I wanted to try mostly present-tense because I re-read my fic Gone, Gone, Gone and realized that I need a little practice. I feel like I kept switching tenses in that fic, so I may go edit it and re-upload it later…haha. So…yeah. It's kind of a stream of consciousness thing to start with, and then there's a bit more dialogue towards the second half.

I think I'll try Gruvia here, so let's see how it works out!

Juvia is in love with Gray.

She's known it for a long time—since their first meeting, in fact—but now she knows for sure. She's twenty-one now and she's known him for how many years now?—four, going on five, she thinks—but Juvia was never as in love with him as she is now. The years that have passed were nothing but kind to him and even if it dismays the water mage that he's grown better at keeping his clothes on, she takes it as a sign that he's matured in more ways than one. His hair is a bit longer than when they first met, but she likes how it tickles the nape of his neck and how it is easily mussed when he runs his hand through it. And he's only grown stronger in the last four and a half years, both physically and with his magic.

It takes a few moments for the blue-haired woman to realize she's staring and she shakes her head, turning her attention elsewhere.

Juvia doesn't stalk Gray anymore, she scolds herself. And, she remembers, she doesn't add the honorific after his name anymore, either. He's asked her to drop it and to call him just by name, and after a few days of trying and failing, Juvia finally managed. She continues to call him by name and every time she does so her heart flutters even more wildly than she's used to. Her feelings for him have never lessened—in fact, they seem to grow. And, she's happy to notice lately, he seems to notice her more.

What Juvia hasn't noticed yet is the true extent of her beloved's feelings for her and she's becoming more and more discouraged as the days pass.

Gray knows Juvia is in love with him…or he thinks he does.

He remembers the days when she would boldly proclaim her love for everyone to hear even though he'd always ignored her. He also recalls the day that they met for the first time, when he was doing his best to help save Lucy from Phantom Lord and he had just seen her as an enemy. He knows he may never be certain of the reason for Juvia falling for him, but he also knows that it all started on that fateful day. If Lucy's father had never hired Phantom Lord to get her back, and if Phantom Lord had never kidnapped the young Heartfilia, Gray knows he would probably never have met the blue-haired woman who had changed his life—who is still changing his life. He admires Juvia for her strength and for the determination she's always shown him; her refusal to give up on him even when he didn't react to her confessions at all was commendable.

He notices that he's been looking at her back, entranced by the way her blue hair seems to ripple in the light.

She doesn't do that anymore, he realizes, although he's been trying to forget about that. He doesn't like to think that her feelings for him have faded now. Whenever he feels like she's dangerously close to choosing Lyon over him, he says or does something he's tried not to do before. First it was asking her to call him by his name, and then going out of his way to ask her to join him on a job, but lately he's not taking much action. It feels like she's slipping through his fingers, and it kills him a little more inside each time he sees her smile when it's not directed at him.

He thinks he's losing her, just when he finally wants to make her his, but he is unaware that her love for him has only grown—is only growing—and so he's starting to let her get away.

Why does it feel like Gray's growing more distant? Juvia wonders sometimes. It's true he's been showing her a bit more attention and specifically asking her to take jobs with him, but could that just be because she is a strong mage? Is there really no meaning to it aside from that?

It hurts, but Juvia's starting to believe it.

Why does it feel like I'm losing her? Gray is desperate to know, to understand why she's still slipping away. But then…he wonders if it's because he still hasn't let her know his feelings. He's panic-stricken then, as he's finally realized just how lonely it is for love to be unrequited.

He loves her, and he's finally willing to show it.

When Gray asks her outside to talk, Juvia isn't sure what to say to him. If he had meant to ask her to go on a job with him, wouldn't he have asked her outright? But instead the question he asks is if they can talk somewhere else. The water mage isn't sure whether to be ecstatic or extremely anxious about what's going to happen between them, but she can't refuse him.

"Of course," she answers his question, standing up from her seat. "Juvia doesn't mind."

When Juvia agrees, Gray's heart skips and he realizes that it's been thumping rapidly in his chest the whole time. His nervousness is off the charts and he's still finding it hard to believe what he's doing here and now, but he's finally decided that it's now or never. If he doesn't say it now, he might never have another chance. He's frantic, and yearns to catch Juvia's slipping hands and never let go.

The ice mage leads the way out back, where few members ever come. He's nervous, and he can't stop shaking. He hopes that Juvia doesn't see, and it's his good fortune that she's so nervous herself that she can't tell he's shaking because she's shaking. The water mage diligently follows the man who's been the object of her unrequited love for years on end. she doesn't know why, but she feels like it's all going to end here, although whether it will be for better or for the worse is still up in the air.

"You seem more distant lately, Juvia," Gray doesn't know how to start, and he wants to hit himself for starting with that. He should have just told her, like Natsu's always telling him to do since that's how he and Lucy finally got together. Gray decides he has to add something to that lame opening—anything!—and settles upon, "Is there something wrong?"

Juvia, for her part, is kind of surprised at his words because she's been feeling like he is growing distant, but she doesn't say it out loud. She's glad he notices problems like this and she hopes it might possibly be because he has similar feelings.

"Ah, no," she says, fidgeting a bit. "It's nothing, Gray. Juvia is just doing a bit of thinking."

"Yeah," Gray sighs, running a hand through his hair. It's easily mussed, just like Juvia likes it, and she feels her cheeks turning a light pink and she's glad he's not really looking right now. "I've been thinking, too."

"What's Gray been thinking about?" Juvia asks curiously, cocking her head slightly. When Gray sees this, he knows he's definitely fallen—hard. When she looks at him like this, he doesn't know how he's managed to stay in denial for so many years. He's ashamed of it, too. She's beautiful and sincere and he can't believe he's never let himself take notice of it before now. He can't believe he's let her wallow in the loneliness of unrequited love for so long, now that he finally thinks he knows what she must have felt like.

But how should he answer her? He isn't sure, but it's not like him to leave a question hanging so he decides that being straightforward is the best idea. Maybe.

"Juvia," he answers, then expands on it, "I've been thinking about you, Juvia."

This time he spots the pink flooding her cheeks and he wishes he knew just what was going on underneath those blue tresses. He wants to know just what she's thinking about now that he's said something like that to her. Is she excited? Does she think he likes her, too? Or is she afraid that he's about to finally reject her after so many years? He hopes she's excited and that she thinks he likes her too, because it's true.

"Why would Gray be thinking about Juvia?" she manages not to stutter, though Gray can see it's a close thing. "Is there a job you want to go on? Did you need Juvia's help again?"

He inwardly groans. No, Juvia, that isn't what I was thinking about!

"That's not it," he quickly answers, yet again running his hand through his already disheveled hair. "That's not it at all."

Her cheeks are burning warmer, and Juvia knows that Gray's seen it. What must he think of her, she wonders? Is he reveling in teasing her, making her feel like her love might finally be returned? Or…or maybe he's trying to confess to her...?

She notices then that he looks a bit troubled, or nervous, and she finds it kind of adorable even though she should see him as handsome instead. But she can't help it, and so she reaches up and gently touches his arm.

"You can tell Juvia anything," she says confidently. Even if he's going to turn her down, she knows she's said the right thing.

"I don't know how you used to say this all the time," he laughs, and Juvia's not exactly sure what he's talking about. Gray's nervous and her puzzled expression only makes the back of his neck uncomfortable warm and he's hoping it won't spread to his face. He wants to keep his cool. So he starts again, "I really don't know how you used to say it so much. It's kind of hard, y'know?"

He can see she's not sure what he's getting at, but he takes a deep breath and also takes the blue-haired water mage by the shoulders. He wants to look in her eyes, and so when their gazes meet he knows it's now or never, before he loses his nerve.

"I love you, Juvia," he finally admits aloud, although it comes out softer than he'd wanted it to, and his heart is beating frantically and he can't seem to take a deep breath because he's waiting anxiously for Juvia to say something—anything—to his confession. He watches her face color more deeply, and she notices the color creeping to his ears from the back of his neck, and she knows. She knows he's telling her the truth, and her heart starts to beat painfully against her chest as a grin spreads across her pretty face. She thinks that she may never be happier than at this moment, when her one-sided love is finally returned.

"I…I love you, too," she says shyly, looking down at his Fairy Tail symbol. She isn't sure where to look or what to do.

Gray sighs in relief, and can't help but pull the blue-haired mage to him in a hug. Juvia is surprised at first, but she doesn't let it keep her from letting her arms reach up to hug back. The feeling of being in his arms like this is so comforting that she isn't sure whether she's awake or asleep, but Juvia chooses to trust in her gut and decides that she's definitely awake. If this were a dream, the touch of his skin wouldn't be so…so real.

"W…will you go to dinner with me tonight?" Gray spits it out, his voice faltering a little.

"Juvia will be ready at seven," she answers, not quite as shy as a few moments earlier but still a little timid. His arms tighten around her, and he lets out a low, nervous chuckle and she can't help but giggle.

"It's a date," he finally announces aloud, and it makes Juvia feel warm and fluttery inside. She doesn't know that it has the same effect on Gray, too.

And Gray vows to himself then that he'll never let her slip away. He's never going to lose Juvia to Lyon, no matter how hard he has to work to keep her to himself.

What Gray doesn't know is that Juvia isn't interested in Lyon at all because she's always had eyes only for the dark-haired man who saved her from herself.

WHOA. I'm done. I kind of like it, but since it's in present tense it was a PAIN to try to write and…yeah. I hope you guys like it.

Note: it's called "Slip Away" because at first they seem to be drifting apart but in the end, Gray's determined "that he'll never let her slip away"...just so you know. I'm not sure the title exactly fits the whole thing, but it was my best thought.