Soooo, this kinda came up from something I remembered reading a few months back. Don't remember where I read it, or why it shoved itself to the front of my head but it did and it made my fingers itch enough to wanna write so here ya go. Anyway, for the brother mentioned y'all can take it anyway ya want. It could be any character y'all see as being Gray's brother. For those who know my writing style I think ya can probably guess that I personally lean toward Gratsu BUT like I said it could pretty much be anyone. Take your pick and go read.
Promise
When a man settles himself at the bar, the white-haired bartender wraps up the drink she's making and makes her way over, offering the somber raven-haired man a smile.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail. What can I get you?"
His lips twitch to something resembling a smile. "Bud Light and a Corona if you will."
She doesn't even think about it, moving around behind the bar to grab his order. Popping the tops, the bartender places a lime in the mouth of the Corona as she's supposed to and sets both bottles in front of the customer. "Here you are, enjoy."
The customer nods, picking up the Bud Light to take a sip and she goes about her business, returning to help the many other patrons of the busy bar. As time passes by she begins to notice something, however.
The customer never touches the Corona, only sipping from the Bud Light. His eyes, navy blue in the lights of the bar, stare off into the distance, as if he's not even at the bar but instead somewhere else completely.
She's curious, as she knows the other bartender on duty is too, but she knows better. She won't ask what isn't her business.
Women come up, they talk to the customer but soon after they leave again, leaving him to his beer. The Corona isn't touched, as if waiting for someone who hasn't shown up yet.
Still, more time passes and eventually, the customer finishes his drink. He waves the bartender down, asking for a receipt.
On the way to handle the other side of the bar, she slips him the receipt. She doesn't pay notice to his saddened expression, but she does notice the Corona, sitting in the same place she had left it when he first arrived. With one last questioning thought to the odd customer, she returns to her work.
One by one the rowdy people are pacified with their drinks. After they're set, she turns to the sink, ready to wash some of the glasses piling up when her co-worker approaches her.
"Hey, Mira." The white-haired bartender arches an eyebrow, noticing her shocked expression and her co-worker holds up a receipt. "You need to look at this."
Taking the receipt from the women, Mira's eyes go wide when she reads what the receipt was for. One Bud Light and a Corona. Flipping it over, she finds writing on the back.
"To the curious bartender." Her co-worker sniggers at the description and Mira rolls her eyes. "Why don't you wash the cups, Kinana?"
Her co-worker nods, turning to the sink she was originally going to and Mira turns her eyes back to the receipt.
To the curious bartender,
When my brother and I deployed, we made a promise. That when we returned home, we'd sit down for a drink and celebrate. We made it home alright so I came tonight to honor our promise. He hated it if we couldn't honor our promises so I couldn't turn him down one last time. You may have noticed his beer went untouched but don't worry. He was here.
Mira stumbles back a step, a tear on her lashes and she looks up to find the Corona still sitting at its spot on the bar. Smiling sadly, she takes the drink and the receipt and sets them on a shelf in front of the flag hanging in the bar.
With that she continues on with the last few hours of her shift, her eye often drifting to the Corona. At last, the bar finally closes and she and her co-workers are left cleaning up before they can go home.
XxX
The next day, when Mira comes in she finds the owner of the bar, a short white-haired man in his late eighties sitting at the bar, sipping on a glass and looking at the Corona still sitting in front of the flag.
The owner sets his drink down. "Mirajane,"
She looks up from where she's wiping the countertop. "Yes, Mr. Makarov?"
"Who set that up there?" For a second she becomes worried. What if he makes her throw it away?
"I did, Sir."
To her surprise, he grins. "I have just one thing to ask of you."
Tilting her head in confusion, Mira watches the owner raise his glass in a cheer. "Change the lime. A Corona ain't a Corona without a fresh lime."
She giggles, reaching for a lime from the basket. "Of course, sir."
Seeing as I got a shit ton of edits to go through from Beta for more updates coming this week I'mma just let y'all go. Hope you enjoyed the oneshot. If you're up for it, leave a review. If not I just hope y'all enjoyed.
Grizzly out for the night.