Ice-Make: Software | By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 4775 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Gratsu Week Day 3: (love) letters
I should clarify, this AU is set on the American East Coast. I imagine New York City.
Earl Grey Amore – based on a real tea: http://www.tamborinetea.com.au/earl-grey-amore-tea
Chapter 3
Earl Grey Amore
After the lunch at the gyro place, Gray did not see Natsu again. Instead, as soon as their meal was finished, a limousine was waiting outside the restaurant to whisk the CEO away.
"Oh yeah, I gotta fly to Sydney for a while. See ya, Gray. The food was good. Great idea."
And like that, he was gone.
Gray tried to focus on work. Natsu was just being a friendly boss. He probably treated all of his employees to lunch. He even asked around.
Erza, the senior manager of HR, said Natsu got her a strawberry cake every year for her birthday after finding out it was her favorite.
Levy, the bookkeeper, said that Natsu frequently bought her books whenever he went on travels.
A hardware engineer named Gajeel said that Natsu bought him an extremely rare steel sword after learning that Gajeel collected metalwork.
The sales manager Max said that Natsu had hosted a party at a high-end restaurant for his birthday.
Lucy, an editor for the company newsletter, went on through an entire lunch break raving about the dresses Natsu got her from Paris and Milan.
Gray shoved aside those ridiculous feelings that had begun to ignite in his heart. It was stupid! Developing a crush on a guy after just two days of knowing him, and worse, his boss!
Plain stupid!
Yet it hurt a bit. He really thought that perhaps he and Natsu had something, that maybe he was noticed, singled out, and those meals had been more than just an employer getting to know his new software engineer.
He was just some tech. What was he in the eyes of a CEO? Some low-rung new recruit, a grunt, a worker bee, another gopher in the cubicle farm.
A week passed. By Friday, Gray had accepted his humble position in the company. He would work for Mr. Dragneel and be a good employee to pay back for the kindness he showed. He was just another worker. The company had hundreds in this building alone.
And now Natsu was busy somewhere in Australia, probably treating the employees there to barbecue or more Thai food. He was a good boss. Gray knew he should be happy simply to have an employer who cared enough to learn his name. Anything beyond that was wishful thinking.
Gray was sitting at a deli with his team of software engineers, enjoying a pastrami on rye and iced tea, when his phone buzzed. He saw there was a text, but he did not recognize the number. He pulled a little out of the conversation Lyon was having with Invel about the new patch they were designing for the ICEMAKE software, and he clicked on the text.
«Hey Gray, Natsu here. Do you like tea? »
Lyon saw his workmate's face change to pale shock. "Is something wrong?"
"N-No," Gray stuttered. A text from Natsu! He wrote back.
« Yes, I like tea. Earl Grey. »
« I knew it!
- LOL! Of course you would like that one.
- That's good.
- You'll be getting a package soon.
- Email me as soon as it arrives.
- Gotta go. Need at least a little sleep.
- TTYL »
Gray stared at the messages, all sent in rapid succession, too fast for him to reply before Natsu ended it.
"What the hell was that about?" he muttered.
Should he reply? If Natsu was about to go to bed, maybe replying was too rude. What time was it in Australia anyway? It had to be in the middle of the night. Maybe he should wait until later. He could wait until after work.
Gray tucked his phone back away. What a wild, unpredictable boss!
His team finished eating and returned to their desks. Gray loosened his tie out of habit as he typed. The program they were designing was moving along swiftly now. Everyone on the ICEMAKE team was putting in their full effort.
"Mr. Fullbuster?"
Gray had been so focused on the computer, he had not seen a man in a brown uniform approach with a massive gift basket.
"Delivery for you from Mr. Dragneel." The postman set the wrapped basket down, smiled in amusement, and strode off.
Lyon peeped his head over his cubicle. "Whoa! You got a gift basket from the boss?"
"He mentioned something about it," muttered Gray. "I figured it wouldn't arrive for days. I guess it was something he got online, not actually something he bought in Austr-… " He stopped sharply as he saw what was in the clear wrapping of the basket. "No way."
Now many heads had popped up from their cubicles, like a field of curious gophers. Gray blushed under all the stares as he pulled off a huge bow and removed the pale blue plastic wrapping. Inside the massive wicker basket, there was a stuffed koala plushie, a tea towel of Australian slang words, a teapot with the Sydney opera house on it, a ceramic mug with a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves, and ten bags of different Tamborine loose leaf teas, including white tea, Aussie mint, dragon pearls, Arctic Fire, and Earl Grey.
Gray slowly pulled out the bag of black tea and gulped hard. It was not just plain Earl Grey. It was a special blend mixed with blue cornflower and rose petals. Earl Grey Amore.
That had to mean something, right? Natsu could have bought him a plain box of black tea. He could have waited until he returned to toss it at Gray and say he hoped he liked it, while passing out other souvenirs to other employees. Instead, he bought this particular blend, along with all the others, the plushie, the mug, teapot, and tea towel.
"What the heck are you thinking, Natsu?" he muttered.
Lyon laughed and slapped Gray on the back. "The boss must have a crush on you," he teased.
"Wh-What?" screamed Gray.
"Sheesh, I'm kidding. That's just the way he is. He buys people things. Don't freak out over a little gift basket. Hell, probably five more will arrive today. He's a good boss."
"R-Right," Gray stuttered, although his heart was racing again.
The cubicle farm went back to normal. Sure enough, two other gifts from Australia arrived before the day was over, although none as big as Gray's. A few minutes before it was time to clock out, Gray saw an email pop up in the company's inbox. It bore an auspicious name: Natsu Dragneel. Gray looked around nervously, but everyone was trying to finish up their work before the weekend. He clicked on the email. It was just a brief note.
« Hey, did you get my package? It should have arrived by now. »
"Crap," Gray muttered. He forgot, Natsu had said to email him as soon as it arrived. Still, it had to be barely 7AM in Sydney. Gray wrote a reply.
« Yes, it arrived. Thank you very much, sir. It was a pleasant surprise. »
« Pleasant, really? So did you like it? Was it okay? I saw that you ordered tea both times that we went out, so I was hoping that maybe you liked tea. »
An endearing smile flitted over Gray's lips. Natsu had noticed even what he ordered to drink.
« It's great. I really like tea. »
He paused in his typing, debating if he should bring up what sort of tea Natsu had picked. After all, he was a CEO. It could have been an assistant who put together the gift basket. He needed to word this right or else things would turn very awkward very quickly.
« It was an interesting variety you chose. I've not tried some of these. »
Yes, that was safe to say.
« Some are my favorites, and the others I felt best suited you. Did you see the Earl Grey? Is that blend all right with you? »
That blend! The Amore blend. Gray felt an icy chill run down his spine. Natsu had definitely picked that blend on purpose. Then … did he really mean it symbolically? Gray's fingers trembled as he typed back.
« Amore, huh? I'll have to try it out. Perhaps you'd like to share a cup with me when you return. »
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!
Was he seriously flirting with his boss over email, halfway around the globe? Gray's heart pounded so hard as he waited for a reply, he did not notice the other workers getting up from their desks to clock out for the day.
The ping in the inbox made him click the message instantly.
« I'd love to give Amore a try with you. »
Gray covered his mouth to hold back gasping and screaming.
Oh shit!
Natsu was not joking around. His boss, the CEO of his company, was interested in him!
"Gray?" Lyon called out, standing near the exit.
He bolted up and practically shouted across the room, "I gotta finish this. See you on Monday." Then Gray immediately hunched down at his desk to hide the blush on his face. "What the hell am I doing?" he whispered. "What the hell is going on here?" Another email arrived, and he checked it quickly.
« It's after 5 there. Are you still at work? »
« Yeah, I'm the last one left. It's fine. »
« No, it's not. Go home. Text me as soon as you get there. I'd like to talk, if that's okay. This isn't the best conversation to be having over company email. »
Right! That was true. Flirting over company email was probably breaking some rules.
« Then I'll get going. Thanks again for the basket. Talk to you soon. »
Gray gathered the basket, left work, and drove home through annoying traffic. He blasted the radio, but every love song made his cheeks heat up. Finally, he arrived at his little loft situated above an old-fashion ice cream parlor in the middle of downtown. He walked up the stairs to his apartment, set the basket aside, and once again looked at the tea sitting right on top.
Earl Grey Amore.
He backed away from it, as if it might catch on fire, and fled to his bedroom.
What the hell was he doing? So many times, he heard horror stories of workplace romances. Having a fling with the CEO … was that even allowed? Didn't it break some company policy regarding insubordination? Then again, Natsu was the CEO. He made the rules. He could do whatever he pleased.
Gray pulled out his phone. The text from earlier was still there, and now Gray knew that the strange number must be Natsu's personal phone. He lifted his finger to type a message…
… and froze.
If he sent a text, Natsu would call. Gray was not sure if he was ready for what sort of phone conversation might follow.
Did he want something like this? — Hell yes, he did!
Was it a smart idea? — Hell no, it was idiotic!
Was it worth the danger to his job? — There was only one way to find out.
« I'm home. »
He typed it in, but he hesitated even longer, staring at it, trying to calm himself, before slamming his eyes shut and hitting Send.
Then he waited.
And waited.
There was no instant call back.
Gray stared at the phone for five minutes, barely breathing. Maybe Natsu was busy now. Maybe he was eating breakfast, or already in a meeting.
As more minutes passed. Gray felt himself calming down. Natsu was a busy man. Maybe a relationship would not even work. After all, how often was Natsu at the company headquarters? How frequently did he take off on business? When would they even have time to meet? Would it be purely dating at work, just lunches together, chats in hallways? Would Natsu insist on keeping their relationship out of work, and they could only meet after work or on weekends?
Maybe Natsu was realizing that this was a foolish idea.
Maybe the Earl Grey Amore did not mean all that Gray thought it meant.
Suddenly, his phone rang, and Gray let out a cry of shock. He saw the number. It was him! He answered and cradled the phone up to his ear.
"H-Hello?"
"Gray!" came a cheerful shout so loud, Gray had to yank the phone back a little. "So, you got it, right? And it was okay? And … and did you get it? I mean, the tea. Well, of course you got it, but did you get it? I mean … s-sorry, nervous," he laughed, and Gray heard him take a deep breath. "You … did you really want to try … the, um … the tea? The … amore … together. I mean … sheesh, I'm awful at this, sorry."
"Yes," Gray blurted out. "If … if you want. If you mean it like that."
"Yeah! Y-Yeah, I do," he said, sounding relieved. "I was hoping to go on more dates with you first, but you're a handsome guy and I didn't want to miss my chance. You see, I'm not in the office much, I was just lucky to be there on your first day, and then I noticed you, and … and I wanted to make sure I had a chance before someone else noticed you. Because you're very noticeable. I mean … shit, this is going horrible."
Gray laughed and began to relax hearing that Natsu was just as awkward at this as he was. "I didn't know if they were dates."
"Oh! Sorry. I mean, if you don't want that…"
"I was hoping they were."
The other line went quiet for a few seconds. "Y-You were? You … you really want … really?"
"If you do."
"Yes! Will that be okay? I know, workplace relationships have bad reputations, I've never mixed business with my personal life like this before, but … well … I noticed you, and … and I was hoping you'd be okay with it."
"Can I ask something bluntly, sir?"
"Don't call me sir, just Natsu."
"Sir," Gray said again in a stern voice, "if I agree, and things don't work out, do I have your promise that you won't let that be grounds for dismissing me from your company?"
"What!" Natsu screamed, and again Gray yanked the phone back with ear pain. "That's something I'd never do. Ever! Look, I'm interested in you, but if things don't click between us, we're still work buddies, right?"
"Work buddies?" exclaimed Gray. "You're the frigging CEO. I'm a software engineer."
"So?"
"So, you could fire me."
"Gray…" Natsu sounded hurt. "Do you really think it won't work out between us? I mean, I don't want you to agree if you think I'd fire you if you say no. Honestly, that's what scared me so much. I didn't want to come out and say anything at all, not for a while, but … but then I was away, and I kept asking Freed what you were up to, and he said how you were going out for lunches and chatting with a lady by the water cooler, and he said she was obviously attracted to you, and I was afraid that if I gave the two of us time so you could see that I was serious, if I gave you time to be serious back, then maybe she'd get you first."
"Who are you talking about?" asked Gray. "What lady? Sorry, I'm still learning names in the company."
"Never mind. Look, I won't ever use the job against you. I never fire anyone unless I have to, if the position becomes obsolete, or if they do something that hurts the company directly. I can't show you much privilege, either. Lunches, maybe a business trip together, but I can't give you a raise or any special treatment. So if you think you can take advantage of this, the answer is no."
"No! I wouldn't use you like that. That's just awful."
"And I won't use my position as CEO against you. I just really want to get to know you better, but if it's too awkward, if it's something you don't want, let me know right now before I get my hopes up."
Gray closed his eyes. So much could go wrong, and yet … memories of those sharp green eyes made him smile.
"I want to share some of that tea with you, Natsu."
He heard a gasp on the other end. "Then, can we go on a lunch date on Monday?"
Gray smiled and relaxed. "Sure, I'd like that."
"And … and can we plan something for next weekend? I'll make sure I'm free."
"What did you have in mind?"
"A nice afternoon tea?"
"Well, that's sweet."
"In London."
Gray dropped the phone. "Wh-What?"
"Is London no good? Do you prefer Edinburgh? The Balmoral serves a very nice tea as well."
"Natsu! Seriously? London?"
"What? Is that okay? Do you prefer Japanese tea ceremony? I could book us for Tokyo, but I'm not sure we'd make it back to work in time on Monday."
"No! I … I don't have a passport. I can't just up and leave the country like that."
"Passport? Oh. I guess you need things like that, huh? I'll make sure you get one. What would you like to do for a weekend date, then? Something more local."
"Sheesh, I'd be fine with an amusement park," he muttered.
"Ooh! Disneyland!"
"No! What about … I dunno … the mountains? I like skiing."
"Great idea! I have a cabin in Colorado."
"You have a…?" He cut off his shouted words and rubbed out his head. "You know what, never mind," he sighed, realizing he was going to have to get used to things like this. "How about something closer?"
"Nonsense! The cabin is a great idea. Although, I can't ski," he said with a laugh. "But I can watch you ski. I bet you're good at it. You look really athletic."
Gray smirked. "And that's your type, huh?"
"W-Well … yeah," he mumbled. "Not that I'm just attracted to your body. I like … a lot of things … about you … and … and I'm just gonna shut up and I'll see you on Monday and I hope you like the amore and bye!"
The phone flashed to show that the call ended, and Gray burst out in laughter. What an idiot! Crazy, impulsive, a bit demanding, and yet such a kid deep down inside. Gray set his phone aside and shook his head. He walked back to the gift basket and pulled out the tea.
"Amore," he muttered.
He put a kettle on to boil and opened the container, smelling the floral scent of cornflowers, roses, and the unique citrus aroma of bergamot. It smelled heavenly. He scooped out enough to make a cup and let it brew as he got out of his work clothes and stripped to only boxers. Then he settled down on the couch with the tea, sipped from his teacup, and hummed in pleasure.
"I think I'm going to like this tea," he said. Gray took another sip and let his doubts melt away. The conversation played through his head, and he found himself chuckling once again. "Colorado, huh?"
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