Author's Note: What's up friends! I know I know, where the hell have I been?! Where's the Oltremare update?! I'm a sack of potatoes, I know TuuuT

Believe it or not this is a story, but it's a story I've literally had sitting since July of last year. I'm the queen of procrastinating editing HAHAHA. I just felt bad for not sharing anything in months! Life's been awesomely complicated though TuT The next Oltremare update is in the works, but I'm still working on finding my drive for it or getting the imagination for it, but it will happen! Until then, enjoy this 11 page ridiculous story and uh, my sincerest apologies again TuuuuT

Emergency Services

Summary: [AU] It was a good thing she was on her way to the hospital because the minute she laid eyes on him, her heart stopped. [Gruvia] [one-shot]

Glancing down to the rushing stream and perilous rocks beneath her, Juvia bit her lip, timidly wrapping her arms around herself.

"G-Gajeel-kun—"

"Move your ass, Juvia! You're making us fall behind!" The man crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently as he stared at his friend. "Just cross the log and you'll be on the other side, it ain't that hard!"

"B-But—" she stammered, her eyes returning to the jagged rocks and crashing water. "If Juvia falls—"

"I'll catch ya!" he assured her, letting his arms fall limply to his side. "If ya didn't want to come on this stupid company retreat, rain woman, ya could'a just said so—"

"It's not that," the girl retorted, chewing her lower lip once more. "Juvia doesn't want to isolate herself anymore."

"Then cross the log so we can catch up. Ya ready?"

Juvia closed her eyes, drawing a steady breath. "O-Okay. Count Juvia off."

"Alright. Three, two, one—"

She sprinted across the log, squeaking when her foot almost slipped before quickly regaining her balance. Once on the other side, her eyes snapped open, glancing around herself and smiling bright to find she was on the other side.

"Gajeel-kun!" she chirped, whipping her face around to him, "Juvia did it!"

He chuckled, grinning while patting a hand on her head. "Yeah, nice job."

"Juvia is unstoppable!" she cried, sprinting ahead. "Nothing can stand in Juvia's way, not even—KYAA!"

"Juvia?!"

"You idiot," Gajeel muttered, hitching her higher over his shoulder as he kept a steady grip on her back. "How did you not see that huge root in front of you?"

Juvia wailed, covering her face with her hands. "Juvia is so embarrassed! And Juvia's ankle…"

"Yeah, doesn't look too good. The ambulance is on it's way."

Her head snapped up, eyes flashing to his as Gajeel staggered from the sudden shift in weight. "Ambulance?! But why?! Juvia isn't—!"

"Oi, don't move so much!" he scolded, tightening his hold on her when she began to squirm. "It's company policy, rain woman. We gotta call it in for any accident on a retreat, you know that."

"No, no," she mumbled, cupping her face and shaking her head. "Juvia is fine, she really doesn't need all this attention!"

She heard the echo of an ambulance siren in the distance, making her face involuntarily heat up. So much fuss over such a minor injury! She whined again, but Gajeel ignored it, rolling his eyes.

Once at the main entrance of the trail, he slowly knelt down, carefully placing Juvia against a rock as she pouted up at him.

"Gajeel-kun—"

"Oi, quit your complaining." He placed his elbows against his knees, meeting her moping gaze. "The ambulance is already here, and they're gonna take care of ya, alright? Just let 'em do their jobs and I'll pick ya up later."

"But but—" she whined, gently rubbing her throbbing ankle with a stubborn pout. "This is nothing, really—"

"So what happened here?"

Her breath suddenly caught in her throat as a shiver crawled along her skin. That voice—so low, husky, a perfect timbre that rang in her ears. Her eyes shakily rose to the owner of such a voice, only for her heart to stop at the sight.

Disheveled, messy black hair with strands hanging lover over his piercing dark eyes. A handsome face, a strikingly handsome face that made heat rush to her cheeks at just a glance. He had a medical bag slung over his visibly toned arms, his torso clad in a short-sleeved, button-down collared shirt paired with a black belt and loose black slacks.

Her mind was at a standstill, lost for words. She didn't know someone so gorgeous could possibly exist, let alone stand a mere few feet away from her.

His eyes—impossibly dark, with hints of gray in them—flickered between her and Gajeel, assessing the situation before glancing to the injured ankle she had stopped rubbing. Juvia shifted nervously under his gaze, suddenly all too aware of her exposed skin with her flimsy tank top, shorter-than-usual-shorts and hiking boots.

"She twisted her ankle," Gajeel explained, answering the man's question. "Fell over a thick tree root when she wasn't lookin'."

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia cried, flushing pink when the man knelt down to get a closer look. "It's—it's nothing! Juvia's fine, really—"

He placed a hand on her ankle and she hissed, visibly flinching against his touch. His fingers were cold, leaving shivers down her spine as he gently pressed them into her leg.

"It's swelling," he stated, raising his eyes to hers and eliciting a darker blush across her cheeks. "It's probably minor, but we'll wrap it at the hospital and take x-rays to make sure."

The girl blinked, her stare vacant as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She hadn't even processed what he was saying, still comprehending the fact that he was actuallylooking at her, touching her and speaking to her—

But then he shifted to her side, squatting while leaning towards her, and she completely forgot how to properly breathe.

"Do you mind?" he asked, but his voice registered as a hazy blur as he took her arm and placed it around his neck.

She merely stared at him, eyes wide and breath stilled in her throat while a dark blush stained her cheeks.

"Uh," the man mumbled, glancing to Gajeel. "Is she in shock?"

"Couldn't get her to shut up a second ago," Gajeel muttered with a scoff. "Oi, Juvia!" The girl paused, making a conscious effort for her to tear her eyes away from the man's captivating gaze and glance at her friend. He nodded towards the ambulance, crossing his arms over his chest. "Snap out of it and go."

"E-Eh?" she squeaked, blinking a few times. "What is it?"

"I said," the man started, and Juvia instantly stiffened at the husky voice in her ear, "do you mind?"

She bit her lip to stifle her squeal, sinking her teeth deeper when her eyes returned to his. "U-Um—uh—n-n-no?"

Nodding, he slipped his other arm beneath her legs, lifting her up. Juvia squeaked and immediately clung tighter to him, her eyes flashing to the ground while he raised an eyebrow at her. Blushing furiously, the girl looked back to Gajeel, her mind spinning as his form grew smaller and smaller.

Gajeel eyed the two, a scowl settling on his rugged face before he called, "I'll visit you in an hour." With that, he turned back towards the hiking trail while Juvia nervously wrapped her arms tighter around the paramedic's neck, trying in vain to rid the blush on her cheeks.

"S-Sorry," she stammered, avoiding the paramedic's gaze as he glanced at her. "Juvia must be heavy—"

"Not really," he replied, and she flushed when she felt his hold tighten around her. "Your weight's pretty evenly distributed, except for your chest."

Her face flamed as her blush spread to her ears and neck. Did he just—?

"So, Juvia."

She flinched, whipping her face to his and blushing under meeting his gaze. "Y-Y-Yes?"

"That's your name then? Juvia?"

The girl looked away, giving a bashful nod in response. Her name rolled off his tongue so smoothly, making her heart skip a beat just at the sound. And he was saying it so casually, too—how would she ever survive if he whispered it low in her ear?

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, Juvia—"

"Gray!"

Her fantasy immediately dissipated as Juvia turned her head towards the voice, finding a blonde girl standing by the ambulance and waving him over.

"Hey Luce," Gray said as he approached her, watching her open the back doors of the ambulance. "Where's Natsu?"

"He went to use the bathroom. He should be back any minute." Her gaze shifted to Juvia as Gray lowered her to the gurney, paying careful attention to her injured leg. "Oh no! What happened?"

"She twisted her ankle," Gray explained while Juvia quietly watched their exchange. "It's a mild sprain, nothing serious."

"I see," she replied, jumping in the back and helping Juvia get settled. She briefly inspected her ankle before her brown eyes rose to hers, a kind smile curving her lips. "You'll be okay. Gray's right, it looks like just a mild sprain. There is some swelling, but that's normal. My name is Lucy, and you are…?"

"Juvia," Gray answered, tossing his medical bag aside and securing various wires.

Lucy glanced at him, a small smile tugging her lips before she glanced back to the girl. "Right, Juvia. Well, you're in good hands, trust me." She winked while another blush dusted Juvia's cheeks. "We should be there in twenty minutes, okay? Just call me if you need anything."

"Let's get going already. What's taking the hothead so long?"

"I heard ya, princess!" yelled another voice before a boy with bright pink hair and fiery eyes stood by the ambulance backdoors, adjusting the white scarf around his neck. "Don't get your panties in a twist, alright?"

Gray snorted. "Took ya long enough."

"I was barely gone two seconds!"

"You were slacking off and you know it."

"Let's see you go any faster—!"

"Guys!" Lucy shouted, coming between the two growling boys and pushing them apart. "We have a patient here, remember?"

Gray scoffed while Natsu huffed, simultaneously whipping their faces away.

"Sorry about that, Juvia," Lucy said, flashing an apologetic smile while dragging a grumbling Natsu away. "Now we'll be there in twenty minutes, okay?"

The girl blinked, sneaking a glance to Gray who leaned forward and closed the ambulance doors behind them. When Natsu settled in the driver's seat and turned on the ignition, Gray knocked on the rear window, signaling to go as the ambulance drove off.

A faint blush warmed her cheeks as Juvia looked at the man before her. Alone, with Gray—a fitting name, reflecting the flecks in his eyes—for twenty minutes? Just the thought alone left her lightheaded! Oh god, what if she fainted? He would have to do CPR! But then—his lips—on hers—

"Juvia," he called, and the sound of Velcro ripping apart pulled her out of her scrambling thoughts.

"Sorry!" she blurted, making him raise an eyebrow at her. "I—I mean—Juvia is sorry she is so much trouble, for such a minor injury…"

"You don't have to keep apologizing," he murmured, and her breath hitched when he leaned towards her, his face inches away from hers.

"Wh—Whatareyoudoing!" she squealed, her voice high-pitched as she reflexively leaned away.

C-Could he be…?!

"Easy," he said calmly, placing some distance between them. "I just need to take your pulse for your health charts."

She stared at him, the words processing a moment later before she quickly averted her gaze. Of course, he was only doing his job, what was she thinking…?!

"R-Right," she stuttered, and she swallowed as he placed the electrodes against her skin, just beneath her collarbone.

"Okay," he said, leaning back and holding the rest of the electrodes before her. "These you gotta put on yourself, okay?"

She blinked, furrowing her brow as she received the wires from him. "But—how will Juvia know—"

"I'll show you."

She glanced at him, only for her eyes to bug out of her head when he nonchalantly stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside. Her breath practically knocked out of her lungs as her eyes fell to his chest, passing over the silver chain on his neck before greedily tracing every dip and ridge of the rippled muscles before her.

Her mind was reeling. How was this physically possible? As if his face wasn't jaw-dropping enough, his body was absolutely perfect, too?!

"One goes against your heart," he explained, completely oblivious to the girl's steaming red face and wandering eyes, "and the other two go here." He pointed to two spots just beneath his pectorals on either side of his abdomen, seemingly oblivious to the way his muscles nonchalantly flexed when he directed to them.

She could feel her mouth watering, and for a moment she could've sworn she forgot her own name.

"Juvia," he said, and she internally winced—how many times had he had to call her name to draw her out of her wild fantasies? "I can't do this part for you, on account your arms are perfectly fine and I don't wanna be sued for sexual harassment…"

She slowly stumbled a nod, desperately avoiding thoughts of if her arm had been sprained instead. Nevertheless, she followed his direction, placing the electrodes in the indicated areas as instructed.

Beep… beep… beep…

She raised her eyes to his, feeling her heart skip a beat upon finding his gaze lingering on her chest before raising to her face.

Beep—beep—beep—

The girl flinched, heat rushing to her cheeks while Gray glanced at the heart monitor machine, furrowing his brow. Her gaze fell to his back when he turned to get a closer look, and she felt her face grow warmer at the dips of his back as his muscles subtly contracted.

Beepbeepbeepbeep—

"Holy shit," he muttered under his breath. Oh no, her face couldn't possibly get any warmer, and the rate her heart was accelerating, so erratic and unnatural and beating faster and faster—

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep—

He looked at her, eyes wide as he scanned her over, and she shut her eyes in response, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. The beeps of the heart rate monitor echoed in her ears, sounding louder and louder and only making her more nervous and anxious—but then, she felt the electrodes pulled from her body, and opened her eyes to find Gray yanking the wires off her.

"The machine must be broken," he muttered, sparing her a glance before looking to the watch on his arm. He took her hand and she flinched, her heart pounding in her chest as his fingers pressed into the pulse point on her wrist. "There's no way someone's heart rate could accelerate that fast…"

Juvia remained perfectly still, unconsciously holding her breath while Gray remained silent for a minute. His grip loosened on hers, but his thumb brushed the back of her hand before he released her grasp, eliciting a fresh blush on her cheeks as he jostled the watch on his wrist.

"85 BPM," he mumbled, jotting the numbers down. "A little fast, but not abnormal."

He then secured an oral thermometer, taking it out of it's holder and holding it before her lips.

"Now, open your mouth," he instructed, and she blushed at his commanding tone. She shyly averted her gaze, but she could feel his eyes searching her face, studying the red hue tinting her skin that only darkened the closer he stared.

Silently obeying, she parted her lips, flushing darker as he placed the thermometer under her tongue before closing her mouth. She waited quietly, flickering her eyes to his and flinching when he brushed stray strands from her face and over her ear. The thermometer beeped, and his hand reached forward to take it from her lips—

"Ah-CHOO!"

The ambulance suddenly swerved right, flying up with a sharp bump as Lucy screamed.

"Natsu!"

The thermometer fell from her lips as Juvia instinctively shut her eyes. Gradually, she opened them once more, only to feel an unfamiliar weight on her chest. A heavy weight, like a firm grasp—

She glanced down, only for her eyes to inexplicably widen.

A hand. On her breast. More specifically Gray's hand, groping her with such a tight grip he could probably feel her mortified heart racing like no other beneath his palm—

"Shit!" he cursed, and her eyes snapped to his to find his face burning red as he jerked his hand away. "I—I wasn't—" He glanced between her and his hand while she froze, wide-eyed. "Not that it was—I mean—dammit, Natsu! Watch where you're going, jackass!"

Gray snarled and pounded on the window, echoing Lucy's scolds.

"You can't sneeze and drive, Natsu!"

"Sorry! It was an accident!"

"You could've gotten us into an accident, dummy!"

"I didn't look away from the road! I sneezed with my eyes open!"

"That's impossible!"

"No it's not! Wanna see me do it again?"

"NO!"

"Dumbass," Gray sneered, clicking his tongue before sneaking a glance to Juvia and sheepishly ruffling his hair. "Uh, sorry about my, uh, you know—"

The girl covered her chest, her head spinning as she stared vacantly ahead. This was all too much, way too much…! First her paramedic's face was breathtaking, then his body was perfect, and his voice and his eyes and his touch—but then he touched her, leaned close and touched her collarbone and her hand and now her chest—

She suddenly felt lightheaded as she swayed to one side, her lashes hovering low over her eyes. Gray reacted quickly, moving beside her and placing steadying, yet tentative, hands on her shoulders.

"Hey," he said, and Juvia found her cheek resting against his bare shoulder as her eyes drew to a close. "You okay? Your breaths are shallow…"

Despite his cold touch, his skin was warm, a fact she silently recognized as her face turned into his chest. He shifted against her, brushing her hair back and placing a hand on her forehead.

"Juvia—"

The ambulance jumped in another bump and she jolted awake, clutching the sword pendant around his neck while his hand fell to her hip, stabilizing her.

"Ah," she winced, grimacing when her sprained ankle jerked to one side. Gray's other hand fell to her leg, securing her in place before glaring to the rearview window.

"Natsu!" he snarled while Lucy smacked the boy's shoulder.

"That's the last time I'm letting you drive!"

"I'm sorry! There's some dusty shit in the air, I swear!"

"You fucking moron!" Gray shouted, and Juvia stiffened upon finding his thumb swirling aimless circles into her hip. "Do you even keep your eyes on the road?! A blind monkey could drive better than your dumb ass!"

"You know what, Gray?! You're lucky I can't stop this car right now and kick your ass!"

"Like you'd even hit me with your shitty ass driving!"

"DROOPY EYES!"

"FLAME-BRAIN!"

"NATSU! THE ROAD!"

Juvia's eyes widened as Gray's hand on her leg began sliding higher, gliding higher and higher with every insult he tossed. Unconsciously, her grip on his necklace tightened, and she uttered a soft whimper when his fingers skimmed passed her mid-thigh, daringly inching closer and closer to the edge of her shorts riding up her thighs.

"U-U-U-Um—" she stuttered, her voice jumping an octave when the tips of his fingers brushed her inner thigh. "G-Gray—"

"Hm?" He glanced at her, only to follow her eyes trained on his hand, now frozen high against her thigh. "Fucking—not again!"

He immediately shoved himself away from her, retreating his hands and locking them behind her back.

"Sorry! I wasn't—I didn't realize—!"

Juvia shook her head, her hands covering her blushing face while Gray cursed repeatedly under his breath.

Juvia doesn't know how much more she can take…!

The ambulance suddenly came to an abrupt halt, followed by the backdoors flinging open as Natsu beamed a wide, toothy grin.

"We're here!"

"You idiot!" Gray growled, snatching his scarf and shaking the boy. "What the hell kind of driving was that, huh?!"

"Hey!" Natsu shouted back, forcefully grabbing his wrist. "What the hell happened to your shirt, eh!? Pervert!"

"Guys!" Lucy chided, pulling the boys' grips of each other. "We have a patient, remember?!"

Gray snarled, glaring daggers at the pink-haired boy who shot a fiery scowl back. "Go make yourself useful and get a wheelchair, then. Think you can handle it?"

Natsu growled, baring his teeth before raising a threatening fist. "You know, you're lucky Lucy's here to protect your ass or else I'd be beating it to a pulp right now—!"

"Wheelchair, Natsu!" Lucy shouted, dragging the rowdy boy away as he continued barking insults in the air.

Gray rolled his eyes, turning towards Juvia before scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, sorry," he muttered as he moved beside her, kneeling down and sliding his arms under her legs and against her back. "This'll be the last time I touch you, I promise."

Juvia blushed when he picked her up, glancing away while her arms circled around his neck. "It's—it's alright, Gray-sama."

"It was an accident I swear, Natsu and his dumbass driving—wait, what?" His eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes squinted. "What did you just call me?"

She averted her gaze, ducking her head bashfully. Before he could question her further, the hospital doors slid open as Lucy and Natsu returned outside, rolling out a wheelchair.

"Here we are!" the girl called, smiling bright at Juvia who offered a small one in return. "Let's get that ankle taken care of, hm?"

Gray carefully lowered her to the seat, looking away when Juvia gave a small smile of gratitude. He scratched at his hair again, watching the doors slide open as Lucy wheeled her inside.

"Well," the blonde nurse began, pushing her through the hallway, "aside from some minor bumps along the way, that wasn't so bad a ride, right?"

She laughed while Juvia gave a polite smile, glancing back to the handsome paramedic behind the sliding doors.

One thing was certain: it was a hospital ride she'd never forget.