Levy sighed in content as she stood outside the gym.
She and Gajeel had agreed to meet up later for dinner. He would be picking her up in the evening. Now all that was left was going out with Lucy, who she was currently waiting on. Suddenly, she saw Lucy across the car park.
"Over here Levy!" Lucy waved, standing next to a shiny red sports car," Hop in!"
"What about my car?" Levy asked, her eyes glued to the red car. It looked expensive and incredible to drive.
"We'll pick it up later," Lucy explained as she buckled herself into the drivers seat. Levy sat in the passenger seat, excited for their trip.
Soon they pulled up at the local Magnolia Mall, which was known to have the best shops for miles around. Walking inside, Lucy seemed to know exactly where to go, dragging Levy to a rather expensive looking shop called "Mermaid Heel".
Inside was a short curvy woman with a name tag reading," Risley". Her eyes lit up as she saw the duo, clearly recognizing one of them.
"Hi Miss Lucy," Risley called out cheerfully," What can I do for you today?"
"You know you don't need to call me Miss," Lucy laughed before gesturing to Levy," I'm actually with a friend."
"Welcome…. What's your name?" a woman with long black hair said, her voice somber. Levy blinked and then quickly replied.
"I'm Levy."
"Kagura!" Risley hissed to the woman before turning around to face Levy," Well, welcome to Mermaid Heel Levy."
"Thanks," Levy replied, taking in the luxurious outfits around them. She saw a plain sweater and flipped the tag over to reveal the price. Seeing it, she quickly let go of the item.
"So what are we looking for today?" Risley asked.
"Sports gear and a date night outfit," Lucy quickly replied, causing Levy's jaw to drop. How did Lucy know about that?
"D-date night?" she squeaked, her face burning.
"Aren't you having dinner with Gajeel tonight?" Lucy smirked as she teased the shorter girl.
"I mean, I am, but how did you-"
"Natsu's dad owns the restaurant where Gajeel and you are going," Lucy explained as Risley lead them further into the shop," Gajeel had asked Natsu if any tables were available and Mr. Blabbermouth was telling everyone."
Levy groaned slightly at this revelation. She'd hoped to keep whatever her relationship with Gajeel was a secret for a little while.
"Here we are!" Risley chirped, gesturing to a wall of high quality sports gear," Now tell me what type of sports are you doing?"
"Gymnastics," Levy said pausing before continuing with a faint blush, her eyes cast down," and pole dancing."
"Ooh!" Risley squealed, her face lighting up like a christmas tree. Lucy stared at Levy wide eyed.
"I'd recommend this set," Risley said handing Levy some silky clothes," You need bare legs and arms for grip on the pole."
The set consisted of black lycra shorts and a black sports bra. Both had elegant accents of orange and were lightweight. After a moment, Risley also grabbed a set of kneepads from the wall.
"What are these for?" Levy asked as she was handed them.
"I used to pole dance when I was younger, and I know that it can often hurt your knees, so these protect them during practice."
"Okay," Levy said, smiling slightly. The clothes weren't sleazy at all and she was beginning to feel more confident about this whole "pole dancing" thing. She'd been nervous to do it as she didn't want to be seen as "one of those girls" but the people who she was meeting all seemed rather supportive of her new activity.
"Maybe I'm just being old fashioned," Levy thought silently to herself, a small smile creeping onto her face.
"Now, my associate Milliana will help you find the perfect dress," Risley exclaimed.
"Don't you mean, the purrfect dress!" a voice giggled.
Levy turned to see a woman wearing cat ears grinning at them.
"Sure," Risley sighed to the girl before whispering to Levy," She's harmless, I promise."
…
A few hours later, Levy left the store with a bag containing her new sports gear and dress. After multiple choices, it had been finally decided that Levy would wear a white sundress, which was tied at the waist with a bright blue ribbon, matching her hair. It was casual enough for the restaurant yet still pretty.
"Let's go get a drink and chat," Lucy suggested as they realised they still had some time left. The pair made their way to the food court, where they grabbed some sodas and sat down at an empty table. Lucy wasted no time getting to the juicy gossip.
"So what's happened last night?" Lucy asked coyly, causing Levy to choke on her drink. After coughing for a few moments, she took a deep breath and answered.
"Well, after I left, I went to the library. Juvia found me there and we went to a local cafe. She told me a little bit more about Gajeel's past-"
"Is he hiding some big dark secret?" Lucy teased.
"Yeah," Levy sighed, causing Lucy's smile to drop off," Anyway, she then took me to go see him. We talked, kissed and then I guess I fell asleep."
"You kissed?!" Lucy squealed. Levy only gave a shy nod in response. Realising that her friend was a bit shy about these things, Lucy decided to drop it.
"So are you dating?" Lucy asked casually.
"I'm not sure," Levy confessed," I said we could take it slow. It's kinda complicated to be honest."
"When isn't love complicated?" Lucy smiled.
"What does that mean?" Levy teased back, leaning in closer," You and Natsu, right?"
"What?!" Lucy shrieked, causing several other patrons to turn around and stare at the duo. Lucy sank into her chair, her face red.
"What are you talking about?" Lucy whispered anxiously.
"Oh, please!" Levy laughed," You and Natsu are so cute together!"
"I don't like him like that!" Lucy snapped back, her eyes widening.
Levy simply rolled her eyes in response. After a few moments, Lucy answered.
"I mean," she mumbled, a faint blush dusting her cheeks," I guess he's pretty sweet. And cute. And hot…"
"Aha!"
"But he's too childish for me!" Lucy continued," If he grew up a bit, I'd consider it. But not right now. Let's talk about something else!"
…
Gray sighed with relief as he waved his last class out the pool entrance. It had been another one of those old lady sessions which honestly were boring. Suddenly he heard a splash from the pool. He whipped around, knowing that the pool was supposed to be empty.
"Hey," he yelled, his voice echoing against the walls," The pool's closed."
Suddenly, a beautiful girl resurfaced her blue hair now a deeper shade. She was wearing a navy one piece and seemed to be at one with the water.
"Oh, it's just you," Gray laughed, dropping his "instructor" voice. Juvia was the other swimming coach at the gym as many people used the facilities in the summer and they needed to be watched. She was kinda creepy around him, but other than that harmless.
"And pretty cute," Gray thought to himself, before shaking his head. He couldn't think about her like that. I mean, it was Juvia for crying out loud! His stalker!
"Hello, Gray!" Juvia called out sweetly. But something was different about her. Gray's jaw dropped in surprise.
"Are you sick, Juvia?" Gray asked, his voice filled with concern.
"No?" Juvia frowned," Why?"
"Your voice is all deep!" Gray exclaimed, confused. Juvia's sweet voice was replaced by a smokey, rich tone. Was that accent Russian?
"It's Juvia's normal voice," Juvia confessed, looking down at the water as she twiddled her thumbs. She had made up her mind after chatting with Levy to let Gray hear her true voice. It had taken a lot of courage but she'd finally let herself go.
"No, it isn't!" Gray yelled back. Juvia flinched and went back under, swimming away from him.
"He hates it," Juvia thought to herself," I shouldn't have done that."
"Shit!" Gray yelled as he quickly stripped off. Juvia was known for being pretty sensitive and he didn't want Erza to catch wind of this. She'd shred him to pieces if he made Juvia upset. He jumped into the water, quickly catching up to Juvia who was attempting to get out at the other side. Just as she began to get out, he grabbed her and pulled her back in, ignoring her protests.
"Calm done!" Gray exclaimed as the girl struggled in his grasp," I'm not mad at you!"
Hearing those words, Juvia stopped thrashing.
"I'm just curious as it isn't the voice I normally hear from you," Gray continued, loosening his grasp on the girl," So you wanna tell me what's going on?"
"Juvia has been keeping a few secrets," Juvia mumbled, looking away from him.
"I'm ready to hear them," Gray replied.
"I.. I don't know…" Juvia muttered. Gray felt his eyes widen. This Juvia was different from normal. The normal Juvia would gladly tell him everything and anything. Now, she was pushing him away. It hurt.
"You know you can tell me anything, right Juvia?" Gray whispered softly," I mean… we are friends."
"It's a lot of stuff."
"Well, why don't we go out and get something to eat? You can tell me everything." Gray suggested. Juvia's eyes lit up and she smiled up at him.
"Like a date?!" she squealed. Gray suddenly realised what he said and felt himself panic.
"Well, no," Gray began. Juvia's smile dropped," Wait, I mean, kinda… but I…"
"Let me go get changed," Juvia laughed as she swam away from him," You can decide when I'm done."
Gray could only nod as he watched Juvia step out of the pool and enter the female changing room.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he mumbled as he followed suit, entering the respective changing room. He stripped off and hit the shower, letting the hot water roll down his body. His mind was now a raging war. He had to make a decision and quick.
Was this just two friends hanging out?
Or…
Was it a date?