disclaimer: Mashima holds all rights :*(
notes: MAJOR warning with this one. If you're looking for cute water mage x ice mage fluff, this ain't the place.

He's standing shirtless on her doorstep holding a bottle of cheap red wine with a stomach full of butterflies.

Her door seems incredibly daunting—which is absolute bullshit, because he's fought demons and monsters and crazy powerful mages yet here he is, sweating at the sight of a four-inch thick slab of dead tree.

His hand trembles only slightly as he tentatively reaches up, knuckles only barely brushing the wooden interface before he wrenches his hand back. He's chanting curses in his head—dickhead, just knock on the fucking door. What, scared the damn thing's gonna swallow you up or something?

The door may not tear into him, but he's sure Juvia will. Not only had he forgotten that he was due to take a job with her and blown her off in favour of traipsing through Fiore on his own, but he had also forgotten it was their damn anniversary. Sure, it wasn't like they were "together", but Juvia insisted they celebrate their third year in each other's company. Who was he to go against her wishes? (Knowing her, she'd probably drown Magnolia if he didn't do something.)

Swallowing his pride, Gray rapped on the door softly with the back of his hand. Honestly, he couldn't believe he was scared shitless because of a woman. If it were Lucy or Erza or even Mira, then he could understand why his knees shook like a man preparing to walk into war. But this was Juvia, the very same woman who called him "Gray-sama" (like his ego needed more of a reason to blow up) and bandaged his wounds on missions.

The door creaking open wrenched Gray from his thoughts and he flinched, locking his knees.

"Uh, hey, Juvia."

The woman regarded him with a blank look as she lounged in her doorway, hip jutting out and her pale legs crossed at the ankles. She was barefoot with her wavy hair pulled into a messy ponytail, blue strands framing her pale face—which had his knees trembling for entirely different reasons—and her arms crossed over her chest.

Gray's eyes trailed up her form and stopped at the neckline of the overly large shirt she wore. He could've sworn he recognised the damn thing from somewhere… with a start, Gray realised she was very much wearing his T-shirt. Gray swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing. This woman would be the death of him, he was sure of it.

"Yes, Gray-sama? Can Juvia help you at all?"

Oh, yes she could help him. She could start by taking off his damn shirt and putting something else on—preferably long enough to cover those fucking endless legs.

Gray held the bottle up awkwardly, "I got you something, I guess."

"Oh? Whatever for, Gray-sama?" Juvia's eyes narrowed slightly, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Gray watched her closely, wondering if he'd imagined the way her pink lips pulled into a smirk. Where the hell had this… this cocky seductress come from? Gray realised he was pointedly staring at her, mouth hanging agape. Juvia examined her nails mindlessly, as if the sight of him practically grovelling at her feet were a usual occurrence. The ice mage cleared his throat, fingers nervously twitching to the waistband of his pants.

"Well, I sorta blew you off and then I forgot about yesterday…" Gray trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Juvia snapped her eyes from his wandering fingers, her eyes carefully blank. "And what was yesterday? Juvia can't recall it being her birthday…"

Gray caught on to her tricks quickly, teeth grinding. The damn woman was trying to get him to actually say it out loud—that he'd somehow forgotten it was their "anniversary" (what the hell was so damn special about an anniversary anyway?).

A hand lazily trailing down his chest caught his attention quickly.

"Oi, Juvia—!"

The woman clamped a hand over his mouth, shushing him with a gentle—albeit slightly smug—smile. "Why don't you come inside? Juvia wouldn't mind having a sip from your… bottle."

Gray's eyes snapped to Juvia's instantly, his innards absolutely quaking. The woman merely fluttered her lashes and pulled him inside by the chain around his neck. She let the door swing shut, the resounding thud echoing in Gray's empty brain. He was still cursing himself—

WhatthefuckareyoudoingGraystopturnaroundohmyfuckinggodgetthefuckoutnow.

Once again, a hand snaking around his shoulders yanked him from his thoughts.

"Gray-sama~" Juvia purred into his ear, her nails lightly trailing across the sensitive skin of his back. Gray fought the shiver threatening to shake him, hands tightening around the bottle.

"Yeah?" he somehow managed to croak out, manpride pirouetting and waltzing out the front door.

Juvia's lithe hands continued to trail down his back, coming around his ribs and following the contours of his stomach. Her fingers were feather-light as they trailed to his pant waistband, fiddling with the belt loops.

"Why don't you let Juvia deal with the wine, hm?" her voice was breathy in his ear, his breaths laboured in hers. Damn this woman and damn stupid fucking double meanings.

Suddenly, the bottle was wrenched from his hands and he was watching Juvia sashay down the hall, her hips swinging delectably in his shirt—which looked almost too good on her.

It was only then that he realised she was stumbling rather than sashaying, her balance nothing but helter-skelter. Gray cursed under his breath and cautiously made his way to her living room, dreading the sight of what awaited him.

Her living room was a mess—pillows and blankets littered the floor and was that a life-sized doll version of himself? What scared him most, though, were the various empty bottles of liquor and champagne. A cocktail mixer lay on its side on the coffee table, a colourful cocktail that smelled of blueberries untouched in a tall glass.

So, she was drunk.

Gray shook his head, cursing himself for not realising sooner. Only drunk Juvia had the courage to basically seduce his pants right off him.

"Juvia, what's up with all the alcohol?" he called out in an attempt to solve the problem before him (and to distract himself from racy thoughts of Juvia removing his pants with her teeth).

Juvia's words were only slight slurred as she replied, "Cana-san and the girls-hic-decided to have a sleepover party in Juvia's living room."

"Why all the alcohol?" Gray muttered to himself, face scrunching up when he almost stepped on a pair of lacy pink panties.

"Gray-sama~" Juvia called from the kitchen, "Juvia ran out of wine glasses! Juvia thinks it's best to share from the bottle!"

"What about all your other glasses?"

"It seems Juvia doesn't have anything at all! Oh well!"

Gray rolled his eyes, making his way to the front door. "You know, I should really be going… long day, you know how it is."

The doorway to freedom was only one foot away when a hand dragged him back.

"Don't be like that, Gray-sama. Juvia hasn't seen you in so long," Juvia pouted, her mood shifting entirely. Gray's eyes widened at the tears falling freely from her eyes.

"O-Oi, don't cry over nothing."

Juvia's eyes suddenly brightened. "So you'll stay?"

"I never said—"

A squeal left Juvia's lips and she wrapped herself around his arm, jumping up and down. "Great! Juvia can make pancakes and she can feed you and then Gray-sama can cuddle her to sleep and oh, this is going to be so fun!"

What had he got himself into now?

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tbc