AN: Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing fine. I was one of the lucky people as I had the possibility of teleworking and nobody in my family was sick, but I know it was difficult for others. I even managed to write a few during the lockdown.

So, I know there are already many Gruvia College or Highschool AU and a lot of them are much better than this (Love on the Ice by BonneyQ or Fighting Fate by hikarijade13 just to name a few). But this idea didn't want to leave my mind, so I give it a try and put it down.

Warning: This story contains a lot of romance clichés. (I lack in originality) And you'll probably find some ideas I used in previous one-shot. (Again, lack of originality)

I do not own Fairy Tail.

Enjoy !

Prologue: At first sight

The rain always followed.

Since Juvia was little, she had always known rainy days. Even when the sky cleared, the few sunrays emerging from the clouds were cold and she didn't feel the warmth people wished for.

She went from foster home to another and she had no friends as she didn't last long in the same place. The short time she spent at a new school was enough for the kids to label her as a weirdo and they didn't want to play with her. She craved for friendship but was fated to spend the school break on a bench watching the other children playing. She never received invitation for a birthday party and was always the last one to be pick during sport classes.

It was only during Highschool when she met a tall boy with long black hair and a lot of piercings that she experienced a sort of camaraderie. With his look and his manners, the boy, Gajeel, was also considered as a misfit but she saw deeper than the surface and they developed a bond of trust.

It was during that same time she dated a man a bit older than her, named Bora. She only agreed when he asked her out because she once read love brings joy and warmth to people. But she only felt pressure and humiliation. When he broke with her after a short time, she felt hurt more because she was rejected again than because she liked him.

Then, Gajeel and Juvia entered Phantom Lord Academy in Oak Town. Gajeel opted for Mechanical Engineering studies and Juvia chose meteorology because the idea of forecasting the weather was somewhat comforting. Gajeel obtained a scholarship in Judo but Juvia failed her swimming tests because the break-up with Bora happened the same day and she didn't get her scholarship. Gajeel was terribly angry towards Bora but Juvia convinced him not to turn the guy into human pulp.

Without her scholarship, she had to take jobs to pay her studies and her daily needs, even with Gajeel's support. She hold various odd jobs, like dishwasher in a restaurant, cashier, usher in the theater or cleaner for a small company.

At the end of their first year, there was a workshop organized at Fairy Tail University in Magnolia and a large part of Phantom Lord Academy was participating. Immediately after their arrival, Juvia, Gajeel and three other students were asked by the President Porla to convince Lucy Heartfilia to quit FT University and join Phantom Lord instead. As the young girl was from a great and wealthy family, Jose Porla expected her prestige to contribute to the notoriety of his school. But something got out of hand when Heartfilia's friends interposed. In the corridors of FT University, words, insults and even punches were exchanged between the two groups and at the end Phantom Lord failed.

But something incredible happened to Juvia during this mess. At one moment, Gajeel and a man with pink hair were fighting and she moved off their way but Sol and a tall white man bumped into her and she almost fell by a window. A hand grabbed her wrist and steadied her. It was a man with black hair and no shirt. And then the unexpected hit her with the force of a storm.

When she met his dark blue eyes, she felt a warmth inside her. Where their hands touched, she felt electricity. When he talked, she felt shivers. Her breath seemed to have left her lungs and she was not able to articulate a single word.

Then a girl with long red hair called him and he finally release her hand and jogged to join his friend. Juvia was left with a tempest in her heart and her mind. She turned her head towards the window she nearly fell over just a minute ago. She watched the blue sky like it was the first time and the sunrays caressed her cheeks. Suddenly the world seemed brighter.

Back in Oak Town, she immediately felt a loss. She wanted to see the man again so much it hurt. So, she talked to Gajeel who was infuriated with Jose Porla for his scowling and as he thought a school was just as bad as another, he agreed with her to transfer in Magnolia right after their final exams. And then, after formalities, they entered FT University at the start of the next year. They did not regret it as the teachers were fully qualified. With the aid of the President Makarov, she found a job at a bakery hold by Yajima-san, a friend of Makarov.

At first, Juvia feared they would take a hold against them, but after a first clash, Gray and his friends accepted them and Juvia developed ties with all of them. Natsu's smile was as warm as a fire during winter and his laugh was contagious. He studied volcanology and had some share classes with Juvia. Lucy was as radiant as the sun and when Juvia didn't know how to react, she looked for Lucy for help like a traveler looked for the guiding star for direction. The blonde woman was in literature as she wanted to become a writer and she had a bond with Levy who was in linguistic. The petite bluenette was a real bookworm but she always helped out her friends, and somehow she was getting closer with Gajeel who liked to tease her. Erza was a bit intimidating but her hugs were warm, and when she heard Juvia worked at a bakery, she often came during Juvia shift for a little talk and a strawberry cake. Loke was a womanizer but he was also a real confidant and never spitted out a secret. Cana was a drunkard with a loudmouth but she gave assurance to the girls when they needed it. Mirajane was friendly and very protective towards her siblings. And there were so many others… As she interacted with each of them, Juvia started to see them as her own friends.

And Gray… Gray was the air she breathed. She spent almost all her free time at his sides. The first weeks she did not know how to act and was afraid he would find her weird. She preferred to watch him from afar and gave him anonymous gift. But after some attempts, she gained assurance and her advances became more straightforward.

She smiled, laughed and for the first time she felt welcome in a group.

For more than six months, she thought it was the best period of her life.

AN: So, that's the prologue. The first chapter is coming soon (with a bit of drama).

I plan to write a multi-chapter story. I hope it will count more than 10 chapters (for now, my longest story counts only 9 chapters).