Model Behavior

Chapter 1

Mirajane Strauss leaned over the bar counter with her chin resting in her palm. A low sigh emanated from her lips as her sapphire colored eyes scanned the guildhall. After winning the Grand Magic Games and returning to their former guildhall before the S-class exams were underway seven years ago, Fairy Tail had received a massive inflow of missions from nearly every part of Fiore. Though Mirajane was ecstatic to see her guild return to its former prominence, a welcomed sight after witnessing it struggle to stand on its last legs after returning from her seven year cryostasis, she still wished that she had somebody, anybody really, to keep her company. It had been months since the Tenrou Island group had returned, but there were still those who were strapped for cash. Lucy and the girls who lived in Fairy Hills had back rent to pay, including several members who lived elsewhere in Magnolia; according to Happy and Natsu they too needed money in order to replenish the amount of jewels stolen from their safe during their lengthy absence. Mirajane was friendly and cordial to anyone who bore the Fairy Tail insignia and there weren't that many people inside or outside the guild she couldn't hold a steady conversation with, but she always felt more comfortable being with those she grew up with and was closest to. Speaking of which…

Looking down, Mira let another sigh slip when her eyes landed on the plain looking card lying on the countertop. It was a lacrima card with a recorded message from Jason requesting a photoshoot and interview with its former top model and newly anointed Grand Magic Champion. With the day showing no signs of alleviating Mirajane's boredom, she should have been jumping at the offer since it would get her out of the guild. However, there was one crucial detail about Jason's request that Mirajane couldn't avoid: she needed to bring another person from Team Fairy Tail. The message didn't specify as to who she could bring, thus giving her a large window of potential options, but it would seem that luck wasn't on the model's side today with all members of Team's A and B currently out of the guild.

Her brother had left for a mission with their sister the other day, the large male insisting he was only tagging along for the sake of assistance, however, both females saw through this façade as his trademark overprotectiveness. She would have asked Erza to come along but, unfortunately, the scarlet knight was out completing an S-class mission, it being given to her by the Master himself, and when that happened there was no backing out. Her next choice was Lucy. The two had done a shoot in the past and Mira found that she quite enjoyed having the blonde as a camera buddy. However, she was out with Team Shadow Gear plus one iron dragonslayer on a job, the blonde stating she wanted to return home with full pay rather than empty pockets for once. Mira wanted to point out the fatal flaw in her plan, that being the budding relationship between Gajeel and Levy with a jealous Jet and Droy in tow, but instead she chose to smile and wave the group good-bye. Juvia had dragged Gray onto a mission and young Wendy was in the town next over.

Mira had reached a point of desperation so deep that she even considered asking Cana or Laxus if they wanted to join her, but fortunately for the model, neither mage was in the guild for today. Although Cana was attractive enough to turn heads her way with as little effort as Mirajane and her popularity with the masses grew exponentially after she literally obliterated the Magic Power Finder during the tournament, the woman was still a liability when it came to professionalism when you took into account her tendency to drink. As to the matter of Laxus, Mirajane simply wasn't up to the task of bickering with Freed and Evergreen over the youngest Dreyar. And on the off chance she did succeed in getting past the lightning mage's entourage, she was more than certain that he would send her away with a swift and resolute 'no'.

So, with every possible person she could ask having scattered to the wind Mira decided that it would be best to contact Jason and decline his offer. There would be other opportunities, so missing one wouldn't do any harm.

"But I really wanted to go…"

Her somber words hadn't left her tongue for more than a second before the doors to the guild suddenly burst open and in came a grinning pink haired mage and his equally joyful flying blue feline partner in crime. Blue eyes locking onto the smiling young man, the dark clouds hovering over Mirajane slowly began to dissipate.

"We made it back alive!" Natsu Dragneel screamed to anyone who was listening which just so happened to be any person within a hundred foot radius.

"Welcome back Natsu and Happy!" The collective shout of the guild caused Natsu's smile to expand. If it were to grow any further, it would split his face in two.

"Yo Mira what's up!" Plopping himself into an open stool, Natsu greeted Mira with the same air of exuberance he always did when he saw her. Excited to see her old friend, Mirajane flashed him her patented warm and welcoming smile, adding just an extra bit of sweetness behind it.

"Nothing much at the moment, but welcome back Natsu. How was the job?" Mira's smile quickly turned to a concerned frown when she saw Natsu's cheerful demeanor visibly shift to what she could best describe as disappointment and disgust.

"What's the matter, Natsu?"

"Nothing, it's just…the job was kind of lame." Raising an eyebrow in skepticism, Mira silently demanded that Natsu press on.

"Well, the thing is, I didn't really get to do anything. The mayor told us that there was a string of crimes going on throughout the town and that they had no idea who was doing it. The only clue the authorities could go on was that at every place that was hit, there was always this lingering nasty smell. They had heard that dragonslayers had a better sense of smell than most dogs and that's where I came into the picture. Long story short, turns out the people committing the crimes were the Jiggle Butt Gang. Barely broke a sweat during the fight, if you could even call that a fight." Natsu grumbled the last part into his arms as he leaned into the countertop, onyx eyes angrily staring into nothing with his mind replaying the most one-sided fight in history.

"At least they didn't hit you with their secret attack. I don't think my nose could handle another one of those." The mere thought of the gaseous trio's ultimate move brought a cold shiver to run up the spines of Natsu and Happy.

Seeing the fearful and nauseating expressions across her friend's face, Mirajane felt she had to ask the question that had been gnawing at her since Natsu started his tale.

"Who're the Butt Jiggle Gang?" Head tilted cutely to the side, she awaited his answer.

"Just a bunch of weirdos in tight spandex with reeeally big butts." Happy's were paws outstretched on either side of him in his best attempt to exemplify the size of the group's…hindquarters.

"Bad guys with big butts? That sounds like a sight to see." Mira laughed.

"Trust me, its not." Natsu gave the older girl a slight glare before it softened under her teasing poked out tongue. "To be honest, they're not bad guys. I mean for one they completely suck at being evil…"

"Downright terrible." Happy chimed in.

"…but for what its worth, I think they're pretty good guys. Just confused is all." An endearing smile spread across Mira's face as she watched the hopefulness come across Natsu's. No matter who the person was or what they had done, leave it to Natsu to find the good within them.

"But enough about those guys! I'm starving. Could you fix me something to eat Mira, I haven't eaten since I left the town and that train drained the hell out of me." Simply thinking about his ride on the train was enough to have Natsu doubling over with motion sickness.

"Ara ara, I would love to, but I didn't hear the magic word." Mira said, her pretty little head turned upward and away from the starving duo. Glancing out the corner of her eye, she held back a giggle at seeing Natsu and Happy practically prostrating themselves on the countertop.

"Please?!" The first members of Team Natsu were all but begging. Who was Mirajane to deny them?

"Ufufu, alright you two. I'll see what I can do. Wait here, ok?"

"Aye sir!"

Barely a half hour passed before Mirajane returned to the bar with a platter fit for a king resting in her hands. Natsu salivated at the sight of the steak and potatoes. When he saw the box of matches on the side, he nearly lost his mind.

"And here's a little something for you Happy." From behind Mira's back came a salmon nearly as big as the blue Exceed. A sparkle of exaltation shined in Happy's eyes as he levitated towards the tasty morsel. Both parties casted their gazes onto the silver haired angel in front of them.

"Thank you Mira!" Both mages said in tandem before giddily digging into their respective meals.

"Man, your cooking is the best in Magnolia, Mira!" Natsu exclaimed with praise while taking a large bite out of his steak.

"Magnolia? Try all of Fiore!"

"True that, little buddy!"

"Thanks you two, that's very sweet of you to say." Mira giggled joyously, her boredom forgotten as she watched the two enjoy her cooking. It would be temporary, however, after her eyes once again landed on the white card off to the side. Sensing her dampening mood, Natsu looked up at Mira and followed her gaze.

"What's this?" Taking the card in his hand, he tried to open it but stopped when he felt Mira's hand over his.

"It's nothing." Taking the card from his grasp, Mira gave him her biggest smile, an attempt to detract his attention away from the card but Natsu's dead stare told that he wasn't buying it. "I got offered to do a photoshoot and an interview for Sorcerer Magazine."

"That's great!" Natsu cheered.

"Yeah, I guess." Her lack of enthusiasm worried Natsu.

"What's the long face for Mira? Don't you want to go?"

"I do, it's just that I…"

"You what?"

"…I need to bring someone else. Someone from Team Fairy Tail," she explained.

"That's it? That's easy. I mean, you have your choice…of…" It wasn't until he turned around and got a good look at the guild did Natsu finally realize just how empty the guildhall was.

"You see my problem?" The white haired maiden leaned over the counter and took a napkin to the pink haired male's shoulder, knocking away leftover bits of food.

"Yeah…I do. Sorry, Mira."

"It's ok. I'll just contact Jason and tell him I can't do it."

"When's the photoshoot?" Natsu questioned.

"In two days."

As much as Mirajane tried to hide her disappointment, Natsu saw through it as if she were made of glass. He never liked seeing Mirajane sad, about as much as he hated seeing Lucy, Lisanna or Erza when they were sad. Despite the oldest Strauss not being as close to him as he was with his other female companions, Natsu still considered Mirajane a dear friend. As much as he hated Sorcerer Magazine for their hatchet job stories that lambasted his name and it's annoying redactor Jason and his seemingly limitless source energy, Natsu cared more about Mira's happiness. Swallowing the last piece of his meal, along with his pride, Natsu mentally prepared himself to say the words he thought he would never say in his life.

"Mira, you know, if…you want to go…I could…go with you." It was low, even for whispering standards, but she heard him. Mira's eyes flew open, as well as her mouth. Truthfully, the thought to ask Natsu had crossed her mind, several times in fact. Being one of the most popular members of the guild, his single-handed victory Sabertooth's Twin Dragons only expanding his fame, add the fact that he was Jason's all-time favorite mage and the idea seemed perfect. However, knowing the fire mage's relationship with the magazine, Mirajane thought it would be within both parties best interest to keep them as far away from each other as possible. Nevertheless, Natsu offering to accompany her to the photoshoot despite his misgivings with the magazine was something she hadn't anticipated. Mirajane was grateful, knowing he was doing it for her sake, but she couldn't ask that of him just to appease her boredom.

"I appreciate the offer Natsu, but I'll have to turn it down. I know how much you hate doing pieces for Sorcerer Magazine and I don't want you doing something uncomfortable just for my sake."

"Yeah, but you want to do it. I can tell just by looking at you." Standing out of his chair and leaning in over the countertop, Natsu stood nose to nose with the beautiful barmaid. Taking a slight step back, Mirajane held her composure but she could feel her pale cheeks slowly begin to heat up. "With everyone out on a job, I know it must be hard staying back at the guild, waiting for them to come back. And with how empty the guild is now, you must be bored out of your mind, right?"

"Yeah…I am a little bored." Mira smiled.

"Then that settles it! I'm coming. Besides I could use the extra jewels anyway." Natsu's crooked grin told Mirajane he hadn't divulged all of the details of his job.

"Natsu~? What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"Liar! He-"

"Happy!" The blue cat in questioned ignored his partners warning and continued.

"We had to pay back most of the reward money to repair the damages he did to the mayor's office."

"Oh, like I was supposed to know those guys were going to land there!"

"You launched them in the general direction. You even knew it would happen before it did! I saw the look on your face!"

"Shut up! I was thinking of something else!"

"Uh…from what I can gather, I assume Natsu accidently sent the Butt Jiggle Gang into the Mayor's office causing collateral damage not only to it but also to the building as well." Receiving a thumbs up from Happy and an irritated groan from his partner, Mirajane knew she was right on the money. Clapping to herself, she jumped up and down. "Yay!"

"Ugh, whatever. You said the shoot was in two days, right Mira?"

"Huh, oh yeah. Two days at the Akane Resort. It'll take a while to get there. I would prefer it if we left today, but if you want we could leave in the morning."

"Nah, today's fine." Getting off the stool, Natsu brushed away any leftover residue from his meal and made his way to the guild doors. Happy, who just finished his salmon, flew over to sit atop his head. "I'm going to drop some stuff off at my house and get ready. You cool with meeting up at the station in two hours?"

"You bet! I just need to pack a few things and change. See you then. Oh and Natsu…thanks for coming with me. I know you didn't have to." Natsu didn't say a word. Leaving her with a blinding grin and a wave goodbye, he exited the guildhall. After cleaning his and Happy's spots, Mira called over Kinana, informing her that she would be gone for a few days. The purpled haired barmaid assured her that she would dutifully hold down the fort while she was away bringing a smile to Mira's face, glad that she could count on the buxom female. On the path home, Mira couldn't help but think on how this would be her first time being alone with Natsu outside of the guild, or anytime for that matter.

'We've never done any missions together, unless you count our attempt to rescue Lucy. We've never really hung out together without somebody else being involved either. But as much as Lisanna and Lucy go on about how much fun it is being with Natsu, I'm sure I'll have a great time. Hopefully, things don't get too out of hand though.'

Choosing to ignore her sudden increased heartbeat, Mira fished in her dress pocket for her keys and entered her house.

"So…we meet again, huh, you bastard." Natsu glared heated daggers at the mechanized terror looming over him. It had been a little over two hours since Happy and he left the guild to prepare for their trip but when he arrived to the station, he didn't see hair or hide of Mirajane anywhere. Deciding to wait it out he took a seat and for the second time that day mentally prepared himself for the ride to come.

'Dammit, why am I doing this again?'.

"Natsu!" The familiar voice that rang in his ears gave him his answer. Turning his head, Natsu let a small grin creep onto his face when Mirajane came running towards him on the platform, pink luggage hot on her heels.

"Sorry I'm late! I couldn't decide on what to pack and before I knew it the two hours was almost up. Did you wait long?" She asked, finally catching her breath.

"Nah, me and Happy just got here ourselves. You ready to go?"

"Mmm hmmm!" Mira nodded with zeal.

"Then let's get going!"

"Aye sir!"

Mira stood behind the two mages giggling into her hand. She found their cheerfulness cute and endearing. Making their way onto the train and giving their baggage to one of the employees, the trio entered their compartment and settled in. Mirajane looked around the spacious compartment before a strange groaning sound caught her attention. Looking ahead, she tittered at what she saw. Hands on his knees and sweat traveling down his face, Natsu was the picture of concentration.

"Natsu are you ok? You look…constipated." Her best efforts couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Yeah, thanks Mira. I'm glad my motion sickness is funny to you." Natsu scowled, his mind teetering between staying on the train and bailing.

"Ufufu, I'm sorry. I am. It's just the look on your face…nevermind." Finally finding the willpower to corral her laughter, Mirajane patted her thighs invitingly. "Would it help some if you put your head on my lap? I may not be Erza or Lucy, so it might not be the same, but it can't hurt, right?" Other than Elfman when he was younger and less 'manly' then he was today, Mira never once offered her lap to a man. However, Natsu and his motion sickness were a special case.

"Sure, just let me…hold up. You're not going to knock me out are you? Whenever Erza says I can lie on her lap she always gut checks me and then I wake up when we get there." Natsu trusted Mirajane and he knew she had changed dramatically from her days as The Demon, but even he saw that she was subtly reverting back to her rebellious, and slightly sadistic ways. She may seem sweet but one could never be too careful around Mirajane nowadays.

"Natsu, I promise you, I won't hit you. Now come over here before I change my mind." Mira ordered playfully. Natsu held her gaze for a few seconds, searching for any sign of deception in her blue eyes. When he found none he breathed a sigh of relief. While he was looking in her direction, his mind no longer solely focused on keeping his food where it needed to be, Natsu finally took in Mirajane's appearance. After so many years of seeing the girl in her trademark maroon dress, and the black one she switched to after the tournament, Natsu didn't make it an issue to notice what Mirajane was wearing. However, for some odd reason, this time was different. She wore a yellow qipao that cut along the sides, up to her hips, leaving her long, toned legs exposed. Just peaking under the yellow dress, as if it were shyly saying hello for the first time was Mirajane's white guild mark perched high on her smooth, creamy thigh. Taking a page out of his book, Mira wore two black and yellow wristbands, both of which paired perfectly with the dress and the black flats she wore on her feet. A nice and comfortable change up from her trademark heels. He remembered Mirajane saying she would change when she got home, but he didn't think it would be to this extent. Though, it was oddly refreshing to see her in her new clothes.

"You look nice Mira. Yellow really suits you." The words fell from his mouth without him having to think them. It felt right for him to say it. No thought behind it, just basic instinct.

"Oh, well…thank you, Natsu. That's very sweet of you to say." Mira responded feeling the temperature in her cheeks rise several degrees. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Mirajane to be given a compliment or some form of praise on her appearance. That was just the life of an attractive young woman, not to mention a top model at that. However, receiving words of acknowledgement on how she looked from Natsu, a person known to rarely ever give a female's appearance a second glance no matter how beautiful had Mirajane feeling bashful, and to a greater extent, jubilant.

Taking a seat beside his old friend, Natsu let the forces of gravity pull him down onto her lap. Ignoring the slight flare up in her cheeks from having his head on her thighs, Mira smiled down at the fire mage, finding his actions cute, like that of a small, exhausted child. The instant Natsu's head landed in her lap he felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. Whenever Erza or Lucy let him lie in their laps' he could still feel the twisting pain in his stomach, it's intensity lessened but still uncomfortable. In the unfortunate case he was forced to rely on Erza for comfort, his stomach pain was usually doubled due to her signature method of knocking him unconscious for the duration of the train ride, usually via gut punch. With Lucy, he didn't receive such treatment thanks to the blonde's protest of such violent and unnecessary measures. Natsu made a mental note to himself to thank his partner for her compassion. In the case of Mirajane, however, Natsu for the first time in who knows how long felt all discomfort leave his body. No longer was his stomach lurching violently, threatening to regurgitate his hard-earned meal, leaving him a shell of himself in the train cabin pleading for the ride to be over. Instead, he felt completely at ease, peaceful even. Mirajane's natural scent of lavender and her vanilla scented perfume coupled with the firm, yet soft feel of her thighs was an appreciated bonus in his book.

"Are you falling asleep on me, Natsu?" The amused voice of the lap's owner broke Natsu out of his daze. So immersed in his newfound tranquility, Natsu failed to realize that he was indeed falling asleep. Turning over to face the smiling barmaid, which resulted in a moderately awkward viewpoint given Mirajane's prominent bust, Natsu opened his mouth.

"Sorry about that, Mira. Didn't mean to doze off on you," he laughed, his index finger scratching nervously at his cheek. Shaking her head, Mirajane assured him that it was all right.

"It's fine, Natsu. I know you just came back from a mission and that this is your second time riding the train today. If you want to get some sleep, go ahead. It's the least you can do since you offered to come along with me even though you didn't have to." Mira said encouragingly, an endearing smile gracing her beautiful features.

Natsu felt his face heat up in the presence of such a smile and stuttered in his response.

"Y-Y-You sure?"

"Of course, silly."

"Well…ok then. Thanks Mira." Letting loose a yawn that had been building since situating himself in her lap, Natsu turned to face his former seat, his heavy lids slowly falling. "Wake me when we get there?"

"You bet."

Right as Natsu fell asleep, did the train begin to move from the platform. Mirajane looked down on him, watching for any signs of discomfort or unease that came with his motion sickness. She had heard enough stories from Lucy to know just how weak the dragonslayer's constitution was whenever he was on anything with wheels. To her surprise and delight, he seemed perfectly fine. None of the painful groaning, persistent pleading or any of the characteristics that came about. Only a look of serene and nothing more.

Before she could stop herself, Mirajane's dainty fingers found themselves raking through the sleeping mage's pink mop. The softness of his hair surprised her.

"Lucy was right, he is cute when he's asleep." Mira fondly spoke, eyes half lidded and filled with maternal tenderness. The notion of Natsu being cute wasn't a new one for Mirajane. Since first setting foot in Fairy Tail, she had always considered Natsu cute. Especially when he cried, which back then she thought was downright adorable. However, seeing him sleep so soundly against her body, Mirajane decided that a sleeping Natsu blew a crying Natsu clear out of the water.

"You liiiike him!" Startled by the new, yet familiar voice, Mira looked up to see Happy sporting a large smile, partially covered by his paws in a vain attempt to mask his amused laughter. Rather than get flustered by the blue exceeds comment, a trait most of his victims shared, Mirajane smirked with an air of confidence around her.

"And what if I do? Is there a problem with that?" Mira said firmly. Sitting there with his mouth agape like a fish, Happy stared on in shock. He had always used that line in jest, the sadistic cat finding amusement in screwing with his friends' heads whenever they were confronted with matters of the heart. Never before had someone openly confessed to liking the other in question in that way before (he didn't count Juvia), so to hear that Mirajane Strauss fancied Natsu Dragneel, she being close to the bottom of the list of women he thought his best friend had a legitimate chance of dating, albeit slim, Happy was nothing but awestruck. After of few seconds of having his mind relatively blown, the melodious sounds of female laughter filling the cabin broke him from his stupor.

"I'm just kidding, Happy. I like and care about Natsu, I really do, just not in that way. Besides, I don't think Lisanna or Lucy would be too happy if I stole him for myself."

Happy didn't fully understand her words nor the wink she ended the sentence with but he smiled nonetheless. As much faith as he put in his friend, more than some would say is reasonable, even Happy had his doubts about Natsu catching the eye of somebody like Mirajane Strauss.

When both humans sneezed at the same time, the blue exceed nearly jumped out of his skin.

Happy told Mira he too was going to sleep and the barmaid wished him sweet dreams before turning back to her sleeping ward. Resuming her ministrations with his pink spikes, Mira looked down at Natsu with a warm smile.

'You liiike him!' Happy's words reverberated in the walls of her psyche.

'At a time, I did feel that way. But now…I don't know.'

Shaking her head free of wayward thoughts, Mirajane turned to look out the window, blue eyes mystified with the landscape speeding past. Bringing her free hand up to her chest, her heartbeat once again increasing in repetition, she grew eager as they neared their destination. She didn't know why, but she sensed that this simple trip with the fire mage had much more in store for her than she had thought otherwise.

Standing on the platform in the train station in a distant town was a women of such beauty that most of occupants in the station refused to look her way. Those who did not found themselves enamored with her otherworldly grace and feminine charm. Her attire of a white sleeveless blouse, black short shorts and wedge sandals wasn't anything special or noteworthy, but on her it looked divine. Men looked upon her with eyes of lust and want while the women had envy and admiration in theirs. Those who weren't incessantly gawking at the blonde immediately recognized the light blue guild emblem on her left shoulder, confirming their suspicions.

"Oh my God, its Jenny Realight!"

"No way!"

"Why is she here? Did she have a job or something?"

"Where are the Trimen? I thought she was part of their team."

"Where's Hibiki? Aren't they dating?"

Their side conversations were innocent. They didn't know any better and they didn't intend for their words to be harmful, but that didn't stop the woman's heart from lurching inside her chest. She held strong but each mention of that person's name brought a new ache of pain to her chest. Despite taking multiple hits, she refused to cry, having done enough of that and she was tired of feeling sorry for herself.

"Hopefully this photoshoot will take my mind off things a bit." Jenny Realight sighed.

When it came time to board, Jenny found her cabin and deposited herself in a seat with a magazine in hand. She opened the magazine to a random page and immediately dropped it to the floor next to her sandaled covered feet.

"You have got to be kidding me."

The magazine would stay on the floor, completely ignored, for the entire length of the trip. It's title, 'The Big Split' openly mocked the Blue Pegasus mage with its wording adding salt to a wound that had just begun to close.

XXX

I'm going to replace all the chapters of Model Behavior with rewritten ones and take the story in a slightly different direction. Some scenes will change and others will stay the same but overall the story itself will be mostly untouched.