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Juvia never thought she'd be this nervous.
Wiping her suddenly clammy hands on her skirt ("Why are they so sweaty?" she thought, a bit annoyed), she clicked on the elevator button leading to the rooftop, where she agreed to meet Gray at half-past seven. She could still remember how his ears reddened when he asked her last night, as casually as he could, if she'd like to "hang out at the rooftop and watch the city lights."
"Really? Just the two of us?" she had asked.
Gray scratched the back of his neck, a blush blossoming on his cheeks as he fixed his gaze straight ahead. "Uh, yeah. I mean, if you don't want to —"
"A rooftop date! Gray-sama is so romantic!" she gushed, her arms wrapping around his as they continued walking towards Fairy Hills.
At any given time, Gray would've denied it was a date, but this time, he didn't say anything. Juvia smiled, realizing that it was, in fact, a date — their very first official date, not counting the many times they went out to have a meal, or he walked her home to Fairy Hills, or just plainly spent time in the company of the other.
A date. And a long-awaited one at that.
Finally.
The elevator dinged, a gust of wind shaking her out of her thoughts. Her eyes immediately found Gray looking out over the sprawling city, his back turned towards her. And as if sensing her presence, he turned to her just as another gust of wind blew, sending the skirt of her dress billowing in the wind. She felt the hairs on her bare shoulders tingle against the cold.
Wearing a sleeveless dress that ends just a little above her knees? Probably not the best idea.
Jogging towards her, Gray met her halfway, eyeing her bare shoulders. "Aren't you cold?" he asked.
She ran her hands up and down her arms. "Juvia's fine, though she didn't expect the wind to be this strong up here."
Gray unfurled the coat slung over his arm and draped it over her shoulders, their bodies ending within a foot of each other. Juvia blushed at the proximity while Gray avoided looking at her, stepping back after doing what he was supposed to. She noticed the coat was similar to the one he was wearing.
"Let's go," he said to Juvia, making the girl blink.
"Go where?"
And that was when she noticed the helicopter waiting right behind Gray. Her eyes widened. "You mean...?"
Gray already had his back on her as he walked towards the chopper. He stopped for a while to look back and ask, "You coming or what?"
As if recovering from her initial shock, Juvia trotted over to Gray, catching up to him. "How did Gray-sama get this helicopter?" Her voice had a tiny bit of apprehension, but she couldn't help the sense of wonder laced in it.
Instead of answering, Gray simply hoisted himself up the helicopter. After a while, he reached out to Juvia.
"C'mon, get in."
Juvia grabbed his outstretched arm and squeaked as Gray's strong arms pulled her up. She found herself sitting in the passenger seat beside Gray, who sat on the pilot seat. Her eyes went wide as she observed him tinkering with the buttons and controls in front of them, concentration etched on his face. She heard a faint voice coming from the headphones he was wearing.
Gray replied, "Cleared for takeoff, north helipad."
Juvia gulped. Is Gray-sama really going to fly a helicopter? Does he even know how?
Despite her apprehensions, she couldn't deny how attracted to Gray she felt at that moment. She didn't think it was possible but seeing him so focused on flying a helicopter — something she never thought would happen ever — made her admiration grow tenfold and her fangirl heart flutter like crazy. And she knew it wasn't just because of nervousness.
Gray-sama is so cool, she thought as a smile made its way to her lips.
Clearing her throat that suddenly felt so dry, she asked, "Is Gray-sama sure he knows how to fly a helicopter?"
It seemed she didn't even need a reply when the engine roared to life, followed by the rapid turn of the blades. Instinctively, Juvia clutched her armrest.
Gray placed his left hand on top of hers, his thumb caressing her knuckles to soothe her.
"Relax. I got this."
Mavis, this man would be the death of her.
She felt the helicopter take off the ground, and Juvia watched as they flew higher and higher into the clear and cloudless night sky. Beside her, Gray's hand had left hers, pressing some controls here and there, now and then talking jargon to whoever was at the other end of the line.
Juvia couldn't take her eyes off the handsome man beside her. Is there anything Gray-sama couldn't do?
Gray probably felt how intently Juvia was watching him, making him spare a glance in her direction.
"You should look out there, you know," he said, pointing to the night sky just outside the windshield.
"Hmm?"
Reluctantly, Juvia peeled her eyes off Gray and diverted them to where he was pointing. She let out a gasp.
Hundreds of feet above the ground, Juvia had an unobstructed view of the bright city lights of Magnolia. Though she couldn't make out each tiny house and building, the lights looked like thousands of stars shining from below. It left her breathless — though she got to admit, it wasn't just because of the view.
"You like it?" Gray asked, breaking her thoughts.
"Gray-sama, this is beautiful," Juvia said, finally tearing her eyes away from the sprawling city to look at Gray. "When you asked Juvia if she wanted to watch the city lights, she never expected you'd take her on a helicopter ride over Magnolia!"
Gray chuckled, his trademark smirk on his lips. "Well, what did you expect?"
Juvia frowned, wondering if Gray was serious. "A rooftop dinner overlooking the city?" she asked matter-of-factly.
Gray pondered for a bit. "Hmm, that makes sense."
Juvia rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you never thought of that? Instead, you thought of this whole thing," she exclaimed, motioning to her surroundings. Then, in a teasing voice, she added, "Juvia never pegged you as the romantic kind, Gray-sama."
"I'm not. I just thought you'd enjoy it," Gray answered abruptly, though his blush betrayed him. He could deny it all he wanted, but this was still the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for Juvia.
"And Juvia does... so much," she reassured him. Feeling bold as she looked at his blushing face, Juvia took his hand in hers and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Gray-sama."
Something changed in Gray's face as he looked at her. Though he was still red in the ears, Juvia could see something else in his eyes — a look of determination, perhaps? It was as if he wanted to say something, and he was preparing himself to do so.
She waited.
After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"Seeing you smile at me like that, that's all I want."
Now it was her turn to blush. Juvia didn't expect Gray to be so forward, with him being a man of few words. She knew he cared for her, even felt many times that she was special to him, but he never really said it out loud, and that was okay. Just making her feel she was different from everyone else — that was enough for her.
But maybe it wasn't enough for Gray anymore. As they looked into each other's eyes, the beautiful lights reflected in them, Juvia got the feeling that she had just unlocked a new side of Gray. Probably not new, but a side of him that had been repressed and buried deep for a long time. A side of him that he was ready to share with her, finally.
Juvia lowered her eyes, the intensity of his stare making her blush some more.
"Juvia doesn't need fancy helicopter rides like this to be happy, Gray-sama. Just being with you is enough for Juvia," she confessed.
"I know," she heard him reply. "I... I feel the same way."
Then, she felt a trembling hand caress her cheek as if unsure of what he was doing. She could feel his pulse racing against her cheek.
With her heart pounding as well, she placed her hand on top of his, steadying it. Slowly, she raised her eyes, meeting the gaze that spoke volumes more than what was said.
They had always understood each other even without words, anyway.
She let her eyes slide to his lips, silently welcoming what was coming. In response, he started closing the gap between them, her senses filled with his musky scent and minty breath.
Everything in her surroundings faded — it was just the two of them, their lips inching closer together.
And in an instant, surprisingly warm lips were over hers, and she could feel her face burning at the contact.
The kiss was short but sweet, leaving her in a daze. When she opened her eyes, she could see Gray's face beautifully illuminated by the city lights, his hand still cradling her face.
"Juvia?"
"Yes, Gray-sama?"
"I hope our first date matched up to your fantasies."
Juvia couldn't help but giggle at the mention of "date," but she fought the urge to laugh when she saw how serious Gray's face was. He's actually nervous that Juvia might not like our date? Silly Gray-sama!
"Juvia's fantasies couldn't even compare to the real thing," she told him. "Only Gray-sama would think that watching the city lights meant going on a helicopter ride!"
"It's all worth it," Gray grinned, scratching his nape. He turned back his focus on the controls as he maneuvered the helicopter for landing. "But we're not yet done."
Juvia raised her eyebrows. "Really?" One romantic gesture already seemed unlikely for Gray, so what else had her wonderful boyfriend planned for her?
"You really think a date would be complete without food?" he asked, glancing at her. "I've made reservations, of course."
As if on cue, Juvia's stomach grumbled, making Gray snicker. Though slightly embarrassed, Juvia smiled and answered, "Juvia's tummy thinks that's a great idea. Where are we eating?"
Gray nodded towards their landing spot. Juvia followed his gaze and gasped at the romantic dinner set up by the rooftop where they were landing.
"See, I also thought of that," Gray said, brimming with pride.
"And you said you're not the romantic kind, eh?"
This caused Gray to blush in embarrassment. He may be a bit more straightforward with his feelings now, but it didn't mean he'd stop being shy about them.
"W-well, I guess if i-it's for you..." he blubbered, letting his statement hang in the air.
Juvia didn't need to hear the rest of his sentence to know what he meant. Most of the time, the unspoken words would ring louder than the things said between them.
And right now, as their helicopter made its descent, she knew for sure their hearts had finally landed where they were supposed to be.