Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, substance abuse, coarse language, sexual content. Multiple parings. It will be dark. Mature audiences only, please.

Cotton Girl

The man beneath Juvia dug his fingers into her hips and orgasmed. She could feel everything. His swelling body hitting her on all sides, his sweat under her palms. His panting breath as his chest rose and fell exaggeratedly to get his wind back. Spent herself, she collapsed against her partner's chest and just lay there, listening to his heart throb, the air rattle in his lungs, pleased with herself. He didn't pet her hair; he didn't caress her back. Juvia didn't want him to, either.

After a prolonged moment she lifted herself on shaking arms and pushed her messy hair back from her face. When she could see again she rose and wriggled her skirt back down around her hips.

"Thanks for the fun evening," she told the sprawled dragon slayer. He grunted noncommittally, which was as good as saying 'you're welcome' when you were trying to play it cool. He couldn't hide the way he puffed, or the way his fingers gripped at his wrinkled shirt as the aftereffects of his orgasm rolled through him. She ran her hands through her hair again and straightened the knotted tresses.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and offered something he never had before. "You can stay, if you want."

Juvia looked over at him and considered his offer. They hadn't ever ventured down that road and she didn't know if she cared to. Sure, they could continue their good night if she let him rest for just a little while longer, but there was a certain ice mage she wanted to see before it got too late.

"I don't know why you even bother giving him any time, Juvia," he grumbled from the floor, seeing through her hesitance.

"Don't act like you care, you just want to fuck," she replied flippantly.

He raised a brow and flashed her pointed teeth. "Yeah? Isn't that what you want, too?"

Waiting for Gray was long and agonizing. You can have a little bit of fun, she told herself. This doesn't mean anything. And it was true, she just used his body, closed her eyes, and imagined it was Gray-sama she was writhing over. And only felt a little guilty for it. "Goodbye," she said by way of answer.

"Yeah. Hey, I'll see you tomorrow when he turns you down again."

She rolled her eyes but didn't refute his claim. She didn't want to come back, but she would likely be knocking on his door again. She couldn't seem to help herself. He was no Gray-sama, but he did have a certain je ne sais quoi that she found herself drawn to. Still… she was stubborn to the last. "I know he loves me. He'll come around."

The dragon slayer gave her a pitying look. "If he does, he has a funny way of showing it."

She crossed her arms under her breasts. "You and I don't love each other, but here we are. People express things differently."

"No, we don't love each other." He pushed himself up on his elbow and winked a searing blue eye at her. "But we have fun. That frosty twit can't even say that. But whatever, if he doesn't want a piece of that," his eyes roved over her shamelessly, "I'm more than happy to take care of you."

At his words her body heated unbearably. She swallowed back the urge to go to him again, to see if he was hard once more, to kneel over him and push into his body. Her hands tingled with the effort. "How benevolent of you to agree to use me."

"Hey," he refuted, "You use me, too, and I don't complain."

It was true, she couldn't contradict that. "I have to go," she said again.

The dragon slayer smiled toothily. A small whip of power shot out from his body and smacked against her ass, tearing the fabric there. A splash of pale skin peeped through. Juvia squeaked and rubbed the tender area. "Careful," she complained, but her words had no heat behind them—in fact, they slipped out as an aroused purr. He knew just how to get to her. Love or no love, they worked well together.

"Come here and tell me that," he challenged.

Juvia glanced over at the door, then to the darkening sky. "But…"

He wasn't listening. He was massaging his hand quickly over his erection and watching her brazenly.

Juvia licked her lips, her protest dying. It wasn't actually that late, she could stay a little longer.

The night was warm, crickets sang cheerfully as Gray Fullbuster walked past Fairy Hills, Juvia on his mind. He hadn't seen the water mage all day, which was unusual, and when he went by her apartment, it was still and quiet.

He held a piece of paper tightly in his hand—a job request specifically for him and Juvia. He would have normally turned it down, but the reward was very, very high, and the job itself sounded interesting. The destruction of a nest of mountain lindworm's was an easy thing. It wouldn't even take them that long, a day, tops. It could be done by tomorrow night, but Juvia had been shockingly absent. At this rate, he was going to have to turn it down or try to take it on himself—which he was sure he could do, but didn't relish taking a job on his own. That was boring. Juvia could be sort of obnoxious, but she was good company when she wasn't tripping over him.

As if summoned by thought, a familiar figure turned the corner, hair gleaming in the bright light of the moon, a sapphire jewel in the drawing night. She looked up and met his eyes. Her lips turned down in a frown for the barest of instances then she shook herself and her usual happy smile curled the corners of her mouth.

"Gray-sama!" She closed the distance between them, a bounce in her step.

"Hey, Juvia," he greeted. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks pinked, and her lips were shiny and pink, glossed by something artificial. She was beautiful standing there under the light of the moon. Not that he'd ever admit it to her for fear of the backlash that would follow. She was just too intense sometimes. "Where have you been?"

She looked away from him guardedly. "Just out."

"Oh." It was obvious she didn't want to talk about it. "I was looking for you."

She looked back at him, eyes lighting up. "You were?"

"We have a job request," he rushed to explain, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

"A request?" she repeated. "For you and me?"

He nodded.

"And you want to do it… together?" There was a note of hope in her voice.

"Well," he fielded, sensing her rising pleasure. "It pays well, and I thought that we could knock it off quickly."

She grinned toothily. "I would love to go out on a job with you, Gray-sama."

He thought to protest, to tell her that his offer didn't mean anything—or at least, not what she thought it meant—but as soon as he saw that smile he lost the words. Maybe it did mean something, what the hell did he know?

"Alright. We'll leave tomorrow then."

Juvia nodded. "I'll be ready." She came forward and kissed his cheek noisily before he could pull away. "Goodnight, Gray-sama!"

Gray watched her flounce away, mind churning, cheek burning.

Inside her apartment, Juvia rushed to her window so she could watch Gray mosey down the path towards his home. He looked alone out there, but not lonely. Not like she was. Thoughts swirling, she gnawed on a nail and listened to her heart pound.

This is it, she told herself. Either this job would allow their love to grow or it would wither and die. The latter prospect made her chest feel tight. He's already asked you to go, that's a big step, she told herself but then shook her head. It wasn't enough. She needed something more, and had for a long, long time.

She undressed, hands sliding over the small welt her dragon slaying partner had left on her ass with that slap of magical energy and smiled. It would be terrible if Gray never returned her love, but she wouldn't be lonely.