the beach.

"Juvia!" Erza called her with a light knock on her door. "Are you ready? We still have to pick Natsu and then we head for the station."

"'Coming, Erza-san!" Juvia jumped to her feet and collected her luggage, giving one last look around to check if she had forgotten something.

After locking the dormitory, the three girls went to Natsu's place where Erza shouted after the boy who hasn't started to pack. As a red tornado, the woman squashed every clothe she found in a bag, did the same with hygienic product and in less than fifteen minutes – just the time for Natsu to recover from the beating – his luggage was set. Meanwhile, with tuna, Wendy and Juvia had convinced Happy to enter the cat box.

As he did not want another hit on his head, the pink haired man didn't complain until the station, but as soon as they get on board to Akane, his face turned green.

"Are you feeling alright, Natsu-san?" Wendy asked but his answer was an indistinct grumble.

"He has motion sickness." Erza explained. "I can hit you harder, so you'll be knocked out for the rest of the travel." She proposed that solution in a kindly way but Natsu didn't looked appealed and the two blunette sweatdropped.

"I also have transport sickness and I take pills against it. You can try it, Natsu-san." The little girl offered to the man relief.

Fortunately, the pills were effective and they all enjoyed the train trip.

Juvia was willing to attain their destination as she was going to see the ocean for the first time. She just hoped that her friendship with Gray would not be odd anymore.

###

The station was full of people. With the sun and the crowd, it was too hot inside and Gray chose to wait outside. He leaned against his car to wait and enjoy the short time of quiet before it last.

Most people found holidays relaxing. Gray wanted to laugh hard. His were all but relaxing.

First when he was at his hometown, his cousins had invited themselves in his father house and immediately Lyon was asking about Juvia and it all went out of hand. Gray could not say a word because Meredy went on and on about how Juvia was wonderful and Lyon was agreeing and saying stupid things about love, fate and soulmate. And then Ultear said how she was grateful to Juvia who must be a heart of gold and the man she loved should be lucky. It seemed to strike Silver's interest and he asked more about her.

Why the members of his family were all so fascinated by this girl? Even his father who had not seen her yet seemed engrossed by the description of the blue haired girl and talked about coming to the campus to see her. He never came to see his son!

Gray sighed. What's with this girl? He didn't get her.

After Lucy's party, when he had woken up - with a hell of a thumping in his head – she had already left like most of the guests. And when he had sobered up and collected his memory, he had first felt ashamed by his behavior and had been grateful to Juvia to have push back his drunk advances. But later, he found it weird and his mind was a mess again. Why did she reject him? Wasn't she supposed to be crazy about him? She said she liked him, right? So, why did she not take the chance?

Was she giving up? The thought had sent something cold in his insides. She had been different for some months now, and there was the Valentine's chocolate issue that still bothered him, so perhaps… No, there's no way she'd give up on him. She still made presents for him, still looked daydreaming sometimes, still blushed around him, and he was certain she had looked at his lips when he was about to kiss her.

Gray shook his head to dismiss the memory. Why did he care so much about her giving up anyway? It was a good thing. Right? That way he could not give her false hope being nice and friendly. Still, it kept whirling in his head and he did not know how to act around her.

Fortunately, before summer she had to work full time at the bakery and they didn't spend much time together so he didn't look too weird. But at the same time, it did not help to find where she stood.

He even tried to ask Loke for advices, that showed how much he was lost.

"There. It's all packed." Loke crashed on their couch beside the black-haired man who watched a match.

"Don't bring back diseases." Gray warned him. The womanizer had planned to spend each week with a different girlfriend. "Or I'll chase for a new roommate."

"Don't worry. I had six boxes of condoms with me." Loke winked.

Gray made a quick mental math and concluded that if Loke used one a day, he would still have half of them left. "Urgh… I don't know how you don't collapse from exhaustion."

"Ah, don't be jealous." His friend smirked and earned a tssk.

"Hey Loke…" Gray said after some time.

"Humm?" Loke mumbled, focused on the cheerleader on the TV.

"Say, if a girl pushes a boy she likes when he's trying to kiss her… what does that mean?"

His friend turned his head with a brown raised. "Well… that she did not want to be kissed."

"No, duh." Gray rolled his eyes. "I mean why did she not want to when she had a crush on him? She probably dreams about it so why did she push him?"

"Humm…The guy must have done something before and angered her."

Gray thought quickly. "No… She was laughing with him just before."

"Said something then."

Gray shook his head.

"He's ugly perhaps?" Loke restrained a smirk when his friend glared at him. "Okay… his breath could smell very bad or he had something disgusting on his face."

"Loke, please, be serious!" Gray huffed, hiding his concern about the last possibilities.

"Okay, okay… I was just listing the most probable causes. If the girl really likes the guy, then it's probably because he didn't choose the right time."

"The right time?"

"Yep. The right time."

"What's the right time? Or the wrong time?"

Loke had a smile very similar to Mira's then. "That, my friend, is a knowledge you have to learn by yourself."

Fuck Loke and his girl expertise! The man didn't want to tell more after that and left an hour later for his love road trip. Gray should have asked Lucy or Levy instead, but the girls were clever and would probably drown him with questions to fulfill their curiosity and the gossip matter for the next semester.

Gray was stirred out of his thoughts by the arrival of the blue haired woman and their friends, Natsu being much more energic than usual after a train trip. His eyes met hers and she smiled sweetly at him. Nah, no way she was moving on. Not when she was blushing like that…

"Hey freezer butt." Natsu greeted him, his brows furrowed. "Didn't know it was a nudist beach."

"What?" Gray frowned and looked down. "Shit!"

Erza shook her head as she covered Wendy's eyes while Gray collected his clothes. They put their luggage in the trunk and get their seat inside the car, Juvia being on the front beside Gray.

"It's so beautiful!" She exclaimed some minutes later, as she watched the white sandy beach and turquoise water shining with the sun.

"Yeah." Gray agreed. "It's a bit too hot for my liking and too much people there, but near Lucy's house, there a secluded spot with less people, so it's fine."

"When did Gray-sama arrive?"

"Yesterday evening."

"So Gray-sama and Lucy-san were alone until now?" Was it just him or there was an icy tone under her apparently innocent question? His guts did a loop. If she was jealous, there's no way she was giving up!

"No. Levy, Jet and Droy have been there for two days." He felt her relaxed then. "Don't be sick in my car, Fire breath!" He said as he looked in the mirror and saw his friend opening the window.

"I won't!" The pink haired answered with a large grin. "Wendy had miraculous pills! I just want a sniff for Happy. Look buddy! Your fish comes from here."

"Like your stupid cat understands what you're saying."

"Want to fight, Iced ass?"

"Boys." Erza used a low but firm tone that stopped the two immediately and they behaved until Lucy's mansion.

Juvia was glad to meet all her friends but felt a bit uneasy with the size of the house. Wendy was sharing her room with Erza but the others had their own room! From her window, she had a view of the garden bordered by maritime pine and a narrow lane toward the sea on the left. She smelled salt, herbs and tree resin aroma into the air and some of her stress decreased. It was like a promise; no raincloud to ruin what she finally had.

To celebrate the beginning of their holidays, they all shared a meal of fresh grilled fish with mixed salad and lemonade before heading to the beach.

Juvia opened the sunshade and then she spread a towel under its shadow. She had put on sun cream before changing into her swimsuit and she planned to tan a bit, but since it was just after noon, the sun was hard and she did not want to burn.

Then, she undid her pareo and sat on her towel. She felt a bit too exposed with the swimsuit, but maybe with that, Gray would notice her. Juvia could not help but compare herself with the other girls. If she was honest, Juvia found herself cute with her purple polka dot swimsuit but Lucy, who chose to sit next to her, was a model level in her white bikini that enhanced her form, while, even with a simple black swimsuit, Erza radiated strength and womanly. And Levy was lovely with red and white striped swimsuit.

And her Gray-sama was so handsome in his black trunks. She let her eyes trailed on his broad shoulder, his firm pectorals, his well-defined abs… She looked up with a blush. She sure would not mind if he stripped during the day. She felt a shiver that has nothing to do with the breeze. She could remember the way his arms felt around her and how his skin was soft under her fingers, with the muscles of his back flexing with her touch. If only he had not been drunk…

Beside her, Lucy called Natsu and the two boys stopped bickering for whatever petty matter.

"Yeah, Luce?"

"Would you help me with applying sunscreen on my back?"

Natsu's eyes widened while Gray and Juvia cocked a brow. Why did she ask Natsu and not Juvia who was just beside her?

"Herm… sure Luce."

The blonde smiled and laid on her stomach. The pink haired man kneeled on her side and Gray sat by Juvia's side to wait for his friend or to assist to his torture, she wasn't sure.

Natsu grabbed the bottle and took a dollop of lotion.

"Oh wait." Lucy interrupted him when he had his hands an inch away of her skin, freezing him instantly. She reached behind her and unclasped the attach of her swimtop. "It'd be easier like this."

Natsu gulped and took a sharp breath, and then gently proceeded to apply the protection. Juvia could tell he was taking his mission to heart. When Lucy hummed in contentment, Juvia thought it was too intimate to keep watching. So she looked up and saw Erza and Wendy playing with an inflatable balloon. A dog was running and jumping into the sea. Far away, there was an ice-cream sailor coming their way. They just had lunch but it was so hot, she would welcome an ice-cream. Maybe Gray would join her. He did not like the heat after all.

"Gray-sama, would you…." She turned her head toward him just before he jumped on his feet and rushed to the sea. "…huh?" She was left watching an empty spot.

"I'm done." Natsu said just then, attracting her attention.

"Thanks Natsu." Lucy answered and maintaining her top with her arm, she slightly turned toward the man. "If you want, I can return the favor…" As fast as Gray, the pink haired man stood up and sprinted to the sea. The blonde sighed. "I think I went a bit too far. Cana's advices seemed good back then, but I should have known better."

"Oh." Understanding fell on Juvia and she giggled. "Natsu-san looked like he was playing with fire." And Lucy chuckled as well.

Like hell I was going to put sunscreen on her. Gray thought while he welcomed the cold water on his body. He had already tried his best not to look too much with all her ivory skin exposed. She probably had the idea of the sunblock while watching Natsu and Lucy but he escaped just in time. He sensed someone behind him and met Natsu when he turned.

"Needed to cool off?" He smirked to the man who had his face as pink as his hair.

His friend sent him a death glare. "I'd like to see you at my place, Ice-freak."

"I'd do better. I can do everything better than you!"

"Oh, yeah? I'm sure I swim faster!"

"As you wish, brainless pyro. I'm one with the water." Gray smirked, rivalry erasing his thoughts of a blue haired woman.

"So, Juvia, are you enjoying your vacation? You probably needed a real break from studies and job, right?" Lucy asked as she finished tying her bikini top back.

"Yes, it's so beautiful here." Juvia answered while she kept her eyes on Gray who seemed to start a swimming race with Natsu. "Juvia has never seen the sea before."

"Really? Where did you spend your holidays then?"

She bit her lips. She did not like to talk about her lifeless past. "It depends of the foster home Juvia was placed. Some of them had a garden where she could play and once, she was put in a farm. But most of the time, she spent the summer in her room."

"So…" Lucy said after a silence. "It's also the first time you go off with friends?"

Juvia nodded with pained smile. A quiet moment lingered between them.

"For a long time I was homeschooled when I was younger." Lucy murmured. "It had its good part I presume. When I didn't understand or when I couldn't finish an exercise, the teacher was always available to help me. But I did not have any friend until my seventeen." She turned her head toward Juvia. "I know how loneliness can be hard. And how much it means to have friends and make memories we could cherish."

They shared a smile that held more than words.

###

It had only been for a few weeks, but she had missed them, Juvia thought as she watched Gray and Natsu lying into the sand, exhausted by their swim contest. Her life was not complete without her crazy friends.

"I won, freezer butt." Natsu panted.

"As if, Ash-brain."

Lucy sighed, rubbing her temple as if a headache was coming.

"Are you okay, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, worried while the two men were still trying to regain a normal breathing.

"Gimme two minutes and I'll show that pink idiot who's the best."

"I have a better idea." Erza said, a glint in her eyes sending shivers along Lucy's spine. "How sound a match of beach volley?"

"And… Erza is hit by the competition spirit." Lucy murmured.

"That's sound fun!" Natsu sat up and the red haired woman didn't wait other positive answers to go get a ball.

"Huh… Can I pass and read instead?" Levy inquired while Erza was already coming back with a ball trapped under her arm and a small basket in the other hand.

"The principle of beach volley is to weld a group. No exception." Erza announced without mercy. "We can make two teams of four people."

"I am in Levy's team!" shouted Jet and Droy at the same time.

"We're going to pick names from that basket." She continued as if she did not hear them. "That way, there will be less longtime bonds between players. Fair-play is the root of sport."

"It would be simpler if we just make girls vs boys." Gray added but one look of the red-haired shut him down.

"One game. The first team that reach 21 points win. As Wendy is the younger, she'll pick the names and be the referee. Her word is law. Understand?" She asked with her commander voice and they all nodded in synchronization, even Wendy who looked even more stressed out by her task.

"S…so." She stuttered as her hand dig into the basket. "For team 1." She picked out and read the name. "Natsu!" The pink haired literally roared. "Team 2… Juvia!" When the girl said her name, Juvia stepped ahead, crossing her fingers for a certain black-haired man to be select in her team. "Team 1: Lucy! Team 2… Jet!" Wendy continued with more confidence then. "Team 1… Gray!" Juvia's heart sank, she didn't want to affront her beloved! In her disappointment she almost did not hear Erza's name announced and felt a spark of sympathy for Droy when he joined Natsu, Lucy and Gray with sorrow while Jet wept all-over Levy from joy.

They rent a net and traced the field, Natsu's Team got to serve the ball.

"Listen! We have to plan a strategy!" Erza gathered her teammates around her. "Natsu and Gray are fast, so they'll probably be the ones attacking while Lucy and Droy will back up. So we need to focus on them and take all the opportunities to land a shoot."

"Why? We're going to lose anyway." Jet sighed

"Why do you think that?" Levy raised an eyebrow.

"Because we're with Juvia and since Gray is in the other team, she won't be serious about the game."

A sad look darkened Juvia's face. She could hear the first sound of the rain somewhere inside.

"If we lose, it will because of your spirit Jet, not because of Juvia." Erza interjected. "I have faith in her and her strength."

Juvia blushed slightly while Levy nodded with a smile. She listened on Erza's tactics. She felt a bit torn between the faith her friends have on her and her feelings for Gray. But she decided to take the game seriously. Gray won't like if she slacked off just to let him win. Maybe she could even impress him?

The play started with Lucy serving. The ball was immediately blocked by Erza but with too much energy and it was out of court.

"One point for Team's Natsu." Wendy declared while Natsu was hysterically laughing which he regretted a few minutes later when Erza propelled the ball directly in his face.

The match was harsh to say the least. Like a battle between Erza, Natsu and Gray. Their partners tried to pair with their energy, but Droy's legs were trembling from exhaustion, Levy was out of breath, Lucy was gleaming from perspiration, and even Jet was less rapid than usual.

Juvia's arms were aching from countering the ball and her mouth felt dry. Erza's team was at one point to win, but Natsu's team was just behind and could equalize. Levy served but Lucy blocked the ball and then Droy's strike directed it up toward the net where Gray was just in front. Gray jumped to smash the ball but Juvia had also jumped. She hit the ball and it landed on Gray's court.

"Erza's team win!" Wendy proclaimed.

"Yes!" Jet yelled in exultation. Juvia was suddenly wrapped in her friends' hug. At first, she looked taken aback by her teammates demonstrations but soon a smile bloomed on her lips.

A smile lifted Gray's lips at the sight. He recoiled her concentrated expression when they were almost face to face. Her brows slightly frowned, her lips in a thin line and her eyes… intense, fierce, focused on her target. She had looked… quite hot. He wasn't really surprised to see her badass side under the sweet girl layer.

"It's all your fault, ice prick."

"What did you say, Ash ass?"

They exchanged a few insults but were visibly too tired to really fight.

"I want a rematch!" Natsu yelled toward Erza while Droy and Lucy laid breathless onto the sand, Wendy coming their way with a bottle in hand.

"Not today, Natsu." Erza promised with a satisfied smile. "For now, what about sandcastles contest?"

"Mine's going to be the tallest!" The pink haired immediately enter the new competition.

"How does he find all that energy?" Lucy groaned making an effort to just stand up.

Juvia smiled as she passed the bottle of water to Gray who took large gulps.

"You fought well." He complimented her and her eyes widened.

"Waah! Gray-sama praised Juvia! Juvia is so happy!" She circled her arms around his torso and pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Gray said and put a hand on her shoulder as he tried to push her. Dammit. He could feel her skin warmed by the sun and its scent filled his nostrils. Fuck! Why was her skin so soft?

"Let go! I'm hot!"

"Yes, Juvia agrees." She said as her fingers graced his ribs in a feather-light touch, her eyes half-opened.

His mouth went agape with the shock. Did she really mean the innuendo? She had stopped those double meaning for months. Did she become bolder with the sun?

Just when the though crossed his mind, he saw her eyes widening with horror and her face blanching. She immediately released him and stepped back. "Huh… Juvia… Sorry… See you later." And she run toward the sea, grabbing Levy's and Lucy's hands on her way challenging them in a swimming contest.

"What was that?" He whispered.

AN : I know that Beach Volleyball rules say that it only teams of two person and with two or three games, but since they're not professionals and on holidays I wanted all of them included, even Wendy.
I hope you can enjoy your holidays as well !