HIIIIII! I'm so SO sorry! It's been so long! (Ok, like a week but still). I've been really sick and I'm sorry I should've updated sooner! Sorry not sorry for that cliffhanger but here's the resolution! Now to the fluff...

-The Demon :P

Friend, Please

Six: Sweets and Meets

Gray Fullbuster has witnessed many crazy things in his young life. Considering the sort of people he chooses to spend his time with, it would only be logical to have witnessed some inexplicable things. He has seen his best friend set fire to his own hair, he has witnessed Lucy jump out of a two-storey window into a pool (she was drunk, it was a dare) and he has even watched as Erza attempted to fight an entire bar filled with angry looking drunk men (suffice to say she won). He even spent his time at Fairy Tail, the college's strangest club.

But he was not prepared for what he saw when walked in.

There she was, Erza Scarlet, having returned after a week school trip with Habitat for Humanity. That, alone, was enough to shock Gray as she wasn't supposed to return for another three days. But what she was doing pushed the limit of strangeness he could handle. He blinked, trying to see if the scene unfolding in front of him was a mirage. But no. This was all real.

The redhead stood in Gray's kitchen, wearing what appeared to be a... cat suit? A tight fitting one at that. The sort those sorority girls wore to all the Halloween parties. In one hand, she held a bowl filled with batter while she mixed with a large spoon using her other. She had her headphones in, bopping her head to the blaring music that was so loud, Gray could hear it from his spot near the entrance.

Because of the sound of her dangerously loud music, the redhead hadn't even noticed his entry. Had it been anyone else, Gray would've been tempted to scare them, but considering this was Erza, he didn't have a death wish and decided not to do anything.

"Hey!" he shouted, hoping to catch her attention before her instincts kicked in and she attacked him. He repeated himself a few times, increasing the volume his voice with ever yell. Finally, she realized she wasn't alone and yelped in shock. Luckily, though, for Gray, she realized who it was before hurting the intruder. The girl smiled and pulled off her headphones, leaning casually against the counter as if this were an everyday occurrence.

"What are you... um...doing?" Gray stammered out.

"I'm cooking, duh," she responded. "I never realized you were so oblivious."

"I-I mean, what are you doing in my dorm, dressed li-like that?" he sputtered, hoping his cheeks weren't red. He had known Erza nearly his entire life and their relationship was completely platonic but her outfit was still making him… uncomfortable.

"Oh. OH! This you mean?" she said, motioning to her strange get-up. "Well, it's sort of a long story. I was supposed to be on that trip, y'know, building the houses for Habitat for Humanity. Then, I realized that Jellal's birthday was today, so I came back to the campus as soon as I could. I felt so stupid for forgetting my darling's birthday. Wearing this outfit is my punishment, but I sort of like it, don't you?"

"Yea, uh-huh. Now, what are you doing in my dorm room?"

"Well, I know you guys having a working kitchen and I really wanted to bake my Jellal something yummy and homemade for his birthday. I can't believe I almost forgot, so this is another part of my penance."

Gray just shrugged this off and walked in. Typical Erza. Forgetful at times, always too hard on herself. It was almost as if she enjoyed giving her these weird punishments. He took off his coat and boots, leaving everything haphazardly around the room. Pulling out his textbooks, he prepared his usual workspace in the desk nestled in the corner of the room. He loved sitting there, the walls snugly sitting around him. He felt oddly at ease in tight spaces. Probably an after-effect from growing up with Natsu, who loved hiding and playing pranks on people.

That space by his desk was his and his alone, and even though Erza was in the same room, he felt as if he were completely alone when he sat there. While he loved working at the school's immense library, there was something special about having a place that he could call his own.

Gray wanted nothing more than to rip open Juvia's note, but it took every ounce of self-control he had to stop himself. While he loved Erza, she really could not have chosen a worse time to stop by unannounced. A part of him was so desperate to read Juvia's words that he was almost willing to open the letter in front of Erza. Alas, he would not do that. Anything concerning Juvia was special, and he didn't want to waste a beautiful note from the beautiful girl because he couldn't wait the few minutes it would take for the redhead to finish up.

The raven haired man carefully pulled the letter out from his back pocket, glad to see that it was still in perfect condition. His fingers brushed along the envelope, analyzing every bit of the texture of the rich stationery. Having a piece of the blue-haired girl he had been so enticed by in his hands was intoxicating and he found it harder than ever to control himself.

Under normal circumstances, Gray considered himself a rather logical and patient person. It took a lot to aggravate him (unless it had anything to do with Natsu) and he was usually the poster boy for self-control. He had enough self-discipline to manage school work and party time. He was the sort of person to always be on top of his duties, to have all the class work for the next two weeks already complete. He was the type of person to always be ten minutes early, the person who was patient enough to wait for his friends who were always ten minutes late.

But under these circumstances, after everything Juvia had done to his mind, he found it nearly impossible to restrain himself. His fingers were itching to rip open the small, blue envelope. The only way he could stop the temptation was to push the letter deep underneath a heavy stack of textbooks. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Wrong.

For the next horribly painful hour, he attempted to do some work for his courses. In the past week, he had gone from the guy who was always two steps ahead to the frightened boy who was running to catch up in almost all of his courses, all because of Juvia. He tried listening to calming music, taking breaks by helping Erza in the kitchen, he even went on a short walk. But nothing would calm his nerves or clear his mind. In that short meeting with the blue-haired girl, she had taken his normally routine and boring life and turned it upside-down. Everything he thought he had known was gone and here he was, clueless and love-struck.

Not a second too soon, the oven beeped and Erza pulled out a beautiful looking strawberry cake, her specialty. It smelt beyond amazing and in those few moments, Gray was jealous of Jellal. Even though he didn't know the man very well, he knew that he and Erza had been childhood friends, before she had even met Gray and the rest of the crew. Then, one day, Jellal mysteriously moved away. The whole affair was very sudden and Erza had never really stopped wondering.

Against all odds, the two ran into each other once again, this time in a Creative Write elective they had both chosen. This time, though, Erza wouldn't let him get away. They had only "officially" been dating for the past month, but their relationship had been a lifetime in the making. Missed opportunities and second chances had made the two very affectionate. Their love had transformed Erza into a "here-and-now" type person and it actually inspired to be more like her.

Looking at Erza now, as she decorated Jellal's birthday cake, Gray realized that he couldn't let Juvia go. When he had walked out last week because of Gajeel, he had let his fear of the large man and his insecurities get in the way of his tenuous friendship with the beautiful, unique girl. This time, he thought as Erza packed up the cake, he wouldn't let her slip out of his reach.

He walked the redhead to the girl, wishing her luck for her impromptu birthday celebration. Once she had made her way down the hallway (wearing nothing but the cat costume, of course), he shut the door, creating a loud slam! noise.

He threw the stack of books covering Juvia's note onto the ground, uncaring and hungry to read her words. It was as if he was dying of thirst and her letter were the last clean drops of water on Earth. He was desperate to see her careful calligraphy, to read her cautious words and to smell the scent of her perfume on the little, pale blue paper.

And when he finally did, he was not disappointed. The simple words filled his entire body with ecstasy, making him feel butterflies in his stomach and fireworks in his chest. Her short letter was straight-forward and to the point, just like her last one. Unlike her last one, though, she left a way to be reached.

Fiore history section, Master Mavis Library. 5 o'clock, Thursday night.

-Juvia (820-193-2826)

P.S. I'm sorry.