A/N: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 5 - Go Lucky

"Laxus!" a voice shouted, piercing through the rowdy atmosphere of the Fairy Tail bar. It was a voice that everyone in the bar recognized, the aged pattern of none other than Makarov Dreyar. When he talked, people listened. After this outburst, the eyes of the patrons immediately turned towards the counter where Makarov's grandson, Laxus was sitting, having just gone through his second glass of whatever he was drinking. Irritated, he turned his attention towards the top of the staircase where his grandfather was standing.

"What is it, old man?" Laxus muttered. "Can't you see I'm busy here?" he asked, as he ordered another drink. The skilled bartender behind the counter, Mirajane, immediately complied, quickly setting a glass before the blonde man. He grabbed it and chugged it down instantly. By the time he put the glass back on the counter, Makarov had occupied the seat beside his.

"This," Makarov answered, placing a sheet of paper on the counter. "I've signed you up for it. It's a 5 day camp for children between the ages of 11 and 13," he explained, with an approving nod. "I think it'll help you develop as a person. It's the camp motto,"

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good. If I was 7 years younger, I'd be really grateful," he snapped sarcastically, expecting at the very least a smile from his grandfather. However, Makarov was not even close to being amused.

"Fool!" the old man scolded. "I never said anything about going to the camp to have fun. You're attending the camp as a counselor. In other words, you're going to be taking care of the kids. If you're put into a position of responsibility, then you might mature a bit,"

"Eh? Why should I babysit some kids for 5 days? I have better things to do with my vacation. I want to relax," he snarled back, but Makarov wasn't going to have it, as the small man jumped onto the counter, pointing an accusing finger at his rebellious grandson.

"There will be no argument. The camp starts tomorrow. You start today. You have to get the stuff ready for the kiddies, you see," Makarov informed him. "It will be fun. If you do your job with an open mind, you will be definitely end up having a good time. But if you go grouchy and don't even attempt to connect with your young charges, nobody will benefit. Do you understand?"

Laxus' nod was not only reluctant but also non existent. Mirajane had to give him a helping hand by putting her hand on the top of his head and putting some pressure on him, forcing him into a nodding position. She removed her hand afterwards, as Laxus rubbed the nape of his neck. "You have some freaky strength for a woman," he commented, although he said it in a tone that suggested it was more of a compliment than an insult.

"And you wear too much hair gel," she replied in a refreshingly pleasant tone, rubbing her right hand with a cloth. Laxus let out a light chuckle, although he quickly stopped when he noticed that Makarov was fuming. The Fairy Tail bar owner was a lenient man, but once he was angry, he didn't let up no matter what. Laxus had only truly angered him once when he was a child, and had no intention of doing so again.

"Alright, fine. I'll do it," he murmured, looking away to avoid eye contact with his grandfather. However, while he succeeded in avoiding Makarov's gaze, he also found himself straight at Mirajane. His first instinct was to look away in embarrassment, but he found himself starstruck. He couldn't move his eyes, or any part of his body.

Mirajane, who clearly noticed that Laxus was staring at her, merely smiled, despite the fact that she didn't know whether he was staring at her eyes or her bust. "Don't worry, Laxus," she reassured him, unbuttoning her apron, letting it fall to the ground to reveal a shirt with 'SENIOR COUNSELOR' written in yellow across the front. "I'm a counselor too," she told him.

Laxus moved a little bit closer, blinked twice and read the words written on her shirt out loud. "Senior counselor?"

She nodded. "Yup. I was a counselor last year and the year before that," she told him. "I got promoted," she added, happily. Laxus rubbed his chin, accepted the fact that he would have to be her subordinate as a junior counselor before turning his attention towards his grandfather.

"So, I guess it was Mira who gave you this bright idea, old man?" he asked, cynicism apparent in his voice. Makarov responded by innocently whistling, making a face that was the exact opposite of the face he wore just a few seconds prior.

"The girl cares about you more than I do, brat," he said. "And I'm your grandfather. So, of course I love you. That just says a lot about..." he was about to continue his sentence, but he noticed the blushing faces of both his grandson and a girl who he considered to be his granddaughter.

"Master..." Mirajane said, meekly, the redness in her face didn't fade as she turned away.

"Nosy old man..." was all that Laxus could say. Despite his overly threatening words, he also found himself staring at the ground and clenching his teeth, in an attempt to hide the overbearing grin on his face. "Always getting himself involved in my business..."

Makarov let out a hearty laugh, as he patted both Laxus and Mirajane on the shoulder. "Oh, never mind what I say! They are merely the ramblings of an old man!" he said, still chuckling away. "But it only goes to show, love blossoms in the strangest places..." he teased.

"Damn it, old man!" Laxus roared, but this time Mirajane stayed silent. Taking delight in his grandson's clear embarrassment, Makarov jumped off from the counter and walked away, leaving the two of them alone. "Don't mind him," Laxus murmured, rubbing the nape of his neck and shying away, unsure of what to say next. He was generally good at breaking awkward silences, but this time was different.

"Master says weird things sometimes, doesn't he?" Mirajane began softly. Laxus could barely hear her.

"Forget him," he told her. "The man is just an old pervert. He even makes you call him Master. Isn't that sort of overboard?" he quipped, but this suddenly cause Mirajane to turn even more red. She began to stammer.

"No, he doesn't make me do that!" she denied. "It's just... well, it's nothing really. Everyone who works here, and even the patrons call him Master. I was sort of worried about working here at first, so I thought if I just did what everyone else did, I would manage to fit in. I guess it just became habit,"

"Is that right? In that case, do you want to know why everyone calls him Master?" Laxus smirked. Mirajane's ivory eyes lit up with curiosity, as she edged in closer to Laxus. The blonde haired man did the same, and the two of them soon found their faces mere inches away from one another. If either one of them took a breath, then the other would be able to feel it, for sure. Laxus edged in even closer, but Mirajane stayed put, although she was tempted to move back.

"Because he isn't as nice to others as he is to you, princess. I don't know where Master came from, but in his youth, he was called the Titan. And they didn't call him Titan because of his intimidating height," Laxus joked, as he moved his face away. "They called him that because of his massive temper. Those who cross him, well, someone like you doesn't have the stomach for it. Just ask my father," he trailed off, a sense of melancholy in his voice.

"Laxus...?" Mira began, but the yellow haired man opposite her quickly cheered up.

"It's nothing. Thanks for serving me today, Mira. I knew it wasn't your shift," he said, giving an unassuming but curt nod. He stood up from the stool and turned to walk away. He needed some fresh air. Suddenly, and without warning, he turned his head. "Oh, and Mira?" he started.

"Hm?" Mira replied, looking toward Laxus. He was already halfway towards the door.

"Can you tell me where I can get one of those cool shirts?"

A/N: Man, you know what? I owe everyone who has ever read and enjoyed my story so far a big apology. It's not that I forgot about you this story or anything, but life really is hectic! But I started this story, and I am definitely going to finish it to the best of my ability. This chapter is short, but it will be the first of many more interactions between our beloved Laxus and Mirajane. Expect regular updates!