prompt seventy one: teacher

rate: T for Teens and Up

Seventy one out of one hundred.

The fact that i went to school to become an elementary school teacher and my husband was supposed to be a firefighter… the cards did not play in our favor btw LOL we are nowhere near those occupations but happy and content. Enjoy one of my (our) fantasies LOL

"Teachers can make such a profound impact on our lives and should be honored as heroes." —Rainn Wilson

x

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"Alright, class! One, two, three, eyes on me!"

"One, two, eyes on you!"

Lucy had a bright smile on her face as her students all turned to face her and give them their undivided attention. Seeing the adorable eager faces looking at her with those wide doe eyes of theirs, Lucy could never go against a bunch of second graders. They knew they were cute and cunning and while she was the adult in charge of the twenty eight year olds, she knew deep down that they're the ones who were in charge.

"Alrighty class, now we're going to be packing up our reading materials so we can get ready to head down to meet with the firefighters to learn about fire safety!"

Cheers erupted in her classroom where tiny humans scrambled to get their belongings packed up so they could all head down to join in on the fun.

Today was fire safety day which meant her school had contacted the local fire department to come in for a day to teach the young kids about fire safety. She remembered doing it as a child and while this was her first time doing it as a teacher herself, she knew it wouldn't be anything too difficult.

There was a pamphlet of the entire thing, the kids got to look at a real life fire truck, get small adorable plastic fire hats, and ask questions.

It was a requirement in the school systems since fire safety was very important, especially to young children who found anything interesting enough to not know about the safety aspect of it.

All Lucy knew was that she was happy to have her day end a bit earlier since this would take place the last hour and a half of her day. All she had to do was sit there, make sure her students were paying attention and behaving and then she would be able to get them ready for dismissal.

And all on a Friday, too. What a great end to her week it was.

Ushering her kids into a single file line, Lucy tossed on her land yard around her neck where all her heavy keys hung. Her ID badge dangled off of it on the side and while she made sure to do a head count to account for her entire class, she was ready to get out and start her weekend.

Luckily, the elementary school she worked at wasn't overly large and it wouldn't be so hard to keep everyone together. There would be two other teachers there with their own kids in attendance so at least she had someone to chat with while the kids were occupied.

"Alright class, follow the line leader and make sure we are quiet in the halls. There are other students who are still in their classes learning so we need to make sure we're being respectful." Lucy said in a hush with a finger to lips. She smiled when some of the kids mirrored her actions, placing their tiny fingers against their tiny mouths while flashing her a grin.

She could see the bright red fire truck from inside the building, the giant vehicle parked right in the back of the school where the playground and field were located. Men in uniform lingered but all Lucy could see were black blobs since they weren't close enough.

And seeing how she was the first one out, Lucy had a triumphant smile to her face, knowing how she was the first to arrive out of everyone else.

Ms. Heartfillia took pride in her punctuality, especially when it pertained to twenty eight year olds. This was an extreme sport sometimes, wrangling up a bunch of hyper aggressive tiny humans.

"Now class," Lucy stood at the front of the line, back against the door while her kids looked up at her. "Once we get outside, we will quietly, in a single file line, make our way over to the blacktop. We will be waiting for our other classmates so be mindful of others."

"Yes, Ms. Heartfillia!"

Her heart swelled at the obedience of her class and Lucy gave them a nod before opening the doors. She kept checking over her shoulder to ensure her kids were following and behaving, hearing the excited chatter about the giant fire truck or the firemen that were standing around.

And jeez, did it just get hotter or was it just her?

Something about men in uniform… Lucy was glad she was the first one out here so she could have the first chance to ogle the men, blinking rapidly at the sight. Such tall muscular men with baggy pants and tight black t-shirts, who knew suspenders could be considered sexy?

Guiding her class over towards the firetruck, Lucy instructed all of them to find a seat and gather around her so she could do a head count. She watched them all half-distractedly sit down and try to pay attention to what she was saying but with the bright red truck behind her and mysterious men they have never seen before lingering, their eyes were darting back and forth between everything there.

Counting the heads of her students to confirm her twenty kiddos, Lucy called out for their attention once more where they all tried to focus on her.

"Alright class, remember what Ms. Heartfillia said earlier, we will be respectful and quiet while we wait for our other classmates to join us. You may talk amongst one another but no touching, no shouting, and certainly no running around. Please remain in your seats and the very nice firefighters will begin."

The kids cheered, happy to have some time to play around while they waited for the fire safety to begin. Lucy made sure to watch some of them to ensure they weren't going to misbehave but a tap on the shoulder made her whirl around.

Her cheeks almost immediately dusted pink, feeling bashful all of a sudden at the sight of him. He was a couple inches taller than she was but she still had to tilt her head up to look at him, seeing how he had a mop of pink hair on top of his head. Sharp onyx orbs that stared right into her wide ones were dancing with amusement, a half-smile stretched on his full lips. His black tee stretched across his shoulders and arms and even without seeing what was underneath, she knew he had to have at least a six pack.

Were firefighters always this good looking? How come she didn't remember when she did fire safety as a kid?

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya," he gave her a lopsided smile which she found adorable. "I'm Natsu Dragneel. I just wanted to go over the fire safety with you and hand you some hats for your kids?"

Lucy didn't know why she couldn't utter a single word. She knew her mouth was parted and she was trying to speak but nothing was coming out making her look stupid.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes!" She squeaked out, jerking in her spot. "Yes, sorry, I, uh, long day." She tried to laugh it off and the way he just stared at her made her feel even more flustered. "Uh, so, uh, hats?"

"Uh, yeah, right this way," he gave her a once over before turning to head back to the truck. Lucy's nerves shot right through her as she realized she was approaching more of them and she cursed inside her head for not dressing up more. She made a mental note to write it in her calendar next year that she should be putting some more effort into herself besides the t-shirt and skirt combo.

"Hello, nice to meet you all." Lucy offered a shy smile and wave at the men who returned the gesture.

She waited patiently for Natsu to grab the things he wanted for her, checking over her shoulder to make sure her kids were still behaving before turning back to sneak some glances at the fireman.

His back was to her but it was such a sight. She didn't think this man had any bad angles on him as she watched his back muscles move with his arms and hands. His profile was nice with a jawline to die for.

Seeing how his eyes caught hers, Lucy immediately looked away, feeling her face heat up again as she pretended to be now watching over her kids, fidgeting in her spot.

It wasn't her fault that such fine men were in front of her and she couldn't stare. She knew staring was rude but they were the best part about her day and it didn't make it any better that it's been a couple years since she had gone on a date. She spends the majority of her time in an elementary school with a bunch of kids and then her weekends mainly grading papers and making assignments so her time outside was very limited.

Besides, she grew out of the whole club and bar scene when she was twenty-three so finding a man outside of those four walls seemed nearly impossible.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?" Lucy spun back around, embarrassment still lingering inside of her as she looked up at the handsome fireman. God, he was so good looking. How could anyone pay attention when he was around?

"If it's okay with you, can I go over the fire safety now?"

"Yes, of course!"

The smile that stretched across his lips was distracting and as she stared at him speaking, she did not hear a single word he said. She was too busy watching his mouth move and how his hands moved with his mouth making his arms move and his entire body move. It was so distracting. She would definitely not make the cut as a firefighter if this man was anywhere near her. He was a goddamn distraction and a house would definitely burn to ash in her presence if he was around.

She was so busy dreamily staring that she didn't even realize he had stopped talking. He just moved the plastic hats to his side, adjusting his posture to stand right in front of her, staring right back with the look of amusement dancing in his eyes. It was as if they were having some kind of staring contest and Lucy couldn't even say she cared so much as her head tilted to the side.

A soft snort came from him and that was when she snapped out of her trance, blinking rapidly where she felt the blush return tenfold.

Horror crawled up her throat at the realization that she was openly staring at this man and giving him the impression that she was just some bimbo drooling over him.

"W—what an excellent way of putting it, Mr. Dragneel! Thank you for that!" She tried to reach for the hats but he took a step away from her making her snap her head up at his face.

He was smirking, giving her a playful look that made her scowl. "You heard nothing I just said."

"I heard everything!"

"Really?"

"Really!" Her voice was a high-pitch squeak and she cursed herself for acting so out of character. When was the last time she acted like a love-sick girl? She was twenty-six! She does not get all bubbly and blushy with men who she found attractive.

"Then care to tell me what I said, Ms. Heartfillia?"

A heavy blush crawled down her chest and to the tips of her ears as he stood in front of her smirking. She didn't know if she wanted to strangle him or kiss him, feeling all types of tingles rushing down her spine. She whipped her head over to check on her kids who were still seated and chatting with one another before looking back, a huff coming out of her pouty lips.

"Okay, fine, I didn't hear a single thing you said. I told you, it's been a long day. A long week."

"Or maybe you just have a staring problem." He shrugged and she gawked at him.

"I do not!"

"You just stared at me the entire time like some kind of weirdo—"

Lucy let out a gasp, bringing her hand to her chest. "Weirdo!" She echoed, seeing how Natsu was snickering. "I am not a weirdo! I—you—I just—!"

Cheers from behind her made her whirl around to see the other class coming out to join hers. A bunch of children rushed out to sit on the blacktop while she waved back at the two other teachers who were guiding the children.

Turning back around, Lucy had a scowl to her face while Natsu continued to smile down at her as if he was finding this all too amusing.

"If you are done insulting me, Mr. Dragneel, I will be taking those." She snatched the hats out of his hands when he wasn't paying attention and he was now blinking at her. She turned to head to the kids, dipping her chin down to hide the heavy blush she was sporting but as soon as she took a step away, she froze when she heard him call out to her.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, Ms. Heartfillia."

She turned to look but he was already walking back, flashing her a cute grin before joining his group of firemen. She could only blink dumbly, staring at his backside for a second too long before the loud chatter from the children brought her back.

Shaking her head, Lucy decided to ignore him and not allow someone she had just met to rattle her so much. And here she was thinking all these great things about the attractive fireman for him to call her weird. She wasn't weird… was she? No, she definitely wasn't and she definitely wasn't going to allow some random man tell her she is! No matter how cute his grins were or how sexy he is or how his smirk makes her knees wobble or how—

"Take one and pass it down," Lucy instructed as she handed off a pile of hats to the first person down the row. The kids eagerly grabbed for their own before passing it down, rows of kids beginning to have red plastic top hats.

Lucy could only sneak glances at the one fireman she had the privilege of meeting and as his group came towards the kids, loud cheers began to erupt making them smile. Lucy came over towards the back where the other two teachers lingered, holding onto the extra hats while the firemen began their fire safety class.

Lucy leaned over to her co-worker, whispering against her ear while her eyes never left the firemen. "How come nobody told me that fire safety day was this good?"

A soft laugh came from the women beside her. "Come on, men in uniform? I didn't know I had to tell you, Lucy."

"It would have been nice for a heads up. I would have come into work looking a bit more presentable."

"Oh, you look great. You're young, beautiful, and anything you wear you rock."

"I am in a t-shirt, skirt, and sneakers. I look like I'm fifteen." Lucy deadpanned with a flat look and her co-worker was giggling, waving her hand at her.

"And you look great."

Lucy just let out a sigh, returning her attention towards the group of firemen where she immediately caught the eyes of the rosy-haired one. He was standing behind the dark-haired one, who was talking about how to identify if there was ever a fire inside the building, with his arms crossed and his eyes pinned on her. He had a playful smirk to his face and Lucy could feel her face heating up, quickly darting her eyes away.

"Oh my god, he's totally checking you out." The other one came to lean in and whisper and Lucy was suddenly feeling claustrophobic between the two ladies.

"He is!" She whisper-shouted, turning towards the blonde. "Lucy, he's looking right at you."

"You sure he's not looking at any of you two?"

"Nope, he's definitely looking at you."

"What makes you say that?" Lucy did the terrible thing of looking back up and seeing how her eyes instantly found his again, she felt her heart stutter inside her chest.

"Because he's totally staring right at you."

Lucy cursed under her breath, scrunching her face up to give him a look and tell him to pay attention but it only seemed to amuse him even more. Damn him and his good looks and being immune to her teacher-stare because this one always works on her kids.

Deciding it was best to just look away since he didn't, Lucy could only huff and cross her own arms, staring up at the sky where the large clouds rolled by. She swore she heard soft laughter but she didn't allow herself to look because she knew once she did, she would be just sucked back into it.

She was conscious of his stare now and it oddly felt like it was burning holes into the side of her face. Why was he staring at her now? Was he doing it to make fun of her since she was earlier? It made her nervous and she also wanted to look at him but she knew she wouldn't be able to look at him and focus. She had to do her duty as a teacher and be good. Especially since she would just be openly staring at a man who wasn't even speaking, it would most definitely be unprofessional.

But it was so hard since his hair was so bright and she had to be paying attention somewhat so she could quiz her kids later and also make sure none of the children were acting out of line. Even though this seemed more like a fun event that they could play around in, it was still important and considered learning.

During the whole thing, Lucy found herself trying to hide away from Natsu's gaze since everytime she looked up, she noticed him watching her. She would scowl and glare while blushing violently but he didn't seem to care so much as he would snicker or smile.

Even when she would go around the group to hush at the kids or scold them for trying to be rowdy, she could feel his eyes on her back.

Did she have something on her face or on her? Was nobody telling her to save her the embarrassment or was this man truly checking her out like she was? If he was, she hoped he would come to her since she sure as hell wasn't going to approach a man who called her a weirdo.

She was not weird! Sure, everyone's a little bit weird in their own ways but she was not categorized as a weirdo of any sort! He's the weirdo with pink hair! He's the one who won't stop staring!

Deciding it was best for her to keep her head down and read through this pamphlet for the third time, Lucy held the piece of paper out in front of her to read through the fire safety guidelines. There were even photos on it to show the correct steps on how to stop, drop, and roll.

Feeling his presence before seeing him, Lucy felt her skin prickle in goosebumps at the scent of his pine and mahogany cologne. She turned her head to see him standing right beside her with a grin to his face and she could feel the apples of her cheeks dust pink, her eyes narrowing.

"Here to insult me again, Mr. Dragneel?" Her voice was a soft hush as she didn't want to catch attention since the kids were learning.

"I told you I didn't mean it that way," he whispered back and she rolled her eyes.

"How could calling anyone a weirdo not take it as an insult?"

"Would you prefer me to compliment you to cushion the blow of my insult?"

"I knew it," Lucy turned to look at him, glaring at him. "It was an insult."

The way he rolled his eyes was cute and Lucy bit down on her tongue to stop it from purring. "I was just trying to make sure your boyfriend or hubby doesn't get the wrong idea since you have the tendency to stare at firefighters."

Lucy gawked, turning to face him as she gave him an incredulous look. "I'll have you know—!" She was ready to shout at him but when she realized it was growing quiet, she turned to see everyone facing the two of them. Her face grew red and she dipped her chin down, muttering out a small apology while Natsu chuckled beside her. "You did that on purpose."

"Maybe," he shrugged his shoulders. "So would perv be more of an accurate description than weirdo?"

"I am not a perv!" Lucy whisper-shouted towards him and he was wagging his eyebrows at her making her scowl. "I am not!"

"So you think it's normal staring at people?"

"What do you want me to say? You were staring at me, too! Does that make you a weirdo or perv?"

"Hmm, maybe a perv and only because I think you're pretty."

"Wha—" Lucy was caught off guard by his words that she nearly whirled around to stare at him. She was gawking at the man who just stared right back at her, blinking right back as if what he said didn't completely rock her world. "What did—"

"And now Mr. Dragneel will be talking about the importance of sleeping with a door closed and how that can save your life!"

"Not now, Ms. Heartfillia. Can't you see I'm a bit busy teaching kids how to save lives?" He gave her a playful wink, walking away from her. Lucy couldn't help but stand there with a slack jaw, wondering if she heard or saw correctly.

This fireman was hitting on her, right? She wasn't dreaming that she was being hit on?

A nudge on her side made her turn and see it was one of the other teachers giving her a sly smile. It made her face pop red from embarrassment, seeing how she leaned in to whisper in her ear about the hot fireman who was most definitely making eyes at her. Lucy, of course, denied it because she was in denial that some hot fireman was pinning on her of all people but it was hard to even try to say it outloud when all she could feel and see was Natsu's eyes on hers.

Even when he was speaking, she could see his eyes flickering over to her to see if she was still there and sometimes, he would even smirk seeing how she would scowl and turn away looking fifty shades darker.

How could anyone be so attractive and so annoying at the same time? She didn't know if she wanted to strangle him or kiss him. Or maybe even do a little bit more.

By the time fire safety was over, Lucy was feeling like she was overheating and one second away from passing out from all the stares, whispers, and smirks. Has it really been that long since she had been around another man that she can't keep it together for one hour? What has happened to her?

"Alright class, single file line so we can head back inside and make sure you thank the firefighters for coming out and teaching us about fire safety!"

"Thank you firefighters!"

Lucy waited for the group of kids to find their respected teachers and groups, all three of them lined up on the blacktop to give them the chance to maneuver through. Lucy could only glanced at the firemen who were packing up to leave for the day as dismissal would be in less than twenty minutes. Natsu's bright hair compared to his clothes were easy to find and seeing how he turned around the moment she looked at him and caught her eyes, she found her heart stuttering inside of her chest.

He beamed and seemingly ignoring the one beside him that was mid-sentence, she watched him walk over to where she was and she tensed up, feeling her hands grow sweaty and her heart pick it's pace up.

"Yo, Ms. Heartfillia. A sec?"

Lucy turned to look at the teacher beside her who gave her an encouraging smile, whispering how she would watch her kids for a second while she spoke to the very hot fireman. It only made Lucy flush even harder and scowl at her before she was walking over to Natsu who stood a couple of feet away from prying ears.

Lucy crossed her arms across her chest, holding herself so she felt grounded and tried not to fumble this as hard as she thought she was.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Dragneel?"

"Are you free tonight?"

The straight-forwardness of his question caught her off guard and she blinked stupidly, looking up at him. "Excuse me?"

"Man, you hard of hearing, too?"

Her face popped red, her jaw growing slack again while a low growl came from her lips. "Seriously?"

The corner of his lips twitched and he took a step forward making her lean back, looking up at him with wide eyes. Seeing how a lazy smirk spread across his lips and his eyes dropped to her face, Lucy felt nervous for a completely different reason.

"I'd like to take you out on a date, Ms. Heartfillia."

Lucy was baffled, seeing how a man she had just met was asking her out on a date. She had never experienced a man come up to her like this and ask her out. Usually, it was through the phone or both parties were so hammered none of them cared about being modest or respectful at the moment.

Was this what dating a man was like? The real adult world dating?

Why did she love it so much?

"A d—date? Tonight?"

"Or tomorrow. The sooner the better." He grinned at her boyishly. "I'm very straight forward if you couldn't tell. I find ya interesting and would like to know if you want to learn more about fire safety, ma'am."

Lucy could feel the corners of her own lips twitching and they were slowly curling up at the sight of his own cheeks dusting pink.

"I feel like you're the type to not pay attention during class and it's very important to learn about fire safety. I can even show you some demonstrations and show you the importance of sleeping with your door closed."

Lucy was now giggling and she watched how Natsu's face stretched into a grin as well, triumph decorating his face.

"Well, who would know better than a firefighter so I guess I'll have to accept just so I can survive a fire."

The way Natsu beamed reminded her of a puppy and as she watched Natsu fish his cellphone out of his pocket, he held it out for her where her shaky hands took it.

"I'm off a six tonight. Can I pick you up at seven?"

"Okay," her voice was a mere bashful hush, smiling shyly at the firefighter who was also smiling. "I'll see you later."

"Try to not stare at anymore men in uniform," he saluted her and as he turned to leave, he turned over his shoulder to grin at her one more time. "See you later, Ms. Heartfillia."

"Lucy," she took a step forward to say and when he blinked at her, her cheeks turned rosy. "Lucy. My name is Lucy."

"Well then… see you later… Lucy."

Lucy was swooning watching him return back to his group and truck. She could see some of the men shoving at him and teasing him for what just happened but she couldn't find it in herself to care so much.

She had just scored herself a date with a very hot firefighter.

She felt like her day had just started. Fire safety day was definitely going to be circled on her calendar from now on.

It was an important day, after all.

X

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fin