Juvia blinked only once. She hadn't expected anyone to be out this late, let alone in the rain. Most thought it dreary and reproachable.
She looked into his eyes and he looked back. She supposed that she was relieved he did not let his eyes wander, but there was something almost unsettling about the way he held her gaze. It felt fateful, like one who meets their love at first sight.
"Hello." she said to him. He seemed surprised to hear her speak.
"Hey,"
She noted that he sounded nervous, unsure. Perhaps he suspected this was all a dream. She acknowledged that the scene was likely a short distance from surreal. Maybe because he had nothing else to say, the man continued to look into her eyes, and she looked back. Then, when she grew tired of staring, Juvia tilted her head up towards the sky and closed her eyes.
The man was silent for a long time.
"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, miss, but you can always use the shower. It's just like being in the rain, only cleaner."
Juvia tilted her head down and opened her eyes to look at him. She noticed that he was not wearing a shirt. "That's sweet of you, but you don't understand."
The man raised an eyebrow, and Juvia also noticed that he had an umbrella propped against his shoulder. "Don't understand what?"
"There is no possible way to recreate nature. That is why when we try to replicate it, it is instead called 'artificial.' So there is no possible way to truly recreate the rain or any of its soothing qualities. And that is why I do not dance anywhere but in the rain."
The man seemed skeptical of her understanding. He looked at her face this time, not her eyes, and then momentarily glanced at the rest of her before looking off into the distance. Again, Juvia felt the fateful feeling; she didn't mind when his eyes roamed. Her hair capped her breasts and he only looked for a second. He wasn't an indecent person, just curious. And he wasn't looking at her like she was crazy or denouncing her feelings about the rain and natural things. He thought about it.
Suddenly, the man closed his umbrella. He sighed and mimicked her, closing his eyes softly and tilting his chin up to the skies. Juvia thought that for a moment, this man seemed almost ethereal. He belonged in the rain, was modeled for it. His slightly tanned skin clashed with the night, but the droplets took to it fondly, like one brushes their hand over velvet. The man mumbled a thought through the rain.
"Hm. This does feel nice . . ."
Juvia watched as he swept his wet hair back and tilted his head back down, opened his eyes to look at her. The fateful feeling still hadn't left her alone. He looked into her eyes and she looked back.
"Mind if I join you?"