Friend, Please

Two: Dark Walls, Bright Screens

When Gray Fullbuster accepted the request begging for a friend, he was expecting some lonely soul who just crawled out of their mother's basement, someone with little or no social experience, someone who would look out of place in their own house.

He was most definitely not expecting her. Her being the girl who was standing at the entrance of the dorm he had just knocked on. She was the epitome of everything he was not expecting.

Her beauty was overwhelming. She was of average height, maybe even a tad taller, and her figure was perfect. Her small waist and large chest were highlighted by the tight fitting yet flowing dress she wore. Her long light blue tresses hit right bellow her shoulders and snaked around in soft waves. Her soft skin was flawless, pale yet full of life somehow. Even the way she opened the door was cute. She didn't whip it open like Erza and Lucy usually do, she gently opened the door with care. After peeking her head to see who it was, she opened it the whole way and stood in the doorway.

"Um, hi. My name is Gray and I saw your request." he introduced himself uncomfortably. He awkwardly reached his hand out to shake hers and she shook it with just as much awkwardness. From her behaviour, Gray was starting to understand how she could have hard times making friends. She was so shy, Gray could barely see her face from the angle she had it at. Sure, she was breathtaking, but she wasn't really his type.

"Juvia." she mumbled, so quietly he could barely hear the words coming out of her mouth. The girl moved to the side, allowing Gray to enter her dorm. Judging from the clothing lying around one side of the room, she definitely had a roommate. Her dorm was painted dark blue with gray accents. It was clear that either she or her dorm mate had experience in the visual arts because, over her bed, was a beautiful stormy night. Dark storm clouds covered nearly the entire ceiling, with lightening so realistic, Gray stood there blinking for a few seconds. He suddenly felt ashamed of his shabby dorm with scorch marks (this is what he gets for having a pyromaniac as a roommate).

She motioned to the chemistry major to sit down on the navy couch facing away from the bedrooms. He plopped himself down and watched as Juvia looked around confused, as if searching for a way out of her own apartment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to having guests over," Juvia explained quietly as she looked down at her hands, which were constantly in movement. "Can I offer you something to drink? Tea, coffee?"

"Coffee sounds nice." Gray responded. It was almost as if she had a negative, shy aura surrounding her, making people near her feel as uncomfortable as she looked. The young bluenette nodded and turned to go make him his warm drink. While she did, an awkward, uncomfortable silence filled the air. Gray, unsure what else to do, decided to try making small chat.

"So, Juvia, what field are you majoring in?"

"I-I will be majoring in meteorology," she stuttered in response. She barely looked over her shoulder while she responded. She just continued making him a coffee, and from the looks of it, a tea for herself.

"That's interesting. I, myself, am majoring in chemistry. There are some links in between both subjects." Gray said, trying to keep the conversation going even though she hadn't asked him. You could cut the unpleasantness in the air with a butter knife. It was like one of the dark storm clouds on the walls, ominous and forever present. He was starting to like paintings less and less as they reminded him of his current, inevitable situation. She didn't answer, just continued making their drinks.

A few torturous minutes later, Gray was regretting coming at all. She had just put the drinks down on the coffee table next to the couch and sat herself down as far as possible from Gray. He honestly wished he hadn't been curious and taken the request. It's not that she was unlikable or anything. To be honest, Gray had very little information about her to base his opinion on in the first place. Juvia seemed nice enough, it's just Gray was not a phycology major. He had no idea how to get her to talk, to even find out a little more about her than her first name, let alone become her friend like she asked.

"You must been wondering why I posted that request," Juvia finally said, breaking the silence and Gray's train of thought. His eyes widen in shock for a few seconds, surprised to hear her speak without being asked to. He nodded, hopping the gesture would encourage her to continue talking. At this point, he was willing to do almost anything to get the girl to talk. He was so desperate to get her to open up to him, that he was willing to listen to anything and everything she had to say.

"You probably don't know this, considering the size of this college, but I recently transferred here from Phantom Academy, along with my best friend, Gajeel." she motioned to the other bed. Gray winced a bit when she told him her last school. Phantom Academy had recently been closed down because of a high level of complaints, ranging from excessive bullying to sexual abuse. He just sat in front of her, hoping that she was feeling comfortable enough with him to continue with her story.

"It's been difficult, these past few weeks," she continued, still refusing to meet Gray's eyes. Her beautiful, soft doe eyes stayed fixed on the ground. She pulled down on the sleeves of her dress, hiding her clenched fists with the blue fabric. It was almost as if she wanted to disappear from his line of sight.

"People here are so nice, but sometimes they make me feel like they expect me to be broken beyond repair because of my past," she was on a roll now, barely stopping to breath, not wanting to interrupt the constant stream of words coming out. "They seem to think that I need their help to do simple, menial tasks like buying books. I get that they want to help me adjust, but I'm feeling suffocated."

Gray noticed something he hadn't seen before. She wasn't fidgeting because she was uncomfortable or because she'd didn't trust him. In fact, judging from the way she opened up so quickly, he assumed she really needed someone to vent to. The conclusion he reached was she felt so uncomfortable and nervous because she didn't want him to pity her.

She wanted him to be different.

So, that's exactly what he did. Instead of comforting her and bringing her in to a bone-crushing hug like he knew most people would do (especially if most people are Mirajane), he let her continue without interruption. He hoped he had made the right choice, and when he heard her continue, he felt reassured that he had.

"So, you see, the problem isn't that I need a friend, per say. To be honest, everyone here at Mavis has been beyond kind and caring. I just feel like... I'm not sure. I need somewhere to go where I can be accepted, but people won't ask me too many questions. Where not every single aspect of my life while be evaluated under a microscope." she shrugged, her monologue clearly over.

"I know what you mean. When I first came here, I had just lost my adoptive mother. I understood that my friends wanted to make my life easier, but at the same time, it was too much for me to handle. I began to close off, not letting myself get closer to anyone.

"My roommate, a boy named Natsu, told me to join this club named Fairy Tail. He dragged me, literally, to it and it was easily one of the best things that ever happened to me. They didn't try to suffocate me, they let me be, but at the same time, made it clear that they would be there for me if I ever needed it. It was a dark time in my life, but in the end, Fairy Tail really helped me." Gray explained quietly. He wouldn't normally consider himself a shy person, but taking about his past, especially his mother, Ur, made him uncomfortable. Even though it had been a while since her horrible passing, the pain still hurt like an open wound, one that would never be fully healed.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, letting the idea sink in. He never told her she could join, but it was implied in his speech. Gray considered making his offer clearer, but at the same time, he didn't want to pressure her into anything. After all, the two had only known each other for a little over half an hour. He barely knew her first name, and he didn't want her to close back up.

"This club, Fairy Tail, would they let just anyone join? Does one have to apply?" Juvia inquired quietly, not wanting to get rejected as she had too many times before. For the first time since the pair met, she looked him in the eye.

It was magical.

Her eyes were unlike anything he had ever since before. They were dark blue, so dark they almost seemed black. They sucked you in until that's all you could see. When you looked closer, you could see a dark gray outline around them, with a dark blue filling. Specks of pale blue and silver lit up her pupils and within milliseconds of seeing her eyes, Gray couldn't think straight at all. All he could see were her dark blue orbs. They were hypnotic and he was under their spell.

So much so, that he didn't even notice the lights go out until she squealed and jumped on him.

"Eep! The lights, the lights, WHERE ARE THE LIGHTS?" she screamed into his ear. Her breathing became rapid and his eyes widened as she held him closer, clearly scared out of her mind. Gray couldn't see very well in the dark, but he could see a little bit thanks to the bright, white light her laptop was making. He saw her cheeks glisten with tears as she shook uncontrollably in his arms. His mind started to shut down as he began to panic, too. He was taken aback by her sudden presence near him, as she had gone through so much trouble to distance herself from him earlier.

"Here," he said as he held her small body with one arm while reaching over to grab her laptop of the coffee table in front of him. He turned on the screen's brightness all the way up so that way she would be able clearly. As she looked around, she began to calm down. Her breathing slowed and after a few seconds, she rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hands to wipe off her salty tears.

"Thank you," Juvia thanked him calmly. Even though she appeared to be feeling alright, Gray kept an arm wrapped around her waist to make sure she knew she wasn't alone. The young chemistry major recognized her behaviour, he had seen it many times before when Lisanna, the youngest Strauss, went missing, and Mirajane lost it.

Juvia was going to have a panic attack.

Panic attacks were like falling into a black hole. They were endless pits of fear and anxiety with no way out. It's like being drowned alive in your own worst nightmares, so realistic at times that it could be hard to separate fact from fiction. He wanted to help her, as he was all too familiar with the intense pain and loneliness that came with one. He knew the only way out would be from physical contact and a constant presence on his part.

"Shh," he whispered quietly as he absentmindedly stroked her blue locks. He had gotten into the habit of doing this for Mirajane and used his acquired skills to help his new friend out. It's funny how you can know someone for so little time, yet you can already feel so close.

After a few minutes, Juvia started to quiet down. She fell back into Gray's chest as her breathing slowed. She looked up at him with those mesmerizing eyes of hers and smiled her shy little smile.

If Gray were to be made of ice, he would've melted into a puddle.

She turned around and wiggled herself out of his embrace. Though he was reluctant to let go, he complied and watched as she reached over to the other side of the sofa to grab a fuzzy dark gray blanket. She unfolded it and threw it over the two of them. She snuggled back up against the almost-stranger and sat there, comfortably.

"Thank you, Gray" she said, making Gray smile unconsciously as he heard her say his name. "I can't stand the dark. It's not really the lack of light that scares me, it's the fact that you can't see what's coming. I know it's stupid and irrational, but then again, is there even such thing as a rational fear?"

"It's not stupid or irrational. Trust me, it's logical and understandable." Gray comforted her quietly.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked after a small pause in conversation. She pulled her laptop onto her lap and scrolled through her screens. He watched her as she fiddled with her computer, glad to see her happier, even if he suspected she was covering up some deeper pain. She smiled as she opened one particular slide and clicked play.

"I hope you like..." Juvia paused for effect. "FROZEN!" she screeched as the opening music started. He rolled his eyes but laughed a bit at her terrible pun. Since it was so cold out there, it might as well be inside, too.

It couldn't ever be cold with her around, he thought to himself.

Not ever.