A/N: This is for Darkhope, because her birthday is today (was, this is just late ehehehehe...) and she's the best friend anyone could ask for ;w;! Happy Birthday Rie-channnnn ! What better gift then the gift of Gruvia?! Enjoy the angsty fluffyness XD.

Summary: After Current Arc (GMG/Eternal Flame) - Gray had to push Juvia away; he couldn't risk her being too close and then something happen. But water and ice co-exist, naturally; so in the middle of a traumatic event, a confession occurs...

Pairing: Gruvia! With a side dish of NaLu (because I love them XD).

Notes: Italics are thoughts as well as emphasis.

Scene changes/Time Breaks:

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Copyright: Mashima-san, yus.

Created: 09/21/13 - 09/22/13

Gruvia Oneshot

Not Everybody Close To You

By: darkdreamerx

Bring me down, side by side,

While our reflections make our bodies collide.

So full of energy, nothing to hide,

No need to sleep, we come alive,

And if we're gonna take this ride,

We can go wherever we like

And if it feels like we're dreaming,

Believe it, believe it.

-"Stay Awake", Ellie Goulding

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.

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The ground beneath them crumbled, a whirlwind of ashes disintegrating in the vicious blast that whipped his face. Gray Fullbuster cursed his flame-headed rival for being stupid, again. Team Natsu was on a new mission; one that required patience, and a whole lot of it. The ice mage thought the stellar key user would have kept the dragon slayer immobile so that he, himself, could have beaten the enemy, but such was not the case.

And on top of that, Juvia Loxer was beside him the entire time. She'd replaced Titania on this mission, because the ex-quip mage had been on a leave of absence, due to a certain childhood lover...

Which meant, to Gray's utter irritation, that Juvia was in danger too; Gray cursed again.

The heat from Natsu Dragneel's fist of fire unfurled; the pressure from the enemy's steam attack caused lava to form. The molten liquid oozed through the cracks of the mountain, and that's when Gray and Juvia both fell.

"GRAY-SAMA!" the blue-eyed mage screamed, her outstretched hands reaching toward her falling comrade's body. The lava was dripping around them, small drops burning through skin and clothes. Juvia felt tears in her eyes as she tried and tried again to grasp Gray's shirt—hand—arm—anything—!

Ocean eyes met hers, somehow, horrified. They were thousands and thousands of feet in the air, there was no way... As their bodies dropped quickly, a single question implanted in Gray's mind: Are we going to die...?

From above the chaos, Lucy Heartfilia shrieked, her expression aghast. "JUVIA—! GRAY—! NATSU DO SOMETHING!"

Instantly, the dragon slayer jumped to the over-sized opponent; another fire fist pummeled him across the peak, skidding to the edge. "SHIT! Can you see them Lucy?!"

"NO—!" The celestial mage squinted, her auburn eyes filling with salty water. "It's so far down!" She was on her hands and knees, crawling across the broken mountain while avoiding the blazing aftermath of her teammate's fire. "I wish Happy was here... He stayed behind... Why...?! HE COULD HAVE FLEW...! WHY...! NATSUUUU?!"

With a swift kick, the huge monster plummeted off the cliff, disappearing under the charcoal smoke; Natsu retracted his limbs and turned, dashing toward the hunched over blonde. "LUCY!"

When he reached her, she was crying; Natsu clenched his fists angrily, grinding hard on his teeth. He snarled, looking below him—the cloudy remnants of the move he'd used just moments earlier. "DAMNIT! I'M GOING AFTER THEM!" Right before he threw himself into oblivion, trembling arms grasped his waist, tightening around him.

"NO!" Lucy cried. "D-Don't do something stupid! What if you die?! I-I can't—!" Her words stopped, body shaking violently. "Please... let's... get them together."

The dragon slayer swallowed bile; he wanted to vomit. "Lucy... What are you saying?"

"I'll jump with you," she said firmly. She pressed her cheek into his back, clutching him tighter.

Without a word, strong arms reached back, grasping the blonde's thighs. Natsu hoisted her weight up, Lucy's chest against his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the intimate contact comforting her.

"Ready?" he asked. And with a nod, the duo plunged off the cliff.

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"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia cried again, her arms flailing for him. "JUVIA CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" Blue hair whipped her face wildly, her dress blown up to her thighs. Gasps for air drowned out the thrumming of her erratic heart. What could they possibly do...? They were going to fall to their deaths! The more Juvia thought about their demise, the more her mouth dried. Cerulean eyes studied her teammate as they fell together at a startling rate. His eyes glued to her, face petrified. Masculine hands cupped his cheeks, and Juvia could swear there were tears clawing his eyes.

Gray's lips moved; he was trying to say something.

"GRAY-SAMA?"

"..."

"GRAY-SAMA!" With a hidden burst of magic, Juvia swam through the air toward the ice user. She lunged for him, finally latching herself to him. They swayed in the air, bodies tangling until Gray was staring down at Juvia. She grasped his hands swiftly, the hold firm. "Please! Snap out of it, Gray-sama!" the water mage pleaded while wincing, the altitude harsh against her back.

But she was met with silence again.

"Gray-sama!" she repeated. Her words melted like ice as she thought of the declaration she'd never get the chance to say again when they reached the ground. "Juvia... Juvia...!" His expression changed from panic to confusion when she confessed her inner turmoil. "Juvia loves Gray-sama! Juvia does not want Gray-sama to—to die—!"

At the last word, ocean eyes focused on Juvia's trembling mouth. "...Juvia."

She blinked tears away. "—Yes?!"

"...hold on," Gray breathed. Under their meshed bodies, a strong hand palmed a closed fist. In the same movement, Juvia was pressed closer to the man she'd confessed to, her cheeks a dusty red. She breathed in the smell of his skin, and in that moment she told herself she could die.

But not her Gray-sama, he could not die.

She felt the rumble of his chest as he yelled, "ICE MAKE... FLOOR!" The muscles in his arms rippled as he brought her closer still. And then the water user gasped audibly as they swirled, her body resting on his now.

"G-Gray-sama—!" she choked, but swallowed her disorientation when she heard glass shatter. Vicious wind licked the sides of their bodies when her eyes focused on shards spewing from the adjacent parts of their bodies. But at every new sound of breaking glass, Juvia realized it was not glass that was breaking—it was ice. From their falling bodies to the ground below, there must have been over a hundred layers of ice sheets; Gray used the last of his magic to break their fall. At the velocity of their plummet, the ice only cracked to pieces as Gray's back smashed into the smooth surfaces. The blue-haired mage felt fresh salt prick her eyes; he was going to kill himself with this method!

Cerulean irises gaped in horror as blood began to flow from underneath Gray's body. The ice was slashing away at his back, splicing the bare skin he'd exposed all those desperate minutes ago. "Gray-sama! Please—stop!" she begged, but he simply crushed her to him. Impact after impact, he made sure the solidity of his toned figure shielded the curvaceous water mage from any harm.

It seemed like an eternity of pain; Gray bit the inside of his cheek to try and take his mind off of the excruciating throbbing across his back. He could bear it; he'd been through far worse pain. Physical pain was nothing close to the mental agony... The torment of having lost people close to him... He couldn't lose someone else... Especially not after what she'd last said.

After an infinite amount of time, or so it felt, the speed of their fall had slowed significantly. Gray smirked to himself; he'd purposely flowed more magic to the sheets of ice that floated closer to the bottom. Just a bit more...

And then with a sudden thud, the pair collided into the thickest slab, their bodies bouncing skyward at the impact. The ice mage used the remaining strength in his body to hold Juvia against him while they rotated and smacked back onto the frozen surface, twisting and rolling until finally, they stopped harshly.

They both groaned in pain between gasps of air, the altitude finally stagnant. Fragments of frozen liquid fell around them, the aftermath of the ice that'd been crushed. Juvia was first to recover, the slack of Gray's arms speaking volumes. She pushed herself from him so that she could study his face. He was grimacing, red oozing from the corner of his wind-chapped lips. "Gray-sama" she whimpered, "Gray-sama...why...?" A quivering hand wiped the trickle of red, and Gray half smiled.

"Juvia... I-I can't... let you die..."

"But Gray-sama!"

"Juvia... I'm... sorry..."

"S-Stay with Juvia please! Gray-sama can't die! Juvia... Juvia already saw Gray-sama die once..." the water mage's voice choked, and she swallowed back a lump. She remembered the dragons—the beam that pierced through Gray's chest, numerous times, as he pushed her out of the way.

Then his skull.

Blood seeped through the gaping wounds across his back, but Gray collected his face and looked at Juvia. "I'm... I'm sorry I rejected you... I..." he trailed off, his eyes tired.

"Gray-sama!"

"I'm here," he assured her. "I... I'm just... it's just that... e-everybody close to me...dies..." While exhaling, Gray tasted more metal. He could be honest with her; she just told him that she loved him. He was probably going to die anyway...

The water user stroked his face, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No... not everybody close to you dies... Juvia is here... Natsu... Lyon... Lucy... Erza... E-Everybody in Fairy Tail!" She took a breath shakily, "Gray-sama... saved Juvia... Juvia is grateful..."

Ocean blue strained to focus on the watery cerulean. She was crying for him... Just as he had cried for Ul... For Ultear... What was this sinking feeling? He was doing the same thing that they'd done to him... Leaving Juvia alone... Gray inhaled sharply, pain twisting his insides. Who would protect her? He couldn't die... Not yet. "Juvia...?"

"Y-Yes... Gray-sama?"

"Wh—Why...? Why love...love me?" he asked quietly.

Juvia laid her head against the frozen sheet beside him; water crossed her nose and pooled under her cheek as tears flowed freely. "Because Gray-sama freed Juvia... freed Juvia from Phantom Lord..." she smiled warmly, despite the gripe in her heart. "Gray-sama stopped the rain..."

A chuckle escaped the ice mage's lips, "I did...all that?"

"Yes! Juvia loves Gray-sama... Gray-sama saved Juvia!" the blue-haired girl sincerely declared, her visage expressing her words to Gray with utmost honesty.

At that moment, the pain didn't feel so terrible anymore. Gray felt his body fill with heat, the warmth spreading to his face. He shook his head; he could not fathom the idea of loving this girl back. This crazy girl that practically died at his hands seconds earlier. But... the feeling of ease washing over him like waves persuaded him to change his resolve.

"Juvia... Thank you... I think..." he whispered as he moved closer to her, his lips against her ear, "you saved me too." And as he pulled back, all resolve diminished, the dark-haired man kissed her cheek softly. Maybe she was right... He was just selfish, and deathly afraid of losing someone close again. But if they both felt the same way, it couldn't hurt to let her in...

At least a little bit.

Juvia's cheeks flushed, and then Gray pulled her close to him again. She breathed the smell of his skin once more, and she thought for the second time that she could die happily, here. But she wouldn't. She'd live on for as long as she could... beside her Gray-sama.

Quietly, she listened to her love's shallow breathing. Her heart constricted with each breath; anguished, she hoped Lucy and Natsu would find them soon...

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Mahogany spotted the two limp bodies, Lucy's internal temperature growing colder than the ice she was standing on. "Over there! Oh—there's so much blood—Natsu hurry! GRAY! JUVIA!"

The dragon slayer dashed at the key user's words, carrying her in his arms as his legs carried them both closer to their fallen teammates. When they skidded to a stop, Lucy practically threw herself off of him and fell to her knees, her hands shaking as she reached out to them. "Oh—! W-Were we... too late...?"

Natsu knelt beside her, grasping her hand with reassurance. "No. We weren't too late. Look closely Lucy, they're both breathing." He pointed to the embracing figures, their chests slowly rising and falling.

"Oh, thank goodness...!" Lucy cried, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

Natsu watched as Gray rolled over at their voices; Juvia sat up slowly, mumbling "Gray-sama" before her gaze fell on the fire mage and key user. "Ah...! Juvia is happy to see you both..."

The blonde nodded, a smile splitting her lips. "We were so worried!"

Natsu exchanged looks with Gray. "That was a crazy move you pulled. I thought you were dead for sure," the pink-haired man said honestly, his expression grave.

Gray blinked up at them, repeating a phrase he'd heard just moments earlier. "Heh... Not everybody close to you dies..."

As her own words left his lips, Juvia laughed tenderly, cerulean glossy with thankful tears. Natsu and Lucy grinned, both knowing the embrace they'd seen explained the verbatim flawlessly.

A/N: YAY DONE! Technically it's a day late, but I hope you enjoyed it Marie-channnnnnnnnnn! I always write ridiculously angsty romantic fics, so I'm sorry if this was emotional overload for you XD.

Also, thank you allllllllllll for reading this! I love everyone in the Gruvia fandom, so leave a review and let me know what you think n_n! I'll update All Fired Up next! (And hopefully all my other fics...) hehe...

Also! I will be writing the NaLu part of this soon wooooooooooooooooooot! Aren't you guys wondering what they were talking about (as they were falling) before they found Gruvia!? Until next time, xoxo loves.