Regrets in the Crying Sky

Vow

Gray's coat was drenched by the time he got to the house he and Juvia lived in. The rain had picked up rather suddenly and had not let up. He paused on the porch, dusted off the raindrops, and looked at the door. Somehow, he had to open that door and walk inside with a smile. He had frozen his heart many times in the past, but with the flame of Natsu's love still burning in him, he wondered if he could do it once more. He took a deep breath, grabbed the doorknob, and turned it.

"I'm home," he called out as he stepped inside.

He had expected Juvia to come flying out of the bedroom and leap excitedly into his arms like she always did. Instead, as he took off his shoes and hung the wet coat up by the door, the house was oddly quiet. It was too early for her to be at the guild already. Natsu said nothing about a large mission, which would have been the only reason Juvia would leave so close to Gray's return date. Then he heard a noise in the bedroom.

"Juvia?" he called out. He ran his fingers through his wet hair, trying to dry it out as he walked through the house. "Are you here?"

He walked into the bedroom to see Juvia standing there with her back to him. Her hair was still frizzy, unbrushed, and her clothes were wrinkled as if she had slept in them. Now that he was this close, he heard soft sniffles. His eyes widened with dread.

'Oh God, does she already know?'

"Juvia?" he asked hesitantly. His skin prickled with fear and guilt.

He heard her take a steadying breath before whispering, "Welcome ... home, Gray-sam-..." Her throat failed before she could finish saying the name.

She did not turn around, and he did not step any closer. He waited, sensing something was seriously wrong. It took him a moment to realize there was a suitcase on the bed. Juvia had some of her clothes folded away in it.

"W-what's going on?" he asked. He knew the answer, but he refused to believe it. She was his wife! He loved her deeply. He also knew, he had seriously betrayed her. But ... how did she find out?

She snuffled, and he realized that the rain outside fell harder. "You ... you're late, Gray-sama."

There was a sound of bitterness in her words, and Gray approached it cautiously. "I'm actually early. I hadn't planned on being back until this weekend."

Her shoulders shuddered again, as if his frigid words had turned her blood to ice. "But Gray-sama returned yesterday." She finally spun around, and he saw her wet face. "Didn't you?" she said softly, yet filled with accusation. Outside, lightning flashed through the brewing sky, mirroring her anger.

Gray could not move, nor could he speak.

"Juvia was shopping and saw Gray-sama was back in Magnolia, but Gray-sama wasn't heading home. Juvia followed, and soon Gray-sama was going back out of town. Juvia was worried, but then Gray-sama went to Natsu's house. Juvia couldn't figure it out. Why Natsu's house first? Why didn't Gray-sama hurry right back home?" Her lips trembled as she tried to stay strong. "Juvia wondered, maybe it was the rain. Juvia went back home and got an umbrella. When Juvia came back, there were noises. Juvia was worried and looked in through the window." Tears spilled over her cheeks. "Juvia saw what happened."

Gray's heart was racing. "Y-you ... saw?" He felt a jolt of terror. "What did you see?"

Her eyes crinkled with tears. "Enough." She tried to smile. "Juvia can't do that to Gray-sama."

Gray covered his mouth and turned away with a spike of sickness. If it had just been mere suspicion, he could have lied his way out of this, or even if all she saw was them kissing, maybe he could patch this up, but ... she saw! She saw him under Natsu, not just kissing, not him forcing the Dragon Slayer in a bout of horniness and dominance, but she saw him submissively accepting Natsu into his body.