Graveyard Girls: Half-Clothed Ladies, Half-Assed Coffee
Gajevy AU
Written to The Devil Inside by Like A Storm (if you were curious about what I listen to while I write).
With his two teenagers sitting on the sofa across from him, Gajeel took a deep breath.
They had asked about the topic quite a few times now that the two of them were privy to their parents' quiet inside jokes every time they went to the local Starbucks, but his answer to their questions was always lost on the tip of his tongue; there was never a good way to explain his past actions. Now that they were older and undoubtedly accustomed to how the world worked, it was just a matter of how to begin the story.
Looking from the tall-domed coffee with extra espresso in his hand to where his wife sat unsuspecting of his intentions at the kitchen table reading her home decor magazine, he smirked.
The idea appeared to his mind's eye. He froze to watch her content form and the way her fingers pinched and twirled the long, wavy strand of her hair. The image of her from long ago hit him just like it was yesterday. It left him feeling nostalgic.
Holding up the coffee, he motioned to his kids and asked, "How's your drinks?"
Rhett only nodded, eyes still glued to his phone as he sipped through the long green straw in front of him.
"Good," Melina said. She looked at her father. He never cared to address that before. "Why?" she asked in return, now curious.
The corners of Gajeel's eyes creased when he smiled. He said, "I'm finally gonna tell you how I met your mother."
20 Years Ago…
He turned up the volume on the radio to hear it over the rush of wind in his ear. His truck barreled down the highway. It was almost 1 am and even though Gajeel was currently on the undesirable third shift schedule, his internal clock had yet to catch up. It made working in the hot warehouse almost unbearable.
Yawning, he tried to wake himself with everything that could be done. He shivered from the cold air violently nipping at his drying sweat, the acidic scent of hot metal and burnt hairs filled his nostrils. His t-shirts had suffered through many days of strenuous work; tiny holes had been burned into the material from white-hot slag flying around from continuous welding through the nights.
Turning off on the exit, he guided the vehicle onto the town's main strip. A sigh slipped through in the dark. There was not a lot of places open in the late-night hours. He needed something with caffeine for his hour-long break to help get him through the shift. The longer he worked tired and with something akin to lava, the more he risked potential injury.
That injury would most likely be serious if he wasn't careful.
"Well. Shit," he murmured, then stifled another yawn.
He was about to give up and turn the truck around. There were vending machines back in Building C beside Building A, the one where he usually worked. Most had snacks and water. At least he wouldn't starve. Maybe he could bum a cigarette off one of his coworkers as well.
A slow blink of bright green caught his gaze. Only half the sign lighted, all he could see in the dark were certain letters that read "Gra-eyar- Gi-s Coffe- -". The small sign was high up in the air on a thick pole and was shaped like a coffee cup. Under it was a smaller sign with "open" attached to it.
And that was enough for him to make the decision.
If there was caffeine, Gajeel was all in.
His mouth forced itself wide with a yawn he couldn't hold back. With the truck safely parked in the front of the lot next to the light pole, Gajeel took his palms and vigorously rubbed them on his face. The tired expression he wore lately seemed to take up a permanent residence on his face.
There were quite a few vehicles present despite the time. The establishment's glass windows were tinted from the inside and were plastered with decals of coffee beans and green cups.
As soon as he pulled open the front entrance door, the strong, pungent aroma of the beverage brews assaulted his senses. He could almost taste it. Instantly, his red eyes widened as it smacked him square in the face.
It wasn't the coffee that brought his attention to point.
What the hell… he swiftly scanned the entire scene. A confused and probably amused expression was plastered to his features.
What the hell is this place?
Black back-to-back booths lined the walls. Steel tables with black upholstered chairs dotted the rest of the dark hardwood. On the service floor were scantily clad women, all dressed in what looked like black undergarments with off-white lace frills.
Gajeel quickly closed his mouth, hoping no one was aware of his heat was rising under his skin. He was sure his cheeks would be reddening any moment. It wouldn't do to embarrass himself. As much of a shock as it was to stumble upon such an… an odd business, it was just as much a little awkward.
Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he beelined for the bartop across from the service counter, taking the shortest route, as far as he could determine. The back of the house was bustling with activity. He saw no male employees. There were only women, all dressed rather erotically.
He saw more live, jiggling cleavage and round asscheeks in the last few minutes than he had in all of the previous months that he worked at the Plant.
I don't know what to do with my hands… what do I do? He thought, trying not to stare at the peachy -and most definitely soft- flesh doing nothing but tantalizing him, peeking out from the black material covering the pretty women.
Really pretty, damn…
His eyes shot up to the overhead menu, where they stayed glued. He wasn't reading any of the words. Or really looking at any of the pictures of coffee cups and the contents within. The more he tried to ignore the slim yet curvy bodies moving left and right in front of him, the more he found it harder to focus on one thing.
"Welcome to Graveyard Girls Coffee Bar," a female voice announced in a drawl. It almost sounded as if she were bored.
"Huh."
Gajeel's eyes fell from the glowing menu to settle on the bikini top of a busty brunette. Immediately, he averted his gaze to the girl's attractive face. Finding that it was still awkward, Gajeel's eyes flickered down to her top once again before he just fixed his sights on the clean counter.
"What'll ya have?" she inquired. She held a small pink paper pad and was poised to write. Her jaw moved up and down as she frantically chewed on a piece of gum. Large, silver circle earrings dangled from her lobes, one of them blending into the hair of her side ponytail.
"Uh," he cleared his throat. His Adam's Apple bobbed and the air seemed suddenly warm. Too warm. "Give me a minute," Gajeel rushed through his response. He pinched the top of his shirt and briefly pulled it away from his chest to air it out.
"Awhl-kay," she said with a chomp. The bubble gum briefly squished between her teeth. She turned to scamper away to other customers.
Gajeel risked a glance towards her rear end as she left.
Part of him felt bad for ogling the workers like he was about to eat a steak. It was their uniform; they were just doing their job. He doubted they appreciated innumerable pairs of eyes on them during their shifts. Another part if him -a rather sizeable chunk- couldn't help himself and let his eyes wander naturally to whatever attracted him.
Beyond the brunette at one of the brew stations stood an employee with blue hair. She wasn't as endowed upstairs as the brunette, but she had an ass on her. One of his fingers twitched with the involuntary desire to touch; Gajeel tried to hide the hasty growl emanating from deep within his throat.
He continued to stare transfixed on her barely-covered form as she filled various sized cups with the dark brown brews, carefully switching out the full ones with new empty cups. When she turned to place lids on them and place them in to-go containers, she glanced his way.
Her fleeting eye contact caused his eyelids to nervously flutter, batting his lashes and struggling to pull away.
A small twist of her lips indicated her amusement. She turned her attention to handing off the orders to their appropriate recipients.
At her smirk, Gajeel's head sharply careened away in the opposite direction. If his face wasn't red before, it definitely was now.
Dammit, get it together, dumbass. It's just a coffee bar, he reprimanded himself. His brow scrunched as he frowned. Without looking, his hands found one another on the countertop and began picking at the skin around his thumbnail.
As impassive eyes trained hard on the wall with a window to his right, a deliciously beautiful blonde employee strode across his sights carrying a small tray of fresh coffee mugs. The jiggly interruption single-handedly knocked Gajeel out of his attempted focus session.
He blinked. An interesting, late-night, dick trap for weary male travelers kind of coffee bar… I should just fuckin' leave before something stupid happens.
The hot scent of a hardy, dark aroma caught his nostrils. The smell alone was almost enough to wake him. It was the call of necessity. Sure, he could just head over to the McDonald's down the highway for cheap, mediocre quality that performed faithfully each night.
He turned his head to peak behind his shoulder. The blonde's back was to him and slightly bent at the waist as she delivered the beverages to the waiting customers. He could barely see the outline of certain, secret parts below her hips.
But bikini baristas.
Who's bright idea was it to make bikinis the uniform? A man, I'm sure...
Maybe the coffee was better than what was served at other places. Or maybe the catch was just the bikinis.
"You having some trouble?" A sweet voice asked.
Gajeel's head snapped around once again with a nervous quickness towards the lovely voice, to find a different girl from earlier standing before him with a dazzling smile etched into her soft features. He recognized her from the brew stations.
"I, no, I'm still uh," he stumbled through his response. He looked at her chest to read her name tag. Levy. He closed his eyes. "I'm still working on tit."
His eyes shot open when his ears heard the mistake.
"IT. I'm working on it."
Holy shit. What an epic fumble… I'm an ass. He fought the urge to get up and walk out the door, never to show his face again.
The smile never faltering, Levy planted her feet flat on the floor and bent in the middle to lean towards him. She braced her arms on the countertop as she did so, squishing her breasts together. His face was now level with them.
He swallowed.
"If you're having trouble deciding, it all depends on why you're looking for the extra caffeine," she said. There was no play in her voice. Her tone was all business. A certified java connoisseur.
It seemed as though she enjoyed her job. She wasn't too shy when it came to her body either; she had great posture and she walked with confidence wherever she went within the establishment. Though she smiled at him, Gajeel suspected that he was just another customer to her.
He tried to stifle a yawn at the thought of work. "I work thirds at the DaneTri plant up the road."
"I've heard of that," she replied thoughtfully. She leaned further forwards, her arms pushing her breasts up. "You make those metal trailer things, right?"
He noticed the sensual action and fought like hell for his gaze to stay locked on the target of her bright irises. A slight, tired chuckle escaped him. "More or less. For Dane semi trucks. I weld pieces of the cab to the framework."
Her hazel eyes widened at his words. "Oh. A big boy job." The sudden surprise in her voice was apparent. Her eyes softened.
She gave him a serious scan, her now particularly interested gaze flickering over his dirty clothing until settling on his handsome face. Understanding replaced her curiosity as to why he was a little ratty looking; he was a hard worker, and it showed in more ways than just one.
A diligent man was extremely attractive.
A pesky yawn threatened him again. He only nodded the affirmative to keep it at bay.
"Then you need a Big Betty Triple."
Gajeel's eyebrows rose and he repeated her words. "A Big Betty what now?"
With a sly, knowing grin, Levy straightened up off the counter. Her supple skin moved with her bra top as she pointed to the menu. "A BBT. It's our darkest brew with three shots of espresso and a dash of hazelnut cream."
Gajeel tried to follow where she pointed. He ended up with a scrunched nose and squinty eyes when the tiny lettering became scribbles in his exhausted state. He shrugged. "Okay."
"Sure thing. Coming right up, sweetheart," Levy purred. She turned around to face the back and started for the register.
"I need one BBT to go, please!" she called out.
One of the other employees jumped at her words, immediately working to fulfill the single order. While the girls worked, Levy typed something up on the POS screen. Her fingers flew over the touchscreen with ease.
Giving up his search for the coffee name on the menu board, Gajeel simply watched as Levy began to print out what he assumed was another customer's receipt.
I really hope this big bitch isn't too expensive. Can't beat a buck fifty at the golden arch, he thought.
As soon as Levy had the white paper slip in her hand, she snatched up a pen from the holder and began to write.
"Here's the BBT," announced the worker who'd made it. The woman placed it in a cork holder with a lid and set it beside Levy's free hand.
"Thank you," she said. She folded the paper once and dropped the pen into the holder. "I'm taking my break now."
With that, Levy made her way to Gajeel and presented him with his magical prize and receipt. He took both and stared at the paper.
"Why do I have this? I never paid."
Levy only smiled as she walked to the counter end, grabbed her light jacket to slip into it, and halted on the same side of the bar as Gajeel. Her head tilted towards the entrance. "You comin'?"
With a glance at his steaming cup of joe, he hopped off the stool to follow her out the door. One of his eyebrows arched when he saw her hips provocatively sway up and down as she glided over the sidewalk towards the parking lot.
"Which one is yours?"
He pointed to his truck. Before he could say anything further, Levy thanked him and beelined for it.
What's this vixen doin'? He wasn't going to question her intentions. Not when a beautiful woman with all things going for her wanted some apparent alone time.
Once inside and seated on the bench seat, Levy gave a genuine smile. "So this is it, huh?"
"What is?" Gajeel was still trying to wrap his mind around recent events.
"Your truck. I like it. It's kinda like mine."
"Well, i-it's a little dirty right now," Gajeel replied, half stunned that he'd unknowingly hooked a babe. "I work a lot."
She giggled. "It's fine. Your girlfriend could always clean it for you," she said. Her hand tugged on the old black air freshener tree hanging from the rearview. No scent came from it.
Gajeel nodded. "Right. But I don't have one."
His gaze shifted from the air freshener to her hand, then to her face. There was something in her eyes that both excited and puzzled him. She was up to something. What was it?
With her head tilted, she slowly moved closer, her gaze dropping to his lips. It slipped further to his chest and arms before attaching themselves to his pupils. "Really," she whispered. "Do you want one?"
Eyes roaming from her plump lips to the swell of her breasts, he began to draw closer. He could feel her warm breath on his skin. "Only if it's you," he murmured in his baritone.
He hovered above her face for a moment as she stared up at him with eyes he couldn't resist. Without thinking, his lips sought hers. She tasted like strawberries with her glossed lips that slid over his own. His free hand came up to her face, his thumb touching her cheek with the rest of his fingers entwining into her silky hair.
He was about to pry open her mouth with his tongue when he felt something more against their kiss. Surprise was on his tongue when he realized she had beaten him to it. Her small muscle stuck itself in his mouth, eliciting a short groan from him.
His fingers gently tightened around her hair, giving a tiny tug as his groan ended. When he pulled back enough to see her face, her eyeshadowed lids and open mouth with a threatening moan made him quickly return to her lips with more fervor.
Something was rising within his jeans-
His story was interrupted by a gasp.
"Whoa, whoa, hold it right there, mister," Levy snapped. She marched her way into the living room with one hand on her hip, her other pointing to her husband and then to their children, who were intently listening.
"What?!" Gajeel cried. He sat back into the cushions. "I'm just giving details like they asked."
She incredulously gazed at him with intensity. "You can't go into that much detail on the night we met, Gajeel. W-we just can't. Not in front of them, our children."
She stopped talking to pucker her lips and shift her weight from one leg to the other. Her eyes widened as she frowned at him. There was an implied discretion he quickly understood.
He slowly nodded. "Oh ok, yea… kids, we just kissed. No big deal. Now back to the story."
Levy's head dropped into her hand.
He peeled away from her delectable self for a needed breath. She was gorgeous, a knock-out, and for some strange, unknown reason, she liked him. And she was an excellent kisser.
She let out a quiet sigh mixed with a light giggle. Her head bobbed towards the coffee on the dash. "Are you going to try that?"
"Right."
His lips closed around the lid opening and took a swing. It was still warm even after cooling a bit. He expected the usual flavor. However, the surprise was one he could have lived without.
"The ever-loving fuck," he spat out after somehow managing to swallow the disgusting liquid. "This is satan's asshole!"
Levy knowingly nodded through her giggling. "Big Betty isn't usually requested for that reason."
"Then why'd you suggest it?"
"Because if you drink it despite it's quite unique taste, it gives you the focus you need. It's like Adderall for coffee addicts."
Gajeel just stared at the cup with disdain. "Unique taste is damn right... " How he had described it had hit the nail on the head. "I suppose I should thank you then."
Levy touched his hand. "I'll have to head back in soon. You just keep that receipt, okay?" She pointed to it.
"Why?" He simply asked.
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Just keep it."
With that, she climbed out of the truck and walked back up the sidewalk to finish her shift.
After watching through the side mirror to make sure she made it safely inside, he made quick work of the asshole flavored cup of joe and turned his attention to the receipt.
He figured out that she had paid for it herself. He grinned and shook his head once. Flipping it over, he saw what she had written:
'You can thank me properly Saturday and buy me a drink.'
Under it was her name and number with a smiley face.
Staring a little longer at the paper in between his fingers, he pulled out his wallet to tuck it away for later when he was home. Now that he knew of this place and had a whole new reason to visit it again, he undoubtedly knew good things would come from a much-needed caffeine boost.