Hi fam! It's been so long, I'm so sorry! I have gotten some reviews asking for more and I'm glad that I could finally respond :) Here is another chapter! It's about the average length, but I hope you guys all enjoy ;) I sort of left it on a cliffhanger but I can assure you it will be cleared up next chapter with some more fluff on the horizon!

-The Demon :)

Friend, Please

Five: Lectures and Lessons

A week later, Gray was walking back from a lecture. Though he had been trying his hardest this past few days, he had been completely unable to concentrate in any of his courses, no matter how demanding they were. He would completely zone out, thinking back to the day he met a beautiful, kind-hearted blue haired girl. She had invaded his mind and declared control of his brain. Whenever his thoughts started to wander to anything else, she called them back to her from her throne in the centre of his head.

He felt lost to her and he didn't even care.

He trudged through the snow, taking his time as he walked through the blistering cold to his dorm. The man hadn't even bothered to wear a coat. All he adorned was a simple tee-shirt and a pair of jeans. A part of his brain was aware of the cold and the pain it was inflicting on his skin, but he didn't really mind it. The pain kept him grounded, because he feared that, without it, his mind would wander to the clouds.

Gray hadn't actually seen Juvia since the incident last week with Gajeel. He feared that the girl believed he had walked out on her and he wasn't sure if she would even be willing to talk to him. Maybe the pierced moron had poisoned her mind for good and there would be no point in even approaching her.

Without her near him, Gray could think freely about her. He thought about her situation, how dark and dreary it had seemed at first. He believed that, since he had first-hand experience with fighting with your demons, he would be in a position to help her and guide her. The raven haired man was conscious of how strong of a person Juvia was, but things like this could not be fixed by herself. She needed support. She needed more than just Gajeel by her side. She needed an entire battalion and Gray was more than willing to be that and more for her.

Stepping through the deep snow and attempting to avoid the ice-covered sidewalks, he slowly made his way to his building. Finally, after what seemed like years, he reached the metal door. He was about to whip it open when he noticed the man standing in his way.

Gajeel Redfox.

"What are you doing here?" Gray growled to the offending man. His pride was still hurt from his earlier treatment. To add injury to insult, it was Gajeel who was keeping him away from Juvia. Without him in the picture, Gray would have been free to see the beautiful student whenever he pleased. But no...

"Calm your pits, princess." Gajeel responded harshly, pushing himself up from his leaning position on the wall. "I come here in peace."

Gray's mouth twisted into a smirk. He wanted to hurt that man so badly, but it took everything in him to hold back. At the time, a week prior, he had understood why Gajeel was so protective of Juvia. Although, after spending so much of his time thinking about her, he couldn't help but find the opposing man idiotic. Juvia had finally made some progressive, as she had gone out of her comfort zone in search for some companionship. Things had been starting to look up for the girl and then, Gajeel had let his ego get in the way and destroyed the poor girl's first chance at happiness in ages.

And that was unforgivable in Gray's mind.

"There is nothing you could want to say to me," he started as he attempted to push his way past the bigger man. Gajeel simply put an arm out, blocking the other's path to the indoors.

"Juvia has been a mess since you left," Gajeel said quietly, looking down at his shoes as he spoke. He seemed to be reluctant to talk to Gray, but his current situation gave him little option.

"Oh and whose fault is that, exactly?" Gray responded sharply, his voice dripping with malicious sarcasm.

"Listen, ice prick," Gajeel warned him, looking directly in the other man's eyes. Earlier that week, Gray would have flinched and turned away at the sight of those frightening crimson orbs, but after meeting Juvia and having her immediately taken away from him, he felt little fear in front of the imposing boxer. "She needs you. I'm realizing now that I fucked up, okay? I can't be everything to her and I'm doing anyone any good by 'protecting' her. All I'm doing is isolating her even more than she has already. She really needs more people in her life and in those few moments you guys were together, she had been happier and more carefree than I had seen her in months.

"I've learnt my lesson now and I'm here to say sorry. I really want you to go back into her life. I'm not saying I approve of you, ice queen. All I'm saying is that you make her happy and as long as you do that, I am in no position to complain"

Gray looked back up at Gajeel, his eyes widening in shock as his mind attempted to process the startling news. This was exactly what he had wanted to hear all week. It was ridiculous that someone like Gajeel would have enough power over someone as delicate as Juvia. It was even more ridiculous that he would try to keep positive influences away from her.

The more cynical parts of Gray's head wondered if perhaps Gajeel had purposely kept the two apart. Maybe the long haired man wanted Juvia to himself. Maybe seeing his "best friend" in pain made him feel strong. Maybe having so much say in her life made him feel powerful. But Gray quickly dismissed these thoughts. Gajeel seemed genuinely invested in the girl's well being and Gray doubted that he would be capable of inflicting pain on her.

He considered what he was hearing carefully. While Gajeel had just allowed the chemistry student to see the girl he had wanted, there seemed to be a catch. He evaluated the situation carefully in his head before formulating a response.

"Why now?" was all he said in response. He wanted to understand what had made Gajeel suddenly change his mind after an entire week of giving Gray the cold-shoulder.

"She wanted me to give you this. I've been holding on to it all week, wondering if you were worthy of her. I realize now that it's not really for me to chose or not. She's an adult and I can't protect her from everything. If she wants to see you, then who am I to stop her?" Gajeel admitted, slumping his shoulders as he dug his hands into the front pockets of his baggy jeans. He pulled out a small pale blue envelope, made of the same stationary as the request that had started this whole thing.

Gray slowly reached over, delicately taking the paper in his cold hands. He wanted to read it right then and there, but he felt it would be better if he read it in private. He carefully placed it in the back pocket of his denim pants, paying extra care as to not crumple the paper. He wanted to keep it in perfect mint condition.

"Thank you," he mumbled to Gajeel as he finally pushed passed the man and made his way to his room. Once he was out of Gajeel's line of vision, he broke out into a sprint, eager to make it to his room and read the girl's note.

He had been wanting to see her, to talk to her, all week. Every fiber in his body had been aching for her. It wasn't necessarily because he was attracted to her, though he was, it was mainly because he felt like he could help her. He wanted to help her. In fact, he needed to help her. To him, she was the one person he wanted to care for, to protect and shower in affection. He knew he was jumping the gun a bit, but he really liked her. His intentions weren't necessarily romantic, but they were more powerful and desperate than anything he had ever felt before.

His need to see her had slowly taken over his whole body, consuming him mind and soul. Every part of him wanted her happiness and he was willing to do almost anything to achieve it. That was why he hated Gajeel so much. In his eyes, Gajeel was holding Juvia back, keeping her potential at bay. He was like a damn and she needed to be released. Gray wanted to be the one to let her free.

The raven haired man was lucky because he was certain that no one would be in his dorm at this hour. Natsu had a full day of classes which meant that he would have nothing to stop him once he reached his room. Lucy rarely came to their place without the pinkette pyromaniac, so there was essentially no risk of running into her.

With the light blue note in his hand, he pushed open the door to his apartment, his eyes widening when he caught sight of what welcomed him when he entered.