Author's Note: So this was a request by Phil-0, using his OC, Marcus Anderson. He's got a few Fairy Tail stories published, and you guys should definitely go check them out! On his profile there's a whole bio on Marcus Anderson, if you're interested.

Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and Marcus Anderson belongs to Phil-0.

Scarlet
By: SmurfLuvsCookies
Dedicated to and requested by Phil-0

It was the first thing he looked for when he entered the guild.

Usually it didn't take him long to find. He'd catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, whip around until his eyes focused on her, and her alone. The magnificent scarlet banner of her hair shifted over the shoulder of her glittering armor, and she'd see him too, notice he was staring, wave with a smile. He'd wave back, numbly, nervously, too shy to approach her. She'd go back to whatever she was doing, completely unaware of how awestruck she'd just left him.

A few months had passed since Marcus Anderson stepped into the Fairy Tail guild by chance and decided to join. It didn't take long for him to conform to their riotous ways; he was popular among those in the guild for his versatility alone, his ability to brawl and drink and still sit down with a book and relax every once in a while. Not to mention that he'd become nearly as infamous as Natsu due to the destruction caused by his overzealousness in S-Class missions. He couldn't help it. Marcus was passionate when people were in danger, and he found the courage in himself to protect them.

If only that courage didn't evade him when she was around.

Erza Scarlet, the Titania of Fairy Tail. He'd heard about her, seen her picture before he joined the guild, but stories and images couldn't communicate the utter intensity of her presence. She wore it like a cloak, like armor. It surrounded her, and Marcus was magnetically drawn to it. Internally. When it came to physically approaching her, the magnetic field repelled him. He couldn't bring himself to talk to her, much less ask her out on a date. On the rare occasion he found his voice in her presence, his words were so insufferably idiotic that he literally spent days reprimanding himself afterward.

Lucy caught on.

They were good friends, probably for the same reason he was also good friends with Levy—their love of literature. The blunette bibliophile secretly slipped him excerpts from Lucy's book until the author noticed and just started handing him copies to proofread as well.

It was during one of these deliveries that Lucy noticed the way Marcus was awkwardly handling his feelings for Erza. The Titania had asked if Marcus knew where Mirajane disappeared to (she wanted to know if her strawberry cake had been delivered from her favorite bakery yet). Marcus cut himself off mid-sentence, vigorously shook his head, and desperately attempted not to blush until Erza shrugged and continued her inquiry.

Lucy just stared at him.

Marcus coughed. "Anyway, as I was saying…"

"What was that?" she interrupted, a big grin spreading on her face.

"What was what?"

"That? What did you just do? In front of Erza."

"I…I answered her question, that's what I did. Now, as I was saying—"

"You did not answer her question," Lucy disagreed. "You went mute. Your ears were tomato red!"

"They weren't!" Still, Marcus's fingers brushed away his spiky black hair to test his ears. They did feel a little warm. "You're lying."

"No, you're lying. When exactly were you going to tell me that you've got the hots for Erza?"

"I don't." Lucy gave him a look, and he wilted under her skeptical brown gaze. "Okay, so maybe I do. So what? It's not like I'm the first."

"Still! When are you going to ask her out?"

Marcus felt his face heat up. "Never!"

"What? Why not?"

"She's…I mean…she's Erza Scarlet," Marcus hissed.

"Come on, she's not that scary," Lucy laughed. "Well, maybe she is, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. I think she kind of likes you. I don't know if she likes you like that, but she likes you better than most."

"She doesn't scare me like you're thinking," Marcus sighed. "I'm not scared she's going to punch me or toss me across the guild, or anything. She scares me because she's just so…beautiful. So strong and amazing and incredible. She's way out of my league, Lucy."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Erza has her own league. It's about time someone's stepped up to the plate, Marcus. It might as well be someone who knows what he's up against."

"I don't know…"

"Look, just think about it," Lucy suggested. "Worst case scenario, she turns you down and we get to eat a whole bunch of ice cream. If not, you get a date with Erza Scarlet." She winked at him and slid off the bar stool, leaving the draft her latest chapter on the counter next to his elbow. Marcus shook his head, considered it for a moment, then took it and opened it to the first page.

He didn't even finish the first sentence when a shadow fell across the page. He looked up and blanched noticeably, a nervous sweat breaking out over his brow.

Erza stood over his shoulder, holding a bright pink cake box in one hand. She was blinking at him as though she'd never seen him before, her big brown eyes thoughtful. Marcus swallowed audibly, waiting. For what, he couldn't say, but he was waiting for something.

"Did you really mean all that?" she blurted finally, straightforward as always.

There, his worst fears confirmed. Erza had heard every word of his conversation with Lucy, and she knew exactly how he felt about her. To prevent himself from throwing up on her shoes, he pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded.

Erza took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then big scarlet flowers blossomed across her cheeks, although her facial expression remained the same. "Well," she said, jutting out her chin slightly. "I suppose we can arrange something. How does tomorrow evening at eight sound?"

"Are you…asking to take you to dinner?" Marcus asked. "Like…a date?"

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, eight sounds great!" Marcus exalted, hopping from his bar stool. Before he could think about it, he swept her up into a big hug. She frantically juggled the cake box in her arms, bewildered by the sudden gesture. She was now red down to her toes. Marcus laughed and began running toward the exit, presumably to prepare for his date. "I'll pick you up from Fairy Hills. See you then!"

Erza blinked down at her slightly squished strawberry cake, trying to return her heartbeat and heated skin back to normal. Lucy came up beside her, cackling like some sort of devious witch. Erza scowled. "You planned that whole thing out, didn't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Lucy said innocently, batting her eyelashes. "I found out just now, like you. It didn't occur to me several weeks ago that Marcus acted strangely around you and that he probably liked you. Oh, and Mirajane definitely didn't agree that we should get you two together."

Erza turned her acidic glare to the barmaid, who was whistling inconspicuously as she wiped the bar clean. "I don't need your help getting a date."

"Whatever," Lucy dismissed, linking her arm through Erza's. "Now, let's go shopping for a new dress! How about something scarlet?"