I could have sworn I had already posted this one, but apparently not.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Title: Editorial Meeting
Pairing: Mard x Lucy
Requester: Anonymous
Prompt: "I've ways really wanted to meet you since you revised my English essay I accidentally left behind but now all I can focus on is how majestic your hair is and why can't mine be that perfect and soft and I'm so jealous a guy has better hair"
Lucy twisted her hands in her lap, her stomach mimicking the motions in tandem. Her drink sat in front of her - untouched. With the way her insides were behaving, it didn't seem like she'd be able to drink the coffee concoction before it turned cold. Internally, she chided herself. Meeting up with someone shouldn't be this nerve-wracking! You'd think she'd never been on a date before!
Not that this was one, per se. No, this was just a friendly meet-up between her and the person who'd kindly (or maybe not so kindly, given how abrasive the comments had been) revised her essay after she'd left it behind in class. Lucy felt indebted to the mysterious individual. That had been her end of term paper - worth over half of her grade. Thanks to their markings, she'd managed to pass with flying colours. So really, she owed her academic career to them. Whoever they were.
Which was why she'd left a note of thanks in the same place she'd left the essay, along with an offer to buy them coffee.
All that was left was to wait for them to show up.
Oh god, she hoped they got the note. She really, really wanted to thank them in person.
Then a horrifying thought occurred to her. What if someone else picked up the note? And then they cashed in on the free coffee offer? Would she ever be able to tell the difference between an impostor and the real deal?
That's it - she was going to have to quiz them.
If they ever showed up, that is.
...Come to think of it, did she ever mention what she looked like in the note...?
...Oh no.
"Is this seat taken?"
Lucy jumped in her chair at being addressed. There was a man standing in front of her, amusement saturating his form.
Flushing, Lucy sank in her seat, and quietly replied, "No, go right ahead."
He took up residence in the chair with far more grace than should be humanly possible.
Still embarrassed, Lucy picked up her coffee and took a sip. From over the lid, she covertly observed her new table companion.
Instantly, she was riveted by his very long, luxurious hair. Under normal circumstances, Lucy cared little for longer hairstyles on men. Sometimes it could be pulled off, but most of the cases she'd seen had been greasy, and ill-cared for.
This was something else altogether. It was the colour of ink on a page, the strands healthy and thick. Held up in a high ponytail, it fell in cascading waves down to his waist.
She hated to even think it, but it was far better cared for than her own. Lucy was already half-enamored with it.
"Lucy Heartfilia, I take it?" his smooth voice interrupted her thoughts, and she jumped again in surprise.
"Y-yeah?" How did this stranger know her name...?
Wait. Unless he was...?
"It's nice to meet the person who would be so careless with both their commas and where they left their end-of-term paper."
That tone of voice... it was as if she was reading the edits all over again. No doubt about it - this was indeed the person who'd corrected her paper.
Lucy let out a weak laugh, colour sitting high in her cheeks. "Yup, that's me. Thank you so much for helping me with those corrections. Thanks to that, I got a really good grade!"
He shrugged. "The subject matter was solid and well-researched. Only your grammar required assistance."
A genuine smile bloomed across her face. "I better get you that coffee I owe you! Mr...?"
"Mard Geer," he stated. "And you don't need to bother with the coffee - I was just curious about what sort of person you would turn out to be."
"Well... thank you anyway, Mard." Lucy hesitated, and then gathered her courage. "By the way... if you don't mind me asking... what sort of products do you use on your hair?"
They stayed until the campus coffee shop closed, talking about everything under the sun.
