A/N: Finally we've reached the 3rd and final chapter! Woo!

This story has been so fun to write, and I appreciate all of your positive feedback!

I have been working on a companion piece to this story that switches between Natsu and Gray's POV during their side of what's going on, as well as a handful of other things that branch off of this because we all know by now I have limited self-control, so hopefully I'll be posting something new in this verse shortly.

But for now, here's the last installment. I hope you enjoy! :)

[Also a quick heads up - this chapter involves a sex scene, so if that's not your cup of tea feel free to duck out. That being said, it's short and far from explicit, but you have been warned! It's also my first time writing anything of that nature so please try to be nice ;)]

Chapter 3: Declarations

[In which Natsu makes another scene in the middle of the guild, Mirajane plays dirty, and everything finally falls into place.

When Juvia walked back into the guild after her intervention with Natsu she headed straight to Mirajane, ignoring the few of odd stares she was receiving from guild mates as she walked by.

"Hi Juvia," Mira greeted, "I heard you were having a discussion with Natsu. He's still among the living, right?" She winked and Juvia giggled.

"More or less. Juvia just had some things she needed to address. She and Natsu-san have reached an understanding."

"Well that's good to hear. Erza was a little worried he wasn't going to make it back in one piece," she handed Juvia a glass of water, "And Gray? Have you heard from him?"

Juvia wilted a little, "Yes, Gray-sama got home last night. He is not well."

Mira sighed, "I figured he wouldn't be."

Juvia released her own sigh and nodded, "Juvia's happy he's home, but she's unsettled by his state of being. It was why she decided to speak to Natsu-san today. But Mira...Juvia did something bad."

The barmaid frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Juvia..." the water mage looked away in shame, "Juvia told Natsu-san about Gray-sama's feelings for him."

"Oh, is that all?" Juvia eyed Mira quizzically and nodded. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you, hon."

"Why not?"

"Because I already told him."

Juvia gasped in shock, "Mira! When?"

The take-over mage shrugged while she filled some drink orders, seeming completely at ease with the fact that they had spilled one of their friend's biggest secrets to the last person he would want to know. "Maybe a week ago? He was sitting here with Gajeel...honestly now that I think about it, Gajeel was the one who mentioned it in the first place."

Juvia rolled her eyes, 'So much for not wanting to talk about 'sappy shit' or caring about anyone else's love life.'

"Anyways, Natsu seemed really down and worried about Gray, but he was so caught up in thinking that you and Gray were together that he didn't know what to do. So I told him the truth. Although I'm sure it meant more coming from you, seeing as you're the one he seems to think Gray is in love with."

Juvia groaned, "Juvia hopes that that has been cleared up after her conversation with Natsu-san today."

"That makes two of us." Mira put down the pitcher she was holding and leveled the water mage with a serious look. "Listen Juvia, I try not to meddle in other people's love lives too much, but sometimes you just have to give someone a little push. Or in this case a huge one No, maybe breaking the promise you made to Gray to keep his feelings a secret doesn't feel like the right thing to do, but it needed to be done. We've been trying to wear him down for months now, and after what happened you and I both know there's no way he'll ever try to bring it up again. So it has to be Natsu, there isn't any other way. And if telling him point blank that you two aren't together because Gray's in love with him is what has to be said, then it has to be said." She returned to her task, occasionally pausing to grab a new glass from the shelf behind her. "Don't get me wrong, I love those two like little brothers, but they are so dense when it comes to their feelings for each other it's a train wreck. Somebody had to intervene or they'd just keep walking in circles around each other and being miserable for the rest of their lives.

"Speaking of which, have you said anything to Lucy yet?"

"No...Juvia is scared," Juvia admitted while staring glumly at the counter.

"I think that's only natural, sweetie. Sharing those kinds of feelings is enough to scare anyone."

"Even Mira?"

Mira laughed, "Of course."

The water mage perked up, "Really? How did Mira and Erza-san get together?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"Juvia has time."

Mirajane laughed again, "Alright then. Well, Gray was right when he said that Erza and I used to fight just as much, or maybe even more than him and Natsu when we were growing up. I brought a lot of...baggage with me when my siblings and I came to Fairy Tail and eventually it turned from sadness to agitation and I was very angry, at myself, at the rest of the world...and then I met Erza and she seemed so perfect and strong and put together that it infuriated me." Mira smiled brightly and Juvia found it difficult to believe that she could have ever been malicious to anyone.

"So we got in fights constantly, but then when Lisanna-" the take-over mage paused again, swallowing hard and glancing over to her sister who was playing cards with Bickslow at the other end of the hall, "When we thought Liana died, everything changed. I changed. I stopped wanting to use my magic, stopped fighting...I felt so lost. And one day out of nowhere, Erza found me by Lisanna's grave. She walked right up to me and challenged me to a duel. I was livid. How could she be so insensitive? Didn't she know I was grieving? So I went crazy with rage and we knocked each other around for a good long time.

"When we finally wore ourselves out, I just collapsed. Instead of making fun of me like I thought she would, she just hugged me and said, 'There, do you feel better?' And I did. I realized she wasn't being insensitive at all; she was giving me an outlet for all the anger at guilt I'd been burying inside myself. And after that everything was different."

Juvia's heart swelled when she watched a content, wistful smile cross Mirajane's face. It was the same one Gray wore when he spoke of his fondness for Natsu. Juvia wondered if that's the look she had as well whenever she thought of Lucy.

"We didn't get together until quite a while later, but after that day we started talking more. I still wasn't ready to go on jobs or really use my magic properly, but she supported me through everything. I got to learn a lot about her and the more time we spent together the more I fell for her. All the things that pissed me off about her when I was younger suddenly seemed so perfect and amazing.

"I was trying to be brave when I told her how I felt. I was scared, too. I know where you guys are coming from when you say you are nervous to share your feelings. It's frightening to put yourself out there in that way, especially in front of the person who means the most to you. But I convinced myself that I was going to tell her, and if it ended poorly then to hell with it, at least I tried," she laughed. "So I took her to dinner one night and sat her down and said, 'Erza, I think I'm in love with you.'"

"And what did she say?"

"Well at first she didn't say anything. She just stared at me and I was positive I had made a mistake. But before I could abandon ship, she reached across the table and grabbed my hand. And then she said, 'Mira, I share your feelings, and should you allow it, I would like to date you.'" She broke off giggling again, "It was such an Erza way of saying it I just burst into laughter. When I walked her back to the dorms that night, she asked if she could kiss me at the gate and I knew I had made the right decision in telling her. And we've been together ever since."

"Juvia thinks that's beautiful."

"Mirajane, are you telling stories again?"

Both girls turned to see Erza approaching the bar.

"Only my favorite one, sweetie."

Erza rolled her eyes, but her smile was filled with blatant affection. "I'm heading out on a job for the rest of the afternoon. I'll be back tonight, alright?" She handed Mira the flyer and leaned over the counter to press a chaste kiss to the other girl's lips before nodding to Juvia and heading towards the door.

Mira beamed at the requip mage as she departed, then turned back to Juvia. "Alright, well now that story time is over, why don't you go find that stupid boy of ours and make sure he's not off being self-destructive, hmm? Maybe with a little help we can get those two to work things out. They're both pretty slow with this stuff, but I think there's still hope for them. Tomorrow's a new day, after all." She came out from around the bar, carrying a tray in one hand and then squeezed Juvia's shoulder with the other. "Oh, and Juvia?"

"Yes Mira?"

"Tell Lucy how you feel. Don't wait so long that you need an intervention." She winked and turned to leave.

The water mage's eyes widened and her face turned bright red, "Juvia thought Mira said she didn't meddle in others' love lives too much!"

"I said I try not to!" She called over her shoulder, flashing a grin at Juvia while heading to deliver drinks.

Juvia shook her head before putting it down on the table-top, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. Her family was insane.

But they were hers, and she wouldn't give them up for the world.

When Juvia walked into Gray's apartment later that night, he was already in bed waiting for her. He looked exhausted still, but the relief at her presence was plain on his face. She climbed in next to him and took his hand in hers, offering a gentle smile.

Neither of them said anything.

They didn't have to.

It wasn't until the next day that Gray surfaced at the guild. He was still looking worse for wear, but no one dared to say anything to him about it after seeing the glare Juvia was shooting them from beside him every time someone looked like they might open their mouth.

But she tuned out the rest of her guild mates in favor of joining Gray at the bar where he was standing, talking quietly with Mira.

"So Gray," she said, "have you talked to Natsu since you've been back?"

Juvia winced, thinking maybe they should have let the issue go until he was a little more stable, but as usual Mirajane was not about tip-toeing around the problem at hand.

Surprisingly, Gray managed to pull off looking unperturbed by the mention of his rival, even if both girls knew it was just a front. "No, I haven't and I don't care to."

Juvia sighed heavily, "Juvia knows it's not what Gray-sama wants to hear, but she thinks he and Natsu-san need to talk."

The ice mage shot her an annoyed look which she returned with equal exasperation.

"Nah, I'm good. I think I'd rather just punch his lights out and move on with my life."

"Someone's being quite childish today, aren't they?" Mira sang, happily choosing to ignore the glare Gray was sending her way. "Just go find him and try to have an actual conversation with each other. Talking won't kill you."

"It might," Gray grumbled under his breath.

Juvia rolled her eyes affectionately and found herself wondering how she ended up with the two most emotionally-challenged boys in all of Earthland as her best friends.

"You're exaggerating, we're not that bad," Gray responded and Juvia realized she had been thinking out loud. "And don't lump me in with bolts-for-brains."

"I don't know, Gray," Mira added, "at least Gajeel finally told Levy how he felt about her. I'd say he's got you beat," she winked playfully. Gray groaned and took a huge swig of his beer in lieu of coming up with a retort.

"Don't worry," Juvia replied as she and Mira tried to stifle their giggles, "Juvia still loves Gray-sama, even if he is hopeless when it comes to romance."

"Says the one who came to me for relationship advice..." he grumbled. Juvia grinned and went to hug him before pausing.

"Gray-sama, where did your shirt go?"

He looked down and rolled his eyes, "Aw, hell."

Juvia just shook her head. She looped her arms around Gray's bare waist and felt him wrap an arm around her in return, despite his halfhearted protests.

"It's okay, Gray-sama! Juvia and Mirajane will help you find your clothes and practice your love confession!"

Gray looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Yeah fucking right you will," he snapped and the girls broke out into another fit of laughter, exchanging grins.

"Just get very close like this," the water mage turned him in her embrace so they were pressed against one another, faces only inches apart, "look in his eyes, and say, 'I love you.'" He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with their antics but Juvia pressed on, "Say it! After Juvia: 'I love you.'"

Gray stared at her flatly, "I love you."

"And..."

"And...?"

"And I want to have your tiny dragon babies!" Mira whispered to him.

"Oh for fucks sake, Mira!" The ice mage griped and threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know why I bother; there's just no winning with you two." He glanced behind them, making sure no one else around picked up on their topic of conversation before hissing, "Keep your weird matchmaking to yourselves."

The take-over mage smiled innocently back at him and Juvia buried her face against Gray's cool shoulder while she shook with laughter.

"Okay, so maybe don't say that," Mira snickered, "but up until then you were doing great! You can do this."

Gray looked away, idly running a hand through the ends of Juvia's hair and mumbled softly, "I think he made his feelings about me pretty clear."

Mira sobered, "Gray, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding. Besides, you deserve to tell him how you feel, don't you think?"

"No Mira, I don't," the ice mage snapped. "And there's no way in hell I'd ever say any of that stupid shit to-"

"Natsu?"

The three friends went silent at Erza's call and looked to the front of the guild where everyone's attention was suddenly focused.

Natsu stood in the entryway, seemingly unharmed but twitchy and glancing around desperately for something in the sea of his guild mates. Erza frowned, taking a step closer to him, "Natsu, are you alright? What's going on?" She demanded, but it didn't look like he even registered her voice in the midst of his frantic searching. He took a few steps forward, unaware of every eye on him, until he looked towards the bar. Juvia watched curiously as his entire demeanor shifted the second his sight zeroed in on them.

The Dragon Slayer's body went rigid and his eyes narrowed dangerously as they looked from Gray to Juvia and back again. She felt Gray tense in her arms while Natsu stalked forward until he stood just a few feet in front of them. Something wild and feral flared in the fire mage's eyes when he noticed the way Juvia was wrapped around Gray and Juvia jumped when Natsu barred his fangs at her and let out a low growl.

"Juvia!" Gajeel hissed from somewhere nearby, "You need to let go of Gray and slowly step away from him."

The water mage obeyed his instructions and released her hold on her friend and started to shift off to the side. She must have done so a little too quickly because Natsu turned to step towards her, growl increasing in volume, but he was stopped in his path when Gray immediately moved to stand between them.

"What's gotten into you, flame brain?" he demanded sharply, but Juvia could tell by the way his voice wavered that he was worried about his friend's odd behavior.

Natsu turned his attention back to the ice mage, growl turning into a whine in the back of his throat. Juvia watched from the sidelines as the two friends stared each other down, no one in the guild daring to breathe. The Dragon Slayer wrapped one arm around Gray's waist, swiftly pulling him in until they were right against each other.

"N-natsu...?" Gray stuttered. After a moment of studying his friend's face, Natsu nodded to himself before cupping Gray's cheek with his unoccupied hand and pressing their lips together.

The ice mage went stiff with shock for a moment before giving in and relaxing a little into Natsu's embrace.

When the Dragon Slayer pulled back a moment later to look at Gray, his eyes were wide and clear and his face went red.

"Uh...hey Gray," he greeted awkwardly all while continuing to hold the ice mage flush against him, faces mere inches apart. "Can we talk?"

Gray stared at him incredulously, "You didn't think to do that before making a scene in front of the whole guild?

"Umm...no?"

Juvia could see Gray still shaking in a state of bewilderment, but despite his uncertainty he rolled his eyes and gave Natsu a small smile.

"Fine. Come on, ash-for-brains, let's go."

Natsu untangled himself from the embrace, only to grab Gray's hand as the ice mage led him out of the guild.

Juvia felt a grin breaking out on her face as she watched the two leave because she felt triumphant. Who would have thought that she'd reach the point of being overjoyed at seeing someone else kissing Gray Fullbuster? If anyone had told her that a year ago she would have tried to put them in an infinite water lock.

She really had come a long way since then, and Juvia was proud.

She let out a giggle and turned back to Mira who was also smiling gleefully. The sound of the high five they gave each other across the counter and their laughter rang out in the wake of everyone's stunned silence, followed shortly by Gajeel muttering, "Tch. About time. Idiots."

Eventually the shock wore off a little and people returned to their own conversations, although they seemed to mostly revolve around the unimaginable display they had all just witnessed.

"Well that was an interesting start to my day," Lucy said to Juvia as she sat down next to her at the bar. "Who knew those two would ever actually get their shit together? I was honestly getting worried that Natsu was going to take his feelings to the grave with him." Her look of thoughtfulness quickly changed to apprehension when she realized who she was talking to. "Juvia! Juvia, I'm so sorry."

The water mage cocked her head to the side in obvious confusion, "Why?"

Lucy's face flushed and she looked at the ground, "Oh, well...you know...because you and Gray...I know you care for him and now he's-"

Juvia laid a hand on Lucy's and smiled, "It's okay, Lucy. Juvia and Gray-sama are just friends. Juvia is very happy for Gray-sama and Natsu-san."

"You...you are? But I thought..."

"Juvia and Gray-sama are friends," she repeated, smile growing at how right the words felt on her tongue.

"Good," Lucy sighed in relief before blushing again, "Wait no, that came out wrong...I didn't mean-ugh." She put her head down on the bar. Juvia turned to Mirajane who just shrugged.

"Ugh," Lucy whined again a minute later, voice slightly muffled by the wood. "And of course Natsu decided to pick today to suddenly have a love life and run off and bail on our job. My landlady's going to have a fit."

"Say, Lucy," Mira said casually, "Juvia's not going a job with Gajeel today and Gray is obviously a little...preoccupied...so why don't you two take one together?" Juvia looked at the barmaid in horror and only received a playful wink in response.

Okay, maybe Gray was right about the matchmaking.

Lucy lifted her head off the counter, "That's a great idea! Let's do it, Juvia! Will you take a job with me?"

The water mage felt her anxiety fading away from the light of Lucy's sparkling smile and she managed a shy, "Of course, Lucy. Juvia would love to."

The blonde hopped up from her seat with a sudden sense of enthusiasm, "Well come on then! Let's go pick one!" And with that she laced Juvia's fingers with hers and dragged her over to the request board, giving Juvia only a second to shoot Mira a worried look to which she just received an innocent smile and a shooing hand motion.

They ended up picking a fairly easy job of helping an elderly woman sort through and tidy up a house full of magical artifacts. It was something trivial and mundane because Lucy was thrilled at the thought of going on a job that didn't involve destroying a whole village for once. The girls took the overnight train to reach the house on the edge of a small town by midmorning the next day. The old woman that greeted them was sweet. She showed them into the house and they immediately got to work.

It was no surprise she requested help, the house was a disaster. There were boxes overflowing with fragile antiques, stacks of old tomes piled so high they practically touched the ceiling, and hundreds other miscellaneous relics lining the floors and shelves and furniture.

Juvia stared at the space in open astonishment, but Lucy didn't even bat an eye.

"This is nothing," she said as she pulled up her sleeves to get working, "you should see Natsu and Happy's house. I've been there a million times and I still don't know what the floor looks like."

They must have worked for days, but Juvia was so hyper focused on her partner that she barely even processed the time passing. She just went through the motions of completing the task properly while sneaking glances at the beautiful woman in front of her, listening each time that Lucy squealed over an old book she uncovered and watching the way she grinned and wiped the sweat off her brow when they managed to work through another room.

It was the night of, what Lucy had declared to be, the fourth day of their job and Juvia was laying out her bedroll in the newly cleaned living room when Lucy rushed in. "Juvia! Look what I found!"

Juvia tilted her head curiously when Lucy presented her with an odd looking sphere. "A lamp...?"

The other girl laughed, "Sort of. Here, I'll show you." She made quick work of setting up her own blankets before fiddling with a lacrima and adjusting it carefully inside the globe, then she switched off the rest of the lights. For a moment there was only darkness, but then Juvia heard a 'click' and suddenly the whole room was bathed in dark blue light. When she looked closer, the water mage realized that the lamp was actually a projection of the night sky, stars settling onto the ceiling and walls.

"Normally you can't see all the stars at one time," Lucy said, "but if you look, this projector is designed to constantly rotate the same way the earth does, so you get to look at all the constellations."

"It's beautiful, Lucy," Juvia whispered.

"My mom was a celestial spirit mage too," Lucy murmured. "When I was really young, she'd lay in our yard with me and teach me the names of all the constellations. Everyone always thought it was so ridiculous because she was supposed to be this proper, no-nonsense lady, but she'd carry me back to the house late at night with dirt and grass stains on her skirts, twigs in her hair. I always thought that was when she looked the most beautiful. But then when she got sick..." she paused for a moment and sighed. Juvia reached for her hand and squeezed it. "When she got sick she couldn't really leave her bed. So we set up a projector like this one and I'd lay in bed with her at night so we could still watch the stars together.

"I spent years falling asleep under that lamp after she passed away. I'm not sure what happened to it after I left home; I didn't really take much with me. But whenever I look at the stars at night, it's like I can see her up there...and I feel like she's still with me."

Juvia tried to keep herself from crying, unsure what to say in the wake of such an intimate moment between them.

"Will you teach Juvia?" She blurted suddenly.

Lucy looked at her in confusion, "Huh?"

The water mage felt her face flush, "Will you teach Juvia the stars."

The celestial spirit mage's eyes filled with tears and she beamed at Juvia like the water mage had just lit up her whole world. "I'd love to," she whispered. She rolled over onto her back and started pointing out clusters of stars, tracing the lines to connect them and explaining each name and character of the constellation they made up. When she got to the zodiac constellations, she started to tell Juvia about all her spirits, of the keys she had, how they'd come to her. Juvia giggled along with Lucy as she shared stories of their crazy antics and bizarre personalities and how much she loved them, how much help and support they'd been to her throughout all her adventures in Fairy Tail.

Juvia listened to the sweet sound of Lucy's voice until it finally lulled her to sleep, a soft smile on her face and the other mage's hand in hers.

They completed their job by late afternoon the next day. The old woman they helped was so grateful that she gave them their full payment but also insisted on putting them up at an inn a few towns over as a thank you so they didn't have to take an overnight train all the way back to Magnolia.

Which is how Juvia found herself alone in a fancy room with Lucy and one giant bed to share between them.

Lucy took no time in kicking off her shoes and flopping down onto the soft mattress, letting out a happy sigh that had Juvia's heart fluttering in her chest. "This is amazing. I can't believe how sweet that lady was! Jewel and a comfy bed for the night? Yes please." She turned to Juvia in blissful contentment, "Aren't you tired? Come to bed." She patted the spot next to her and grinned.

"Juvia needs to...wash her face first!" Juvia stuttered before beelining to the bathroom and closing the door. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath, "Juvia will be fine. Juvia can sleep in a bed with Lucy. Under the same blanket as Lucy and maybe up against Lucy and touching Lucy's skin and soft hair and..." she groaned and covered her face with her hands, "Juvia is hopeless!" She shook her head fitfully before taking another deep breath and gathering her wits. Her resolve to clamp down on her feelings was shattered when she walked back into the bedroom to find Lucy climbing under the covers in nothing but her undergarments. The water mage stared, face rapidly heating up.

The celestial spirit mage blinked at her curiously before looking startled, "Oh, I'm sorry! Am I making you uncomfortable? My pajamas have totally been coated in dust from the house, so I didn't want to put them back on without washing them first. But I can throw my clothes for tomorrow on if you want!"

"It's okay, Lucy," Juvia's attempt at reassurance was lost a bit when she had to break in the middle of her sentence to clear the sudden thickness in her throat. "Juvia doesn't mind at all."

The blonde exhaled in relief, "Oh okay, good." Her smile returned while she watched Juvia hesitate for a moment before slowly pulling off her own dress and sliding carefully into bed next to her. "This was really fun, Juvia. We should take jobs together more often." She covered a yawn with her hand. "Well, goodnight then. Oh wait here, let me grab the light." Lucy propped herself up on one elbow and stretched across Juvia's side of the bed to switch the lamp off. Juvia felt her cheeks igniting when Lucy's breasts and bare stomach pressed against her front. The feeling brought her back to the dream she had what seemed like ages ago, which did nothing to help the way her heart was pounding a symphony in her chest.

Lucy also seemed to notice their positions if the color of her face was anything to go by. However she made no move to back away, instead choosing to study Juvia's eyes. The water mage felt apprehensive and tried desperately to regulate her breathing. But before she could even begin to process this terrifying and delightful situation, there were soft, sweet lips pressed against her own. The kiss was chaste, nothing like the one in her dream, but that was okay because it was real and when Lucy pulled back just enough to feel out Juvia's reaction, her eyes were radiant and the flush of her cheeks bloomed like roses.

"I'm sorry, Juvia. I should have asked first," Lucy whispered, but the quirk of her lips said that she wasn't really sorry at all. "You're just so beautiful, and I've wanted to kiss you for such a long time..." she trailed off but leaned in closer, "You know Natsu wasn't the only one who was jealous watching you and Gray hang off of each other at the guild the other day," she whispered in Juvia's ear and Juvia felt shivers run down her spine. Lucy pulled back just a little and grinned, "Would it be okay if I kissed you again?"

Words catching in the back of her throat, Juvia could only nod, but this time when Lucy leaned down to capture her lips the water mage tilted her face up to meet her.

Lucy hummed blissfully into the kiss and Juvia felt as though all the shattered pieces of herself slotted back into place as Lucy's mouth slotted wet and hot against her own. The blonde carefully pulled her leg over so she was properly on top of Juvia, body pressed against her like it belonged there. Lucy's skin was warm, so warm and so smooth and Juvia felt like she must be dreaming again because surely there was no creature on earth as breathtaking as Lucy Heartfilia and yet here she was, lying with Juvia and murmuring precious nonsense against her lips.

Juvia had no experience with this kind of thing. She'd never been this intimate with another person before and her nerves almost won out until she felt Lucy's calming touch through her hair, on her cheek, across her hip bones, down her thigh. Lucy seemed more than happy to take the lead so Juvia let her, feeling safe and serene and secretly hoping to absorb some of the blonde's confidence.

There were giggles while hands fumbled nervously with bra clasps, lips bitten to the point of swelling, hushed whimpers and sweet sighs of contentment. And when Lucy finally slipped inside Juvia, her fingers were unbelievably gentle, touches delicate and hands holding her lovingly in the same way she held her cherished keys and Juvia had never felt anything so incredible.

As their kisses became more desperate, touches more needy Juvia surrendered any self doubt in favor of finding all the places that made Lucy shudder against her, skin heated with Juvia's name a broken plea on her lips. What she wouldn't give to hear Lucy say her name just like that for the rest of eternity.

And when it came to end, Juvia found herself tumbling over a cliff and falling straight into her partner's loving arms. She held tight and cried Lucy's name with reckless abandon, guided through the crashing waves by each one of the blonde's tender caresses. As Lucy pulled away her eyes were hazy and her smile was blinding and Juvia framed her beautiful face in her hands and pressed their lips together once more, desperately committing this moment to a memory she could keep until the end of time.

She pulled the blankets up around their naked bodies and quickly fell asleep with Lucy wrapped around her, heartbeat a steady rhythm against her skin.

When Juvia awoke the next morning, it took her a few moments to process where she was. And why on earth she was in a strange bed with no clothes on.

But everything came slamming back into her and the warm feeling she had the night before was replaced with cold dread. The water in the bathroom was running, so she guessed Lucy was already up and getting ready for the day. She wished she had been able to see her face when she woke up. Maybe then she would have a better idea of how much regret her friend had over their evening activities.

Juvia went to her pack and quickly threw on some clothes just as Lucy walked out of the bathroom. They made eye contact and immediately both looked away, faces blazing.

"Morning, Juiva," Lucy smiled but it was far too tight and tense. Juvia's heart sank.

"Good morning, Lucy," she replied solemnly. It was silent for the rest of the time that they packed their things and headed out of the inn.

The trip home was uncomfortable at best. Neither girl knew what to say to the other. Their conversations were shallow and forced. Juvia felt each painful second that passed by like a stab. Had she ruined everything between them? Lucy kissed her first, but was Juvia somehow pressuring her? Did she think it was just a one time thing? A mistake? Did she not have real feelings like Juvia did? Would she look at her now with nothing but awkwardness and thoughts of regret of their shared night together? The water mage was overwhelmed with unanswered questions but was far too terrified to dare to speak them aloud.

By the time they had reached Magnolia and trudged through the streets to the guild, night had already fallen and Juvia's mind was reeling with how to fix this before it was broken beyond repair.

"Hey Juvia?" Lucy stopped outside the guild's doors and turned to face her. "Can we...can we talk for a second?"

Lucy's eyes were a storm of emotions Juvia couldn't even begin to sift through. Her voice was quiet, hesitant, and severely lacking any of her usual confidence. And with that look Juvia felt her world crashing down around her as she realized that she couldn't do this. She couldn't risk Lucy telling her it was all a big mistake, that she never wanted Juvia that way because then it would all be real. There would be no more daydreaming of Lucy's sweet eyes or pretty smile. No hope for the chance to hold her close, to smell the scent of her shampoo in her locks of gold hair, to whisper secrets in her ear.

Juvia had lived in a daydream for what seemed like forever during her infatuation with Gray, denying any real world proof against their love and refusing to allow herself to dwell on questioning thoughts. She thought she had gotten over the silly desire to play make believe, but maybe she hadn't. Because she had done something real with Lucy, had something tangible and beautiful, something she could never take back. But now, when she stood awaiting her heart to be shattered, she wished more than anything that she could go back to her dreams of loving Lucy instead because at least she would never have to hear her friend reject her out loud. She wouldn't have those words spinning in her head forever.

They were outside and the night was cool but suddenly Juvia felt like she was being smothered. She took a shaky step backwards and stared at Lucy with frightened eyes, like a spooked animal ready to run.

"Juvia?"

"Juvia is sorry...Juvia must go!" She turned and bolted back down the street and away from the guild before Lucy had a chance to respond, tears spilling relentlessly down her cheeks. The water mage barely registered Lucy calling her name as she continued to sob, running down the stone streets and slipping further into the shadows.

With sobs subsided and her distressed mind on autopilot, Juvia found herself back where this whole thing had begun: knocking at the front door of Gray's flat in the dark of night.

However unlike the first time, when the door was flung open there wasn't a sleepy Gray on the other side. Instead Juvia came face-to-face with an agitated, pink-haired Dragon Slayer whose greeting consisted of narrowed eyes and a deep growl.

It probably would have been more intimidating if he was wearing more than just his scarf and a pair of bright red boxers while being wrapped in a fuzzy blue throw blanket.

"What do you want?" He demanded. Before Juvia had a chance to respond Natsu was being slapped upside the head and pushed out of the doorway by Gray.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you can't just be an asshole when you answer someone else's door." The ice mage rolled his eyes and turned to Juvia, quickly taking note of the obvious tear tracks on her face and the barely-there hiccup in her breaths. He smiled at her softly, "C'mon in, I'll get you some tea."

The water mage nodded, immediately feeling a bit better when comforted by the familiarity of what was now a routine part of their friendship. She stepped carefully into the living room and settled at her usual spot on the couch all while Natsu watched her like a hawk. Not a minute later Gray returned, handing her a steaming mug. He studied Natsu, amusement dancing in his eyes before putting his hand on the fire dragon's shoulder. "I'm just going to talk to Juvia for a bit, yeah? You're welcome to stay out here with us."

Natsu huffed, "No, you can have your girly gossip time or whatever. I'm going to raid your sorry excuse for a fridge." And with that, he turned and headed into the kitchen, but not before shooting Juvia a hard glare.

"Sorry about him. He doesn't mean anything by it. He's just being a little...possessive at the moment." He shrugged. "It's a Dragon Slayer thing."

Juvia just gave him a smile. She may not be mated to a Dragon Slayer, but she had certainly been best friends with one long enough to know the ins and outs of their odd behaviors. "Juvia understands. Natsu-san is just trying to protect his mate." She giggled when Gray's face turned red, obviously not yet used to hearing himself referred to as such.

"Yeah, I guess," he said with a small smile, absently reaching up to run his fingers over the place where his neck and shoulder met. That was when Juvia noticed the tiny puncture wounds at the base of Gray's neck. They matched the ones Levy wore proudly, the same as the marks carefully concealed by the collar of Freed's coat. When Gray figured out what she was staring at he moved his hand quickly, running it through his hair in embarrassment that only grew with the cheeky smile Juvia was giving him.

"Stop smiling like that. It's weird."

She laughed, "Juvia is just happy for Gray-sama."

The look of gratitude he gave her was flooring. "Thanks Juvia. It means a lot to me, it really does," he broke off to clear his throat and continued, "So what's up? I'm guessing you're here for a reason and not just for my stellar company. I didn't realize you were home; I thought Mira said you were out on a job with Lucy?"

"Erm...about that..." she stuttered, heart heavy again with the reminder. Gray cocked his head to the side questioningly and she sighed, "Juvia needs advice."

Gray raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "I thought we had already established that I'm the worst person you could ask for relationship advice."

"Juvia trusts Gray-sama the most. And she is desperate."

He shrugged, "Fair enough. So what's going on?"

The water mage shifted nervously, face already heating up before she even uttered a word. Gray sensed her hesitation and smiled at her reassuringly, "It's okay, Juvia. Everything's going to be okay, okay?" Juvia nodded, taking a deep breath and gathering as much courage as she could muster.

"Juvia may have...had sex...with Lucy."

Gray choked a little on his drink and there was a loud "Holy shit!" from the kitchen followed by the sound of a huge crash and several more curse words. Juvia's face burned more with each passing second.

"W-well damn," Gray replied after coughing a few times and setting down his mug. "Congratulations. So what-."

Natsu chose that moment to burst into the living room, "You slept with Lucy? Like...Lucy Lucy?"

"Yes?" Juvia replied meekly.

She was surprised when the Dragon Slayer, who had apparently abandoned the worry that Juvia's close proximity to his mate was a threat, just threw his head back and laughed loudly, "That's amazing, way to go!" Juvia covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"Aren't you supposed to be cooking? I thought you didn't want to deal with our 'girl talk'," Gray drawled.

"Yeah, well that was before when I thought you were talking about boring shit. This is exciting!"

"You're an idiot. Go finish your food before you burn my house down."

"Hey!"

"Anyways," Gray continued over Natsu stomping back to the kitchen in protest, "So you had sex with Lucy. I'd say you must be getting on pretty well then, right? So what's wrong?"

Juvia moved her hands away from her face and frowned, "Juvia and Lucy were on a job when it happened. When we came home today everything was awkward and uncomfortable and Lucy tried to speak to Juvia about it when we reached the guild, but Juvia got scared and ran away."

"Why were you scared?"

The water mage fidgeted, focusing intently on her hands in her lap, "Juvia is scared that Lucy regrets being with Juvia. Juvia doesn't know what she would do if Lucy didn't want to be near her anymore. She's afraid to hear Lucy say it because then it will be real. Juvia's afraid she's ruined everything."

"You don't know that though," Gray pointed out calmly. "Lucy's a big girl, she can make her own decisions. She was just as responsible for what happened as you were. I'd say there's a good chance she feels the same way and is worried that she might have done something to mess up your relationship as well. And I know you were scared, but I'm sure you taking off wouldn't help ease any of her apprehension."

Juvia sighed, feeling silly and ashamed, "Juvia knows. Juvia didn't want to hurt Lucy; she just panicked."

"Y'know," Natsu chimed in while popping his head through the kitchen doorway, "this is a lot like what you were yelling at me for the other day. Maybe you should just go talk to her before she disappears for a month and comes back looking like death warmed over."

"Did we ask for your opinion, firebreath?" Gray snapped. Once Natsu had gone again, the ice mage leaned forward and whispered, "He's right though. But if you tell anyone I said that I'll deny it until the end of time."

Juvia laughed, wiping at her damp eyes and feeling just a little of the weight on her chest lessen, "Okay, Juvia will speak to Lucy to clear things up." She sobered quickly, "Even if it doesn't go well, at least Juvia will know."

"You'll never know unless you try," Gray gave her a wink and chuckled at the glare she gave him in return. "Hey, your words, not mine."

"But what should Juvia do now? It is late and Lucy is probably not at the guild anymore and she probably would not answer her door at this hour...but Juvia doesn't think she can wait to talk to her or she will get too nervous again."

"That's easy," Natsu stated matter-of-factly, waltzing in yet again with a bowl in hand and plopping down on Gray's lap without warning, "Just go to her apartment and climb in her window. That's what I always do," he mumbled around a mouthful of rice.

"Yeah, because nothing says 'I love you' like breaking and entering..." Gray muttered while rolling his eyes and trying to adjust the Dragon Slayer sprawled across his legs.

Juvia smiled gratefully at her nakuma, "Juvia will go to her now then. Thank you, Gray-sama, Natsu-san. Juvia appreciates your help." She rose from the couch and headed to the door, throwing a casual, "Use protection!" over her shoulder and giggling at Gray's spluttering, "Juvia!" indignantly and Natsu yelling, "Fat chance!" as she walked outside.

Lucy's window was still open when Juvia finally pulled herself over the ledge. She sat for a moment, watching the celestial spirit mage. Lucy was sitting at her desk, back facing the window. Her long hair was down, cascading over her shoulders and she was wrapped in nothing but a fluffy pink towel. The bed only creaked a little beneath her when Juvia slid off the window ledge, but it was enough to make Lucy aware of her presence.

"Natsu Dragneel, you better turn your ass around and crawl right back out that window because I am really not-" She turned in her chair and Juvia watched as her anger quickly melted into confusion. "Juvia? What are you doing here?" Juvia's heart broke when the celestial spirit mage frantically swiped at her eyes to hide her tears.

Juvia stood, smoothing out her dress and slowly approached where Lucy was sitting. "Juvia is sorry for intruding. Juvia just needed to speak to Lucy immediately and it is late, so Natsu-san said to climb through the window."

"Of course he did," the blonde muttered under her breath. "But it's okay, really. I just wasn't expecting you."

Juvia inched closer to the blonde, taking in her puffy, red eyes and frowned. She hesitated only for a second before reaching out to wipe away a few stray tears off Lucy's cheeks. Lucy leaned a little into the touch making Juvia sigh in relief. Maybe she hadn't screwed this up after all.

"Lucy," she started quietly, "Juvia needs to apologize. Juvia didn't mean to leave. She was afraid of what Lucy would say and she didn't want to be rejected after what happened." She looked at her friend with determination, "But Juvia is ready now and even if Lucy doesn't feel the same, Juvia hopes it won't affect their friendship."

Lucy's eyes were wide and Juvia could practically see the hope radiating off of her. "Don't feel the same? So...you do have feelings for me?"

Juvia flushed and looked at the ground. "Yes. Juvia loves Lucy very much. Does Lucy...does Lucy want to be with Juvia, too?" she asked shyly.

When she felt Lucy take her hand, she looked up to see her friend's teary smile.

"Nothing would make me happier than being with you, Juvia."

Juvia had tears welling up in her eyes as she swiftly pulled Lucy to her feet and pressed their lips together. Lucy gasped in surprise and Juvia used that moment to slide her tongue into the blonde's mouth. Lucy moaned against her lips and the water mage felt the sound heating her to her core.

Lucy broke the kiss briefly, smiling coyly as she let her bath towel fall off her and drop to the ground. There were water droplets from where her hair was still wet dripping down her skin and Juvia had to forcibly stop herself from following them with her eyes in fear that her knees would give out.

Lucy giggled and wasted no time tugging off Juvia's clothing until she matched her state of undress before sealing their lips back together again. She slowly guided Juvia backwards until they collapsed side-by-side on the bed. Lucy smiled, gently playing with a lock of Juvia's blue hair. "I was worried when you left tonight," she whispered, "I thought maybe I had the wrong idea."

"Juvia is sorry," the water mage whispered back. "She thought maybe Lucy regretted her decision to be with Juvia."

Lucy grinned, trailing her fingers down from Juvia's hair across her cheek in order to trace the shape of her lips. "I have never regretted anything less in my life."

Juvia felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders when she heard those words. Laughter bubbled up from her chest and tumbled off her tongue and she pressed sloppy, open-mouthed kisses onto Lucy's bare skin in between each breath and giggle. The celestial spirit mage smiled fondly in return, running delicate fingers across Juvia's skin and they soon became a mess of limbs and laughter, loving words and affectionate touches. Juvia could never remember a time she felt so at peace with herself, with the world.

"I love you," Lucy murmured into Juvia's lips once they had settled down, "I love you so much." The water mage felt like her heart might burst.

"Juvia loves Lucy, too."

She curled around Lucy, continuing to press feather-light kisses against her skin while the blonde stroked her hair.

Less than a year ago, Juvia had a plan. She was sure she knew where she was going and who she was going to be with and how she was going to get there. She had lists and fantasies and misplaced conviction. Less than a year ago, she was so sure she knew what she wanted.

Yet here she was, hopes and desires torn apart and built back into something more magnificent than she could have ever imagined, even in her wildest dreams.

Laying in Lucy's bed she was finally at peace, loving and being loved by the most beautiful woman she'd ever met while knowing she had the best friend she could ever ask for mere minutes away and always at her back and a crazy, affectionate family to support her and make sure her skies were always blue.

Not so long ago, Juvia thought she knew exactly what she wanted.

And now she'd never been so happy to have been wrong.

Thank you for reading! :)