Soft footsteps echoed through the hallway. The students in class A-1 turned their heads around, to the door, to see a short, blond girl panting.

"Mavis Vermilion. You're late again." Her homeroom teacher, Zeref Dragneel muttered.

"Ah! Sorry, I had to wash the dishes!" Mavis exclaimed as she dashed to her desk.

Zeref cleared his voice, and continued. "As I was saying, the..."

Mavis paid to attention to the class. She was too tired to be awake. She had washed the dishes the night before, and was forced to hang up the wet clothes to get it dried up. To Mavis' dismay, she had mountains of homework she hadn't completed. She spent all night finishing off her homework, and by the time she got to sleep, it was 3:00 a.m. She woke up again at 6:00 a.m, to help make breakfast, and to clean the dishes afterwards. Mavis then missed the train, and waited an extra ten minutes in order to catch the next train. By the time she arrived at school, she was twenty minutes late.

This wasn't the only day Mavis was late. She was marked by Zeref as being the "Most tardiest Student" and nobody stared at her every time she banged the door open.

Mavis slept at her desk, on the very front, not knowing that all the glances and gazes were directed at her, even the teacher.

"Mavis Vermilion. This is not bedtime. Mavis, Mavis!" Mavis' eyelids flew open as she heard her teacher's voice calling out to her. She instantly sat up straight and looked around the room. All of her classmates were gaping at her, blinking every two seconds.

Her face flushed. She had taken a nap during class, violating a rule which the principal had presented earlier during the year. 'Always pay attention during class.' She clearly didn't do that.

"I-I'm very sorry! I promise I won't fall asleep again!" Mavis stuttered.

Zeref sighed. "I'll let it go this time, but the principal will have my head for not reporting if I don't tell him next time." He continued the class. "Chocolate is made out of Theobromo cocoa beans, which bean itself usually have a bitter taste. The reason why chocolates are sweet is because a huge amount of suger is added in the process of making chocolate. Chocolate is made out of 59℅ Carbohydrates, 52℅ of it as sugar and 3℅ as dietary fiber, 30℅ fat, and 8℅ protein."

Mavis' eyes lit up when she heard the word 'Chocolate'. She had always loved chocolate, but only tasted its sweet flavor once a year, on Christmas. Her foster family mistreated Mavis, but have given her at least Christmas presents. When she received the chocolate, she would take as long as she could to eat the delicious treat. Chocolate was something she loved right after fairies and her friends.

"Because the principal asked me, and all the other teachers..." Zeref continued. "...to make chocolate with you for cooking class." Everyone cheered. "And you'll have to give it to someone special." Mavis knew very well that the principal always loved to have couples around the school.

Although it was well after Valentine's Day, the students of class A-1 eargerly made their chocolates. Most of them preferred to make milk chocolates, but some created lovely white ones, and even dark. Girls shaped their's into a heart, and the boys finished it into a plain circle or a square. Mavis made her's in a shape of a diamond.

At lunchtime, girls chatted about which people they were going to give their chocolates to. Rita blushed once she blurted out that her chocolate was for Yuri Dreyar in the neighboring class, and everyone teased Lucy when she confessed she had a crush on Natsu. The group started singing songs about Wendy and Romeo, in which Wendy started crying, and Erza had nosebleeds about she falling in love with Jellal.

Mavis simply sat there, not speaking or joining in, until the bell rang. She separated with the group, as she was the only one in A-1 out of the girls. During the entire afternoon, she thought carefully about who she'll give the dark chocolate to.

Her foster family? No, they'll throw the chocolate out.

One of the girls? No, that's too plain.

Mavis scanned the classroom. Her eyes landed on her homeroom teacher, Zeref Dragneel, who was busy writing math questions on the board. Mavis made up her mind. She waited impatiently until the school was over.

Ding Dong

Ding Dong

Nobody wasted a time at packing up. The whole class was empty within minutes, leaving only Mavis and Zeref in the room. They both silently put their possessions in their bags and slung them over the shoulder. The short girl walked up her teacher and held out the chocolate box.

"I-I want you to have them!" she stammered.

Zeref stood there, not saying a word. He did not know how to reply to her statement. "I-"

"Please!" Mavis exclaimed. Zeref couldn't decline her offer. She was too...

"Okay." he said softly. "And thank you."

Mavis lifted her heads up and beamed. Unconsciously, she embraced her teacher tightly. Zeref was surprised by the sudden impact, but he too, smiled and hugged the girl.

"Bye bye, sensei!" Mavis called out as she exited the room.

"Goodbye, Mavis." Zeref replied back, with a tint of happiness in his voice.

"Mavis! What are you doing, screaming in your room!" scolded Zera, Mavis' foster sister.

"Nothing! A scream of happiness, that's what it was!" Mavis blurted out. "Now, what kind of chore do I have to do now?"

"Whoa, whoa. You seem extremely eager to do work today."

"I'm just so happy! Something really good happened in school today!"

"What happened? Tell me!"

"Okay. I have a really nice homeroom teacher and..." Mavis told Zera everything.

"Mavis~ Do you have a crush on him? Hmmm~?" Zera teased. Mavis' face was the color of Erza's hair.

"N-no! Obviously, he's a te-teacher and I'm a student!" She stammered.

"There's no limits in love, unless it's gay love or something..." Zera whispered the last part.

"B-but still! That doesn't me-mean I l-love him or anything!" Mavis protested.

"That doesn't convince me~"

Zeref arrived at his house, both mentally and physically tired. But he felt warm, for the first time in ages.

"Yo, Zeref. You're late today." called out Natsu Dragneel, his brother.

"Yeah. I missed the train."

"Zeref, is that chocolate in you're hand?"

"Huh? Wha-how did you know it was a chocolate box?"

"Cuz Lucy gave me one today! So who gave you that?" Natsu moved closer - in fact, so close that his salmon, spiky hair was right on Zeref's face.

"Fine, fine. It was a student." Zeref waved it off.

"Which student?"

"...Mavis Vermilion..."

"That little kid? Oh man. I knew it. I bet she liked you from the start."

For the first time, Mavis made it in school on time. As she walked inside the classroom, she muttered to Zeref, "Good morning, Zeref-sensei." Her jade eyes sparkled.

Zeref smiled back, his onyx eyes shining. Then he whispered back, "Good morning, Mavis."

They were sure their lives were going to be a bit more brighter.

A/N : This was something I wrote ages ago. And it turns out the first day theme for Zervis Fluff Fest is 'Chocolates'. Hope you enjoy.

~Zena