AN: Surprise update!

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Love In The Ice

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Juvia woke up slowly and pain was the first thing she felt was pain all over. She tried to open her eyes and failed a couple of times – her mind felt groggy, what happened and what was that annoying beeping sound?

When she finally opened her eyes and focused her vision, she realized she was in a hospital bed and the events of that night finally came to her.

Bora.

Bora had found her, hit her and chocked her. Her hand seemed to weight a ton when she raised to touch the bandages around her throat. Bora almost made her faint, but then, she remembered her Gray-sama appearing at her apartment. Why, though? He had dropped her off and gone home...

...oh, her phone. She forgot it in his car and he came back to return it.

Juvia's eyes were much more focused and she finally looked around – she was attached to a machine (so that's where the annoying beep was coming from) – and saw Gray slouched, eyes closing as he was falling asleep on what seemed a very uncomfortable chair.

She must've made some noise because his eyes widened and he looked up and sighed in relief.

"Hey." He took one of her hands and squeezed it and under further inspection from Juvia, she saw he had a black eye. "How are you feeling?"

"Hurts." She managed to say and Gray quickly grabbed a bottle of water from the nightstand and offered it to her, to her relief. She was finding very hard to speak so she just asked: "Bora?"

"The police has him." Gray told her and she sighed in relief. "I called Detective Ryan and he's coming down here."

It took Juvia great strength but she nodded. "You?"

He put a hand on the top of her head, caressing her hair. "Just a black eye, bruised knuckles, nothing too serious."

"Juvia?" She wondered, her throat hurting.

Gray sighed. "You have some bruising on your face, your torso. You'll be sore for a while but you will be fine." He said with barely contained anger. "And you shouldn't speak unless you have to. You have to heal your throat too." Juvia nodded.

"You look tired." She whispered, trying not to upset her throat.

He snorted. "Well, it's been a crazy night."

"Sorry." She felt guilty.

"Hey, this isn't your fault, it's Bora's." Gray told her. "The doctor said you will be discharged in a few hours, though; they kept you here just to be safe."

"Okay."

"You should rest." He said and Juvia nodded – she was groggy enough to agree to take another nap.

The blunette had an idea and scooped farther from the edge of the bed, confusing her boyfriend until she patted next to her and Gray caught her intentions.

Gray circled the bed and, slowly so not to jostle her too much, he lied down next to her and since the bed was small, they had to lie on their side, Gray's front touching Juvia's back and she felt much safer, then. He was careful to put his arm loosely over her waist and he kissed the back of her neck.

"I called Gajeel, by the way." He told her in a whisper, already falling asleep. "He went to get something to eat and must be returning soon. He is your emergency contact."

"He is." Juvia's own eyelids were starting to drop and soon, both their breathings were even as sleep took over them.

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The second time Juvia woke up, it was Gajeel who was sitting on the chair, instead of Gray and he was looking straight at her.

They looked at each other for a few seconds as Juvia caught up with her surroundings and she frowned in confusion when she didn't feel Gray's body touching hers. She looked over her shoulder and he wasn't there.

"His folks arrived a few minutes ago, he's with them." Gajeel informed her.

"Oh." Why were they in Magnolia? Her head was still a but fuzzy.

"How are you feeling? No lying." He warned his friend.

"Like I was beaten half to death." Her throat felt much better, then.

"Looks like it too." Gajeel told her, nonchalantly.

Juvia snorted. "You just have a way with women..."

Gajeel shrugged. "I'm not gonna lie to make you feel better." He looked at her pointedly. "Never did before, won't start now."

The blunette sighed. "Juvia didn't lie."

"Lied by omission." Gajeel told her, crossing his scarred arms over his chest. "This is Bora, Juvia, the freaking nightmare of your life and you didn't tell me." She opened her mouth to protest but he beat her to it. "Don't tell me it was to protect me." Juvia closed her mouth, then, because that was her argument. "Fullbuster told me what's been going on but you and I are going to sit down and talk when you are feeling better."

Juvia nodded and suddenly, her eyes started to water. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't cry over it." Gajeel dismissed her tears, his voice was softer. "What's done is done and-"

"No, not that." She shook her head. "You taught Juvia how to defend herself a-and when it counte-ted..." Juvia cried, thick tears falling from her eyes. "Juvia didn't..."

Gajeel was clearly surprised with her words and it took him a few seconds of him looking at his friend crying before he managed to speak. "Okay, none of that." He told her. "Look, you are damn good at protecting yourself, Juvia, but you were at your home, the place you were supposed to feel safe and you thought the person knocking was your boyfriend and you got caught off guard." Gajeel said to his friend. "And from what I heard, you helped your boyfriend get free by using a tray? You fought back the best you could. You didn't lose your cool and didn't cower and most important: you survived."

"You-you're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad, alright, but not at you." Gajeel's eyes seemed to burn. "If Bora is ever put in front of me, I just need two minutes with him. Sadly only your boyfriend got to have some playtime with him." Gajeel scowled at Juvia. "Now stop feeling guilty for crap that wasn't your fault."

Juvia offered him a small smile. "Okay." She whispered, drying the tears.

"Good." Gajeel nodded. "Now let's get your in-laws in here. Apparently no one touches their princess without them coming from another town on their first train." He teased.

Juvia actually chuckled, making her chest hurt. "Stop it."

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Gajeel stepped from the medical bay so Gray could bring Ur and Silver into the room and the moment the older couple saw the young woman, they looked concerned and angry – Juvia hadn't seen herself yet but by the way everyone was acting, it was bad.

"Oh, sweetheart." Silver was the first to step closer.

"Hello, Silver-sama." Juvia spoke shyly. "Ur-sama." Gray and Ur were a bit behind.

"You got the guy who did this, right, son?" Ur's tone was dark.

"Yes." Gray nodded – he looked less tired, perhaps their little nap helped him.

"That's my boy." Ur nodded, patting Gray on the back, and went to stand next to her husband. "You feel terrible, don't you?"

Juvia thought of lying but by the way Ur's dark eyes shone, she wouldn't buy it at all. "Yes."

Ur just nodded. "You need to get discharged soon and get some proper rest. These hospital beds are horrible and you feel more terrified than anything else."

Thinking about going home to where she was attacked sent cold down her spine. It was her home, but now... now was the place she felt less safe in the world.

"You'll be coming home with me." Gray told her, sensing her being anxious. "Your apartment a mess and a crime scene yet, so I asked Lucy to get some of your stuff and you'll be going to my apartment instead."

Juvia felt relief flood her. Usually, she'd reject the 'charity' but not after that night. "Thank you." She told her boyfriend who just offered her a tired smile.

"The police will talk to you, the doctor will stop by and see if you are okay to leave." Gray informed her.

Suddenly she just wanted to get discharged, get a shower and lie down on Gray's comfy's bed wearing just one of his shirts and sleep for as long as she could.

"I called a lawyer." Silver said from his spot by the end of Juvia's bed. "He will call me to arrange a meeting when you are ready – both of you acted in self-defense but I want that son of a bitch to get as much time as he can get for assaulting you, Juvia-chan." His voice was just a little louder than a whisper and filled with anger.

Gray and Juvia shared a look Ur didn't miss. "What? What's wrong?"

With a sigh, Juvia nodded at Gray – everyone would know what happened between her and Bora two years before either way, so it was better if it came from them.

Seeing Juvia wasn't going to tell them (and was against medical advice to do so), Gray held Juvia's hand and told his parents why Juvia was attacked that night: he told them the truth about what Bora.

By the end of it, Silver and Ur were both pale and shocked with the story. They looked appalled by everything.

Ur took a few steps closer so Juvia's bed and took the hand Gray wasn't holding. "You are braver than I thought and that's saying something. Doing what you did isn't easy."

"It was nothing."

"No." Ur cut her. "You did what you could, you are doing what you can right now. That scumbag will go to trial because you have the evidence you refused to give even under pressure, even after he hit you. That took guts. Don't belittle yourself because it didn't work two years ago, it will work now and we will damn sure it does."

"No one messes with our family, sweetheart." Silver put an arm around Ur's shoulder. "And you are one of us now."

Juvia started to cry and sob so much – finally feeling overwhelmed about the whole thing, her whole body ached. Her family had grown. It wasn't just her and Gajeel against the world anymore.

They had backup now.

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Gray had helped her get into the shower when they arrived at his apartment around noon, and he went in there with her, making sure she was steady enough and using the opportunity to clean himself as well.

Juvia could see the hatred in his eyes when he eyed each bruise on her body but he carefully helped her clean herself and get the hospital smell from both of them. Soon enough, Juvia was smelling like herself – she had left bottles of her hair products on his shower. He even washed her hair for her.

By the time they were finished, Juvia chose of Gray's loose shirts to snuggle in, ignoring the bag of clothes Lucy had brought to the Hospital while Juvia slept.

Thankfully, there were enough establishments around to order food from an app so it was easy to get some soup for Juvia and Gray asked the same thing, too tired to think of anything more elaborated.

It was when Gray had finished taking care of her bruises as the doctor instructed and bandaging her throat, that their food arrived and since Juvia couldn't take her meds with an empty stomach, she ate a little more than half of it before Gray gave her the painkillers that would soon make her drowsy again.

"It's not fair your parents stay at a Hotel when you have a spare bedroom." Juvia told him when he helped her into bed – she might've groaned a couple of times during the process.

"They want to give us some space. They will come for dinner. Our friends too, by the way. I managed to keep them away until nightfall by telling them you needed to rest, but they are coming over tonight." Gray said, pulling down his shirt and pants so he could nap next to her – the blackout curtains helping a lot to put them both in the mood. "You should see Lucy when she stopped by the hospital and I didn't let her come in to see you because once she saw you, she wouldn't leave and with Gajeel and all, plus Natsu on her heels..."

"It's okay." She told her boyfriend, sighing and feeling exhausted and waited until he was lying next to her and awkwardly put his arms over her hips, ready to take them off if it bothered her, but Juvia turned around and attached herself to him almost like an octopus and he didn't complain. "Wake me up in two weeks."

Gray snorted and kissed the top of her head. "Wake me in three."

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She was alone when she woke up and she thought about sleeping a little longer, but she really needed to pee so getting up was mandatory.

After using the bathroom, Juvia walked out of the bedroom and heard Gray at the kitchen – only then she realized the sun was setting and he was making dinner.

"Hey." Juvia said from the door and Gray looked up from the pan he was stirring and Juvia's stomach grumbled in hunger.

"Hey." He said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She told him truthfully – sleeping for six uninterrupted hours helped a lot. The painkillers helped a lot too.

Gray nodded. "I'm making dinner." He said unnecessarily and she nodded. "There's some juice in the fridge, drink a glass so you can take your meds and then go rest on the couch."

"You're being very bossy." Juvia was amused, but found a glass to have some juice.

"Yeah, well, when it comes to this, you bet your ass I will be." Gray snorted and pointed a fork at her. "Juice, meds, couch."

"Yes, yes, yes." She rolled her eyes just for show, but loving to be treated with such care.

Juvia was watching some movie when there was a knock on the door and Juvia's whole body went cold, flashbacks coming to her mind and she was up from the couch the same time she saw Gray exit the kitchen to answer it when she screamed.

"Don't!" Gray all but jumped in surprise. She was pale, shaking and her heart seemed to want to burst from her chest. She was completely terrified. "Don't answer the door!" She told him. "You don't know... Bora..." Flashbacks of opening the door just to get punched over and over clouding her mind.

Understanding finally dawned in Gray's face and his expression softened. "Juvia, Bora is in jail now. It's probably my parents or our friends." He stepped closer to her. "They are coming over, remember?"

Juvia's breathing started to even out when there was another knock followed by the bell and she freaked out again. "I'm coming, stop knocking on the door!" Gray yelled at whomever was outside. "Juvia, look at me." Her blue eyes met his dark ones. "We are fine. You are fine. I won't let anything happen to you, alright?" She hesitated, but nodded. "I'm going to open the door now." Slowly, he walked towards the door.

"Look through the magic eye first!" She told him in a whisper, still afraid even if she was far from the door and almost hiding behind a wall.

"Alright, alright." He agreed and looked through the magic eye. "It's my parents." He told her and Juvia's tension just eased a little and he noticed. "Mom? Dad? Can you confirm it's you guys before I open the door?"

There was a moment of silence and then they heard Silver's voice. "Uh... It's us, son. Just me and your mother."

Juvia relaxed further and Gray waited until she nodded before he opened the door. "Hey, mom, dad."

"Hello, son." Ur kissed Gray's cheek and noticed Juvia almost hiding. She whispered just loud enough her son and her husband could hear. "What was that about?"

"Apparently, she's afraid of opening doors now." Gray whispered back.

"Understandable." Silver said and then put on a bright smile on his lips. "Juvia-chan, sweetheart! How are you feeling?" He walked passed his son and wife to speak with the terrified young woman, who relaxed with his attitude. "What's for dinner? It smells of pasta! Gray's pasta!"

"It will take a while for her to feel safe again. Even here." Ur told her son.

"I know." Gray agreed. "She looks after other people and now it's my turn to look after her and I'm here for that."

Ur looked at him with pride in her eyes. "You became a wonderful man, Gray."

He shrugged, non-committedly. "Just trying to be a decent boyfriend to make it up for the shitty one before me."

"I think you already have, kid." Ur put an arm around his shoulder and kissed his temple. "Now let's finish that pasta of yours before your friends get here."

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AN: Poor Juvia is still traumatized. Understandably so, of course. I hope you liked the chapter!