Gratsu Week Day 3: (love) letters

I should clarify, this AU is set on the American East Coast.

Earl Grey Amore – based on a real tea: http://www.tamborinetea.com.au/earl-grey-amore-tea

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Gray's second day at work began already with a distraction. When he entered the cubicle farm, Freed Justine was already waiting by his desk. Lyon, the tech sitting beside him, kept making intimidated, brief glances up at the tall man with long hair flowing elegantly down his back, like Freed belonged in another century.

As Gray approached, Freed handed him a slip of paper. "Your instructions." Then he walked away swiftly. "Try not to race the clock in the future."

"I'm not late," Gray mumbled in protest.

He unfolded the slip of paper. The name of the gyro shop he mentioned yesterday was on it, along with a time. 12:10.

This had to be Natsu!

Lyon pouted as Gray slowly sat down. "So, what does it say? Freed said it was a company secret."

Company secret? Gray thought it must be normal for Natsu to dine out with his employees. Did this imply that it was less common than he had been trying to convince himself?

He crumbled up the paper and slipped it into his pocket. "Password," he lied.

"Oh, that makes sense. Can't just email those over the network." Lyon let the matter be and went back to his computer.

True, it was actually safer to write a password down than email it. That would also apply to setting up a date with your underling.

This is not a date! Stop it, Gray! You're crazy to think that.

Despite trying to convince himself that Natsu was simply being a nice boss, Gray felt his heart racing. He knew it was going to be a long morning.

At lunch he went to the gyro shop. Natsu was waiting outside, and as soon as their eyes met, he looked excited to see Gray approach. They ordered, sat down, and it was another meal of Natsu asking him all sorts of questions, while Gray tried his best to answer.

"You can ask me anything, you know," Natsu finally offered.

That stunned Gray. He tried to think of something, but not much came to mind. He would love to ask for details about that cyberterrorist brother mentioned on his Wikipedia page—that sounded fascinating—but he figured that was the worst thing to bring up.

"Tell me about how your father started up the company."

Natsu blinked in surprise. "About Dad? Uh, sure." He looked a little disappointed. Had he hoped Gray would ask him about something personal?

Natsu told him all about the founding of Dragon Enterprises decades ago. Most of this, Gray had already read about online, but it was nice to hear Natsu mention little details that were more personal.

"Sounds like you really admire your adopted father."

"I don't even think of him as adopted. He's just my Dad. And yeah, he's my hero!" Natsu declared enthusiastically.

That made Gray laugh, although he tried to hold it back. This man really was something else!

Natsu smiled warmly at the way Gray laughed. "Do you have anyone like that? A hero?"

"My mentor, Ur. That's why getting to work on ICEMAKE means so much to me."

Natsu rested his cheek on his hand. "Like you were destined to come to my company."

Gray's throat choked up. The way Natsu smiled so gently at him really flustered him.

Stop it, stop it, you're crazy to even imagine it! He's your boss, goddammit!

Natsu straightened up. "Tell me all about Ur. I only know her by her work, so I know she was a genius of the software industry."

Gray happily changed to subject to talking about his mentor, anything to escape the wild thoughts going through his head.

After lunch, they went outside and saw a limousine waiting by the restaurant, ready to whisk the CEO away.

"Oh shoot. I forgot about that," Natsu mumbled. As he approached, a chauffeur opened the limousine door, and Natsu slid in. "I gotta fly to Sydney, and it's gonna take a while. See ya, Gray. The food was good. Great idea. We gotta do this again."

Then the door slammed shut, the chauffeur rushed to the driver's seat, started the car, merged into traffic, and like that, he was gone.

Gray did not see Natsu again for the rest of the week. He tried to focus on work, telling himself that 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-class 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 had showed. He was just another worker. The company had hundreds in this building alone, and thousands around the world in various corporate offices.

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 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? »

Across the table, Lyon saw his workmate's face change to pale shock. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No," Gray stuttered.

A text from Natsu! How did he get his number? Well, obviously, he was an employee so his boss knew at least that much. Biting his lip nervously, 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 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 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 slapped Gray on the back. "The boss must have a crush on you."

"Wh-What?" screamed Gray.

"Sheesh, I'm kidding," Lyon said with a laugh. "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 team chat. 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 chat box. 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. I got a bunch of different types. »

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.

« I forgot to ask about your favorite tea, so I picked some of my favorites.
- The others, I felt they 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 team chat, 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 chat box 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 message arrived.

« 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 chat.
- Delete these. »

Right! That was true. Flirting over the company's network was a security risk, and it could even be breaking some corporate policies.

« Then I'll get going. Thanks again for the basket. Talk to you soon. »

« I'm serious, delete this whole thread. »

Gray hate the idea of losing that moment when his boss confessed, but Natsu was right. This could pose a problem.

« I'm a computer tech, sir. I'll make sure this chat is never found again. »

« Thanks. Text me! »

Gray clicked a button to delete the thread, then dug in to delete all history of it ever happening. Such a shame, but it was best this way.

He 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 policy about 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, I do!

Was it a smart idea? — Hell no, it's idiotic!

Was it worth the danger to his job? — There's 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 and chats in hallways? Would Natsu insist on keeping their relationship out of work, and they could only meet 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, I'm 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 horribly."

Gray laughed and began to relax at 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 just because 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, like 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 ... 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. "Is that your type, hmm?"

"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. The floral scent of cornflowers, roses, and the unique citrus aroma of bergamot wafted up. 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."

Gray took another sip and let his doubts melt away. The conversation played through his head, and he found himself chuckling once again at the frantic nervousness in Natsu's voice, so different from how he was at work.

"Colorado, huh?"