Chapter Text
The coffee shop was quiet inside, which contrasted greatly with the long line at the drive-thru window. The Fairy Tail Cafe was the most popular coffee shop in town. It was locally owned and operated. The owners could often be seen in the shop or at their coffee cart and always made a point to converse with the patrons. Today, they took turns going to the line at the drive-thru to take orders so the baristas could stay caught up. When things finally slowed down, they went back into the shop to check in on the customers.
The two baristas, Mira and Cana, were finishing up the last few drive-thru orders. Lunch was coming to an end in the city and the businessmen and women were returning to their offices. A few college students were in the small cafe working on assignments and dissertations and small online business owners were working on their orders.
In the corner of the shop, at a small, circular table, a girl sat, alone, laptop and leatherbound journal open before her. She was there most Saturdays, sometimes alone, sometimes with a second person, never the same person twice. She alternated between making notes in the journal and typing on the laptop. She liked the coffee shop. The owners and baristas didn’t bother her. In her line of work, discretion was necessary, and the coffee shop respected that.
Her name was Levy McGarden and she was an investigator. She ran a blog where she spoke about her finds. People paid her for information and requested specific topics and people for her to investigate. She was very good at her job. There wasn’t a single subject she’d failed to track down.
It was around three in the afternoon when she finally finished her post, scheduled it to go public later that night, and put a red check in the corner of the last written page in her journal. This assignment was officially closed.
Levy stood up, stretched her arms over her head, and made her way to the counter. As soon as she set her empty cup on the smooth, wooden surface, Mira gave her a warm smile and grabbed it.
“Another peppermint mocha?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Levy nodded. “Thanks, Mira.”
Mira tied her long, silvery hair back and set to work on Levy’s refill. “We’ll bring it over to you!”
Levy smiled at the barista, then turned on her heel and returned to her table. She clicked through her emails and sent a confirmation to her latest client that stated she had successfully finished her assignment, with pictures and files attached. The remaining payment would be due at the end of the day.
The chair across from her scraped across the floor and Levy looked up. Seated across from her was Cana. She usually joined Levy on her break if the latter was finished with her work. She sighed as she slid Levy’s coffee across the small table.
“Long day?” Levy asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“The longest,” Cana groaned, pulling her hair out of its tight bun. It rippled down her back in long, chocolate waves.
Levy laughed as she took a sip of her coffee.
“Looks like an early day for you, Baby Blue,” Cana stated, gesturing to the closed journal.
Levy shrugged and brushed her blue bangs out of her eyes. “Easy assignment.”
“Oh?” Cana stretched her arms behind her back before pulling one foot up on the chair and resting her chin on her knee. “Details, girly.”
“Vampires. Again. Coven outside the capital. Yawn.”
“Ugh. You need something new. Exciting.”
Levy snorted. “Cana, we both know there’s nothing new. Hasn’t been for centuries.”
“I may have something for you,” Cana said, lowering her voice. “There’s a guy who comes in for open mic night. Definitely something.”
Levy huffed and slouched in her chair. “Matchmaking again?”
“No! This is legit!” Cana grabbed Levy’s journal and a pen out of her apron and scribbled a date, time, and name on the first blank page. “Do it for the blog, babe!”
Levy sighed and finished packing her bag.
“I hope you’re right about this, Cana,” she said, scanning the information before stuffing the journal into her bag.
“Text you later!” Cana called after Levy as she exited the shop. Levy waved in her direction.
Outside was gloomy. The low, gray clouds threatened rain. Levy pulled her hood up and walked to her car. She tossed her bag into the backseat and settled in the driver’s. She thought about getting something to eat. Muffins and coffee were not a meal, she reminded herself.
Fifteen minutes of driving later, she was across town at her favorite sandwich shop The Phantom. She parked, grabbed her bag from the backseat, and shut off the car. She wondered if he was working today.
He was Gajeel, the manager and head chef at The Phantom. Six-foot-one to her four-foot-eleven, he was tall and tan with long black hair, a face full of metal, and piercing eyes Levy could swear were crimson when the light hit them just right. He was a mystery to Levy and she found herself studying him as if he were the subject of one of her investigations. He was 100% human, though. Levy was convinced of that. He was new in their small town.
Levy pulled the door open and sat at her regular table, in perfect view of the kitchen, and pulled out her laptop, pretending to be working.
Natsu, one of the servers, swung by her table and dropped off a glass of water before sweeping back into the kitchen and shouting “The usual!”
Levy felt her cheeks flush. She was here entirely too often, but it wasn’t her fault it was so close to her apartment.
She caught a flicker of black and silver in the corner of her eye and resisted the urge to grin like a schoolgirl with a crush. He was working today. Satisfied, and knowing she wouldn’t get another glimpse until he was finished cooking her meal, she turned her laptop on and opened her inbox. Her personal email was full of promotions and discounts from the online stores she frequented. The bright colors and crazy fonts contrasted greatly with her business inbox, which had payment confirmations, thank you emails, and inquiries about investigations.
Her phone buzzed. A text from her bank letting her know a new deposit had been made. The capital vampire case was now “officially” closed.
A plate was placed on the table behind her laptop. On it, a turkey, avocado, and provolone sandwich, with lettuce and tomatoes, and a side of seasoned, crinkle-cut fries. She closed the laptop and looked up to thank Natsu, but instead saw Gajeel.
“Thought I should get a good look at the only customer who gets the exact same thing every day,” he said. He was chewing on a paperclip that glinted with movement as he spoke.
She huffed. “I like it and I know it’s good. Why order something new when it may not be any good.”
He barked out a laugh and it was almost contagious. “Shrimp, everything I cook is good.”
She glared at him. They hadn’t spoken much before other than to say “hello”. He was cute, but obnoxious.
“My name isn’t ‘Shrimp’,” she snapped.
He held up his hands in mock defeat. “Excuse me, Princess. You’re just so short, I didn’t figure you’d answer to anything else.”
She frowned. “My name is Levy, but you already know that, because, as you said, I’m here every day.”
“Then maybe I should take you somewhere new,” he grinned, the piercings that lined his face glinting as his face moved with the action. “Friday?”
“You insulted my height and now you’re asking me to dinner? Is that your idea of flirting?” Levy snorted, nibbling on a fry. “I have plans on Friday.”
“Oh yeah? Big night hunting ghosts?” he teased.
“Read my blog and find out.”
“You’re not going anywhere on Friday, Black Steel,” Natsu said from the counter where he was filling glasses with ice in preparation for the dinner rush. “You have that thing.”
Gajeel rolled his eyes and turned back toward the kitchen. “Another time then, Shrimp.”
She stuck her tongue out at him like a child, then a thought hit her. She jammed her hand into her bag and pulled out her journal, flipping until she found the page Cana had written on.
Friday 8pm Black Steel open mic