Chapter Text
It’s been about six months since I started dating this local restaurant owner.
It started with a request that came to the guild. A restaurant made a minor mistake and accidentally printed the wrong deal on a coupon. It was supposed to say, “1 meal for $4.99!!” Instead it said, “11 meals for $4.99!!”
I cringed as I read the poor grammar on the seemingly harmless and plain paper. I doubly cringed when I noticed that people were actually taking the stupid coupon seriously.
Anyway, team Natsu was “all fired up” when our idiot leader caught wind of an “emergency”. Even though it was more likely he thought he could get his gluttonous hands on the coupon deal, and of course Lucy was always down to help, especially when a gig was local.
When we got to the restaurant it was already packed to the point that people had started to file outside.
Lucy suggested we walk to the kitchen to find the owner, and in a way, it was probably a mistake.
When we opened the kitchen door we were immediately greeted by a young woman yelling instructions to her staff. Rainbows of sauces were flying around, flour explosions made mushroom clouds, and I’m pretty sure Natsu got smacked in the face with a skillet.
Lucy nervously called the woman’s name, and when she turned around it felt like I was watching a superhero spin in slow motion as beads of sweat flew off her furrowed brow.
She was just a regular person, working a regular job, but the determination that burned in her eyes made wizard work seem lame in comparison.
I was in such awe at this person that I didn’t even realize she had paused to talk to us.
Her regular speaking voice was sweet to listen to as she gave the three of us our assignments.
She didn’t hesitate to put Natsu on the grill. She complimented Lucy, and asked if she wouldn’t mind serving and suggested having her spirits help her. However, when she got to me she had a hard look on her face as she placed her finger to her chin.
I could tell she had no idea where to put me. I furrowed my brow and impatiently crossed my arms as I waited for her to decide.
I was about to suggest making ice décor or something when she flashed me a smile and declared me her “sous chef”.
I had no idea what the hell that was, but somehow it didn’t matter to me that I had no experience. Something told me I was about to have one I’d never forget.
I was absolutely stressed the entire time. Even completing magic missions was less of a pain in the ass than this. Luckily, I had a feeling this woman was going easy on me.
She only asked for things that even a layman like me could do. Like, handing her simple spices and washing dishes as they piled up. However, I was extremely surprised to find that taking out the trash was the best task she asked me to do that whole day. It felt like I was escaping from a demon’s realm and the dumpster was an oasis in the middle of hell.
I could tell that she loved this restaurant and its patrons more than life itself, and as scary as she was in the kitchen, she always had a bright smile when talking to customers who complimented her food. I could tell that having us there was a giant load off her back, and she made her appreciation clear as she thanked us all multiple times in passing.
As the rest of the day finally started to calm down her mood lifted significantly.
When it was time to close the restaurant, I asked Lucy and Natsu to go home ahead of me. I wanted to make sure that this woman got home safe. It would’ve sucked if something bad happened to her on the way home.
It felt so frickin’ good to be outside. It was pretty chilly, but I made a conscious effort to not scare her off so my clothes stayed on.
We walked for a little in silence while I waited for her to say something, but she stayed quiet. I tried to rake my brain to find anything to talk about. Finally, I said, “You know, I never thought that working at a restaurant would be that stressful.”
She giggled a little as she replied, “Yeah. You caught us on a… bad day. It’s usually really peaceful, but because of that misprint on the coupon, it went to hell fast!”
Did she just say that it’s usually peaceful? I tried to imagine what that would be like. I imagined her waiting for customers while sitting crisscross applesauce on the kitchen counter as she read Sorcerer Weekly with a smile... I’d actually like to see that.
I nonchalantly suggested, “I wouldn’t mind helping out again.”
I felt her glance at me. It was taking her a while to reply and I started to feel a little anxious. I didn’t want her to say no. I mustered up the courage to look at her.
Her eyes were wide as they sparkled a little in the moonlight and her lips were pressed together like she was holding her breath. It was kinda cute.
I kept a straight face and plainly asked, “What?”
She snapped out of her little daze and asked, “Why would you want to help again? I mean, don’t you wizards have more important things to do?”
I had to stop walking as I desperately tried to find an answer that wasn’t lame. I wish I could say that it was because I wanted to spend more time with her and that I enjoyed watching her work, but yeah right. I couldn’t even find the words to tell her that there was no reason so I smirked at her and shrugged.
She seemed nervous as she stated, “Um… W-well, I guess you’re welcome to help if you really want to… I can’t really pay you like I did today though…”
Irritated that I didn’t give her a proper answer, I shoved my hands in my coat pockets and started walking again. I said, “You don’t have to pay me much. I’m even okay with just a meal.”
She followed quietly behind me, mulling over the offer.
We rounded a corner and she pointed out her house.
Well damn, that was short.
I watched her walk up to her doorway. She turned to look at me. Her hair flowed in the wind as a cool breeze blew by. She was seriously really pretty. She began to speak, “Thank you for everything today… Were you… serious about helping out again?”
Holy shit, say ‘yes’, dumbass. I replied with, “Yeah…”
I noticed her relax as she gently smiled at me, “I’m glad…”
I felt my heart skip a beat, and panicked. I quickly turned around hoping my face wasn’t red. I cleared my throat as I nervously responded, “I-I can’t promise I can come help too often!”
I heard her quietly laugh, “That’s okay. I look forward to seeing you when you can. Which I hope is soon…”
I felt my face get warmer, and I subtly tried using my magic to cool it down. I stayed facing away from her as I muttered, “Yeah.”
She called out from behind me, “Thank you, Gray Fullbuster. Have a good night, and please be safe.”
I heard a click as she closed the door behind her.
My heart was pounding. I let out a huge breath and turned to look at her quaint little house. Now that she wasn’t in front of me, I let my cheeks be warm and I felt a small smile creep on my face as I turned to walk home.