Gruvia Week 2020
Day 4: Sugar
Modern Coffee Shop AU
Pairing: Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser
Series: Fairy Tail
Rating: M for sensitive language and content

Day 4: COFFEE, BLACK

Juvia always noticed him – the guy in the expensive looking suit. Black, pushed back hair. Black necktie. Black dress watch. Heck, everything about him was black, even his coffee.

Blue eyes darted from the tall man who just entered the cafe and the wall clock. It was just ten minutes before 2 A.M. and she should be closing soon. But the man in the expensive suit was a regular and she wasn't in the position to refuse a customer.

"Good ahmmm… morning. Please come in."

Juvia walked up to her usual customer, tray against her chest as she was just about to finish up. He was alone, like always.

"Coffee, black?"

"No sugar."

His voice was deep and smooth.

"Ah, yes. No sugar."

Even at this hour and even when Juvia's eyes were closing on their own, she gave him a merchant smile, one which helped her sold those weird looking, deformed pies.

Juvia disappeared behind the counter to take out a large sized mug and poured a freshly brewed coffee into it. She walked up back to her customer to place the cup of coffee before him. She added a piece of pie to go with it.

Up this close, Juvia noticed that his black tie was loosened, his black sleeves were pulled up and a few strands of his jet-black hair were falling off his forehead.

"That's hot."

"I'm sorry?"

Juvia scolded herself mentally for thinking out loud again.

"The coffee."

Great save.

"I mean the coffee is hot. So you better be careful." Juvia gave him an awkward smile – one that made her look suspicious. She turned around to return to admiring him from afar when that soothing and blissful voice called up to her.

"Why don't you stay?"

Now, it was time for Juvia to say, "I'm sorry?"

The man let out a soft chuckle – deep and resounding. When he was done laughing, he made himself clearer.

"Sit down. I don't see any other customers and I'm sure I'm the last."

His midnight eyes studied Juvia as the latter hugged the tray and thought it over.

"I won't bite."

There was a glint in his dark eyes that made Juvia believe that he might bite and she would like it.

Juvia grabbed the chair beside him, placed it opposite the good-looking customer and sat in front him, placing the tray on the free table next to them.

"So, Juvia" the good-looking customer planted either elbows on the coffee table and leaned in toward Juvia. "you working here or you own this place?"

Whoever decided that coffee tables should be small was a genius! Up this close, Juvia could smell a faint scent of alcohol. Juvia concluded that he may have gone drinking with friends before he came for coffee to sober up.

"Owner of this dump."

"It's not a dump."

But he smelled more than just alcohol. There was a strong scent of his cologne and his manliness. Although hidden by the table, his tuxedo hugged his body and Juvia could tell he exercised. Oh, he exercised a lot.

Wait, did he just call her name?

"How did you know my name?" asked Juvia curiously, hoping he was somehow interested enough to have asked around about her name.

Instead of answering with his mouth, the good-looking, panty-twisting regular lowered his sinful gaze on Juvia's chest. Her stomach took a tumble.

"Nametag." His voice was an octave lower and Juvia felt the shrill rise up her spine.

"What?" asked Juvia, almost breathless.

Gray pointed a finger on her chest.

"It says on your nametag."

"Oh!"

Juvia let out a nervous laugh before she sighed in relief.

"You're a nervous fellow aren't you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm probably just fidgety because of the coffee."

His dark eyes studied Juvia for a moment. Then, he leaned back on the wooden café chair, knees, spread, legs apart. He sat comfortably as if he owned the place, as if he owned the city. His dark eyes were still fixed on Juvia as he spoke.

"And here I am thinking I make you nervous."

Juvia fell silent as the gorgeous man kept sipping from his coffee, adjusting his tie more loosely as he replaced the mug on the coffee table. He was right. He was making Juvia a little nervous.

"So, Mr. Gray–"

Mr. Gray's hum interrupted Juvia.

"How did you know my name?"

Juvia took advantage of the opportunity and leaned in towards this Mr. Gray. She pulled her lips into a teasing smile and instead of answering, her playful eyes journeyed from Gray's dark eyes down to his chest then lower than his chest.

"It says on your cup."

Gray confidently met her gaze, leaning forward, they were inches away from each other yet again.

"But you gave me a mug." Gray raised a teasing brow.

His scent was hypnotizing and Juvia had to pull away before she did something crazy like kiss that sinful grin off his face.

"I… y-you know what I m-m-mean."

Juvia could feel rather than see the heat rise up her cheek and spread red across them.

This time, Gray threw his head back and laughed – the kind that made him wipe the corners of his eyes.

Did he just come here to tease Juvia?

"You're cute."

That wasn't what Juvia was going for. Sexy? Maybe. Finest woman that ever walked the earth? Hell yeah! But not cute. Cute just made her feel ugly but presentable.

"I like cute."

Okay. Maybe, maybe cute was fine.

"Anyway, Mr. Gray, were you drinking just now?"

"I reek of alcohol, don't I?"

Juvia felt embarrassed about her question. They were just getting to know each other and she went asking as if they were close. They were close, physically, but that wasn't what she meant. Juvia wanted to take it back but Gray already answered.

"My partner took me out for a… what you call a celebratory drink."

"Partner?"

So, Mr. Gray wasn't available and Juvia or any other woman seemed not to be his type. She felt a little disappointed.

Gray read the confusion on Juvia's face.

"My law firm partner." cleared the man in the black tuxedo.

"Oh, so you're a lawyer?"

"Yes." answered Gray, distracted by the weird looking pie in front of him. He cautiously touched it with his fork as if the sweet treat would explode anytime.

"Despite its appearance, my pies taste good you know. Best in this city."

"I bet."

The corner of his mouth lifted in that sinful, all-knowing, wolfish smile that had Juvia fight a surge of sensation she hasn't felt before.

"E-e-enough with the pie jokes. I've heard all of them." Juvia ignored him.

Gray pushed the plate of pie towards Juvia.

"I don't really eat sweets."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Gray picked up his mug and placed the opening near his mouth. "I don't eat sweets since I was a child." He savored a sip from the mug and carefully placed it back on the table then continued, "I guess I don't have that sweet tooth everyone's into these days."

Which reminded Juvia, "Is that why everything about you is black?"

"Pardon?"

"Black suit. Black tie. Hell, even your coffee is pure black."

Gray was now at the half of his pure black.

"I wear these all the time because it takes off lot of hours from choosing clothes in the morning. Also, simplifies my decision-making. It helps channel all my brainpower to things that are more important."

"Like what?"

"My job. How to make the world better. Things like that."

He took another sip, hissing at his hot black brew.

"And black coffee?"

"Ah, you noticed." He replaced the cup on the table and leaned a little closer than necessary.

"I like my coffee black and strong. Keeps me alert." Answered Gray, teasing the waitress-owner with his low voice and sudden proximity.

"Well, you should try adding sugar on it. What is life without a little spice and sugar?"

Did she just insult him?

"Is my style too plain?"

"Ah, no!" Juvia panicked. "That's not what I'm saying."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I know what you mean."

As if they weren't physically close enough, Gray leaned more forward, now just a breath away from Juvia.

"I wonder how sweet does sugar taste."

But he wasn't looking into Juvia's now half-panicking and half-anticipating blue eyes, his gaze drifted to her lips.

"Mr. Gray should try it sometimes." suggested Juvia distractedly, her eyes lowered to his full mouth too.

"Hmmm…maybe next time."

Gray leaned in further and Juvia thought a stranger would steal a kiss from her. She would have let him too, apparently. But the man in the suit just brushed past her.

"I'll surely have a taste of that sugar." said Gray as he put down a bill on the table.

Gray waved her goodbye at the door and Juvia could only gently bang her head on the table. She wasn't the kind who'd let any man, a stranger at that, kiss her. But just now, all reasons flew out the window and Juvia was just seconds away from letting a stranger steal–can you even call it that when she looked so willing) taste a little sugar from her pink lips.

"When did you become so desperate?" Juvia asked herself. Instead of hitting her own head, Juvia channeled all her self-hatred and a little frustration into that weird looking pie. She stabbed a spoon on the poor thing.

As soon as he was out the door, Gray Fullbuster shook his head. He walked back to his car parked at the next block, both hands in either pockets of his coat. He must have been crazy walking outside at night in this weather.

Gray passed by a few coffee shops turning their signages to close. Every now and then he'd erupt into laughter causing a few passersby to look at him suspiciously. He couldn't help chuckle at himself whenever he thought about what he did just now – walked a block lined up with coffee shops only to come inside Destiny Café at the farthest end of the next block. He must really be crazy.

And when Juvia talked about her pies and some sugar, Gray almost lost it.

Gray was a man of habit; there was nothing, not his drunken state nor that smart-mouthed waitress-owner could make him break away from his routine. So, what was it about her that made him walk up that far for a cup of plain black coffee? Certainly, not the coffee; it was crap. Not her self-proclaimed delicious pies either because he never had one of those. So what was it? What was it that made Gray walk in the streets at 2 in the morning in the cold November weather? It was probably the alcohol or that blue-haired waitress that lived in his dreams and his thoughts.

He laughed at himself a little more. Gray liked blondes, always had. So why did Juvia pique his interest? Her hair was blue for goodness sake. Not brown, not even a natural red but a vibrant blue! She had no place in his black-filled life, so why? Why had Destiny Café become his favorite?

And that stupid looking pie? He almost gave in and indulged himself with the pie that looked like it was smashed into a wall and then served to him. 00What's worse was that he also almost gave in with that strong desire to kiss a woman he barely knew. He wasn't like that. He never hooked up with women he barely knew. But earlier, Gray was a breath away from claiming that woman's lips.

"Hey, what took you so long?"

A tall and slender blonde, Gray's law firm partner and occasional partner in bed, peeled herself off from Gray's black mustang and approached him.

"I thought you went home. I just had a cup of coffee." informed Gray. Smiling again remembering the strange blue-haired waitress-owner.

"And didn't invite me?" Red expensive stilettos hitting on the pavement as she walked on the other side, the passenger seat, her and opened the door.

"You wouldn't like that kind of place." Gray went on the driver's side. Knowing all too well, women with expensive taste as Jenny would never want to be seen alive in Destiny Café.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Just because."

Jenny settled on the passenger seat and locked in the seatbelt.

"Are you starting to keep secrets?"

"Who has time for secrets?"

Gray started his engine and began to back up.

"If you say so."

Jenny Realight – young, beautiful, brilliant – was Gray's hold on reality. She was the kind of woman that populated his world. Certainly not Juvia. Not her vibrant blue hair. Not her weird looking pies. Especially, not her crappy coffee. A bitter taste started in the pit of his stomach. Who was he kidding? Juvia had no place in his world and his life.

That moment Gray made up his mind; he wasn't going to break out of his habit no matter what. It just wasn't worth it.

So the next day it puzzled him why he was back at that rundown café, smiling at the waitress-owner and ordering her crappy coffee.

"Two table spoons of sugar."

"Got it!" exclaimed Juvia. "It's nice to know you took my advice and trying something new."

And speaking of something new…

"And a slice of your pie, please."

Gray received a funny-looking glare from Juvia.

"What? I'd like to try your pie." defended Gray, his dancing brows and that slanted smile did not lend credibility to his statement.

"Not you too." Juvia sighed in exasperation. She turned away from Gray to make his order. "What is it with these men and pie innuendos?"

Gray was a man of habit so why, why was he suddenly ordering coffee with sugar and some of Juvia's stupid looking pie?

Writer's Corner: AAAAAH! Everyone's excited about this too, right? I love it! I LOVE IT! I'm basically fangirling for my own writing. lol. But I would love to see Gray and Juvia in these characters. This is definitely going into my 'Work In Progress' desk. lol

Drop some sugar-eh love! #GruviaForever