Friend, Please

Chapter One:

Light Blue Requests

Gray Fullbuster was an ordinary university student. Easily annoyed, sleep-deprived and broke, he was the poster-boy for a basic twenty year old student at Mavis University in Fiore. Today, as well, was like any other day. After a full day of back-to-back classes, he was irritable and exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to lay down on his warm bed and pretend like he didn't have a major chemistry lab to study for. On his way back to his dorm, the chemistry major trudged through the thick snow, wearing nothing more than a tee-shirt and jeans but somehow still not cold.

As he walked down the hall towards his dorm, he already knew he was in trouble. From fifty feet away he could already hear the giggling. Once Gray actually reached the door, he considered for a moment. He weighed his options and after a moment of deliberation, he chose to go ahead and open the door anyways.

And when he did, boy did he ever regret his choice.

What was waiting for him behind the door was his roommate, another chemistry major named Natsu, making out with his girlfriend, a kindhearted English lit major named Lucy. When they saw the raven haired man, standing paralyzed by the door, they immediately separated, cheeks flaming red. Sadly for both the lovebirds (as well as Gray's eyes), the damage was done.

"I… um… I-I was just going…." he stuttered as he turned on his heel and ran out of the dorm building. He rubbed his eyes roughly, as if that simple motion alone could erase the scarring scene he had just walked in on. Granted, they weren't doing anything too bad, but it was still enough for Gray to wonder why he woke up that morning.

Once outside, he realized that it had started snowing. Though he had an extremely high tolerance for the cold, Gray wasn't a complete masochist. He sought shelter in the university's café, because there was no way in hell he was going back to his room. He had endured enough torture for one evening. Gray ordered a milkshake from the nice white haired waitress named Mirajane and took a seat in one of the comfiest sofas in the world. It was a little known fact, but Mira was actually attending the school on a scholarship. The kind veterinary sciences major could usually be found making drinks at the café for extra money to support not only her, but her two younger siblings as well. She was the sort of person who could light up anyone's day with a small smile. Even while working, she seemed to be completely content with life. In his entire time knowing Mira, Gray had never once hear her utter a complaint of any kind.

"Hey, Gray," Mira said sweetly as she put down the boy's drink in front of him. "What are you doing here? I thought you had that chem lab to study for."

"I was going to, but Natsu and Lucy seemed to have forgotten to put a sock on a door, and after the horrors I have witnessed, I'd rather fail my chem lab then go back there."

"Ah, I see. I'm so happy to know those two are getting along! My ships are sailing!" she squealed as she skipped back to the counter to take another student's order.

You see, the young barmaid was not only the nicest person in the world, but also the most devious. A self-proclaimed "matchmaker" she made everyone else's personal lives her business. And no one came in between her and her ships. Though she looked like a soft cuddly person, she could switch personalities like a lightswitch. One second, you could be having a fun chat about unicorns and rainbows, the next you could be retreating from the demon matchmaker.

Gray had learned early on to keep his personal life just that, personal. Between having friends who meddled like Mira and friends who were just flat out nuts like Natsu, he had learned to keep any relationship he might enter secret from everyone he knew.

After an hour or so of studying (interrupted a few times Mira, raving about pink-haired, brown-eyed babies), Gray decided he wanted a change of pace. He stood up from his heavenly sofa and went to the university's "Request Board". A few years back, the board of directors decided it would be a good idea to make a place where students could post requests for help in certain courses, etc. This way, the broke students (mainly the party animals) could earn a little extra cash and the struggling student would have a place to get help. As previously mentioned, Gray was always broke and, like any other university student, he stood by the motto that there was no such thing as "too much partying". Cana's influence seemed to have rubbed off on the young chem student.

He scanned the board for a couple of minutes, trying to find something interesting. Seconds away from giving up completely, something caught his eye. A light blue paper, partially hidden by many other newer ads, had nothing but two words and a dorm number on it.

"Friend, please."

Curious, Gray pulled the request off the board, showed it to Mira, who wrote it down, and left to the dorm indicated on the flyer. Before leaving though, Mira got her boyfriend, Laxus, to lend Gray his jacket. The light snow from earlier had become a full fledged snow storm. Although he was grateful for the fur-lined coat, it was around fifty sizes too big and just hung on the chemistry major's shoulders. He felt a bit ridiculous with it on, considering it hung on his body like a massive cape. Gray was not a small guy, but with Laxus' jacket on, he felt dwarfed and self-conscious. Ignoring his fashion problem, the raven haired man continued on his journey to the mysterious dorm. He moved slowly but surely through the snow for about forty minutes until he finally reached his destination.

The dorm was on the complete other side of the massive campus and Gray was praying that the guy who posted the request would be chill with him spending the night. Between the Nalu moment happening back at his dorm and the worsening conditions outdoors, there was little he wouldn't do to spend the night at the poster's dorm.

When he found the dorm, he politely knocked on the door.

And, when a beautiful bluenette opened the door, Gray instantly knew his life would never be the same again.