What's that face?" Lucy asked, setting the beer down in front of Loke.
"Nothing" he objected, glancing at the guild door, wondering when Gray would be back. The boy had told him that they would complete the mission within the week and that was the last day of the week, so he'd most likely arrive by that evening. And, Loke had to admit, he was pretty happy to see him again after two weeks away.
He grimaced slightly wondering when he had become so pathetic. Maybe since he'd started dating his teammate. After Loke kissed him one night when he drank too much, he found that Gray reciprocated his feelings for him and the two decided to date. For the moment they had only had a few appointments due to the constant commitments of both, but those few times that they saw Loke' mood rose drastically. Being with Gray and spending time with him taking some extra liberties that as a friend he'd never have allowed himself to do was exciting. Kissing him was always nice, having intimacy with him so much that he could be more physical than normal excited him. In fact, he liked practically everything about Gray.
"God, I'm getting sentimental" he thought. But it wasn't bad, in fact, it was a good feeling.
"Ok, now you're smiling because you're thinking about Gray" Lucy smiled in amusement. Loke gave her a dirty look. He had nothing against the girl, but she did a little too much business with him, especially since she had discovered that the two were dating -Loke hadn't yet understood how she had done it.
"I'm not smiling" he retorted. Lucy spread her smile.
"Yes, you are. You organized a surprise for him, right?" she asked. Loke snorted.
"Why should I do this?" he muttered, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Well, you haven't seen each other for two weeks, and I know that the last time it was he who invited you out" she said as if it were obvious. Loke wondered how she knew what they were doing but he decided to overlook it. "Loke, you absolutely have to prepare a surprise for him. Gray deserves it" the bartender insisted. Loke thought that Lucy didn't quite understand. He and Gray weren't as romantic as she thought, and they were both fine with that. Neither of them made great gestures, nor did they want them.
"So, you want me to help you?" Lucy asked. Loke looked up at her.
"I don't need help" he said right away.
"So, you've already organized something for him? And what?" inquired the curious girl.
"I'll make him a dinner" he replied dryly, knowing that otherwise the girl would have exasperated him to get the answers she wanted. Lucy lit up her face.
"How romantic. Oh, that's a great idea. Come on, I'll help you!" she exclaimed.
"I said I don't need help" Loke muttered.
"Of course you need it, you've to throw him a nice surprise, and I know you wouldn't" she told him. Loke groaned slightly and glanced at Cana, hoping that at least she would help him. But the brunette smiled at him and waved 'bye bye' with her hand, while she reached out to another bottle of wine.
-2-
Loke didn't know why he accepted, and swore to himself that if Lucy walked into his house with another bouquet of flowers, he would kick her ass out. When that woman got an idea in her head she became maddening. He didn't even understand why she cared so much about arranging a date for him and Gray.
"Doesn't that seem exaggerated?" Loke asked looking at how she had reduced his living room. It felt like another room after the changes Lucy had made.
"Not at all. I've turned off the light, so you'll have to have dinner by candlelight" she warned him and Loke stared at her in amazement. That girl was out of her mind. He wondered if by chance she wanted to take revenge on him for something or if Cana had made her drunk, because it was not normal. "Don't make that face, I know otherwise you'd throw the candles out and turn on the light" Lucy told him. Loke ran his hands over his face wearily.
"Just tell me we're done" he said exhausted, as the girl had forced him to cook up until then as well as having him move furniture from his house.
"Yes sure. I got you a new bottle of wine in the kitchen. The risotto is ready, you just have to heat it in a pan and I threw away the cookies you had made, they were burnt. I've made others" said the girl, who seemed to be organizing the date of her life. Loke continued to stare at her more and more thrilled. "Oh, and give him the flowers. This bouquet is for Gray, see I bought the flowers with every meaning. Respect, love, fidelity, promise…" she began to list a lot of things pointing to the flowers one by one, but Loke didn't have time to hear that he had already forgotten everything. Of one thing he was sure: he wasn't going to give Gray flowers.
"You will give it to him, okay?" Lucy snapped. Damn, since when had that demon been reading minds?
"I don't know if you've noticed, but Gray is a man and... all this stuff here has nothing to do with our typical date" snapped Loke, who was now starting to get nervous. Because he was sure as death that Gray would be amazed to enter that watered-down version of love lair, and that he'd most likely make fun of his romantic soul. Which Loke didn't have, what the fuck. It was all Lucy's doing, but he would tell him right away!
Why then the candles? Was the light not good? And why the fuck did Lucy have to make oysters too? It wasn't a gala dinner, it was just him and Gray. And why were there flowers everywhere? Wasn't the huge deck that the girl had made him buy to give it to Gray enough? And why did he have to give him a bouquet of flowers? Loke was looking forward to Lucy leaving, so he could throw all those flowers in the garbage and clean up the house.
"So what? It's all romantic and perfect, and you won't ruin my work" she declared and then looked at him. "And you dressed like this are not good. Gray is always so elegant, you must be too" she told.
"Mira..." he growled in warning, but the woman wasn't frightened by anything and dragged him into the room. "Gray doesn't care about these things" Loke clarified annoyed, because he realized he was getting late. Gray was in danger of arriving at any moment and he wouldn't have time to put the living room back as it was before.
"Of course, he cares" Lucy said convinced as she opened the wardrobe.
"I hang out with him. Not you" he pointed out irritably. He knew what Gray liked, and such an evening would be embarrassing for both of them.
"Exactly, and he wouldn't tell you. But he has a romantic soul, he has never told you so as not to make you uncomfortable because he knows that you are incapable. That's why I'm here to help you" she said pulling out a dress shirt and a pair of dark pants. Loke was about to retort but a doubt crept into his mind. Was it really so? It could have been, after all, Gray hadn't wanted to push anything with him. A certain nervousness began to build in his stomach. So, Gray liked the romantic types?
"Don't be swayed by the demon" he thought irritably, glancing at Lucy, who held out his clothes.
"Get dressed and move. Gray will be here in a moment" she told. Loke didn't object and as he entered the bathroom he thought of the green-haired boy. Loke thought he knew him well, but Lucy wasn't entirely wrong. He didn't know every side of him, that last month had proven it. Gray could actually be very romantic in words, undoubtedly more than him who, if he put in the effort, would come up with a predictable phrase. It was normal that Gray would have liked it if Loke had been with him too. And if he had been able to, Loke would have done it. But he just couldn't. And now that Lucy had put reality in his face, he was beginning to feel a certain anxiety.
He finished washing and dressing you and left the bathroom. The girl smiled at him joyfully and she approached him with gel and comb.
"I'll fix your hair" she told. Loke didn't reply, trying to convince himself that Lucy was wrong. But it was a bit difficult. Especially since the girl kept talking about sweet things and what he should be doing. Give him flowers, a welcome kiss, pour him wine, bring dinner to the table saying he had prepared his favorite dish just for him, then put on some music and dance -Loke didn't know how that idea came from her brain , he couldn't dance!- and something else he must have forgotten.
The doorbell rang and Loke felt anxiety crawl up his skin. Was he Gray? What the fuck was he supposed to do? All of Lucy's advice and chatter had sent him into confusion.
"You understand everything?" the girl asked. Loke just stared at her with a fairly eloquent expression, and the girl rolled her eyes and then smiled sweetly. "You just have to be sweet, Gray deserves it". Of course Gray deserved it, he knew it too. Just... he had no idea what to do and how to behave. It was going to be a disaster, he already knew it. Why had he allowed the girl to do all this?
But he didn't have time to think about anything that the girl dragged him into the living room, she put the bouquet of flowers in his hand and then opened the door. There was Gray.
-3-
Gray was in a great mood. Since returning to Magnolia, he had found out from Lisanna that Loke had a surprise for him, and now he was beginning to be curious. He only knew that he had to go to his house. He walked the way faster than necessary. Gray was actually excited to see Loke again after two weeks, and knowing that the blonde had arranged something for him made him blush more than he should. He couldn't help it, since Loke had kissed him, he felt like he was flying two meters off the ground.
He arrived in front of Loke's house and rang the bell. He waited and after a while he found himself in front of Loke with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hand. He was so focused on seeing that exaggerated amount of flowers that he hardly noticed Lucy walking out of the house.
"They're for you" Loke grunted obviously uncomfortably and Gray found himself blushing slightly as he picked them up.
"Oh, uhm... thanks" he said a little uncertainly. Of all things, he hadn't expected Loke to buy him a bouquet of flowers.
"Well, uhm... I know you're a man" the blonde snapped and Gray looked up at that point. He noticed Loke blush and found himself smiling in amusement.
"The opposite would be worrying" he chuckled and Loke snorted as Gray entered. The rune mage reached out to him, leaving him a sweet kiss on the lips. "Thank you" he said softly this time and Loke's face turned even more red. Gray smiled at his reaction but decided not to say anything, as the thought was really nice. Of course, the bouquet of flowers was a bit exaggerated and he suspected that the blond had asked Lucy for help, but just thinking of Loke in a florist's shop while he was buying something uncomfortable made him smile. He would have liked to see it.
When he entered the living room, however, he was stunned. He stared at what looked like a… a… Gray really couldn't define it. The sofas had been moved, leaving the room free, candles had been hung on the walls, in the center there was a table with two candles and a vase of roses in the middle, and the floor was covered with flower petals. And there were at least twenty bouquets of flowers for the rest of the living room. It was all very… romantic. Too much, to tell the truth.
"You can sit down" Loke clarified in a snarl. Gray gave him a puzzled look, not understanding the contradiction between what he saw and what he heard from the blond. He decided not to ask questions, set the bouquet of flowers on the dresser part and then sat down at the table, wondering why Loke had decided to do something like this. But the blond went into the kitchen. At that point Gray waited until the lion returned with a pan that definitely smelled inviting. When he saw what he had prepared, his eyes widened.
"Oysters and mixed fish risotto?" he asked him stunned.
"Uhm... you like it, don't you?" Loke muttered and Gray nodded with a small smile.
"I didn't know you could cook oysters" he admitted as Loke sat down across from him.
"Well, it's the first time I've done that" he revealed in a mutter as he looked down at his plate. Gray looked at him with an expression mixed between surprise and tenderness. He had to admit it, Loke was really committed and it was nice to see him like that, also because he realized that the blonde was definitely out of his comfort zone and had done everything for him. On another occasion Gray would have enjoyed making fun of him, but at that moment he really didn't feel like it.
He thus began to eat discovering that it was also good. Loke remained silent while he ate without much desire. Gray could feel his discomfort from there, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
"You know, we met another Seith wizard on the last mission" he began to tell. Loke looked up at him and seemed to relax as Gray began to talk to him about what they had to do. The evening went on quietly, Loke told him what he had lost there in Magnolia and the two chatted about guildmates. At least until a music started from the Lacrima.
Gray turned in surprise as Loke took his head in his hands, moaning slightly. Gray found himself giggling.
"It's dance music" he noted.
"I can't dance" Loke said immediately with some nervousness. Gray smiled and stood up holding out his hand, while the blonde stared skeptically.
"Come on, it's just the two of us" he pointed out. Loke shook his head.
"I don't dance" he said stubbornly.
"So why did you put the song on?" Gray asked, arching an eyebrow. Loke started to answer and then snorted, giving up and taking the boy's hand. A smile appeared on Gray's face as he placed a hand on Loke's side pulling him towards him. The blond was indeed stiff and looked even more awkward than before, but still the runes wizard decided not to say anything. He was already happy enough to have convinced him, and he really didn't care how Loke danced. It was enough for him to be with him, even if he would have preferred the blond to have fun too. For that reason, he decided to stop the dance before the song was over, and Loke seemed very relieved.
"I'm going to get the dessert" Loke said immediately and quickly left the living room, leaving him alone. Gray at that point decided to turn off the music and approached the Lacrima, but noticed that someone must have enchanted that object, because it didn't turn off in any way. He frowned slightly and kept trying, at least until he heard swearing from the kitchen. At that point he turned and walked into the small room, seeing that Loke was throwing away bowls full of food.
"What are you doing?" Gray asked and Loke turned surprised to face him.
"Nothing, go back there" the blond growled.
"Why are you throwing... oh" Gray stopped short and felt his face flush at what Loke was throwing. Heart-shaped cookies with 'Love you' written on them. Loke blushed.
"That's not what you think" he growled. Gray blinked for a moment in perplexity. "What a shit night" Loke muttered to himself as he threw away the sweets. Gray, however, really couldn't see him a second more so agitated just for a surprise that he had wanted to do. He was also beginning to feel guilty.
"Loke, I'm really enjoying myself" Gray told him taking a bag full of cookies so the blonde wouldn't throw it away. Loke grunted.
"Good for you" he said irritably.
"Loke, I'm serious" Gray said at that point, seriously wanting to calm him down, because otherwise the blond would have a nervous breakdown and really didn't want to see him in those states. He put a hand on his arm. "I know how much effort it took you to organize all this, and I know it's not really your kind of date, but I'm serious, I really liked it, it's..." he paused for a moment not knowing how to define that overly mushy dinner "... romantic" he said, staring intently at him. Loke stared at him for a few seconds before shoving him badly away from him and Gray was stunned, wondering if he had said anything wrong.
"Well, great" Loke muttered.
"What's wrong?" Gray asked worriedly. Loke put a hand to his head.
"Honestly? Everything" he snapped to the limit "Starting with that fucking bunch of flowers I gave you. Or rather, that Lucy forced me to give you. Do you want to know how much effort it took me to do all this? Virtually nothing, Lucy has thought of everything. The flowers, the candles, that music that never goes out…" he growled, throwing a bolt of lightning at the Lacrima and throwing it out the window so he wouldn't have to hear that song again as it started to hurt his nerves. "The petals, the candles, the cookies, and the oysters. Do you think I can cook damn oysters? I don't know how to do anything!" Loke snapped out of his mind "So you won't have fun like this anymore! And if you want this fucking shit… well, just don't expect it from me" he threw out. Gray found himself smiling. He had assumed that Lucy was behind it all. Sure, he'd thought Loke had asked her for help, but apparently that hadn't happened either.
"Are you telling me that Lucy did it all?" he wanted to assure himself.
"Yeah" Loke snarled. "Honestly I didn't want to do any of that" he snapped and ran a hand through his hair. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Go out with a noble, a prince, who the fuck you want. I'm not made for these things".
At that point Gray decided to silence all the boy's nervousness. Without saying anything he pushed towards him trapping Loke against the wall and captured his lips in an intense kiss. Immediately Loke' hands landed on his hips, holding him close as he reciprocated with equal passion. He let Loke run his hands wherever he wanted, until he felt his breath fail. At that point he pulled away and looked Loke into his eyes, who finally seemed to have calmed down.
"First of all" Gray began. "I figured there was Lucy's hand behind all this. Secondly, I really don't care about nights like that, I just want to have fun with you. And finally, I like you the way you are. You don't need to try to be someone else, I'm already completely in love, you don't need to surprise me" he told, not without some embarrassment. But after what Loke had done, it seemed small to him to admit he had such strong feelings for him. Maybe it was a little early, but after the years they had spent together, Gray realized he had completely lost his mind for his friend. He hoped he hadn't made Loke even more uncomfortable with that last statement.
The blond stared at him in shock and immediately relaxed his shoulders.
"You love me?" he was still stunned. Gray felt himself blush but nodded. Loke's face broke into a smile and soon he leaned over him to kiss him. Gray felt his heart rate increase as he pushed towards him returning the kiss, which quickly became more and more intense. Loke's arms gripped him tightly, and his hand ran through his hair. It was more than Gray had expected and it was fantastic. When they broke apart, they were both out of breath.
"I love you too" Loke revealed with red cheeks. Gray smiled and rested his head on his shoulder, enjoying that moment in his arms, thinking about how good those words sounded. Loke reciprocated. He still didn't believe what he had heard, and it was a wonderful feeling.
He looked up at him and noticed that Loke had a small smile and looked much more relaxed than before as he continued to slide his hand down his back in a gentle caress. They looked at each other for a moment in silence, before the blond spoke.
"I really do Gray, just… I can't do this to you. If Mira hadn't forced me, we would just have dinner and go for a walk, or see a wizarding competition, or… whatever" he said more calmly but seriously in the face, continuing to run his hand along Gray's back. Gray smiled and reached out and placed his hand on Loke' cheek.
"As I told you, I like you the way you are" he repeated. "And to be honest, I'm relieved to know you don't have such an overly romantic soul. The evening was beautiful but… Lucy really overdid it" he said letting go of a chuckle, thinking back to how absurd all that had been. Loke smiled in amusement.
"Fuck Lucy, I knew she was just talking bullshit" he said.
"What did she tell you?" Gray asked curiously, as he reluctantly dissolved the embrace.
"That you dreamed of such an evening" Loke muttered and then fixed his gaze on him. "I mean, something romantic with... flowers and dinner and... all of that" he said. "But you liked it, didn't you?" he then asked uncertainly. Gray looked around and then decided to be honest.
"The idea of you making me a dinner is good, but you really don't need to make me meals like a king. And as for the flowers, it's a nice thought, maybe next time take a smaller bouquet, I really don't know where to put it. As for the atmosphere..." he said, alluding to the floor strewn with petals and candles everywhere "It really isn't necessary" he concluded. Loke sighed looking very relieved at that revelation.
Gray took the blond's hand. "So, you said you wanted to take me to see a magical competition, right?" he asked. Loke nodded and smiled slightly.
"Do you want?" he asked.
"Obviously" was the immediate reply. He found himself smiling as Loke put his arm on his shoulders as they left the house and started down the street.
"So, I really want to know what the florist looked like when he found himself in front of Loke Dreyar buying about twenty bouquets of flowers" Gray began in an amused tone. Loke groaned.
"No, please" he said but Gray insisted.
"I'm serious, and I also want to know how you got Lucy to persuade you to fill the house with candles. I'm sorry I missed you too learning to cook something different. You know, if you miss something funny, I'll ask Lucy directly" Gray continued with a mocking smile.
Loke replied in swear words and Gray laughed openly. Loke began cursing that woman as he told Gray how Lucy had literally dragged him from side to side without even giving him time to think about what he was actually doing. The two found themselves giggling together along the way as Loke talked about his hellish afternoon. Despite everything, the evening had really taken a pleasant turn and the two could not but be happier.