Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, and it belongs to Hiro Mashima.

This is not romantic, but friendshippy. I just really wish Mashima would let us see more of these two and their relationship. My headcanon is that they're those types of friends that are close like siblings and fight endlessly but at the end of the day they can relate to each other really well and understand each other really well.

Well this is a kind-of AU? It's implied in the text that Gajeel and Juvia don't rely on each other anymore, and it's based on that, I guess.

Well, enjoy!

Rusty Words

He didn't know why he always ended up here.

Gajeel had only just returned to Magnolia. His mission had taken him a fortnight, and had been a failure, and then the Iron Dragon Slayer had spent most of the evening and early night drinking his brains to mush in some run-down bar, and had finally had enough. He felt like he had consumed about as much alcohol as Cana Alberona had in her entire life, which would be something to brag about at another time, but now he felt ready to explode. His own apartment was near the station – basically, way too far away to make it there in one piece in his drunken state – and her house was near the town, so he thought, Hell, why not.

Then again, Natsu and Happy's house wasn't that far, and neither was Levy's. The bookworm would be more than happy to welcome him, and it would take little to no effort to force the other Dragon Slayer into letting him stay,.

So why was he here?

His actions could be justified, yeah; they were friends, after all. He wondered if he could still call them that, friends. The Iron Dragon Slayer and the water mage had basically stopped hanging out when they had joined Fairy Tail, and he admitted to himself that the only reason they had been friends during their Phantom Lord days was because she had been strong, and they knew they could rely on one another during a moment of weakness. Now, how long had it been since Phantom Lord disbanded? Five, maybe six years, not including the seven-year gap they had experienced on Tenrou Island. They weren't kids anymore. They weren't weak anymore. He didn't rely on anyone and he certainly didn't need to.

So why had he come here?

The Dragon Slayer brushed it off and walked unsteadily up to the painted blue door. He knocked thrice powerfully, and was relieved for a moment he hadn't broken the door down.

A few moments later – for what seemed like an eternity to a certain drunk Iron Dragon Slayer – the door opened, and a familiar young woman with blue locks and dark eyes appeared before him. For a second Gajeel had to convince himself that there could only be one Juvia—not five, like he saw swimming before his vision right now.

The Rain Woman looked at him in surprise, and then expectantly. He noticed briefly that she was wearing pyjamas and her hair was unkempt, and the light crease on her cheek. He had woken her up, then, but he had bigger things to worry about.

Like, he was about to vomit all over her rosebushes and pass out on the pavement.

"I'm drunk," was all he managed to say, before hiccupping and doing exactly what he had been worried about. Namely, vomiting all over her rosebushes and passing out on the pavement.

The next thing he recalled was waking up to a pounding headache and soft covers. He shot up, startled by the unfamiliar atmosphere, then remembered he had gone here himself when he saw the water mage reading quietly in the armchair by the window. It was dark, and still night time, and eerily quiet too. Slowly, Gajeel lay back down again.

"Are you all right, Gajeel?" her familiar voice asked, though she wasn't any longer in his line of vision. Instead he stared at the stars painted on the faraway ceiling. It felt like the first time in forever since he'd heard her voice, and it came like a rush of fresh air to him.

The Dragon Slayer sighed and raked his fingers through his messy hair. "I'm..." He struggled to finish his sentence, and continued to stare at the ceiling night sky. I'm what? Drunk? Exhausted? Mentally abused by his headache?

Finally, he reached a conclusion: "I feel ahfskdjsaklajl."

A hesitant pause. "What."

"Ya heard me. I feel ahfskdjsaklajl."

"Descriptive as always, Gajeel," Juvia said fondly. "Nice of you to drop by," she continued, standing up and sitting beside him on the bed, hugging her knees. "Would have been better if you had let Juvia know before coming to her completely wasted and ready to pass out. But, you know, it was nice of you to visit."

"Yeah...sorry 'bout that," Gajeel mumbled. He moaned and it took all his will not to punch something. "I'm dying..."

"Don't go all Cana on yourself next time and stay sober."

Gajeel chuckled, which slowly turned into a laugh. He laughed and laughed. He didn't care that it made his headache worse. He really had missed her. When had been the last time he had laughed so freely like this? It felt like years. It was hoarse and rough and throaty, but the joy in it was unmistakable.

"Sounding a little rusty there, Gajeel," Juvia noted teasingly. "It wasn't even that funny, you know?"

"Oi, are you here to make fun of me or comfort me in my moment of pain and anguish?" he asked sarcastically, the laughter gone, but the amusement in his voice was still there. "Gihihi."

"Well, are you here to shut up and go to sleep or—oh, damn it. Juvia doesn't know. It's late. Juvia's not good at comebacks. Fuckface."

"Sounds like you're getting rusty, too. The Juvia I know wouldn't just swear meaninglessly."

"The Juvia you know? That was...quite a while ago."

The quiet took control of the room, but it was a comfortable silence. Wearily Gajeel closed his eyes, but couldn't seem to go back to Dreamland. There was something wrong. Something...missing. "Oi, Juvia?"

"Hm?"

"Make it rain for me."

Juvia couldn't resist a smile. "Let Juvia get her wallet, she thinks she's got enough notes for—"

"Not what I meant, Rain Woman," the Dragon Slayer grumbled into the pillow.

The water mage gave a stiff giggle and dropped her third-person speech for a moment. "I know, Gajeel. I know."

Almost immediately, the familiar sound of raindrops clattered on the roof and bounced off the windows. Juvia's house was perfect for rain, somehow. When she had moved out of Fairy Hills, perhaps that was the reason she had picked this place.

"Juvia missed you," he heard from beside him.

"Missed you too, Rain Woman."

Gajeel sighed and eased into the mattress, allowing his sore muscles to relax, all while listening to the rain. It comforted him. There was something about Juvia's rain—something natural rain just didn't possess. Sure, it fell the same way, and there were clouds and shit, but Juvia's rain had feelings and emotions in it. It had magic in it. He knew it sounded strange. He was never good at describing things with words, but her rain was special in some way no one could describe. Sure it rusted his iron, but he could forgive a little rustiness.

It was in all of them, after all. Their rusty friendship. His rusty laugh. Her rusty words.

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